Can a consortium of 16 organizations, including multinational corporations, local government agencies, and startups, turn a run-down Paris suburb into a "smart" (ecologically viable, high-tech, livable) neighborhood? This case explores how Bouygues Immobilier led such a project involving Alstom, Bouygues Energies & Services, Bouygues Telecom, EDF (Electricity of France), ERDF (Electricity Distribution Grid of France), Microsoft, Schneider Electric, Steria, and Total in Issy-les-Moulineaux (France). The enormous scope and diversity of the project is presented as well as the teaming strategies and governance model that facilitated its success. IssyGrid® earned the "Golden Issy" and "Grand Paris," among other awards, for its innovation and performance.
The Growing Pains at Commonwealth Dairy case provides an interesting situation to explore the challenges faced by a fast-growth company and the potential ways to address these challenges. Specifically, Commonwealth Dairy (CD) faces challenges that may be categorized along the following dimensions: a) how to continue the rapid pace of growth, b) how to manage the administrative challenges which the two founding managers faced, brought on by growth and the establishment of a second location of operations, c) how to manage the changing roles of the co-founders and the increasing need for more formal management systems and processes, and d) how to manage the changing nature of the co-founders' relationship with their primary investor from Germany. The co-founders face some key decisions regarding the future of CD in terms of its growth trajectory, the CD organization's ability to sustain its entrepreneurial energy and values in light of explosive growth, the relationship between CD and their primary investor Ehrmann, and finally, the co-founders' personal aspirations and roles.
Based on client meetings, this case profiles a situation in 2014 where pension plan members are struggling to make decisions due to inappropriate account reporting. A sense of urgency permeates the case. The husband’s pension account has recovered much of the value he lost in 2007, but he is concerned that another loss could occur, at a point in his life where he will not have time to recover. Two themes are addressed through a discussion involving a couple and their financial planner: the first considers the differences between defined benefit and defined contribution pension plans, while the second considers appropriate performance reporting for pension plan members.
After acquiring a majority stake in the Shanghai Totole Food Company, a leader in the Chinese chicken powder industry, Nestlé faced dilemmas regarding maintaining control over this foreign-invested enterprise (FIE). Despite its 80 per cent stake, and in a departure from past practice, the Swiss company let its minority Chinese partner remain firmly in control. The circumstances surrounding the integration of Totole posed questions about the strategic decisions surrounding investment in a Chinese enterprise by a multinational firm and the challenges of integrating local and global operations. In 2012, Nestlé began talks with the general manager of Totole about acquiring the remaining 20 per cent of the company. Should Totole sell the remaining 20 per cent of shares and, if so, how and when should it do it?
The idea for ONk originated in 2012 when six-year-old Mike asked his father, Sam Ke, one night, "Can we make a computer that is simple and fun?" Soon afterwards, a team of three - Alex Bell, Joe Costa and Sam Ke - came together to answer the call. The mission: to give young people - and the young at heart - a simple, fun way to make and play with technology and take control of the world around them. At the core of the proposed offering is a hardware and software kit that can be assembled to create an easy-to-program computer. They named the company ONk to epitomise the spirit of their idea: build a computer, turn it ON and hit any KEY, so you could immediately start to code.
The ATF case is a succinct opportunity to explore the many special features of leadership succession for a family business. In 2009 the company was passing the baton to the oldest of three sons in the second-generation family business. ATF produced metal and plastic fasteners for, primarily, the automotive industry. ATF had grown into a company with more than $50 million in annual revenues. The company had grown in large part through alliances with other family businesses around the world. First-generation patriarch Don Surber had led the company since he acquired it in 1982. Don was known for his charismatic leadership style and his focus on driving value through a network approach. The case traces the career paths of all three sons and looks at the succession through the eyes of the oldest son, Jason Surber. The elements, constituents, and challenges of succession are evident. The fundamental insight is that business leadership succession is far more than just passing the business leadership baton. It also requires attention to the family, the board, the whole system of external stakeholders, and the future of ownership. The epilogue in this note covers the period from 2009 to 2012 by describing what Jason did to earn credibility, to incorporate his brothers, and to define his personal leadership philosophy and style. The epilogue thus provides students with an opportunity to consider and define their own personal philosophy of management leadership and their own style. They will see the art of melding styles from the past with their own for the future.
This case describes how community leaders in Amman, Jordan used a community organizing framework to launch and manage a major campaign, 6 Minutes, to encourage residents to commit time to reading for pleasure. Using Marshall Ganz's framework for building civic leadership capacity, a local service organization, Ruwwad, based in the urban Amman community of Jabal Al Natheef, organized and coached hundreds of participants, encountering many challenges and milestones along the way-from cultural obstacles to community celebrations. Even before the 6 Minutes campaign concluded, the organizers were eager to launch a new campaign, noting that the success of 6 Minutes laid a firm foundation for the next campaign, building leadership, organizing power and capacity. At the end of the case, the protagonists question how to best apply the learning from 6 Minutes to their next campaign.
"The Mosquito Network" describes the appointment and work of Ray Chambers, a retired private equity entrepreneur, as the United Nations' Special Envoy for Malaria. The A case covers the modern history of efforts to combat malaria and the beginnings of Chambers's involvement in the cause. The B case picks up after Chambers's appointment to the UN and describes the efforts made by Chambers and his partners and collaborators to achieve the audacious goal of eradicating deaths from malaria in sub-Saharan Africa in a decade's time.
Supplement to case KS1191. "The Mosquito Network" describes the appointment and work of Ray Chambers, a retired private equity entrepreneur, as the United Nations' Special Envoy for Malaria. The A case covers the modern history of efforts to combat malaria and the beginnings of Chambers's involvement in the cause. The B case picks up after Chambers's appointment to the UN and describes the efforts made by Chambers and his partners and collaborators to achieve the audacious goal of eradicating deaths from malaria in sub-Saharan Africa in a decade's time.
Supplement to cases KS1191 and KS1192. "The Mosquito Network" describes the appointment and work of Ray Chambers, a retired private equity entrepreneur, as the United Nations' Special Envoy for Malaria. The A case covers the modern history of efforts to combat malaria and the beginnings of Chambers's involvement in the cause. The B case picks up after Chambers's appointment to the UN and describes the efforts made by Chambers and his partners and collaborators to achieve the audacious goal of eradicating deaths from malaria in sub-Saharan Africa in a decade's time.
With a forecast of economic slowdown in Singapore, Uniseal Creative Solutions Pte Ltd, which specialised in urban greenery solutions, had to decide whether to respond to a public sector tender for the fabrication and supply of Prefabricated Extensive Green Roof Tray System or develop overseas markets.
In November 2014, Spotify's chief content officer Ken Parks learns that record label Big Machine Records has requested the immediate removal of superstar artist Taylor Swift's entire catalog from Spotify's music streaming service. Is it time for Spotify to reconsider the policies that seem to have prompted Swift's catalog takedown-and specifically the company's insistence that artists offer the same assortment across countries and not target only premium tiers? Will the takedown request lead to other artists considering a deflection from the service, and if so, what can Spotify's executives do to prevent others from leaving? And, as it is only a matter of time before the news will be common knowledge among both music-industry insiders and fans, how should Spotify respond in the public domain?
In July 2013, composer, writer, actor and rapper Lin-Manuel Miranda, director Tommy Kail, and producer Jeffrey Seller met to discuss how to launch Hamilton, a new musical based on the life of the first Treasury Secretary of the United States, Alexander Hamilton. With a hip-hop score and an ethnically diverse cast that looked nothing like their historical counterparts, Hamilton was an unlikely candidate for success on Broadway. The trio needed to decide which of two popular routes was best to bring their new musical to Broadway: either take the production straight to Broadway in a 'cold open,' or strike an 'enhancement deal' with a non-profit theater so the musical could be tested before mounting a more expensive Broadway run. Could a hip-hop musical about a largely forgotten Founding Father be a Broadway blockbuster? And if so, what was the right next step in bringing Hamilton closer toward that goal?
Tolaram is a Singaporean company that began operations selling textiles in Nigeria in the 1970s. Executives and brothers, Haresh and Sajesh Aswani, however saw an opportunity to create an instant noodle market in the country. In 1988, they began importing Indomie noodles. But in order to truly target the local market, Tolaram decided to build manufacturing and distribution capabilities in Nigeria at time when conventional wisdom advised against it. After a very difficult journey, Tolaram has grown to almost $1 billion in turnover, built and operates 13 manufacturing plants in Nigeria, and runs a 1,000+ plus truck logistics company. This case gives an overview of how Tolaram built Indomie noodles from obscurity to become one of the most recognized brands in Nigeria.
In January 2013, small biotechnology firm Orexigen was in the final stages of testing Contrave, a promising new pharmaceutical product for the treatment of obesity. At the time, Orexigen had no products in the market, so all its hopes of financial success rested on this new treatment. Contrave had proven to be highly effective in clinical trials, and Orexigen executives were confident it would receive FDA approval. At the same time, a much larger pharmaceutical company was considering acquiring Orexigen. Because the decision to acquire would ultimately be a financial one, the project team from the large company had to complete a valuation for Orexigen's only significant product in its pipeline, Contrave. What was the new product actually worth?
Throughout the summer of 2010, Pakistan experienced severe flooding that overtook a large portion of the country, displacing millions of people, causing extensive physical damage, and resulting in significant economic losses. This case focuses on the role of the National Guard (and of the U.S. military, more broadly) in the international relief effort that unfolded alongside that of Pakistan's government and military. In particular it highlights how various Guard and U.S. military assets that had been deployed to Afghanistan as part of the war there were reassigned to support the U.S.'s flood relief efforts in Pakistan, revealing the successes and challenges of transitioning from a war-footing to disaster response. In exploring how Guard leaders partnered with counterparts from other components of the U.S. government, Pakistani officials, and members of the international humanitarian community, the case also examines how they navigated a set of difficult civilian-military dynamics during a particularly tense period in US-Pakistan relations.
The case is set in summer 2016, centered on the writer and performing star, Lin-Manuel Miranda, whose Broadway show Hamilton had grossed almost $75 million and won 11 Tony Awards. The musical's cultural influence was buoyed by Miranda's 578,000 Twitter followers. Hundreds of celebrities from Oprah Winfrey to Jennifer Lopez had become ambassadors for the musical; and its impromptu #Ham4Ham live performances were engaging thousands of people on social media with each release. The case explores specific tactics the show employed, challenges students to consider the importance of personality in creating social media buzz, and studies the practical influence social media may have had on the show's success. It is appropriate for any marketing course, particularly a digital media class in which students are familiar with the major platforms.
This case challenges students to review a series of corporate financial metrics and to match them to one of the 13 labeled and listed industries. It is suitable for MBA and undergraduate students ready to expand their basic understanding of financial metrics.