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This case was developed to record corporate governance reform at ICBC within the context of China's banking reform. It describes the evolution of governance in China, the challenges faced by leaders at all levels, the choices made and the results of these hard decisions. The challenges and discussion are relevant to Western companies in terms of understanding the corporate governance structure adopted by large Chinese enterprises. The success of the bank and its unique governance structure bring much inspiration from East to West. Learning objectives: Participants can explore the different issues behind ICBC's governance reform. At undergraduate level in a political economy program, students can discuss the strategies involved in transforming from a centrally planned economy to a free market economy and the systematic design required to make any reform work. In MBA programs, participants can discuss issues related to corporate restructuring, governance structure, IPOs, as well as competitive strategy. At executive and board level, participants can focus on the banking governance structure and the pros and cons of the ICBC system. By the end of the class discussion, participants should have gained an insight into working with large Chinese companies. They should be able to grasp the problems arising from conflicts of interest among shareholders, directors, supervisors, the management team, strategic investors, the communist party and regulators. They should also understand the inner workings of these stakeholders, in particular the incentives of each stakeholder group, which differ greatly from those in the West. Participants will realize how corporate governance could be managed differently and how complex it could become. The discussions offer participants the opportunity to reflect on governance practices in the West and borrow elements that could be useful.

Building Strategy and Performance Through Time is an eight-chapter book written by Kim Warren, professor of Strategic Management in MBA and Executive programs at London Business School, and published by Business Expert Press in May of 2009. Written for both students of and professionals in strategic management, the text sets an agenda for building business strategies in powerful, actionable, and accessible terms. It provides frameworks for understanding why a business's performance is moving on its current path, where it will go if the strategy remains unchanged, and how to design a robust strategy to transform this future. The author begins by examining the movement of performance and strategy over time, as strategic challenges evolve and resources, both tangible (staff, cash, and customers) and intangible (reputation and investor support), develop or decline. He then identifies the problems and shortcomings associated with existing strategic analysis tools, including SWOT and industry analyses. Finally, he provides an overview of practical techniques for developing a time-based picture of the challenges that organizations face.

Building Strategy and Performance Through Time is an eight-chapter book written by Kim Warren, professor of Strategic Management in MBA and Executive Programs at London Business School, and published by Business Expert Press in May of 2009. Written for both students of and professionals in strategic management, the text sets an agenda for building business strategies in powerful, actionable, and accessible terms. It provides frameworks for understanding why a business's performance is moving on its current path, where it will go if the strategy remains unchanged, and how to design a robust strategy to transform this future. Chapter 2 examines the link between resource availability and organizational performance. The author explains how to identify and focus on strategic resources, as well as how to define, measure, and obtain the quantitative understanding needed to best manage these resources.

Building Strategy and Performance Through Time is an eight-chapter book written by Kim Warren, professor of Strategic Management in MBA and Executive Programs at London Business School, and published by Business Expert Press in May of 2009. Written for both students of and professionals in strategic management, the text sets an agenda for building business strategies in powerful, actionable, and accessible terms. It provides frameworks for understanding why a business's performance is moving on its current path, where it will go if the strategy remains unchanged, and how to design a robust strategy to transform this future. In Chapter 3, the author introduces his concept of bathtub behavior - the idea that resources fill and drain over time -- and explains the relevance of this behavior to strategic decision-making. Specific topics include how to model and quantify these resources as they fill and drain; how management control affects resource behavior; and how to create strategies for developing resources through time.

Building Strategy and Performance Through Time is an eight-chapter book written by Kim Warren, professor of Strategic Management in MBA and Executive Programs at London Business School, and published by Business Expert Press in May of 2009. Written for both students of and professionals in strategic management, the text sets an agenda for building business strategies in powerful, actionable, and accessible terms. It provides frameworks for understanding why a business's performance is moving on its current path, where it will go if the strategy remains unchanged, and how to design a robust strategy to transform this future. Chapter 4 explores the mechanisms that make resources complementary and the implications of these interdependencies on organizational performance over time. Major topics include: gaining and maintaining resources; identifying both the external and internal drivers of resource growth and decline; methods by which specific resources - such as capital and customers - can be harnessed to stimulate their own growth; and how existing resources can be utilized effectively to grow complementary resources.

Building Strategy and Performance Through Time is an eight-chapter book written by Kim Warren, professor of Strategic Management in MBA and Executive Programs at London Business School, and published by Business Expert Press in May of 2009. Written for both students of and professionals in strategic management, the text sets an agenda for building business strategies in powerful, actionable, and accessible terms. It provides frameworks for understanding why a business's performance is moving on its current path, where it will go if the strategy remains unchanged, and how to design a robust strategy to transform this future. Chapter 5 applies the concepts discussed in Chapters 1 through 4 as it explores methods to assemble a complete strategic architectural model for an organization. The model takes into account performance, resource flows, and interdependencies. The author explains how to utilize this architecture to understand past performance, anticipate likely developments, and plan for alternative possibilities for the future. He also identifies five methods that managers can use to improve organizational performance: minimizing leakages in the resource system, improving resource acquisition and development, eliminating self-imposed limits, looking for reinforcing mechanisms to drive growth, and evaluating step solutions to shift the system to a new state.

Building Strategy and Performance Through Time is an eight-chapter book written by Kim Warren, professor of Strategic Management in MBA and Executive programs at London Business School, and published by Business Expert Press in May of 2009. Written for both students of and professionals in strategic management, the text sets an agenda for building business strategies in powerful, actionable, and accessible terms. It provides frameworks for understanding why a business's performance is moving on its current path, where it will go if the strategy remains unchanged, and how to design a robust strategy to transform this future. Chapter 6 addresses the variation in the value, or worth, of a firm's resources. The chapter's primary focus is how to assess the value of different resources through the understanding of their respective resource attributes -- characteristics that vary between different items in the same pool of resources. For example, while cash is a uniform resource - every dollar bill is worth the same as the others - customers vary; for example, some are larger and some are more profitable. Major topics include: how to understand and effectively manage specific resource attributes; the mechanisms that cause attribute levels to change; problems, such as cannibalization, posed by resource attributes; and how best to improve resource quality.

Building Strategy and Performance Through Time is an eight-chapter book written by Kim Warren, professor of Strategic Management in MBA and Executive Programs at London Business School, and published by Business Expert Press in May of 2009. Written for both students of and professionals in strategic management, the text sets an agenda for building business strategies in powerful, actionable, and accessible terms. It provides frameworks for understanding why a business's performance is moving on its current path, where it will go if the strategy remains unchanged, and how to design a robust strategy to transform this future. Chapter 7 considers how to win, develop, and retain resources within an organizational context, and shows how rivalries between firms competing for these resources play out through time. The author explains the three dominant forms of rivalry - turning potential customers into actual customers, capturing rivals' customers, and competing for sales to shared customers - through a detailed example. The author outlines the processes of various forms of rivalry and examines the relevant challenges and opportunities that rivalry presents to managers.

Building Strategy and Performance Through Time is an eight-chapter book written by Kim Warren, professor of Strategic Management in MBA and Executive programs at London Business School, and published by Business Expert Press in May of 2009. Written for both students of and professionals in strategic management, the text sets an agenda for building business strategies in powerful, actionable, and accessible terms. It provides frameworks for understanding why a business's performance is moving on its current path, where it will go if the strategy remains unchanged, and how to design a robust strategy to transform this future. In the eighth and final chapter, the author focuses on a firm's intangible resources such as product and service quality, investor support, and employee morale; explains why they are important; and considers how managers can understand, measure, and best utilize them through time. The author also discusses managerial techniques to identify and resolve issues associated with intangibles as well as factors contributing to the growth or decline of intangible resources. He also explores "capabilities" -- activities a firm may excel at, such as building, retaining, and improving organizational resources -- and the relationship between capabilities and resource development.

The case examines Harley-Davidson's decision to enter the Indian market. Due to India's rapidly growing economy and its swelling base of high-net-worth consumers, numerous luxury product companies lined up to enter India. The case enumerates the factors that such firms should take into account when selecting new markets to enter. Also discussed are the various post-marketing issues Harley-Davidson faced in India after its entry and the resolutions the company could implement to resolve those issues.The case provides an opportunity for students to understand the dynamics involved in selecting new markets for the firm to maximize its gain while expanding its business.

John Gilleland, CEO of TerraPower, returned to his office after a lengthy meeting with potential investors. It was October 2012, and TerraPower was in the process of raising a $200M Series C round to finance the ongoing development of its next-generation nuclear reactor. Though early in the fundraising process, Gilleland noted that this most recent conversation was similar to conversations with other interested cleantech growth equity investors. The conversations circled around a common theme: "This is the biggest idea that's ever been presented at our partners' meeting. We love what you're doing, but it's not right for us as an investment." Outside of raising money from typical growth equity and infrastructure funds, Gilleland could partner with a government and/or form a joint venture with an existing nuclear power player. Reliance Industries as an investor in TerraPower could provide an entry point into the fast growing Indian market. At the same time, Gilleland and Gates had talked with China National Nuclear Corp. about a possible cooperation with TerraPower. Whom should Gilleland call next?

In 2006 the French bank Crédit Agricole bought the Greek Emporiki bank, for €2.8 billion, at the peak of a bull market for bank takeovers. Six years, a major financial crisis, and 5.2 billion of losses later, in a context of great uncertainty in the European banking sector, what decision should Crédit Agricole take regarding Emporiki? Through the example of this European cross-border acquisition the case looks at the Greek banking system before and during the unprecedented Greek sovereign debt crisis; the efforts of Greece and the main actors of the European financial system to prevent the battled country from having to exit the euro zone; and the potential scenarios for Greek banks in mid-2012.

The case assembles texts giving perspectives on the Great Depression by Franklin Delano Roosevelt, John Maynard Keynes, Milton Friedman, Anna Schwartz and Ben Bernanke. This should allow for a discussion of the role of fiscal and monetary policies in reaching and escaping outcomes in which the interest rate is close to zero for a long time.

The case explores the similarities and differences between social media campaigns launched by Nissan and by Tata Motors to stimulate sales for models of their cars in India. The Nissan campaign allowed consumers to compete to star with Ranbir Kapoor, a Bollywood star and spokesman for the Nissan Micra, in a short film featuring the Micra as the hero. The Tata campaign launched India's first social streaming show, in which select teams of consumers participated in an Amazing Race-style road trip competition in different regions of the country. Both campaigns made extensive use of Facebook. Students are tasked with evaluating the two campaigns in terms of their fit with the communication objectives of each company and their effectiveness on a variety of metrics. The case includes links to advertisements and other video material. Although the case is written to be used independently, it also would work well in combination with the "Positioning the Tata Nano (A) and (B)" cases.

The call for new types of collaboration in outsourcing saw the development of the enterprise partnership model by Xchanging in 2001. The case looks at the history of one such partnership with BAE Systems. History shows why the model was attractive to BAE Systems against several other models. In Part 1 of the case, we look at and ask students to assess the in-house, fee-for-service outsourcing and management consultancy options for transforming HR through shared services. In Part 2, the case details the distinctive features of a joint-venture model that was eventually adopted and of the supplier competencies needed. We follow the relationship through the phases of preparation, realignment, streamlining, and continuous improvement, initially up to 2003. Students are asked to assess the model, progress, and what the future holds. In the third part of the case, we follow subsequent developments, including the change in the nature of outsourcing with BAE Systems from March 2007, the launch of Xchanging on the stock market in April 2007, its continued expansion, and its troubled history from 2010 to 2012. The case gives insight into the conduct of a distinctly different form of outsourcing, into how the client and the supplier deal with outsourcing over a number of years, and how a supplier navigates through a highly dynamic 21st century global environment while trying to expand its market services and revenue growth.

Supplement to case SMU403. This case is the second part of a two-part series on Innova Technology, a technology start-up company based in Singapore. The two cases focus on: Case (A) - Developing, producing and marketing a product innovation Case (B) - Growth strategies for a young technology company The case is set in May 2012, and begins with the protagonist, Rick Tan, chief executive officer of Innova Technology Private Limited, contemplating what his company's go-to-market strategy should be. Tan and his business partner, Jonathan Lim, who is also the Chief Technology Officer for Innova Technology, developed PROTAG, a new anti-loss device, using Bluetooth technology. The device, which is about the size of two credit cards stacked together, is synched to a mobile phone and can be attached to valuable personal belongings such as keys, wallets, handbags, passports and even phones. If the valuable item were to be separated from the person by more than a certain distance, the device would set off an alarm alerting the owner of its potential loss. Tan and Lim are two young entrepreneurs who set up Innova Technology in January 2011 as a technology start-up under the auspices of Singapore Management University's Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Tan, the partner with the business and finance skills, focused on developing a sound business plan and raising funds for their product. Lim, the technology guru, channelled his efforts to fine-tune the technology and develop a design with unique functionality. After extensive market research and encouraging results from beta test sales using the crowdfunding site IndieGoGo, Tan had confidence in his product. Yet, he was keenly aware that a great product could fall flat in the market if it was not backed by a well-designed marketing strategy. The partners had invested in manufacturing and 5,000 pieces of PROTAG had already been shipped out from the factory.

The role of branding at the corporate level, distinct from product marketing, has evolved to serve as an expression of corporate values. This note surveys current thinking about the ways corporations consider the alignment of brand with the business model and corporate social responsibility (CSR).

This case, GSB No. E-459, explores the SeaMicro CEO's decision of whether or not to sell the company in early 2012. SeaMicro, a developer of low-power servers, has risen quickly as an innovative and significant force in a server market dominated by giants, including HP and Dell. In the fall of 2011, the company is approached by AMD, the industry's second largest microprocessor manufacturer behind Intel. AMD has faced challenging times in the recent past and is looking to acquire SeaMicro as a way to reinvent itself and establish a leadership position in the rapidly growing cloud computing space. Andrew Feldman, SeaMicro's CEO, must consider the implications of his decision to sell in the context of a variety of factors including his fiduciary duty to his investors and employees, other strategic opportunities with the likes of Dell, Samsung and ARM, and his own future.

In 2012, GREE was one of the world's most profitable mobile social gaming companies. Its success in Japan was due both to its in-house games and to the development platform that it offered to third-party game developers. Its biggest challenge was to replicate the success of this two-pronged strategy in international markets, where it had to contend not just with many other game developers (e.g. Zynga), but also with the mobile platform providers themselves (e.g. Apple's iOS and Google's Android).

Edison Schools, Inc., a pioneer in the for-profit management of public schools, demonstrates the challenges and opportunities related to private sector involvement in the delivery of a public good. Follows the organization from its start-up through its initial public offering and, eventually, through its decision to execute a management buy-out to exit the public market. Explores at the corporate level the tension between Edison's effort to generate profits while achieving excellent educational outcomes.