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In August 2022, two interns at Miravo Healthcare (Miravo) needed to present a comprehensive marketing plan for Miravo's over-the-counter (OTC) head lice treatment product, Resultz, to two vice-presidents of the company. Resultz had not been actively advertised in recent years, and the company identified an opportunity to capitalize on an increasing need for head lice products as a result of children returning to school after the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2023, SonyLIV, a prominent player in India's rapidly expanding over-the-top (OTT) streaming service industry, appointed Mr. Danish Khan as its new business leader. Despite prior accomplishments in revitalizing the platform and achieving notable growth in subscribers and revenue, Khan faced formidable challenges in his new role. The key challenges were substantial expenses in customer acquisition and content management in an intensely competitive market. This case probes critical strategic questions: Which customer segments should SonyLIV focus on, and does the platform need to reassess its subscription model? Should it contemplate collaborating with industry rivals to access content and engage in cross-promotion? Alternatively, should it explore any other strategies to enhance its market share and financial performance?

This note introduces interest-rate swaps, financial contracts wherein two parties agree to exchange interest-rate cash flows, typically in the form of an exchange between fixed-rate payments and floating-rate payments. Interest-rate swaps are valuable risk-management tools for entities seeking to alter the composition of their interest-rate exposure, as swaps enable them to hedge against fluctuations in interest rates. This note covers how these swaps are priced, the understanding of which is essential for effective risk management and corporate financing decision-making. At the Darden School of Business, this technical note is taught in the first-year "Valuation in Financial Markets" class; it would also be suitable in a module covering interest rates in a derivatives elective course.

On March 8, 2023, Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) disclosed its plans to raise USD 1.75 billion to seal a hole in its balance sheet from an unsuccessful sale of a fixed-income portfolio that had reportedly resulted in substantial losses. This unexpected move triggered a massive withdrawal of deposits, especially by technology and venture capital firms. The liquidity problem was expected to leave losses amounting to USD 20 billion. A fund manager intended to examine the level of financial distress in SVB and identify the possibility of recovery. His clients believed that SVB could still be a good buy at the current valuation. The fund manager examined various risks and applied the probability of financial distress model for analysis.

Spreadsheet supplement for case W36975

On February 10, 2023, Toronto mayor John Tory stunned the city by holding an evening press conference to announce his resignation. Tory admitted to having an inappropriate relationship with a junior staff member in his office. While Toronto city council scrambled to deal with the fallout of Tory's abrupt announcement, public opinion about it was deeply divided. From politicians to pundits to the general public, it seemed everyone had something to say about Tory stepping down as mayor and the reason why he did so. In the absence of clear rules and regulations, what should Tory have done? Was his resignation, as some said, too hasty? Or was he correct to step down?

Sincerity International Group is a Chinese company set up in 2003 by Dr. Zhang Lian, an alumnus of The University of Hong Kong (HKU), to tap Africa's demand for two-wheelers. The case provides an overview of the motorcycle market in Africa, its features and characteristics, and the threats and opportunities the region presented. It explains how Dr. Zhang Lian, the founder, crafts an uncontested market space by leveraging China's mature supply chain to create a branded line of motorcycles, accessories, and service, integrating product design, manufacturing, sales and marketing, distribution and logistics, aftersales service, and maintenance. It aims to (1) understand how Sincerity uses "blue ocean" strategy for growth and achieves phenomenal success; (2) identify the key reasons for Sincerity's rapid development; (3) identify the major challenges thereafter, and (4) evaluate strategies for Sincerity to sustain growth.

Channels of distribution are a critical component of a firm's go-to-market strategy. A company may elect to sell its products directly to customers (DTC) without the assistance of any intermediaries or, alternatively, it may seek several channel partners to help it reach various customer segments at various locations. Regardless of the route(s) taken to make products and services available to customers, a company needs to understand the pricing implications of its chosen channel structure. This note covers several key concepts, frameworks, and analyses any business should master in order to effectively link efforts to deliver value (via its channels strategy) and efforts to extract value (via its pricing strategy). In particular, the note covers situations where the channel players apply a margin (or markup) to determine their price, as well as settings where they leverage information on market demand to maximize profits. Sources of pricing friction between manufacturers and retailers are highlighted, such as double marginalization, and ways to mitigate these frictions are featured. Furthermore, a number of key pricing practices that channel members engage in are covered, such as MSRP (manufacturer suggested retail price), MAP (minimum advertised price), pass-through rate, and consignment selling. To help illustrate the key ideas, the note provides multiple examples and intuitively explains the steps involved in setting prices in light of the channel structure.

Miami-Dade County led the work to get South Florida designated a national climate resilience tech hub, the only one of 31 focused on climate change, an urgent major issue for the region in light of global warming and sea level rise. Venture capitalists saw the potential but not many investable ventures; some entrepreneurs created scalable ventures but without much regional support; economic development agencies were not yet fully building the ecosystem or just getting started. Most wanted more from government, higher education, and others. The label "climate tech hub" had to be backed by specific proposals to attract available funding. What are the gaps and missing ingredients? What actions might fill the gaps?

SofMedica Group had expanded from its origins as a medical equipment distributor in Romania to a holding company with four business lines operating in six countries. This expansion had been driven by SofMedica's mission: to make cutting edge medical technology available to the remotest patient by enabling healthcare professionals through education and access to innovation. As the company marked its 30-year anniversary Georgios Sofianos, SofMedica's CEO and owner, considered the many opportunities and challenges facing SofMedica.

This case is about the decision-making process that led André and Rosalie Hoffmann to establish InTent, a non-governmental organization that forges action-based partnerships that fight for sustainable solutions for business, people and planet. The InTent platform now counts 29 partners that include notable NGOs like the WWF, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, the Club of Rome, and the Nature Positive Initiative. Also prominent within the InTent community are academic organizations like INSEAD's Hoffmann Institute that sponsor programmes to accelerate nature-positive change. In partnership with the SDG Tent, InTent makes their voices heard at major events, including one of the most closely watched gatherings of world leaders, the annual World Economic Forum in Davos.

Napoleon was a blue ocean strategist ahead of his time. With his innovative approach to military warfare, he reshaped conventional war strategies. But despite his outstanding and innovative war strategies, success eluded him in the end. His rise through victories at the battles of Lodi, Marengo, and Austerlitz contrasts with his downfall from the Russian invasion and the defeat at the Waterloo battle. This leads us to wonder, what went wrong? What factors can cause a good overall strategy to fail? Delving into the reasons behind Napoleon's rise and fall, this case suggests that the decline in the quality of his interactions with his marshals and staff in the latter part of his career led to inferior battle strategies that finally led to his downfall. The case underscores the importance of practicing fair process at the strategy formulation stage to ensure a strategy's effectiveness in terms of both content and execution, thereby achieving successful performance outcomes.

Why Canadian companies are increasingly utilizing litigation financing to transform legal disputes into assets.

Why every direct report has a weakness leaders must manage, including the ones who shine.

Why understanding three often-overlooked barriers to inclusion is essential to address subtle and vocal opposition to workplace DEI initiatives.

Unyarat Pornprakit (Unya) is the youthful chief executive officer of Jubilee Enterprise PLC, a diamond jewelry retailer. Since Unya became CEO in 2008, she has expanded the chain to 128 stores and grown the revenue to $400 million. She has managed to deliver record earnings for 12 straight years. Unya's father began the process of professionalizing and standardizing Jubilee Enterprises and diamond jewelry retail in Thailand. He introduced standardized pricing, store design and store-in-store concepts. Unya took standardization to a new level but with an eye to customer experience. She focused on employee training and new store concepts such as "islands" for freer customer interactions. Although she has been using data for a long time, she is now institutionalizing its use to manage the firm. Every morning her regional managers receive a report with her personal suggestions on what to do. She is also using data from in-store cameras to monitor the activities of salespeople and use data from the video feed to train salespeople. Will her managers and store employees accept such direction?

How can a service industry startup in a traditional segment gain a foothold in the market? How do we run standardized operations in an industry where customers desire personalization and uniqueness? The journey of Himo sheds light on these questions. Himo, a China-based studio photography brand, owned the largest number of photo studios in China. When Himo was founded in Hangzhou in 2015, its main business was ID headshots. After eight years of development, it had 600 stores spanning over 80 cities in China. "Light, fast, and simple" was Himo's strategic positioning to appeal to the young people. Based on these three key attributes, it developed a standardized operation process and services, creating a business model completely different from traditional photo studios and thus being dubbed "the new species." How should Himo go from there? To answer this question, during its senior management strategy meeting on November 3, 2022, three different views emerged: one was enhancing the service delivery capabilities of its stores; another one was doubling down on its cosmetic retail business; and finally, one suggested speeding up the opening of innovative themed stores. Which should be Himo's strategic focus for its next phase? Himo's founder, Wu Yuqi, had to think this over.

Present-day ITC Limited (ITC) is a well-diversified company with a presence in various businesses, including fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), hotels, agribusiness, paperboards and paper, and packaging. The 113-year-old India-based company has de-risked its portfolio and also remained relevant and competitive. This case chronicles the transition of ITC from a cigarette major to a conglomerate, aspiring to become the number one FMCG player. The creation of a strong brand portfolio coupled with an adept brand extension strategy spelled rapid growth for the company's FMCG business. ITC's successful diversification, led by the FMCG business, can be attributed to its corporate parenting advantage that accrued to the various businesses housed as divisions or strategic business units under a single listed company. Fiscal year 2023 had drawn to a close. ITC faced numerous questions. Was the millet-based business a good fit in the company's parenting matrix? Would the food business benefit from the structural advantages that ITC had created as a corporate parent? What strategic initiatives could ITC take to gain further traction in the FMCG market?

In 2023, Vasudha Rai had positioned herself as a brand in the health, wellness, and beauty market in India, with a cumulative 92,000 followers across platforms. To strengthen her personal brand moving forward, she conducted a brand audit. Basedon the results of the audit, she had to make a choice about where she should she invest her resources. She had multiple options to consider. She could (1) stick to her present plan of utilizing every platform available, (2) concentrate on one platform and make the most of its features, or (3) work on a smaller, select combination of platforms going forward. What would help her reach her goal of becoming a key opinion leader in this market?

On October 10, 2022, Mary-Kay Messier, vice-president global marketing of Bauer Hockey (Bauer), was faced with a difficult decision on the future of Bauer's sponsorship of Hockey Canada. Hockey Canada was experiencing widespread fallout from sexual assault allegations and the source of money that Hockey Canada paid in various settlements. Messier was planning to share Bauer's position with Hockey Canada before publicly announcing the decision on October 11, 2022. Some sponsors had paused their relationships with Hockey Canada, other sponsors had severed their relationships entirely. Canada's government had also frozen funding for Hockey Canada, citing a loss of confidence in the leadership at Hockey Canada.