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Data preparation is a necessary pre-processing step in analytics. It aims to clean the data from various resources and improve its quality for better productivity. This process includes many tasks such as fusion, cleaning, and augmentation of data. This teaching note will focus on illustrating data cleaning using the programming language Python, with all codes completed in Google Laboratory. Different solutions using the programming languages R and Microsoft Excel are also provided. To effectively illustrate the data preparation process, the relatively simple dataset Bengaluru House Prices is used. This is a relatively messy dataset with a few variables and many records, making it ideal for explaining data preparation steps.

In January 2021, Entomo Farms (Entomo), a family-owned Ontario-based Canadian cricket producer, received additional funding to support its growth and prepare for the entry into Canada of what would be its biggest competitor. As Canada's largest and only organic cricket supplier, Entomo generated most of its revenue as a supplier of crickets as raw material to food manufacturers; however, due to anticipated industry changes, Entomo was increasing its consumer-level presence by producing and selling more of its own brands as consumer packaged goods (CPGs). To support this decision, Entomo's chief operating officer needed to develop a strategic marketing road map for growing the revenues from the company's CPG segment.

The meteoric rise of ride-sharing firm Uber illustrates how gig-economy firms can grow to prominence and disrupt older, mature industries. Yet Uber's trajectory has also been rife with nontrivial tensions and controversies. The company has struggled with labor issues for drivers, safety issues for riders, cultural issues for employees, and external costs imposed on communities. How do these frictions matter, and why? What are the implications for Uber going forward? What's the role of effective stakeholder engagement and value creation in organizational success? This case is used at Darden in the first-year core Strategy course, often in conjunction with Chapter 6 of the book The Strategist's Toolkit (""Stakeholder Analysis""), by Jared D. Harris and Michael J. Lenox. The case is also suitable for Darden's first-year core Ethics course. It is appropriate for use in any course or module covering stakeholder management from either a strategic or ethical perspective. Students adopt the role of a female executive in a male-dominated corporate culture.

This case is set in the rapidly changing and technologically emerging industry of on-demand streaming video, which offers Netflix a number of strategic choices. For instance, strategies can involve choices about hosting infrastructure, consumer pricing, and other issues related to a streaming service's business model. In order to achieve global competitiveness, however, some of these choices also involve internationalization. In which foreign markets should Netflix compete? How should the firm enter those markets and compete there? How responsive to local preferences, versus leveraging globalized resources and efficiencies, does it need to be? Along with opportunities to explore these strategic choices, the case offers Netflix as an illustration and contrast to some of its industry competitors, such as Disney+. The material introduces students to Ana Mallett, who, in early 2021, has just been appointed vice president of physical production for Netflix, overseeing production in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) and the United Kingdom (UK). As Mallett looks at growth from abroad, she wonders if the current internationalization strategy is going to continue to succeed. This case is used at the Darden School of Business in the first-year core strategy course, in a strategic growth and value creation module. The case introduces an internationalization analysis framework. The material encourages exploration of the industry, competitive positioning and advantage, and capabilities in the context of international expansion. Case discussion can include industry dynamics, localization, globalization, glocalization, five forces analysis, competitive life cycle, hypothesis testing, and capabilities analysis. This case would be useful for any course or module focusing on international strategy, planning for growth, or technology strategy.

This case explores the introduction of a new product that targets both new and existing segments of the investment management services market. Cinnamon, a discretionary investment management app, was founded in the United Kingdom in 2011. With the help of the team's first product manager, Maria Pasquale (GSB '11), Cinnamon navigated the new product introduction process: identifying unmet needs, developing value hypotheses, building a minimum viable product, creating a marketing and launch plan, and setting up a customer feedback loop. The team then clarified their target customer and refined the product in pursuit of product-market fit. Throughout the process, Pasquale established Cinnamon's product management function, including the organizational structure, processes, and mindsets that fostered effective product development.

In May 2014, Alex Frommeyer, cofounder and CEO of Kentucky-based Beam Dental, a seed-stage startup that developed connected toothbrushes that tracked brushing habits, needed to decide which strategy to pitch to a venture capital firm. The first pitch deck played to the founders' strengths as engineers and requested funds to develop a market-leading, next-generation connected toothbrush. The second pitch deck requested capital to start a dental insurance company, an industry in which the founders had limited knowledge, that would distribute the toothbrush and offer premium credits for healthy brushing habits. This case is the first case in a two-part series (second case 723-356), and there are two supplements (723-374 and 723-375) for this case.

In May 2016, venture-backed Beam Dental was on the brink of financial collapse. Cofounder and CEO Alex Frommeyer weighed the unattractive terms of a bridge loan offered by Beam's largest investor. Frommeyer needed to decide whether to accept the terms or concede defeat and close the company. This case is the second case in a two-part series (original case 723-355); the A case has two supplements (723-374 and 723-375).

Early pitch deck (one of two). This case is a supplement to Beam Dental (A) 723-355.

Early pitch deck (two of two). This case is a supplement to Beam Dental (A) 723-355.

PowerPoint supplement to case 723351

PowerPoint supplement to case 723351

In January 2022, Shiftsmart cofounder and CEO Aakash Kumar wanted to capitalize on the company's momentum. Shiftsmart connected workers on a shift-by-shift basis to some of the world's largest corporations and government agencies. Fractionalizing traditional jobs into shifts was profoundly disrupting the idea of labor. At the time, the company operated in three verticals-Retail Insights, Flexible Contact Centers, and Convenience Retail. Kumar was considering whether to move up-market to professional services (such as tax preparation); attack the large, growing, and critical labor vertical (health care); or invest in fast-growing but highly competitive grocery delivery. The case provides students with the opportunity to examine platforms, analyze network effects, and evaluate the three expansion options Kumar was considering. It describes Shiftsmart's business model and its proprietary platform, which was the operational lifeblood of the company. This case is taught in Digital Operations, a second-year MBA elective course at the Darden School of Business. It could also be used in courses focused on digital operations or strategy and in those that consider how labor is changing.

A new entrepreneur planning to start a new exports and/or imports business is confronted with the issue of managing and mitigating various risks in international trade. Risks are inherent to any business, be it domestic or international. However, when business becomes international, the dimensions, complexities, and quantum of risks get amplified. This technical note discusses the nuances of various risks faced by the exporters, such as; credit risk, country risk, and currency risk faced by the exporters, popularly known as the three C's of international trading risks, and the strategies of mitigating those risks. The note also discusses the various risks encountered by the importers, such as; currency risk, supplier risk, and product risk and the methods of managing such risks.

Since early 2021, Mediacorp had started discussions and planning for its Mediacorp 2030 vision. Several new initiatives were proposed to deepen its digital evolution as it entered the digital era. While it had faced serious challenges from digital players about a decade earlier, Mediacorp has seen a steady increase in its digital revenue for the past several years. What have been the success factors for Mediacorp that enabled it to pull off this digital evolution? And what will be the new challenges it faces as it writes its next chapter? The case captures the decisions behind Mediacorp's journey from a traditional media company to a transmedia company that integrates both traditional and digital business models. It first briefly reviews the history of Mediacorp as Singapore's dominant broadcaster, as well as the challenges brought about by digital platforms like YouTube and Facebook about a decade ago. Next, the case charts Mediacorp's evolution when it tried to adjust to the new digital environment. The final part of the case delves into how Mediacorp would scale up its 3P (Platform, IPs, and Personalities) and transmedia models to reinforce its competitive advantage and carry on the evolution momentum. The case provides material for readers to reflect on Mediacorp's core, as well as its strengths and weaknesses. It then stimulates a discussion of the new challenges lying ahead, and how Mediacorp can get itself prepared to go from strength to strength.

In December 2018, Susan Tynan, founder and CEO of Framebridge, a four-year-old venture-backed startup that sold online custom framing, formulated plans for the future. Her vision was to revolutionize the $4 billion industry by making custom framing easy, transparent, and affordable by leveraging digital technology and automation. Early demand for the product was strong, and Framebridge began experimenting in retail. The company built a high-tech, robotics-driven manufacturing plant in Kentucky but struggled to achieve economies of scale. In the first part of this two-part series (B case 723-353), Tynan needed to decide whether to pivot her operations strategy or remain true to the tech-enabled robotics approach in which her backers had invested. Further, she had to determine her vision for retail and how this might impact the business model.

In 2022, after revamping operations and expanding retail stores, Framebridge founder and CEO Susan Tynan is optimistic for the future but realizes changing market dynamics. New competitors are entering the market, and margin pressures remained. This case is part two of a two-part series (A case 723-353).

Early pitch deck. This document is supplement to Framebridge (A): Reimagining Custom Framing 723-352.

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