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Blockchain is a digital, distributed, immutable ledger designed to build trust among parties without requiring an independent, third-party arbitrator or intermediary. The technology has potential to improve a variety of industries, including the complex, fragmented, analog food supply chain. In this case study, the fictional director of food safety at Walmart, Frederick Durmot, seeks to leverage blockchain for supply chain safety and transparency. The key dilemma is how to make Walmart's blockchain implementation successful. While food safety improvements may alone represent a win for the company, blockchain could also have major impacts on supply chain efficiency, product design, and social and environmental issues. The major risk to consider is unwanted scrutiny due to heightened transparency in the supply chain.

In 2016, Fiona Mungai became Endeavor Kenya's first managing director. In this role, she helped the organization build its inaugural board and select its first Endeavor entrepreneur, a fintech company called Cellulant. Throughout this process, Mungai observed the power of personal networks and connections in the development of the company and the creation of an entrepreneurial ecosystem in Kenya. As Endeavor Kenya reaches the end of its first five years, Mungai and the board focus on expanding the scope of business operations throughout East Africa and fulfilling Endeavor's global vision.

André Hoffmann is a leader of one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies. His exceptional tenure in philanthropy over the past several decades, including being president of the WWF and the vice-president of the MAVA Foundation, has allowed him access to a far broader scope of the field than most philanthropists can have in a lifetime. Through these experiences, he has indicated a set of key factors that cause philanthropy and social impact efforts to fail, both consistently and silently, and that threaten the future of the planet in the wake of such time-sensitive global issues as climate change, resource overuse, and ecological destruction. His plan to fix the system involved a fundamental restructuring of not only philanthropy, but of the broader business landscape itself, including a dramatic reframing of how we understand cash flows and profits across industries. The measures cannot come from one body alone, and will require immense cooperation of enterprises if the world is meant to ever stand a chance.

This case is used to explore the strategic concept of "look forward, reason back." Roku in 2021 is trying to figure out the future of television and streaming media. Students are asked to provide a vision for television and streaming media (that is, Look Forward) by the middle of the decade, and then reason back to the strategic choices it should take in 2021. Roku is well positioned, but industry and consumer habits are changing quickly, and Roku must decide whether to focus on creating its own exclusive content, focus on licensing its OS to TV manufacturers, and/or remain the "Switzerland" of the streaming media world, without competing with content players or TV OEMs.

This case follows the development of Daddy Lab, a Chinese social enterprise founded in 2015 by Wenfeng Wei. With extensive experience in product safety testing, Wei started Daddy Lab to tackle the social problem of poor-quality and hazardous consumer products used by children and their families in China. By identifying, testing, and reporting such products to the public via social media, Wei became an internet celebrity. Nicknamed "Daddy Wei," he racked up millions of followers on China's most popular social media platform, WeChat. In 2018, Daddy Lab received China Gold Social Enterprise certification from the China Charity Fair. That same year, Daddy Lab generated average monthly revenue of approximately ¥5 million by selling high-quality, non-hazardous products online. As Daddy Lab continued to grow and tackle its social mission, it faced numerous challenges. Social entrepreneur Wei realized that he faced the dilemma of trying to make the world a safer place for children and their families while making a profit to sustain this purpose. Wei had established a model to make profits through Daddy Lab's dual roles as a "reviewer" and a "seller" but wondered whether it was appropriate for this social enterprise. As Wei considered Daddy Lab's future, the following questions kept him awake at night: Was Daddy Lab's current business model effective in achieving its social and financial goals? How could Daddy Lab better manage its dual roles as a "reviewer" and a "seller"? How could Daddy Lab become more sustainable in the future?

This case looks at the vagaries of Molson's corporate governance during the period from 1995 to 2003, which led to a declaration of the Molson Family Principles and a review of the board of directors' effectiveness initiated by Eric Molson, its chair. These actions proved particularly important in light of the attitudes, behaviours, decisions, and ambitions of Ian Molson, a distant cousin who sat on the board, and CEO Dan O'Neill. Patriarch of the Tom Molson (his father) clan and controlling shareholder of the company, Eric Molson needed to reaffirm the values and principles of his family by using his power of persuasion and influence and, if necessary, the (heavy) artillery to ensure the company's sustainability.

This case covers the discussions and events that took place in 2004 at the family, board, and executive levels at Molson Inc. (Molson). At that time, there was a debate between two strategic orientations: the merger of Molson with A. Coors & Co. (Coors) or the outright sale of Molson to a competitor. The case focuses on the interactions between key governance actors, including the chair, Eric Molson, the deputy chair, Ian Molson, the chief executive officer, Dan O'Neill, and other members of Molson's board of directors. Molson's status as a publicly traded family-controlled firm raises issues such as the importance of family support, the name of the entity resulting from any transaction, and the extent of family involvement in its governance.

This two-part case covers the discussions and events that took place in 2004 at the family, board, and executive levels at Molson Inc. (Molson). At that time, there was a debate between two strategic orientations: the merger of Molson with A. Coors & Co. (Coors) or the outright sale of Molson to a competitor. Case A focuses on the interactions between key governance actors, including the chair, Eric Molson, the deputy chair, Ian Molson, the chief executive officer, Dan O'Neill, and other members of Molson's board of directors. Molson's status as a publicly traded family-controlled firm raises issues such as the importance of family support, the name of the entity resulting from any transaction, and the extent of family involvement in its governance. Case B provides additional details regarding key events that followed the May 5 board meeting.

On July 21, 2004, Molson's board approved a merger of equals between Molson and Coors. For Eric Molson, chair of the board since 1988, and also head of the Molson family and controlling shareholder, this merger with a strategic partner of similar size would make the merged company - Molson Coors - the fifth-largest brewer in the world. Before this could happen, however, Molson shareholders had to be convinced that this merger would be fair to everyone, not just to the Molson family members who held Class B shares (with voting rights). The merger would require the approval of two-thirds of both the voting and non-voting classes of Molson shareholders. This was far from a done deal since a merger of equals is a zero-premium deal for shareholders. The case explains how Eric and other stakeholders managed to convince Molson shareholders to approve the merger of equals with Coors.

In 1992, Florent Bélanger purchased Maison Orphée, a company founded in 1983 by a French immigrant who had settled in Quebec City. Recognized as Quebec's first artisanal oil producer, Maison Orphée pioneered the production of organic products and superior quality conventional products. Over the years, combining the art of artisanal oil production with sophisticated manufacturing techniques, the firm fine-tuned its expertise, building a reputation as a master oil maker and a specialist in first cold-pressed oils. In 2010, Florent passed the torch to his two daughters, Elisabeth and Élaine, marking the culmination of a gradual, multi-step succession process spread over several years. Working in tandem, the Bélanger sisters would go on to reinvent Maison Orphée's business model.

Alfa Group for a long time was named as one of the leading private banking groups in Russia and CIS countries with successful and continuous business growth. Alfa-Bank (Kazakhstan), a subsidiary of the group operating in Kazakhstan, had been focused on corporate clients in previous years and was reasonably good in that. However, that segment didn't support the expected growth rates. Hence the bank made the decision to diversify its business by developing Small and Medium Enterprises segment (SME), as well as retail markets, which required revision of its current business model and introduction of innovative practices. To execute the initiative agile, principles were implemented, organizational structures and processes were changed in line with the intrapreneurial framework. Nowadays agile teams are actively engaged in developing innovative digital products and services, which resulted in significant growth dynamics in target segments (SME clients: from 9 to more than 45 thousand and Retail clients: from 359 to more than 581 thousand). The journey was not easy, and the case describes many issues that arose during the implementation phase, as well as doubts regarding the sustainability and efficiency of the intrapreneurial framework in future. Following the 3 years of intensive development and initial successful results, the intrapreneurship initiative was clearly on the crossroads. The key question addressed in this case is whether Alfa-Bank (Kazakhstan) should continue to develop the intrapreneurship framework, and if so, what are the next steps to be taken by protagonists to develop the bank into a truly intrapreneurship organization, with efficient agile-based innovation framework, contributing to the bank's profitability.

Pepperoni Lovers is a negotiation exercise between two actors, buyer and seller, for a pizzeria chain and a premium producer of delicatessen meats. The owner of the pizzeria has a pressing need, as his regular supplier of pepperoni has recently gone out of business and the pizzeria has pepperoni stocked up for a little less than two weeks. For the owner of the Toscana Delicatessen, the negotiation offers the possibility of securing a buyer on a large scale. This case allows students to negotiate six issues simultaneously and apply strategies for prioritizing issues in order to achieve a mutually satisfactory agreement for both companies.

Pepperoni Lovers is a negotiation exercise between two actors, buyer and seller, for a pizzeria chain and a premium producer of delicatessen meats. The owner of the pizzeria has a pressing need, as his regular supplier of pepperoni has recently gone out of business and the pizzeria has pepperoni stocked up for a little less than two weeks. For the owner of the Toscana Delicatessen, the negotiation offers the possibility of securing a buyer on a large scale. This case allows students to negotiate six issues simultaneously and apply strategies for prioritizing issues in order to achieve a mutually satisfactory agreement for both companies.

Spreadsheet supplement to AN0102.

Spreadsheet supplement to AN0103.

Royal Enfield, the motorcycle division of Eicher Motors Limited, saw its unit sales increase a multiple of 16 times from 2008 to 2018. By 2019, the company controlled 96 per cent of the 250-750 cc motorcycle market segment in India. However, sales growth slowed considerably in financial year 2018-19, when the first three quarters seemed to indicate continuing slow growth for the company. Year-to-date sales for the first nine months dropped 15 per cent compared to the same period the year before. Two major new competitors were having a considerable impact of Royal Enfield's ability to retain market dominance: Mahindra & Mahindra's successful Jawa motorcycle line and US motorcycle giant Harley-Davidson, which was contemplating extending its portfolio in India into the 250-750 cc motorcycle segment. Having reached the pinnacle of the market, Royal Enfield was eager to retain its position in the 250-750 cc motorcycle segment. What strategic choices and growth options did it have to maintain market dominance, and what competitive advantage was its most viable growth option?

Managers often go through invisible leadership transitions, with additions to the scope of their roles without any changes in their official positions. Survey results show that leaders experience such transitions as 27% more difficult to navigate than formal ones, due to a lack of authority, difficulties in communicating effectively, and insufficient opportunities for self-improvement. The authors offer four key steps that can help leaders through the transition.

The Clínica Ricardo Palma is looking for a strategic partner. It has contracted the services of a financial advisor (Apoyo Consultoría) to help with the process. The consultancy firm undertook a valuation of the Clínica Ricardo Palma in July 2013 as part of their responsibilities in the sales mandate process. One month later, in August 2013, when the sale was made public, the Nexus Group investment fund (financial branch of Intercorp)[1] made a USD 70 million offer for 100% of the company's shares. This was the first offer the clinic received. During the same month, a minority group of shareholders in the clinic met to analyze the offer. One faction of this group, led by Dr. Jacobo Blufstein, was not in agreement with the offer or the valuation of the clinic carried out by the financial advisor. However, a second faction, led by Dr. Elio Quirós, was. The economic issue had become this group's main worry as they provided services to the clinic as well as being partners. Therefore, they decided to postpone the analysis of including this type of strategic partner for the second session and spend the first meeting concentrating on the valuation of the clinic. They needed to know how much they could ask for the shares before looking for a partner.

In April of 2020, an Ivey Business School HBA graduate, and chief executive officer of automobile parts manufacturer MJD Manufacturing (MJD), recognized the potential opportunity to invest in new machinery and retool some of MJD's operations to produce COVID-19-related supplies. Specifically, she was considering whether or not MJD should produce personal protective equipment. Aside from analyzing the financial viability of the potential investments, she had to consider three factors: First, how long the COVID-19 pandemic might last, as the timeline of the pandemic underpinned the potential investment decision; second, how an investment would be financed; and third, the qualitative aspect of the decision. Specifically, she had to consider how she could help her community at a time when many businesses were shrinking and furloughing employees.

This note offers a set of strategic questions to help you formulate an effective personal plan that can be especially useful for your first years after business school. It draws on theories and principles of management strategy as well as wisdom from top business thinkers, leaders, and Darden MBA alumni.