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  • Preparing for Disruptions Through Early Detection

    However, he writes, there is an important third dimension: the detection lead time. This is the amount of warning time during which a company can prepare for the disruption and mitigate its effects. As the author explains, some disruptions involve long-term trends that are widely discussed in the media (for example, aging populations in the Western world, China, and Japan) or are prescheduled events (such as new regulations or labor union contract deadlines; some (for instance, hurricanes) occur after a short warning of a few days; while others such as fires, earthquakes, or power outages occur without warning. Still other disruptions (such as product contaminations or design defects) may not be discovered until well after they've occurred or may never be recognized (for example, industrial espionage or cyberattacks). Drawing on examples from companies including Dow Chemical, Ikea, BNSF Railway, Walgreen's, Cisco Systems, UPS, and FedEx, the article presents nine data sources that leading companies use to improve their ability to detect potential disruptions early: monitoring the weather; tracking the news; using data from sensors; monitoring the supply base; visiting suppliers; being on the alert for deception; developing traceability capabilities; monitoring social media; and tracking regulatory developments. The article then discusses four ways companies can improve their abilities to both detect and respond to disruptions: (1) mapping the supply chain to determine the locations of their suppliers to assess supplier risks, (2) assessing global events to identify potential disruptions that could affect production or revenues, (3) creating supply chain control towers with technology, people, and processes that capture and use supply chain data to enable better short- and long-term decision making, and (4) improving response time through data and analysis.
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  • The CEO of Bolthouse Farms on Making Carrots Cool

    When Dunn became the CEO of Bolthouse, in 2008, he had 20 years' experience in the soft drinks industry. If Coca-Cola could persuade people to drink more than a billion servings of its soda each day, he wondered, why couldn't Bolthouse do the same for a vegetable? He and his team decided to use some of the tactics of junk food companies, which are experts in demand creation. "Eat 'Em Like Junk Food," Bolthouse's multimillion-dollar marketing campaign, used tongue-in-cheek TV, print, and digital ads to liken baby carrots to Cheetos, Doritos, and other snack food favorites. The company put its products in vending machines, used "Sesame Street" characters on its packaging, and sold through retailers such as Walmart and 7-Eleven. It created carrot snack packs, developed 27 varieties of juices and smoothies, and put veggie and fruit purees in squeezable tubes. And it attracted the attention of Campbell's, which acquired Bolthouse in 2012.
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  • The Future and How to Survive It

    Since 1980 global corporate profits have grown at an unprecedented pace, increasing their share of global GDP by 30%. North American and Western European multinationals have been the biggest beneficiaries, capturing more than half of corporate profits by leveraging their scale and exploiting unprecedented opportunities for reducing costs. This remarkable era is now coming to an end. Growth is slowing, costs are rising, and new rivals from emerging economies and from the technology sector are changing the rules. In the decade ahead, the authors forecast, profits will continue to increase in absolute terms, but they will fall to 7.9% of global GDP--around what they were when the boom began. To maintain their lead, executives in Western multinationals must consider the following responses. (1) Be paranoid. Instead of focusing internally, executives in Western firms need to understand their new rivals. (2) Seek out patient capital. Emerging-market firms and technology companies often take a long view, building their market share over years at the expense of short-term profits. (3) Radically self-disrupt. Companies must overcome strategic inertia by reallocating capital as conditions change. (4) Build new intellectual assets. The most profitable businesses are in idea-intensive industries, so intellectual capital, such as data and algorithms, is a prime asset. (5) Go to war for talent. As populations age and talent becomes scarce, now is the time for human capital management to become a strategic priority.
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  • When Culture Doesn't Translate

    As companies internationalize, their employees lose shared assumptions and norms. People in different countries react to inputs differently, communicate differently, and make decisions differently. Organically grown corporate cultures begin to break down; miscommunication becomes more frequent, and trust erodes, especially between the head office and the regional units. In their efforts to fix these problems, companies risk compromising attributes that underlie their commercial success. INSEAD's Erin Meyer presents five principles that can prevent disintegration. Managers should: (1) Identify the dimensions of difference between the corporate culture and local ones; (2) Make sure every cultural group has a voice; (3) Protect the most creative units, letting communication and job descriptions remain more ambiguous; (4) Train everyone in key norms; and (5) Ensure diversity in every location. Getting culture right should never be an afterthought. Companies that don't plan for how individual employees and the organization as a whole will adapt to working in a global marketplace will sooner or later stumble because of unnoticed potholes. By the time they regain their balance, their economic opportunity may have passed.
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  • Global Teams That Work

    Many companies today rely on employees around the world, leveraging their diversity and local expertise to gain a competitive edge. However, geographically dispersed teams face a big challenge: Physical separation and cultural differences can create social distance, or a lack of emotional connection, that leads to misunderstandings and mistrust. To help global team leaders manage effectively, the author shares her SPLIT framework for mitigating social distance. It has five components: (1) Structure. If a team is made up of groups with different views about their relative power, the leader should connect frequently with those who are farthest away and emphasize unity. (2) Process. Meeting processes should allow for informal interactions that build empathy. (3) Language. Everyone, regardless of language fluency, should be empowered to speak up. (4) Identity. Team members must be active cultural learners and teachers to understand one another's identity and avoid misinterpreting behaviors. (5) Technology. When choosing between videoconferencing, e-mail, and other modes of communication, leaders should ask themselves if real-time conversation is desirable, if their message needs reinforcement, and if they are opting for the technology they want others to use.
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  • Companies Don't Go Global, People Do: An Interview with Andy Molinsky

    The author of the book "Global Dexterity: How to Adapt Your Behavior Across Cultures Without Losing Yourself in the Process," Molinsky draws on his years of field research, teaching, and consulting to advise managers who must learn to adapt to a new culture. He focuses on how people practice new behaviors in actual situations, such as speaking up in a meeting or giving performance feedback, rather than on the differences between cultures. He suggests an approach that consists of three stages: (1) Figure out what the cultural norms are and how they differ from the home culture in directness, enthusiasm, formality, assertiveness, self-promotion, and self-disclosure. (2) Figure out what the "zone of appropriateness" is in the new culture for each of those six dimensions. (3) Once you know what adaptations you can (and are willing) to make, practice them to develop "muscle memory." Certain psychological barriers may arise in the process. People get anxious about whether they're being authentic, or they feel incompetent and worry that others see them that way, or they become resentful of the hard and stressful work of adapting. But they often learn something interesting about themselves, Molinsky says, and that can be exciting.
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  • When the Customer Is Stressed

    Customers' assessments of quality and value, buying decisions, and recommendations are all influenced by emotions. But too often companies don't adequately anticipate those emotions and therefore can't mitigate negative ones. This is especially true for "high-emotion services"--those that trigger strong feelings before the service even begins. Services relating to major life events, such as birth, marriage, illness, and death, fall into this category, as do airline travel, car repair, and home buying, selling, and renovation. They may elicit intense feelings for the following reasons: lack of familiarity with the service, lack of control over its performance, major consequences if things go wrong, complexity that makes the service a black box, and a long duration. The authors have identified four guidelines that can help managers influence expectations and perceptions of quality and value, enhancing customers' satisfaction and loyalty: (1) Identify emotional triggers; (2) Respond early to intense emotions; (3) Enhance customers' control; and (4) Hire the right people. They use some leading providers of cancer care to illustrate the application of these guidelines.
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  • How Smart, Connected Products Are Transforming Companies

    The evolution of products into intelligent, connected devices is revolutionizing business. In a November 2014 article, "How Smart, Connected Products Are Transforming Competition," Harvard Business School professor Michael Porter and PTC president and CEO James Heppelmann looked at how this shift is changing the structure of industries and forcing firms to rethink their strategies. In this companion article, the authors look at the effects inside firms, examining the impact that smart, connected products have on operations and organizational structure. The new capabilities and vast quantities of data that smart, connected products offer are redefining the activities of the core functions of companies--sometimes radically. As software and cloud-based operating systems become integral to products, new product-development principles emerge, manufacturing components and processes change, and IT security becomes the job of every function. Companies need different skills and expertise, which creates new imperatives for HR. In the marketing function, the ability to track a product's condition and use shifts the focus to maximizing the product's value to the customer over time. Customer relationships become continuous and open-ended, service becomes more efficient and proactive, and new business models are enabled. The rich data on location and environment that products provide take logistics to a whole new level.
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  • Collaborating with Creative Peers

    People in creative roles may seem immune to others' input. The authors, who studied populations from toy developers to R&D scientists, say that creative types sometimes react in this way not so much because of ego but, rather, a sense of identity as an artist. The authors explore the particular characteristics of the "artist identity" and suggest four tactics for working with artists: (1) Offer broad suggestions. Artists may see specific, fully formed ideas as attempts to wrest creative control. Plant just the seed of a concept, and you inspire continued engagement. (2) Temper your enthusiasm. If you're too invested in your idea, you may imply that the artist can't contribute much. A dispassionate demeanor works better. (3) Delay decision making. Expect initial resistance, and give the artist ample time to consider your ideas on their merits. (4) Show respect and like-mindedness. Acknowledging an artist's prior thinking and work will reassure him or her that your ideas are not off-base.
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  • Life's Work: Andre Agassi

    The tennis star talks about his legendary comeback, managing his emotions on the court, and what makes a great coach.
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  • "World-Class" Universities: Rankings and Reputation in Global Higher Education

    Discussions of "world-class" universities have become an academic cottage industry in the 21st century, and definitions of the term are complex and at times contradictory. This background note traces the origins of university ranking systems and their evolution from a by-product of lists of great men in the United States to a global phenomenon that has a strong influence on the development of higher education. Then, it examines commonalities across various conceptions of "world-class", including productive faculty, excellent students, flexible administration, plentiful funding, and international engagement.
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  • Starling Systems Vignettes

    Jack Swain, the newly appointed CEO of Starling Systems, a call center software solutions company, had a problem. Swain had recently hired in a new VP of operations, Felicia Shaw, and while she had instituted a number of much-needed changes within the organization, she had not been well-received by the tight-knit customer service team. Specifically, Starling System's top performing customer service representative, Judith Fenton, was not happy and her productivity had dropped sharply as a result. Jack had a brief discussion with Judith at the coffee bar one morning, where she revealed her discontent with Felicia's "hovering" and "harping," declaring that she could not work with her any more. The vignette ends with Jack getting ready to plan his conversation with Felicia.
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  • Benevento Foods: When the Rubber Hits the Dough

    For the past 30 years, the president of Benevento Foods, a food processor located in northern New York State, has overseen unprecedented growth. In June 2014, the family-owned company has 90 full-time employees and provides baking mixes and bases to both small stand-alone bakeries and national grocery chains across the United States. It has plans to expand distribution to Mexico and Japan and to develop new product lines, especially for gluten-free items. However, it faces a serious quality failure: one of its customers has discovered pieces of rubber in the latest delivery of baking mix. Is this an isolated event or indicative of a bigger issue? Is it symptomatic of a poor quality culture, lack of accountability on the shop floor and/or a misallocation of resources? What can be done to solve the current problem and make sure it does not happen again?
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  • Kaweyan: Female Entrepreneurship and the Past and Future of Afghanistan (B)

    This B case takes up the story of the Afghan female entrepreneur Kamila Sidiqi between 2009 and 2015. The case opens with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry praising her achievements at a State Department dinner in March 2015 for the newly elected President of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani. It describes the growth of her Kaweyan firm, which diversified into dried fruit processing and a cab service, against a background of some economic and social progress, but also continuing economic, social and security challenges in the country. In October 2014 President Ghani asked Kamila to become Presidential Deputy Chief of Staff, a position which she accepted. The B case can be used in conjunction with the A case to explore the issue whether entrepreneurship alone can significantly overcome the many challenges faced by post-conflict countries such as Afghanistan, or whether improvements in institutional frameworks are a pre-condition.
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  • Lima Museum of Art (MALI): Give and You Shall Receive

    Initially, the dilemma seemed to be centered on how to respond to the bad news about delayed building renovations due to government red tape, which would continue to have a negative impact on the museum. However, this was a mere symptom of the real dilema of how to further develop an institution within a society lacking institutions or with very weak institutions. The case then proceeds to outline the major periods in the museum's institutional development: Building a Past: 1954-1968 The museum was founded within a specific social and historical context which served as the foundation from which later developments emerged. Its mission was identified, a network of trustees was established, the building was secured, and perhaps most importantly, its permanent collection was acquired. Storm and Stress: 1968-1993 Major benefactors suffered economically, left the country, or both. In the 1980s, political violence and economic instability added to the challenges. During this time, the museum adapted itself to the context. Starving for revenues, it offered art classes, which contributed to its economic survival (at worst), and enabled it to achieve a modicum of self-sufficiency (at best). MALI´s Rise and Institutional Questioning: 1993-2002 The museum began to emerge in fuller form in the 1990s under the leadership of Walter Piazza, drawing support from a younger generation. In parallel with the country's rising fortunes, the museum began to broaden its support and diversify its revenues. In addition, foreign companies joined in to sponsor activities. Institutional Strengthening and the Next Five Years: 2003-2013 New activities were started and the museum gradually revived, culminating in its rebranding as MALI. However, this institutionalization process occurred within a healthy economic context. With a slowdown on the horizon and its potential subsequent pressures, would MALI as an institution be able to withstand the strain?
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  • The Humane Society and SeaWorld: Orca Obstacle

    In 2016, the respective heads of The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, Inc. (SeaWorld) were trying to reach a mutually beneficial resolution to their dispute over orca whale breeding. The HSUS opposed SeaWorld's practice of breeding captive orcas and each leader was facing challenges. SeaWorld was experiencing growing negative publicity and a decline in park attendance and revenues, while the HSUS was in the process of publishing a book encouraging business leaders to join the animal protection movement and incorporate HSUS values into their strategic plans. After a decades-long antagonistic relationship, how could SeaWorld and the HSUS find common ground? Could SeaWorld continue operating in a way that was financially beneficial for the parks and entertaining to guests, while also being respectful of the welfare of the orca whales in their care? Could they meet the HSUS's goals of animal protection?
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  • Chris Lee's Investment Plan - Student Spreadsheet

    Excel spreadsheet for students.
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  • Nestlé Ice Cream in Cuba

    In 1996, as the Castro regime began welcoming limited international investment back to Cuba, Nestlé signed a letter of intent with the Cuban government to build an ice cream factory in Havana's El Cotorro neighborhood. The plant, a joint venture between the Cuban government and Nestlé, would produce high-quality ice cream products for tourists and affluent Cubans. Nearly twenty years after this decision to enter the Cuban market, it is not clear how successful the investment has been and what the future might hold for Nestlé on the island. Nestlé has faced important challenges in Cuba-such as supply shortages, entrenched domestic competitors, and risk of government interference-but there has been evidence of some marketing and financial success. The 2015 normalization of diplomatic relations may bring new strategic threats and opportunities as American companies begin to eye the Cuban market and current competitors prepare for market changes. In the case, students will evaluate Nestle's investment and strategy for future growth in the Cuban market and consider the company's market entry strategy, operations, and finances.
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  • Virsto (A)

    Virsto, a storage virtualization company, was founded in 2007 by Mark Davis, Alex Miroshnichenko, and Serge Pashenkov. Davis founded Virsto after managing a series of technology startups, many of which were ultimately acquired by big name players such as Dell and HP. Virsto represented the first venture Davis built from the ground up, and it was intended to do for storage virtualization what VMware had done for server virtualization. At the beginning of Davis' journey, he and his cofounders faced a daunting decision: slow the pace of product development to wait for the market leader, VMware, to develop the functionality whereby Virsto's product could "plug in" to VMware's hypervisor, or go to market immediately with Microsoft Hyper-V, a new entrant with a still uncertain future. Davis gambled on immediate commercialization via a second-tier player vs. waiting around for VMware. While his decision brought Virsto to market more rapidly, the team soon found that Virsto's product far exceeded the needs of Microsoft's audience. Therefore, in 2011, Virsto was poised and ready when VMware announced the capability to integrate with external products, and Virsto quickly saw its market potential explode. VMware, which had been working on its own storage product that had yet to gain traction, saw the tremendous potential of acquiring Virsto to accelerate its storage solution. As VMware's interest to acquire Virsto crystallized into an extremely low-ball offer, Davis faced the difficult decision of whether he could negotiate a price with VMware that would make his investors, employees, and stakeholders happy, find another higher-paying acquirer, or allow the company to continue to build market value as the clear leader in storage virtualization.
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  • Virsto (B)

    Virsto, a storage virtualization company, was founded in 2007 by Mark Davis, Alex Miroshnichenko, and Serge Pashenkov. Davis founded Virsto after managing a series of technology startups, many of which were ultimately acquired by big name players such as Dell and HP. Virsto represented the first venture Davis built from the ground up, and it was intended to do for storage virtualization what VMware had done for server virtualization. At the beginning of Davis' journey, he and his cofounders faced a daunting decision: slow the pace of product development to wait for the market leader, VMware, to develop the functionality whereby Virsto's product could "plug in" to VMware's hypervisor, or go to market immediately with Microsoft Hyper-V, a new entrant with a still uncertain future. Davis gambled on immediate commercialization via a second-tier player vs. waiting around for VMware. While his decision brought Virsto to market more rapidly, the team soon found that Virsto's product far exceeded the needs of Microsoft's audience. Therefore, in 2011, Virsto was poised and ready when VMware announced the capability to integrate with external products, and Virsto quickly saw its market potential explode. VMware, which had been working on its own storage product that had yet to gain traction, saw the tremendous potential of acquiring Virsto to accelerate its storage solution. As VMware's interest to acquire Virsto crystallized into an extremely low-ball offer, Davis faced the difficult decision of whether he could negotiate a price with VMware that would make his investors, employees, and stakeholders happy, find another higher-paying acquirer, or allow the company to continue to build market value as the clear leader in storage virtualization. Part B describes the challenging negotiations that Davis went through with VMware to finally arrive at a price before both sides reached the dreaded "deal fatigue." After presenting the price to his board, one board member
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