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Augustin Rey, the president of Emilia, a century-old clothing retailer in Spain, is determined to revamp the company's merchandising strategy and redesign some of its dowdiest stores. He also wants to do away with discounts, circulars, and special sales, and win customers over with a strategy he calls hablar claro--"straight talk." That means the same low prices every day. At first, Emilia's financial results were outstanding. But they've since started to slip: Customer traffic is down significantly, and same-store revenue has dropped. Rey's board of directors is pressuring him to go back to the old ways. This case is based on real events at J.C. Penney and includes commentaries from Shari Rudolph, of Gabriel Brothers, and Yashodhara Shroff, of the Indian retail chain ffolio.

MAY 21, 2014, MANILA. For the first time, the World Economic Forum (WEF) had come to the Philippines. Ayala Corporation, one of the nation's oldest and most successful conglomerates, hosted an evening reception that brought together the "Who's Who" of the Philippines. Jaime Augusto and Fernando Zobel de Ayala, the seventh generation chairman and president, respectively, of the Ayala Corporation, were inspiring and natural ambassadors, promoting the Philippines as an up-and-coming market to global investors and potential business partners, investing time and effort in nation-building activities. Just after the East Asia Forum, Ayala's biannual executive strategy meeting was held, with some eighth generation family members attending for the first time. Among the topics discussed were how to strategically allocate resources to grow the corporation inside and/or beyond the Philippines and how to venture beyond the traditional business models. The next generation had to consider fundamental questions. What were the keys to Ayala's success over the past 180 years? Would they still be relevant in the future? Would inclusion and nation building continue to serve as reliable pillars for the business? Finally, how should they best prepare themselves to become the next generation of responsible stewards?

The ICA case describes digital signage as an innovation that the ICA grocery chain might introduce throughout its Nordic region stores. It details the research methodology used to examine the effectiveness of this innovation, then poses a dilemma by noting that the three research studies present conflicting results.

This case explores the history of Korea's Hyundai Motor Company and the part design management played in Hyundai's rapid rise to become one of the Big Five global car manufacturers. The company only began manufacturing automobiles in the mid-'60s and now commands two major brands (Hyundai and Kia) that have made significant inroads into European and American markets.

Once seen as a back-office function, HR has gained importance in recent years, with more and more chief human resources officers (CHROs) serving as the CEO's key adviser and with management theorists highlighting talent strategy as the prime determinant of corporate success. Research by Korn Ferry's Ellie Filler and the University of Michigan's Dave Ulrich shows that the traits of CHROs match up closely with those of CEOs on a multitude of leadership traits-more closely, in fact, than those of any executive except for COOs. Their data and analysis lead them to a provocative prescription: More companies should consider CHROs when looking to fill the CEO position. This reprint contains two additional Idea Watch articles. "Is Your PC 'Made in Kazakhstan'?" is a visual analysis showing that the "techiest" manufacturing economies today are not in countries such as China, but instead are in small countries with less diversified economies. "Taming Scheduling Software" discusses multiple research findings indicating that if companies want to maximize productivity and minimize employee stress, they need to add human decision making to the software's results.

A new study by two professors suggests that you should think twice before telling a friend about a career opportunity.

Data can be easily manipulated to tell a desired story, manufacture good results, or exaggerate a trend. Don't get fooled by these infographics tricks.

This case describes the process of acquiring Adisseo of France in 2006 by Bluestar Group, the largest subsidiary of ChemChina (a Fortune 500 company). Adisseo was mainly engaged in production of methionine, a feed additive, while China had no methionine production and had relied on its import for a long time. Bluestar started to communicate with Adisseo to acquire the latter's technology in 2000, when Adisseo was not interested. The global burst of bird flu in 2004 provided Bluestar a historical opportunity to purchase Adisseo. Afterward, with the help of intermediate agencies in the fields of strategy, accounting, legal affairs, etc., Bluestar reached an agreement with CVC, Adisseo's parent company, on Oct. 20, 2005, to purchase the whole Adisseo with €400m. The transaction was completed on Jan. 17, 2006. Ren Jianxin, President of Bluestar, was very excited by the largest M&A of a French company by a Chinese company in history. Next, he needed to think about how to complete the integration of adisseo and make it develop well.

This case describes the post-M&A integration of Adisseo of France in 2006 by Bluestar Group, the largest subsidiary of ChemChina (a Fortune 500 company) until 2013. Adisseo was mainly engaged in production of methionine, a feed additive, while China had no methionine production and had relied on its import for a long time. After acquiring Adisseo, Bluestar started to integrate Adisseo, change its executives and sent executives and technical staff to study at Adisseo, expanded Adisseo's production capacity in France and Spain, supported Adisseo in its M&A of the upstream businesses in France, and so on. More importantly, Bluestar and Adisseo jointly started a new methionine project in Nanjing, China, in 2010. In the construction of the Nanjing project, Bluestar reached a successful integration with Adisseo through project team establishment, organization structure replication, management system and institution transplantation and improvement, communication with the trade union, and fusion of organizational cultures. Additionally, in the years of the post-M&A integration, Bluestar and its parent company ChemChina realized remarkable upgrading and development. While Chinese methionine market maintained growth momentum, Adisseo was facing overcapacity of the whole industry and needed to consider the road of future development.

The CEO of Gran Tierra Energy (GTE) had to prepare for an upcoming strategy session with senior executives. GTE's investments in Peru looked promising, as recent exploration well tests indicated large oil reserves with significant production potential that could transform the company. However, the company's Brazil operations continued to encounter challenges, such as setbacks in applying new technologies. The CEO had had high hopes when GTE entered Brazil in 2009 and thought that he and his team had carefully considered the risks. Given the increasingly positive developments in Peru, was dedicating the resources of GTE - a somewhat small energy firm by global standards - to Brazil operations still worth the risk? Could GTE turn the situation around or should the CEO recommend a divestment of the Brazilian assets?

Supplement case for W14584.

In March 2010, a newly promoted engineering area manager at Military Arsenal Systems, a Vancouver-based defence contractor, has just become team leader for a key program at the firm. His biggest challenge is how to lead his team, given that he is dealing with a range of personalities and the fact that he was a peer before he became their leader. How can he prove himself to be an effective leader not only to his team but to senior management? Can he rally the team quickly enough to meet the stringent deadlines for supplying the sophisticated armoured vehicles contracted by the U.S. Army for its mission in Afghanistan?

In 2004, Tata Communications (TCL) was trying to act on its strategic intent to become a globally connected network provider. It had two alternatives: build or buy. The build option would provide TCL with a chance to develop its own network under its own terms. The possible acquisition of the Tyco Global Network (TGN), however, provided a unique opportunity for TCL to establish this global position quickly. As one of the largest global networks at the time of the case, the TGN was a limited asset. The acquisition of the TGN would catapult TCL into being a top player in global Internet connectivity. Even though the acquisition price was low, the associated liabilities and risks could make this a substantially expensive acquisition for TCL. Should TCL negotiate with Tyco? If yes, what would be an acceptable position to proceed with the deal? How should TCL plan for the mitigation of risks and uncertainties? If not, what would be the consequences of losing the TGN opportunity, particularly if a competitor acquired it?

This case provides a sample of Walmart's social engagement activities and asks students to categorize each as philanthropy, corporate social responsibility, or creating shared value.

In October 2004 Fernández Pujals, founder of Telepizza, an international home delivery pizza business, bought 24.9% of Jazztel (€90 million), a telecom company. At the time, Jazztel that was near bankruptcy and needed a capital injection to finish the year. Over the next ten years, Fernández Pujals led the restructuring of Jazztel's debt, reached an agreement with the former monopoly Telefónica, set up internal call centers, and transformed Jazztel into the fastest growing broadband operator in Spain. The case describes how Fernández Pujals designed and managed the board and led Jazztel towards profitable growth.

The owner of a small air-passenger firm transports individuals and small groups to remote waterfront regions. The business serves two types of customers: private and public. The private customers can afford to pay more, while the public customers' budget constraints limit what they can pay. The owner wants to set a single price that will maximize his expected revenue across both customer groups. A constraining factor is the plane's limited capacity, which means the owner cannot accommodate all requests. In other words, after a flight has been sold out, seats may still be requested by customers who potentially might be willing to pay more. See supplement W13725.

Supplement to case W13724.

"Being a Change Agent"is a three-part case series set in a rural district of Assam in India. It describes the efforts made by Kuladhar Saikia, Deputy Inspector General of Police in the early 2000s, to tackle witchcraft-related crimes that were prevalent in this isolated and economically backward part of the country.