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S. Vaseem, CEO of Shodh, a Bengaluru-based market research agency has learnt that his proposal for carrying out a market research study for a new client has just been approved. The proposal had described a study to assess the opportunities in the economy housing segment comprising apartments priced below INR 2.5 million. This segment was attracting attention from real estate developers and several big builders had announced economy housing projects. Vaseem's client wanted to enter the economy housing segment in a big way with a simultaneous launch of projects in 10 cities of South India. As the segment potential was as yet unknown, the client wanted to conduct a formal market research exercise on a pilot basis in Bengaluru to confirm the size of the opportunity and to understand consumer requirements and preferences. Shodh's proposal had included secondary research, expert interviews, focus group discussions, surveys, and conjoint analysis methodologies. Now that the proposal had been approved, Vaseem and his team had to design the data collection instruments for qualitative and quantitative research, develop the sampling plan, and begin the project.

Katie Kotkins, director of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center's (MSKCC) Cycle for Survival fundraising event, had to determine the best avenue for continuing the event's success and momentum after its founder, Jennifer (Jen) Goodman Linn (HBS '99) passed away from MFH sarcoma. Jen and her husband, David Linn (HBS '00), had founded Cycle for Survival in 2007 as a way for Jen to give back to the community of doctors that had treated her since her diagnosis in 2003. The indoor cycling event had grown rapidly, and increased fundraising from $250,000 in 2007 to $4.7 million in 2011. After the event's second year, Jen and David made the decision to hand over control to MSKCC, partner with Equinox, and expand the event's fundraising efforts. At the time of Jen's passing Kotkins was focused on the 2013 event, but was faced with a series of strategic questions after losing the event's face and inspiration.

In February 2014, Michael Schrader, chief executive of Vaxess Technologies, Inc., was assessing the startup health care company's 2014 marketing plan. On December 31st, 2013, Vaxess had obtained an exclusive license to a series of patents for a silk protein technology that, when added to vaccines, reduced or removed the need for refrigeration between manufacturing and delivery to the end patient. Schrader and his colleagues had to decide on which vaccines to focus and whether and how to target the drug companies that manufactured the vaccines or the quasi-government organizations (such as UNICEF and PAHO) and nongovernment organizations (such as GAVI) that purchased large quantities of vaccines for the developing world.

This case traces Shenzhen-based AAC Technology's entrepreneurial journey, depicting their motivations, experiences, learning and foresight. It discusses the inter-generational transfer between the entrepreneur and his son, and their cooperation with VCs, thereby laying the foundations for a Chinese family business to transform into a first-source global supplier to several major mobile device manufacturers. Scoring wins in miniaturization and the mobile phone market, AAC continued to build its competitive advantages in high quality and fast response products. Case B examines the strategies undertaken by AAC for growth and expansion after its IPO in 2005.

Supplement to case NTU087. AAC Technologies Holdings Inc., headquartered in Shenzhen, was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2005. The case describes AAC's transformation from a small Chinese family business into a leading global technology solutions provider in the mobile devices industry. The focus is on how the founders developed the company's strategic capabilities through R&D and acquisitions to win major customers and integrated its technological leadership strategy with industry trends and developments, and hence poised to seize market opportunities.

In fall 2009, the new president and chief executive officer of PAR Springer-Miller Systems, based in Stowe, Vermont, is tasked with leading the most significant innovation effort the company has undertaken since its founding in 1984. The company is a leading provider of property management, point-of-sale and spa management systems for high-end hotels, resorts, spas and casinos worldwide, but its legacy products are based on outdated technology and subject to increasing customer complaints; at the same time, the global recession has negatively affected the high-end market. In his first year, the new president has made significant progress in restructuring the organization and shifting its culture to a more entrepreneurial one. He is ready to begin the development of an entirely new product but has to decide on strategy, in particular deciding on the best market on which to focus the new software product and then mapping out a plan to execute its development and launch. How can he elicit a radical innovation from a team of management and employees so culturally rooted in their past accomplishments and legacy products? Should he look for a technology partner and develop the new product in a different location? Can the legacy products be kept up and running long enough for the new product to generate sufficient sales that they can be retired? These are the issues that must be addressed or the company may well face a dire future. See A Case 9B14C022.

In fall 2009, the new president and chief executive officer of PAR Springer-Miller Systems, based in Stowe, Vermont, is tasked with leading the most significant innovation effort the company has undertaken since its founding in 1984. The company is a leading provider of property management, point-of-sale and spa management systems for high-end hotels, resorts, spas and casinos worldwide, but its legacy products are based on outdated technology and subject to increasing customer complaints; at the same time, the global recession has negatively affected the high-end market. In his first year, the new president has made significant progress in restructuring the organization and shifting its culture to a more entrepreneurial one. He is ready to begin the development of an entirely new product but has to decide on strategy, in particular deciding on the best market on which to focus the new software product and then mapping out a plan to execute its development and launch. How can he elicit a radical innovation from a team of management and employees so culturally rooted in their past accomplishments and legacy products? Should he look for a technology partner and develop the new product in a different location? Can the legacy products be kept up and running long enough for the new product to generate sufficient sales that they can be retired? These are the issues that must be addressed or the company may well face a dire future. See B Case 9B14C023.

SolarCity Corporation competed in the downstream segment of the U.S. solar energy industry. The company installed solar panels for residential and commercial customers, using a decentralized (off-the-grid) power generation and transmission model to compete with utility companies that used a centralized (grid-based) model. Solar energy was a renewable source (unlike fossil-based energy sources) and therefore scored highly on both environmental and sustainability factors. To overcome the high switching costs to customers, SolarCity marketed solar energy using a financing model in which the company owned the assets and the customer merely paid a monthly fee for the energy used. As a new player in a nascent industry, SolarCity had never been profitable. SolarCity's co-founder and chief executive officer had to develop a plan to make the company profitable despite the fact that utility companies were fighting back politically and the government was set to reduce tax subsidies for solar assets in the near future.

The general manager at the Seoul location of a European manufacturing company faces an ethical dilemma involving bribery and "facilitation" payments. A key decision maker in a local construction company's purchasing department has asked for a "facilitation" payment as a necessary condition for securing an order. If the expatriate manager decides to pay the money, he will secure an order that will lift his company to a new level of success for years to come. If he decides not to pay, the order and all the company has worked for over the last year will be lost. The expatriate manager must decide whether or not the payment would violate laws internationally, locally and in his home country. What are the real risks? Who can help him answer the many questions he has regarding this local practice?

Goldman Sachs, a longtime venerable financial institution headquartered in New York City, had a partnership culture that was known to value its clients. But when the financial crisis hit in 2008 and Goldman Sachs emerged relatively unscathed, its public image took a large blow as people questioned the inner workings of the bank. To address the situation, Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein called for the creation of the Business Standards Committee (BSC) to carry out a rigorous introspection of the firm. This case explores the reactions of the executives at the bank over the short- and medium-term to public accusations and scrutiny and whether the implemented solutions devised by the BSC are sustainable. It details the themes of individual and collective accountability, reputational awareness, and client care.

Core Curriculum Readings in Marketing cover fundamental concepts, theories, and frameworks in marketing. This Reading addresses the principles of brand positioning and demonstrates how companies can strategically craft powerful, resonant, and unique brand positions to help products stand out amidst the cacophony of the marketplace. Strategic brand positioning provides consumers with the answer to the all-important question, "Why should I buy?" The Reading discusses how to craft a brand's value proposition for competitive advantage, through analysis and synthesis of consumer, company, and competitive factors. It highlights the types of brand positions that companies can stake out in the minds of consumers, providing insight into the many creative ways brands can be differentiated from one another. It provides guidance for defending a market position through illumination of the competitive dynamics of brand positioning. Finally, it presents the challenges associated with repositioning brands and the tension that exists between maintaining consistency in a brand's meaning and adjusting to changing consumer preferences.

Global Development Network (GDN), an international public organization, supports research in developing and transition economies to advance social and economic development. During April 2011 -August 2013, it conducted a communication project titled ''Supporting Policy Research to Inform Agricultural Policy in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia''. The project group was tasked to design and deliver a communication program to inform policymakers and other relevant target audiences across a vast geography covering Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, and the world at large. Now the team at GDN was evaluating the experience to learn and improve their communication program for the next project. Tuhin Sen, the lead strategist at GDN was wondering if the outreach strategy was appropriate and how it could have been better given the intangibility of a research output that was to be disseminated to unique users such as policymakers across a diverse geography of Asia and Africa.

Over the past decade "freemium"--a combination of free and premium offerings--has become the dominant business model among internet start-ups and smartphone app developers, but many companies fail to recognize the challenges of this approach. The author explores six questions that any company considering a freemium model should ask.

A large-scale field experiment shows how to customize mobile discount offers for maximum effect. A promotion for a nearby event should be offered very close in time to when the event will occur. When mobile users are farther away, a one-day delay gets better results.

New research shows that algorithmic systems are better than human judgment at picking the best candidate for a job--so companies would profit from using algorithms to narrow the field and then averaging the independent judgments of a few hiring professionals.

A new study suggests that as the day wears on, people's tendency to be dishonest goes up.

Becoming a great leader demands tremendous self-awareness. You should learn from 360-degree evaluations and find a mentor to guide you.

The president and CEO of World Wildlife Fund writes about partnering with forward-looking businesses to take advantage of "white space" opportunities presented by climate change.

Where did the user icons on our phones and computers come from?

This case presents an example of the challenges faced by a firm when a new technological option is available. The case is set in the real estate industry in a developing nation (India). The case considers the perspective of Ravindra Pai, Managing Director of Century Real Estate. Ravindra Pai has to choose, for a part of a new project, between two technologies of building construction: the existing and proven conventional reinforced cement concrete (RCC) method of construction and the new and unproven pre-fabricated construction technology for an upcoming residential project in Bangalore (IT city of India). The case explores the benefits and consequences of choosing either technology and presents an example to understand the challenges faced by firms while deciding whether to invest in a new technology.