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SAPMER SA was a Southern Ocean fishing company started by three Réunion Island entrepreneurs with one ship in 1947. The company grew from an entrepreneurial venture to a corporate acquisition, then back to a beloved family business not expected to make much money. But in 2006, SAPMER SA tested the waters with a new tuna venture. The venture was successful, but the company saw a better long-term opportunity in occupying a niche position. SAPMER SA launched a strategic rebirth with a five-year plan to develop a new segment: super-frozen tuna fishing and processing in the Indian Ocean, addressing premium Asian markets in sashimi, tataki, and tuna loins and steak. SAPMER SA’s strategy resulted in strong performance, but in early 2013, when examining the financial records and the terms for purchasing newly acquired ships, the owner could see challenges ahead. To manage the challenges, the owner needs to know the reason for the improvement in return on equity, what potential problems could be identified from a DuPont analysis of the financials, and what bottlenecks to anticipate in the coming years.

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In 2015, a nutritionist and dog lover developed a new canine energy bar called K9FuelBar. This product was made of all-natural, non-genetically modified, organic ingredients. In doing some investigation, the product's developer realized there could be a small, but sufficient, market to make her product commercially viable. At this point, she needed to evaluate and decide on the best method of distribution for her product. She identified multiple distinct options, each with different qualitative and quantitative issues to consider. The owner of K9FuelBar needed to decide which option to pursue and to develop an overall market communication program to support her product.

The minister of Haiti’s Department of Energy Security needed to prepare a presentation for the country’s prime minister that proposed a solution for transforming Haiti’s energy infrastructure. Haiti wanted to attract foreign direct investment that would spur socio-economic reform; however, the opportunities depended on a solid energy infrastructure providing reliable electricity to businesses, which Haiti did not have. Also, the residents of Haiti were in dire need of a low-cost, reliable energy solution that would allow them to move away from biomass and petroleum products, which were expensive and bad for the environment. How should the minister structure his proposal? What criteria would be required to support a strategy that considered the energy value chain, types of public-private partnerships, and need for socio-economic reform?

In December 2015, the head of supply chain management (SCM) at Las Vegas Construction Inc. was tasked with reducing operating costs by 25 per cent in order to deal with the fallout in Nevada’s construction industry from the global economic downturn. The SCM head had engaged the manager in charge of subcontracting to help with cost reductions. The subcontracting manager did find a way to reduce costs, but it turned out to be a questionable way. He had tipped off the three subcontractors with whom he had been working closely by providing them with confidential information regarding a target bid price for the labour sourcing process. When the bid prices were disclosed, even though Las Vegas Construction Inc. had reached its original cost savings goal, the SCM head had mixed feelings about the process. He wondered how to address this potentially unethical situation, and whether he should inform his superiors about it.

In 2003, Mawlyngot Tea Growers’ Cooperative Society (MTG), a village cooperative in Meghalaya, India, was spearheaded by a local teacher who wished to lift the village’s people up from poverty, transform their lives, and improve their economic condition. The cooperative started with just a few farmers from the village, but by the end of 2013, the village was growing tea on nearly 90 hectares of land, involving almost all 45 households of the village. <br><br>Although MTG was a successful model of cooperation for income and social well-being, competition was increasing in the tea market as local players and big multinationals expanded their offerings in the region. In competing for market share, MTG did not want to compromise on its farming practices, which were 100 per cent sustainable and organic. MTG also wanted to build its brand. The cooperative needed to reposition and grow to expand its capacity, sales, and market presence, but the founder was uncertain how to proceed.

Silver Spark Apparel Ltd. (SSAL), established in 2004 near Bangalore, India, was a wholly owned subsidiary of Raymond Ltd. The plant had significant expertise in the manufacturing of jackets. SSAL faced a significant challenge when it came to the attraction and retention of workers, with the predominantly female workers often citing family issues as a reason for quitting. In order to combat attrition, SSAL’s head of human resources had initiated various employee engagement initiatives that had helped the company reach fourth place in manufacturing and production among “India’s Best Companies to Work For, 2014.” Nevertheless, the high rate of attrition had not been stemmed, and the data for the first quarter of 2015 was alarming.

In 2014, Burberry’s new chief executive officer was facing a changing environment and digital disruption in the luxury fashion industry. The Burberry brand image had improved considerably over the past decade. However, several changes within the fashion world had had a significant impact on the overall luxury fashion industry. Fast fashion, digital technology, and new communication channels had changed the way the world’s leading luxury brands operated. The industry experienced financial growth year-over-year, and Burberry and other luxury brands continued to be the industry trendsetters. However, the luxury companies were slowly losing some of their power and control over their brand image, both artistically and financially. Burberry’s business strategy needed to adapt to this changing environment, respond to the latest global fashion trends, and improve the communication of its brand. Should Burberry lead or follow with regard to making changes to its stores and fashion shows, dealing with fast fashion, and integrating a clear digital strategy as part of the company’s marketing strategy?

Until 2014, Blossom Inners Pvt. Ltd. (Blossom), a leading lingerie brand in India, had followed the accepted standard of advertising lingerie with images of skin-revealing models. Influenced by their personal philosophy and concern about increasing crimes against women, the company’s directors decided to break from the time-tested lingerie industry standards of communicating with sensual appeal. According to the managing director, Blossom would gain moral support from its customers by being the first in the industry to do away with body-revealing advertisements; however, sales figures dropped to low levels, senior marketing employees left the company, and customer service was flooded with calls. The directors, who were determined to stick to their plan, approached an innovative designer to create a new marketing strategy. Could this new advertising partner help Blossom stem its declining sales? What information should be included in the brief given to the designer? How could the designer advertise Blossom’s lingerie while honouring the directors’ philosophy?

In 2016, the director of finance and operations for a non-profit organization faced an important decision. Her organization offered an in-residence opportunity for high school students who excelled academically, but the organization’s cash flow for the upcoming year was in jeopardy. The director was considering increasing registration fees and planned to prepare cash budgets for the upcoming fiscal year for the program and for the organization. She knew that her decision had to be in line with the organization’s values and goals, but she also felt that raising fees might alleviate some of the program’s financial strain. <br><br>The program was already supported by alumni and many company and government sponsors. The director had to make a presentation to the board of directors and ensure her decision would maintain the quality of the program and its candidates and also help the organization’s cash flow.

Reliance Industries Limited entered the Indian telecommunications industry by launching Reliance Jio Infocomm, which offered high-speed, fourth-generation data services. Its business strategy was to provide integrated access to information, entertainment, and commerce at high speed and low prices. Despite the competitive landscape and various other challenges, the company was optimistic that it could acquire 100 million customers in 100 days. This ambitious target could be achieved through consistent marketing offerings and efforts driven by robust analytics. Could the company’s innovative business model revolutionize the industry?

As a Lebanese non-governmental organization, Arcenciel (AeC) had successfully created several sustainable development programs and projects that addressed the needs of marginalized populations in Lebanon’s society. At the same time, AeC based its activities on an economic strategy that guaranteed financial independence from donations and public funding. This social entrepreneur had been able to develop and adjust its strategy in a very challenging environment over the course of several decades, successfully bridging the gap between non-profit objectives and the necessity to be financially profitable. In December 2015, the organization was about to win a prestigious national peace award in recognition of its research and activities. Government institutions, municipalities, and individuals alike had recently sought AeC’s assistance in dealing with a waste-management crisis. Although this project represented a useful opportunity for AeC to communicate its vision, the co-founder wondered whether the organization was prepared to assume a larger role in Lebanon or, even further, to introduce its concept abroad. He needed to think carefully about AeC’s evolution as well as its past success factors and the possibilities for expansion.

In the summer of 2016, the general manager of IXSIR Winery of Lebanon (IXSIR)—a young winery in Lebanon that offered customers a new level of quality by producing wine from a mixture of grapes harvested from different terroirs—received news of a bomb striking Beirut. IXSIR had been facing challenges competing in the unstable and risky local market, and the general manager realized that the bombing signalled rougher economic times ahead and likely a decrease in wine consumption. He was concerned about how the political unrest in the country could negatively impact wine sales and started thinking about different ways to tackle the threat of an ongoing economic downturn. He also wondered how to mitigate a potential decrease in revenue. Should IXSIR pursue revenue-generating activities such as oenotourism or diversify into different products?

In 2016, Tesco PLC, a leading U.K. retail chain, had undergone tremendous financial turmoil. Profitability had been decreasing since 2013 with heavy losses registered during fiscal year (FY) 2014/15. Net profit had decreased by 304 per cent from 2012 to 2015. However, after the appointment of a new chief executive officer in 2014, Tesco managed to register a net profit of £138 million in FY 2015/16: an astonishing turnaround. Evidently, Tesco was recovering from its losses, but the share price of the company had fallen by more than 20 per cent from 2015 to 2016. What course of action would enable Tesco to maintain and improve its value for shareholders? What areas should the chief executive officer focus on in order to change Tesco’s financial performance?

Since its inception in 2011, The Vanca, an Indian e-commerce brand selling women’s Western apparel, had come a long way. After overcoming initial problems typical of many entrepreneurial start-ups, The Vanca made significant progress in terms of sales. However, its brand-building activities had not been very successful. Having concentrated entirely on online digital marketing, the company did not see the expected results. The digital space offered many opportunities, but it was replete with cases of promising companies facing failure. In addition to the dynamic nature of the online retail space, there were new government regulations in India as of March 2016, which restricted online retailers in many ways, in an attempt to bring order to the previously unregulated industry. Accordingly, in May 2016, The Vanca hired a specific digital marketing manager with the goal of reworking the brand’s digital strategy. The company's management knew that multiple marketing issues needed to be addressed in order for The Vanca to achieve success.

In 2016, Detroit Bikes was a relatively new company seeking to become the largest bicycle manufacturer in North America. The U.S. bicycle market was dominated by imports from China and Taiwan, and Detroit Bikes saw an opportunity to compete by producing bicycles in the United States. The numerous business opportunities arising from Detroit’s economic downfall and recent resurgence provided an ideal location for the new bicycle company. The founder was growing Detroit Bikes aggressively, taking advantage of the company’s marketable “Made in USA” branding. His ambition was to build on this success, eventually producing 50,000 bicycles per year.

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Nest Wealth Asset Management Inc. (Nest) was a new Canadian robo-adviser based in Toronto. The company competed not only against large incumbents such as Canadian banks but also against other financial technology start-ups. In April 2015, Nest's main competitor had just aligned with a significant partner that had abundant financial resources and broad market access. Nest's chief executive officer needed to consider the best option for the company's future: Should he maintain the current business-to-consumer model by maintaining a focus on scaling and expanding Nest's consumer base, or should he explore a business-to-business model by leveraging Nest's technological capability and offering technology to human advisers?

In early 2013, three young Nepalese entrepreneurs were deciding whether to launch Kaffeine, the first of a large chain of coffee shops, in Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal. As experienced entrepreneurs, the partners were interested in a recently vacated location near Durbar Marg, a major street and shopping destination in Kathmandu that represented a unique opportunity to build a highly successful coffee chain. Coupled with the increasing trend in Nepal toward coffee drinking rather than tea, this was an opportunity the trio felt they could not pass up. The entrepreneurs had many things to consider, such as location, competition, target market, and how to measure the feasibility of this new venture.