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On February 5, 2012, the founder of McDonald Kinley Emerson, a consultancy in Toronto, Canada, was asked to give a talk about country branding. She decided to focus on the efforts of Racepoint, a U.S. marketing services agency, to reshape the image of Rwanda. As it attempted to shift perceptions of the country from war-torn and chaotic, Racepoint’s campaign attracted controversy amid allegations that wrongdoings were being glossed over in favour of a tourist- and business-friendly image. In August 2011, the publication of documents outlining the contractual agreement between Racepoint and the current Rwandan government sparked scrutiny of the government’s perceived remaking of the country’s image. Can a country overcome its reputation for genocide and violence? Should countries actively use public relations tactics to change or reinforce their reputations in the same way that corporations do?

On the eve of the announcement of the results of India’s 2009 elections, a senior research analyst with a leading brokerage and investment house in India was trying to predict the possible outcomes of the election and to gauge their impact on the stock markets. The analyst wanted to recommend some optimal options strategies to his clients, as the outcome of events such as elections always led to high volatility and consequently high risks and returns. The formation of a majority government would likely give a significant boost to the markets, while the formation of a coalition government would likely have the opposite effect. The analyst was struggling to determine the kind of strategy (aggressive or defensive) he should suggest. He was working to help his clients make exponential profits in a short span of time without the fear of losing significant money.

The chairman and chief executive officer of China Merchants Bank (CMB) had led CMB through a decade of rapid development, implementing two transformations to save capital, develop culture and serve the financial needs of China’s new businesses and consumers. Notwithstanding successes, however, CMB’s capital constraint was biting and the stock market was punishing CMB’s shareholders. Slower domestic growth, an uncertain international economy and increased government regulation increased the challenge facing the chairman: to set CMB’s future strategy.<br><br> A <a href=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwMdKTew4nE&feature=em-share_video_user>video is available for viewing online.

Bandhan, the largest microfinance institution in India, has 13,000 staff members and 2,016 branches in 22 states and union territories, 5.2 million borrowers and loans outstanding of INR 57.04 billion. However, its overdependence on external sources of funds along with recent steps by the country’s banking regulator have started worrying Bandhan’s management, from a profitability and sustainability perspective. The banking licence policy declared by India’s central bank in February 2013 came as an opportunity for Bandhan to resolve the predicament it had met. The founder chairman and managing director is now trying to address the question of transforming Bandhan into a bank. Does the present business require any change? As a bank, the cost of funds for Bandhan would come down, as it would be able to raise funds by drawing deposits from clients. But is Bandhan ready to become a bank? How will it meet the various challenges in achieving business transformation?

The general manager of an engineering solutions department at Robert Bosch Engineering India, a subsidiary of a major German supplier of automotive components, must expand his department from captive to non-captive (i.e., non-Bosch) business and grow rapidly. He believes that non-linear growth is feasible if he leverages competencies and talent built over the years within his division. He faces complex strategy execution challenges, including challenges related to funding, sales and marketing and the existing captive-oriented culture, in shifting from a captive to non-captive mode of business for growth. The automotive ecosystem, within India and abroad, is rapidly changing with its focus on high technology and offers opportunities while also posing threats. At the same time, senior management’s expectations for the general manager are high. He must decide whether to focus more on the development of non-linear products/services or on captive jobs in order to meet his firm’s revenue goal. He could also adopt a hybrid approach.

In August 2009, the newly appointed president of the Federal Development Agency for Southern Ontario, FedDev Ontario, is contemplating the task in front of him. The region’s manufacturing sector, especially the auto industry, had been hit hard by the global recession of 2008; for the first time in its history, Ontario was now a “have not” province, and the federal government was hoping that enthusiasm for this new regional development agency would not only result in the creation of more jobs but would lead to support for the Conservatives in the upcoming election. The new president knew he would need to gain the confidence of his minister and political staff while developing a three-month short-term plan to get up and running as well as a one-year longer term plan to grow the agency and develop its programs. Expectations of both program and political success were high; the new voyage on which he was embarking would be the riskiest of his career.

In 1997, the Ontario Health Services Restructuring Committee mandated the merger of four facilities that treated patients with mental health and addiction issues to create what was later named the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. This new centre, to be situated in Toronto, would provide support and clinical care to those suffering from illnesses such as schizophrenia, anxiety and mood disorders, as well as substance addictions. In 1999, the newly appointed chief executive officer and his management team have to present their recommendations to the board of trustees for implementing this complex merger. The plan will need to recognize and address significant infrastructure, strategic, organizational and stakeholder challenges. The merger will be a large change for vulnerable patient populations and their families, as well as the staff at the four merging organizations and the neighbourhoods bordering the new facility.

Tokyo Jane is an accessible fashion jewelry company that makes and markets its products as “luxury for less” by designing, importing and selling fashion jewelry pieces that look luxurious but cost only a fraction of the high-priced items that inspired them. Finished products are air-shipped to company headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark from factories in China, stocked in the head office and delivered to 400 retail partners —small fashion boutiques, big department stores and online shops — who then sell to consumers in Europe, Scandinavia, the United Kingdom and Canada. The two partners who founded the firm in 2005 are facing several problems: the brand definition is not well enough developed to support the next stage in the firm’s growth, certain challenges have outstripped available human resources — they have only three permanent employees and a revolving number of interns — and distribution operations and management need to be rethought as the firm rapidly increases the scale of its operations. Things come to a head in April 2013, when they are confronted by an important customer about quality issues with their products. How can they not only save their company but continue to grow?

GetClarity Inc. is a start-up firm that specializes in the accumulation, analysis and sale of various types of data, including the firm’s own data, which has been attained through an exclusive contract. The company’s current job involves working for an auto-manufacturing client to identify a potential location for a new dealership. Two young analysts conduct data analysis on the age of the area and the market size, based on the customer demographic data. An Excel spreadsheet for students is available (see 7B14E015).

Supplement to getGlarity (A) (see 9B14E015). An Excel spreadsheet for this supplement is available (see 7B14E016).

Excel spreadsheet for 9B14E015.

In late January 2011, the assistant deputy minister of Environment Canada is contemplating the final report of the joint review panel conducting the environmental assessment of Total E&P Canada’s $10 billion oil sands project, the Joslyn Mine near Fort McMurray, Alberta. Although the report advised that the project would be in the public interest only if — and it was a big if — adverse effects on species at risk were fully mitigated, she was aware that both the company and provincial officials did not agree with the need for further wildlife protection measures. Further, behind the scenes, the industry lobby group, the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, opposed any offsite protection of habitat that might be seen as a precedent for future projects. The federal government’s priority was jobs, and the assistant deputy minister would soon be under pressure to advise the minister on whether to authorize the project to proceed. Without a mechanism to ensure that threatened wildlife would be protected, she could not recommend approval. She needed to find a solution that would work both for the environment and the project.

The marketing director of an advertising agency is considering marketing options to present to Porsche Canada. The goal is to generate sales of Porsche vehicles in Canada by using social media to highlight the fact that Porsches can be driven in winter conditions. The objective of this program, which includes a variety of social media tools and messages, augments Porsche Car Canada’s traditional marketing campaign of billboards, event sponsorships and print ads in premium publications. The marketing director faces resource constraints: he has only a three-person marketing team and the limited marketing budget means the program can likely focus on only three distinctive social media vehicles. In addition, much of Porsche's social media efforts are run out of the United States. The marketing director needs to work within these constraints to build a social media campaign with a Canadian focus.

Spinal Cord Injury Ontario is a not-for-profit organization headquartered in Toronto that assists people with spinal cord injuries to achieve independence, self-reliance and full community participation. In early 2014, the marketing manager is trying to understand how best to assess performance against the organization’s crucial but hard-to-measure goal of becoming the expert on living with a spinal cord injury in the province of Ontario. In addition, she wishes to develop a reporting system based on the indicators laid out in the existing balanced scorecard. This monthly dashboard will allow the new chief executive officer to manage the organization using a summary sheet of measures that highlights how it is performing on critical dimensions. She faces two crucial questions: How should internal reporting be performed? What would being successful at community leadership look like and how can performance against this goal be monitored?

The first female chief executive officer (CEO) of Vancouver City Savings Credit Union (Vancity) believes in the importance of developing a positive workplace culture. She feels that successful employers take a progressive attitude toward promoting a healthy work-life balance. She also serves as a role model to her employees by working hard but communicating clearly about needing to be present for her family. When an independent consultant surveys the attitudes around work-life balance at Vancity, however, he has a number of recommendations for the CEO to consider, all of them aimed at improving the work-life balance for men in order to improve the work-life balance for everyone at the firm. Also see supplemental case 9B14C026.

Supplement to 9B14C025.

Excel spreadsheet for students.

This article discusses the manner in which analytics-savvy companies achieve competitive advantage using Big Data. The LEAP study surveyed 430 companies around the world from a wide range of industries. Respondents were clustered into leaders (10 per cent), explorers (32 per cent), followers (38 per cent) and laggards (20 per cent). To date, only leaders have attained the analytic competency needed to significantly impact business results. Leaders deploy executive-level “champion practitioners” to carve out analytics mindshare throughout their organization. They also use predictive analytics to fuel innovation and growth, and often utilize pilots and rapid proof-of-concept deployment. While laggards remain focused on applying data for reporting, leaders use analytics to evaluate risks and tradeoffs, understand cost and revenue drivers, and predict trends. Leaders find champions at the very top of the organization, such as the chief operating officer or chief financial officer. Efforts at laggard companies are more typically headed by IT chiefs or business lines. But data and decision making can no longer reside in their own silos. Executives accustomed to “going with their gut” are likely to resist the change brought on by analytics, but this change is inevitable.

Many articles have been written about the comparisons between the workings of golf and the workings of business. Yet these generally make no attempt to correlate their conclusions with existing business research literature. This article provides four of the most common observations about what it takes to excel at golf as voiced by several of its finest players. It then relates these observations to the business world. 1. Use the proper equipment: Competence alone will not be converted into organizational performance. 2. Know thyself: Every golfer scores better when aware of his or her capabilities. 3. Point of contact: The most common and perhaps most serious mistake among amateur golfers is their tendency to take their eyes off the ball during their swing. During any implementation, one must focus attention and efforts on quality execution. Mergers are most likely to fail during the integration phase of execution. 4. Leave arrogance at home: Executives can improve their business game by recognizing the importance of remaining open to learning from others on and off the golf course.

In May 2012, Sanofi Canada was preparing to move hundreds of employees to a new corporate headquarters with an open-plan workspace. It initiated a 12-month change management campaign and ultimately met its three objectives of ensuring a smooth transition; transforming its corporate culture into one of greater collaboration, transparency and innovation; and minimizing turnover. In this article, the CEO offers four lessons for anyone hoping to replicate the firm’s success. 1. Communication is crucial: It is important to welcome ideas from all organizational levels. 2. Convert employees into change agents: Leaders cannot simply tell employees about change and expect them to get on with it. Sanofi Canada selected groups of employees to form sub-groups of Change Ambassadors. 3. Deploy cultural and behavioural training: Employees will not modify behaviours or learn new skills overnight. Sanofi Canada initiated an “Open Door” challenge and “Getting to Know You” sessions. 4. Surround yourself with the right people: A leader cannot do everything, and external expertise must be leveraged.