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In 2023, SonyLIV, a prominent player in India’s rapidly expanding over-the-top (OTT) streaming service industry, appointed Mr. Danish Khan as its new business leader. Despite prior accomplishments in revitalizing the platform and achieving notable growth in subscribers and revenue, Khan faced formidable challenges in his new role. The key challenges were substantial expenses in customer acquisition and content management in an intensely competitive market. This case probes critical strategic questions: Which customer segments should SonyLIV focus on, and does the platform need to reassess its subscription model? Should it contemplate collaborating with industry rivals to access content and engage in cross-promotion? Alternatively, should it explore any other strategies to enhance its market share and financial performance?

On March 8, 2023, Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) disclosed its plans to raise USD 1.75 billion to seal a hole in its balance sheet from an unsuccessful sale of a fixed-income portfolio that had reportedly resulted in substantial losses. This unexpected move triggered a massive withdrawal of deposits, especially by technology and venture capital firms. The liquidity problem was expected to leave losses amounting to USD 20 billion. A fund manager intended to examine the level of financial distress in SVB and identify the possibility of recovery. His clients believed that SVB could still be a good buy at the current valuation. The fund manager examined various risks and applied the probability of financial distress model for analysis.

Spreadsheet to accompany product W36975.

Presentation to accompany product W36975.

On February 10, 2023, Toronto mayor John Tory stunned the city by holding an evening press conference to announce his resignation. Tory admitted to having an inappropriate relationship with a junior staff member in his office. While Toronto city council scrambled to deal with the fallout of Tory’s abrupt announcement, public opinion about it was deeply divided. From politicians to pundits to the general public, it seemed everyone had something to say about Tory stepping down as mayor and the reason why he did so. In the absence of clear rules and regulations, what should Tory have done? Was his resignation, as some said, too hasty? Or was he correct to step down?

Why Canadian companies are increasingly utilizing litigation financing to transform legal disputes into assets.

Why every direct report has a weakness leaders must manage, including the ones who shine.

Why understanding three often-overlooked barriers to inclusion is essential to address subtle and vocal opposition to workplace DEI initiatives.

In 2023, Vasudha Rai had positioned herself as a brand in the health, wellness, and beauty market in India, with a cumulative 92,000 followers across platforms. To strengthen her personal brand moving forward, she conducted a brand audit. Basedon the results of the audit, she had to make a choice about where she should she invest her resources. She had multiple options to consider. She could (1) stick to her present plan of utilizing every platform available, (2) concentrate on one platform and make the most of its features, or (3) work on a smaller, select combination of platforms going forward. What would help her reach her goal of becoming a key opinion leader in this market?

On October 10, 2022, Mary-Kay Messier, vice-president global marketing of Bauer Hockey (Bauer), was faced with a difficult decision on the future of Bauer’s sponsorship of Hockey Canada. Hockey Canada was experiencing widespread fallout from sexual assault allegations and the source of money that Hockey Canada paid in various settlements. Messier was planning to share Bauer’s position with Hockey Canada before publicly announcing the decision on October 11, 2022. Some sponsors had paused their relationships with Hockey Canada, other sponsors had severed their relationships entirely. Canada’s government had also frozen funding for Hockey Canada, citing a loss of confidence in the leadership at Hockey Canada.

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Present-day ITC Limited (ITC) is a well-diversified company with a presence in various businesses, including fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), hotels, agribusiness, paperboards and paper, and packaging. The 113-year-old India-based company has de-risked its portfolio and also remained relevant and competitive. This case chronicles the transition of ITC from a cigarette major to a conglomerate, aspiring to become the number one FMCG player. The creation of a strong brand portfolio coupled with an adept brand extension strategy spelled rapid growth for the company’s FMCG business. ITC’s successful diversification, led by the FMCG business, can be attributed to its corporate parenting advantage that accrued to the various businesses housed as divisions or strategic business units under a single listed company. Fiscal year 2023 had drawn to a close. ITC faced numerous questions. Was the millet-based business a good fit in the company’s parenting matrix? Would the food business benefit from the structural advantages that ITC had created as a corporate parent? What strategic initiatives could ITC take to gain further traction in the FMCG market?

The case discusses collaboration between a technology-based company and a fashion eyewear company. The need for collaboration arose after Google LLC (Google) launched smart eyewear that failed to attract the attention of fashion-conscious users due to poor aesthetics and ergonomics. Google then partnered with fashion eyewear company, Luxottica Group S.p.A. (EssilorLuxottica) to design smart eyewear named Google Glass Enterprise Edition 2. However, this product did not take off due to high pricing and technology issues. EssilorLuxottica then collaborated with Meta Platforms Inc. to produce fashion smart eyewear, Ray-Ban Stories. The case discusses the potential for success of this tie-up and the future in the segment.

Green Leaf, launched in 2000, was involved in the production, retail, and export of fruits and vegetables. The company procured most of its fruits and vegetables through contract farming. Contract-farming jobs with individual farmers were initiated after receiving orders from export customers and estimating the demand. However, the company faced shortages in its procurement of produce due to the diversion of fruits and vegetables by some contract farmers during the rise in open-market prices for these foods. The challenge for the company was how to ensure an uninterrupted supply of fruits and vegetables to meet the customers’ orders.

On April 23, 2020, Franklin Templeton India Mutual Fund (FT) shocked investors by winding up six of its debt mutual fund schemes, amounting to assets under management of INR 267.79 billion, with over 300000 investors. The decision was based on the liquidity squeeze in the financial markets as COVID-19 forced the world, including India, into lockdown. FT was facing redemption pressures it could no longer meet without making distress sales of its underlying investments. The management deemed a distress sale to be far more detrimental to investor interests than freezing their investments in the fund. The question arises if there were other compelling reasons that brought FT to this unfortunate decision.

On December 27, 2023, major daily newspapers in India reported that two information technology (IT) giants, Infosys Limited (Infosys) and Wipro Limited (Wipro), had accused their competitor Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation (Cognizant) of “unethical” employee poaching. Although it was not unusual for employees to transition between companies in the IT sector, in 2023 Cognizant had hired more than 20 senior employees from its competitors. This poaching controversy was fuelled by IT firms’ need to hire and retain top talent, and it raised several critical questions: What should Cognizant do to create a more robust talent pipeline that would not require employee poaching? What should Infosys and Wipro do to address the concerns raised by Cognizant’s employee poaching? And how can employee poaching affect individuals and companies?

In November 2016, the chief executive officer of Credit Union Central of Manitoba was reading the report Credit Union Wealth Management Strategic Option Assessment, which he had commissioned several months earlier. He saw the report as the best and potentially last chance to fix a long-standing problem in the Canadian credit union sector, which comprised democratically-controlled, member-owned financial co-operatives that were sometimes referred to as “people’s banks.” Credit unions had been struggling to advance in the wealth management industry and compete effectively against Canada’s “Big Five” banks. The report set out three strategic options that looked promising. However, experience had shown that nothing was simple in the credit union industry, where disagreements were common among opposing groups such as big versus small, rural versus urban, French versus English, and liberal versus conservative credit unions.

In March 2021, the founder of Hampstead Tea, a specialty-tea processor based in London, United Kingdom, found herself at a crossroads. Since 1995, the founder had been exporting packaged tea to countries in the European Union (EU) as well as selling it locally in the UK market. But effective December 31, 2020, the United Kingdom had exited the EU; in 2021, companies in the two regions could no longer buy and sell goods freely across their borders. Uncertainty had gripped the flow of trade during the first three months of the new year. In March 2021, the founder was examining three options going forward: (1) divest the EU operations and focus on the UK market; (2) continue to cater to both the home market and the UK market, as before; and (3) relocate to a geography within the EU to focus on EU markets. The case offers a useful and engaging way of presenting to students the principles of effectuation as it relates to business entrepreneurship.

Established in 1980, Chandos Construction (Chandos), a Canadian general contractor, prioritized inclusivity, collaboration, and innovation. As the largest B Corporation–certified commercial builder in North America, Chandos aimed to create a legacy and promote shared prosperity through employee ownership. The vice-president of Collaborative Construction at Chandos, Jen Hancock, championed initiatives such as lean integration and waste diversion policies. In September 2023, she prepared for a meeting with the project management team to propel sustainable construction initiatives forward. She aimed to advance Chandos’s sustainable construction and believed that integrated project delivery (IPD) could revolutionize the industry, aligning with the company’s goal of achieving net zero by 2040. Despite challenges in wider IPD adoption and collaboration on smaller projects, Chandos saw an opportunity to lead by emphasizing both environmental and human health aspects.

In October 2021, UnaBiz Pte. Ltd., a Singapore service provider of Internet of Things technology for the aviation industry, secured US$25 million in series B funding. In April 2022, it acquired the French start-up Sigfox and later doubled its series B funding. The company’s managing director was then planning a series C funding round for June 2023 but had to make a decision regarding the company’s future growth and expansion from two potential paths. The first option was to focus on the aviation sector, in which the company could leverage major clients such as Changi Airport Group and Airbus SE. However, there were serious concerns regarding vulnerability and regulatory challenges in the aviation sector. The second option was a broader strategy that involved diversifying into logistics and supply chain, with aviation as a subset. This option presented significant market opportunities but required convincing stakeholders to adopt new technologies and to navigate a fragmented landscape. The managing director had to make a critical decision before presenting his expansion strategy for UnaBiz Pte. Ltd. to potential investors.