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This case describes the immense success of Chick-fil-A in the United States and its first major international expansion efforts in Toronto, Canada, and Reading, England amid increased competition in the United States. Although Chick-fil-A had become the third-largest fast-food chain in the United States in 2018, a public relations controversy that had simmered since 2012 over the company’s conservative Christian values still dogged the company’s expansion attempts in 2019. How should the company address the backlash from supporters of LGBTQ rights and ensure the success of Chick-fil-A outside the United States?

On Wednesday, March 1, 2017, Jean-Louis Chaussade, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Suez SA (Suez), a French utility company that primarily operated in water and waste management, had to decide whether or not to acquire General Electric Water & Process Technologies. During the negotiations between Chaussade and the CEO of General Electric Company (GE), there had been many drastic changes, including the January 2017 inauguration of a US president with no political experience and an agenda that did not favour international co-operation. The deal represented a significant investment of US$2–$3 billion, and Suez would have to rely on an external partner to have even a chance of winning the bid GE had launched only a few weeks earlier. The complex negotiations were also fraught with risks due to increasing political interference from the new US president. What should Chaussade do?

On Wednesday, March 1, 2017, Jean-Louis Chaussade, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Suez SA (Suez), a French utility company that primarily operated in water and waste management, had to decide whether or not to acquire General Electric Water & Process Technologies. During the negotiations between Chaussade and the CEO of General Electric Company (GE), there had been many drastic changes, including the January 2017 inauguration of a US president with no political experience and an agenda that did not favour international co-operation. The deal represented a significant investment of US$2-$3 billion, and Suez would have to rely on an external partner to have even a chance of winning the bid GE had launched only a few weeks earlier. The complex negotiations were also fraught with risks due to increasing political interference from the new US president. What should Chaussade do?

In 2010, when China surpassed the United States to become the largest global market for automobiles, China's Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd. (Geely) entered the global automobile industry by acquiring Volvo Group's cars division from Ford. Seven years later, Geely bought a controlling stake of 51 per cent in Lotus Cars, a stake in the truck maker AB Volvo, and a 10 per cent share of Daimler AG worth US$9 billion, becoming its largest shareholder. On August 31, 2018, Ford's chief executive officer faced a strategic challenge: assess the level of threat that Geely posed and how to respond to it, if necessary. Was Geely's rise in the market endangering Ford's market position?

In 2016 the chief executive officer (CEO) of Harley-Davidson Inc., the iconic U.S. manufacturer of motorcycles, was facing a constant decline in sales and stock price due to the company's dependence on a mature U.S. market and the natural attrition of its most loyal riders, who were ageing. In May 2017, the CEO needed to determine how to return his global company to growth amid a protectionist agenda and direct business interference from the White House. Should the company expand internationally or not?

In 2010, when China surpassed the United States to become the largest global market for automobiles, China’s Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd. (Geely) entered the global automobile industry by acquiring Volvo Group’s cars division from Ford. Seven years later, Geely bought a controlling stake of 51 per cent in Lotus Cars, a stake in the truck maker AB Volvo, and a 10 per cent share of Daimler AG worth US$9 billion, becoming its largest shareholder. On August 31, 2018, Ford’s chief executive officer faced a strategic challenge: assess the level of threat that Geely posed and how to respond to it, if necessary. Was Geely’s rise in the market endangering Ford’s market position?

In 2016 the chief executive officer (CEO) of Harley-Davidson Inc., the iconic U.S. manufacturer of motorcycles, was facing a constant decline in sales and stock price due to the company's dependence on a mature U.S. market and the natural attrition of its most loyal riders, who were ageing. In May 2017, the CEO needed to determine how to return his global company to growth amid a protectionist agenda and direct business interference from the White House. Should the company expand internationally or not?