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Family Matters: Governance at the Zamil Group
This case focuses on a large Saudi Arabian industrial conglomerate and family business Zamil Group's corporate and the family's governance journey. The 12 sons of the founder led and grew the group successfully after taking over from their father in 1961. The secret to their success was to arrive at all decisions with a consensus, although each had their own approach to dealing with issues. In the mid-1990s, they hired world-class consultants and created manuals and guidelines for governing the business and continuing the growth of the Group's assets. They were the model for running a family business in Saudi Arabia. However, the increasing number of family members in the group-84 third-generation and 162 fourth-generation members and the upcoming fifth generation-created challenges going forward. They wanted to ensure that the governance principles they had created would evolve and develop in line with the changing dynamics. The upcoming generations did not have jobs waiting for them in the family business simply because they were members of the Zamil family, and not all of them were motivated to remain invested in the businesses. The second-generation and senior members of the third-generation wanted to make sure that they balanced the needs of the business and those of individual family members. They sought to put mechanisms in place that would keep the shares of the business in the family so as to avoid diluting the family's ownership as they diversified the asset portfolio, addressed diverse risks, and catered to the consumption goals of the next generation. This might mean that the Group would eventually move from being operators to becoming financial investors. -
Bill Cummings: The Cummings Way
In 2019, Bill Cummings, founder of Cummings Properties and Cummings Foundation and billionaire signer of the Giving Pledge, is winding down his roles at his company and foundation. How should the management move the company forward? -
Theranos: Who Has Blood on Their Hands? (A)
This case covers the rise and fall of Theranos, the company founded by Elizabeth Holmes in 2004 to revolutionize the blood testing industry by creating a device that could provide from a small finger prick the same results and accuracy as intravenous blood draws. As founder and CEO, Holmes was hailed as the most successful female tech entrepreneur ever. In October 2015, however, a Wall Street Journal article exposed internal struggles and questioned the startup's trajectory. Subsequent investigations revealed that Theranos, despite commercial operations in 40 retail locations, lacked a functioning product. Set in 2017, the (A) Case opens with Theranos' motion to dismiss the class action lawsuit filed by two investors who claimed that Theranos and its officers had violated California's securities law and engaged in fraud. -
The Boston Beer Company (A): New CEO
In 1984, when the Boston Beer Company's Samuel Adams Boston Lager was first sold, founder Jim Koch had helped ignite a craft beer movement by making small-batch premium beers in an era of industry consolidation. By 2018, Boston Beer was a publicly traded company that continued to distinguish itself as a craft brewer while brewing millions of barrels per year and managing a diverse product portfolio including ciders and hard seltzers. That year, new CEO hire Dave Burwick faced a range of questions: (1) How to manage a company with a board chairman (Koch) whose name was synonymous with the company, and who continued to hold decisive voting control in the company's dual-class stock structure, (2) How to balance Boston Beer's commitment to craft beer quality with an increasingly sprawling portfolio, and (3) What specific changes to make to company operations to increase efficiency while maintaining focus on quality. -
From Beirut With Love (B): The Last Judgment
This case describes how Robert Fadel, as CEO and chairman of ABC, one of Lebanon's leading retail and real estate groups, professionalized the family business amid ongoing disputes with his siblings. Robert was the second son of Maurice Fadel, who had founded the business years before and who ran it single-handedly. Growing up with three brothers, Robert and his siblings were tested by their father before they were allowed to take on managerial positions at ABC, which created competition and tension between them. Their relationship was often contentious. To prevent the business from being affected by the rivalry between his sons after his death, Maurice set up a trust in 2002 that designated Robert as his successor. A month before he died, in 2009, Maurice revised the trust, granting Robert full control of the board as well. In June 2009, Maurice passed away, and according to the provisions of the trust, Robert became the chairman and CEO of ABC for a period of five years, with the possibility of extending his term by an additional three years-on condition that he had the support of one of his brothers. In his new role, Robert had two main goals. First, he wanted to turn ABC into a professionally managed organization at all levels. Second, he wanted to invest in long-term projects that would expand the business. Actualizing his vision was not an easy task. Robert had to deal with his brothers' opposition, who focused on collecting dividends rather than making investments to grow the business. In spite of everything, Robert achieved both his goals by the end of his eighth year, in 2017, when he stepped down as ABC's CEO. Should he appoint someone from outside the Fadel family as ABC's new CEO? Should Robert Fadel step down from the chairmanship as well? -
From Beirut With Love (A)
This case describes how Robert Fadel, CEO and chairman of ABC, one of Lebanon's leading retail and real estate groups, professionalized the family business. Robert was the second son of the company's founder, Maurice Fadel, who had run it single-handedly. Concerned that the business might be affected by rivalry between his four sons after he died, Maurice set up a trust in 2002 that designated Robert as his successor, and in May of 2009, Maurice revised the trust, granting Robert full control of the board as well. In June 2009, Maurice Fadel passed away, and according to the provisions of the trust, Robert became the chairman and CEO of ABC for a period of five years, with the possibility of extending his term by an additional three years, on condition that he had the support of at least one of his brothers. In his new role, Robert set two main goals for the company. First, he wanted to turn ABC into a professionally managed organization at all levels. Second, he wanted to invest in long-term projects that would expand the business. Actualizing his vision was not an easy task given the family conflicts and Lebanon's economic and political environment. However, Robert achieved both of his goals by the end of his eighth year, in 2017, when he stepped down as ABC's CEO. The dilemmas at that point were whether he should appoint someone from outside the Fadel family as ABC's new CEO, and whether he should step down from the board chairmanship.