When regulators suspended the high profile initial public offering (IPO) of the Chinese fintech company Ant Group, investors and businesspeople were surprised and unsettled. The offering was halted just two days before the planned listing, after Ant had received routine regulatory approvals. Ant Group leadership needed to understand what the government's expectations were and how to reposition the company to move forward and build on its powerful brand and business model, to maintain success in the absence of an immediate IPO.
As John Donahoe prepared to take over as CEO of Nike, Inc., he faced growing controversy over the company's failure to support anti-government demonstrations in Hong Kong. After US basketball team Houston Rockets manager Daryl Morey tweeted agreement with the Hong Kong protesters, Nike did not publicly back this stance. Instead, it removed Rockets merchandise from its China stores. Nike's silence on this matter contrasted sharply with its past strong support of individual's opinions. Nike management had to determine how to reconcile the company's image based on Western values with its continued growth in China.
Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. (Huawei) was the world's largest telecommunications equipment provider, and was widely acknowledged to be the leader in developing fifth generation (5G) mobile network systems. In 2018-2019, the US government took a series of steps to restrict Huawei's business with the US government and US companies, citing security concerns. Huawei needed to craft a response that would minimize damage to its financial position, protect its leading position in 5G equipment, and allow it to continue to expand its overall business.
This case describes a business opportunity for B+L, a German firm that forecasts demand for construction materials. China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a large infrastructure building program, could allow B+L to broaden both its product range and its client base. The protagonist is Martin Langen, the founder and chief executive officer of B+L. His firm produces forecasts for a range of construction materials in particular geographies. The forecasts are based on publicly available data. B+L adds value by creating models that contain a variety of factors and adjustments to produce forecasts that are standard and directly comparable across regions. This kind of forecast is unavailable elsewhere, and is highly valued by construction materials makers. When China announced the BRI, a plan to build infrastructure along the old silk routes through central Asia, Martin believed B+L could create new forecast products to estimate demand for construction materials in BRI affected markets. Since these markets were not always well developed, and there was a high degree of uncertainty surrounding the BRI projects, B+L would have to develop new techniques to create the new forecasts.
Initiated in 2001, 100 Women in Finance (100WF) has evolved over the years from a small, informal networking group of women working in hedge funds in New York City into an international, non-profit networking organization with more than 15,000 members in 23 locations in 2018 with a broadened focus on the entire finance industry. In June 2018, CEO Amanda Pullinger visited Hong Kong to deepen her understanding of issues in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region, particularly the organization's reliance on volunteers in Asian cities which lacked a culture of volunteerism. Some APAC members also felt disconnected from the organization's New York and London centers because of the geographical distance. The APAC head, Sarah Dyer, needed to ensure that APAC members' needs were met. She wanted to decide about the organization's future strategy for the region which might differ from the strategies for other regions.
In December 2015, Susan Chen, an equity analyst, was preparing a valuation of Hong Kong electric utility China Light and Power Holdings (CLP). In Part A of the case, Susan considered ways to incorporate environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors into the equity valuation. She believed that including these factors in the valuation framework could help to identify undervalued shares, in cases where ESG factors had not been fully priced in by the markets. Susan decided to focus on the ESG key performance indicators (KPIs) for the electric utility industry, and assess those that are financially material for the CLP's valuation. As such, she planned to create a "materiality matrix" plotting the size against the likelihood of each KPI's impact on the share price. Part B of this two-part case focuses on the valuation process. It describes ways of incorporating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) into company valuation. At first, Susan would make use of the materiality matrix. Only the KPIs of large size and high likelihood of happening should be integrated into the valuation process.
Part B of this two-part case focuses on the valuation process. It describes ways of incorporating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) into company valuation, and provides forecasted cash flows and a weighted average cost of capital (WACC) for the Hong Kong electric utility China Light and Power Holdings (CLP). The case concludes as Susan was preparing to calculate a base-case valuation, a valuation adjusted for ESG factors, and a sensitivity analysis.
Neat is a financial technology (fintech) startup in Hong Kong that offers a basic alternative to those who had previously found it difficult to open bank accounts and access credit in Hong Kong. Having successfully launched a personal account in 2015, the company is facing the classic question of how to expand in a fast-growing and constantly evolving new industry, challenging established incumbents that have strong brands and image recognition. In the Fall of 2017, Neat evolved from its introduction of personal accounts to the launch of business accounts. Neat management was deciding how to take the business forward and, most importantly, how to develop profits. The students are asked to take the viewpoint of David Rosa and the Neat management and decide how to move forward in this environment.
TSL is a family business in a traditional jewelry industry in Hong Kong that is being driven to change by many external and internal factors. This scenario, which is faced by many businesses, can be challenging when perceived from a conventional corporate mindset. To design a future for TSL, the management team needs to embrace an entrepreneurial mindset and build the "new company" by starting from basic principles, then completely re-think how to focus on providing value to new as well as existing customers through innovative products, service, and operating procedures. The case is set in early 2016, when TSL was facing increased competition, new price sensitivity among its customers, and industry changes. Issues raised in this case are quite broad and could be useful in a wide range of courses, including Strategy, Marketing, and Organizational Behavior. The case could be used as part of a discussion on innovation, strategy, business development, change management, family businesses, company culture, branding, or similar topics. The students are asked to take the viewpoint of Annie Yau Tse, the new Chairman, on how to move forward in this environment. Remarkably, Annie is the daughter-in-law of the patriarch/founder, and had little experience in the industry. Her background and training is in information technology. She brought a fresh viewpoint and the courage to institute dramatic changes in the management of operations.
The protagonist, Jasper Wang, was originally from China, but had extensive risk management experience in overseas banks. With rapid Chinese economic growth, he was eager to return to China for the right opportunity, and was persuaded by the CEO of a domestic Chinese investment bank to head their Risk Management function. His remit was to introduce "international standards" in risk measurement and management to the firm. After the initial "honeymoon" period, he began to encounter more and more resistance from his colleagues at the trading desk, expressing skepticism for the new "Value at Risk" based market risk control framework he wants to set up. He must decide how he will push a more quantitative risk and control framework within the organization in the face of domain issues, dismissal of risk management measures used outside of China, and basic cultural differences about how things may get done within a domestic firm.