Case A reviews Amazon's location choices from its founding in 1994 to 2017, explaining how it moved its offices from Bellevue, Washington, to various Seattle locations, eventually establishing campuses in South Lake Union in 2010 and then in downtown Seattle in 2016. The case then explores Amazon's strategic plan to establish a second headquarters in another North American city, illustrating the complex relationship between cities and major corporations. Case B describes Amazon's cancellation of its New York project, how the company was affected by local zoning laws and urban politics, and how various local interest groups responded to its plan. The subject of the case is business-government relations at the city level.

Case A reviews Amazon's location choices from its founding in 1994 to 2017, explaining how it moved its offices from Bellevue, Washington, to various Seattle locations, eventually establishing campuses in South Lake Union in 2010 and then in downtown Seattle in 2016. The case then explores Amazon's strategic plan to establish a second headquarters in another North American city, illustrating the complex relationship between cities and major corporations. Case B describes Amazon's cancellation of its New York project, how the company was affected by local zoning laws and urban politics, and how various local interest groups responded to its plan. The subject of the case is business-government relations at the city level.

Amazon entered China in 2004 by acquiring Joyo, a local e-retailer, and rebranding it as Amazon China, implementing the technology and practices that had worked in the U.S. Unlike its local competitors, Amazon China's organizational culture focused on the use of technology while downplaying the importance of marketing. Amazon's global standardization strategy thus made Amazon China less responsive to Chinese customers' online shopping habits and less flexible in dealing with suppliers and third-party sellers on its marketplace platform. In the first decade following its entry, Amazon China saw its market share of China's expanding e-commerce market shrink dramatically. In 2012, it undertook strategic transformations focused on cross-border e-commerce and introduced Amazon's other core businesses, including Kindle devices and AWS, to China. Adapted to the local market, Amazon's Kindle was a success. Both the e-book publishing and cloud computing (AWS) sectors are highly regulated in China and Amazon's efforts to replicate its U.S. business in China faced big challenges.

Fiyta had long been on of China's foremost watch brands. However, as China's economy began to improve and the livelihood of many Chinese rose with it, their tastes began to change. Exposed to more luxurious foreign brands, many Chinese strived to purchase a Swiss or Japanese watch. How could Fiyta build up its brand image to a more sophisticated Chinese consumer? What marketing activities should it undertake to reinvigorate its brand? Is it meeting the needs of all segments of Chinese consumers? Should it?