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ZOLOZ, a biometrics platform within the Chinese technology provider Ant Group, served more than one hundred million overseas users with its advanced biometrics identification technology. In 2018, ZOLOZ's general manager was appointed to promote the company's facial recognition technology overseas, extending the company's global ambitions. ZOLOZ aimed to not only increase its user base but also promote the growth of electronic Know Your Customer (e-KYC) processes. The company successfully expanded to the Philippines and planned to enter other Southeast Asian countries, helping users open accounts remotely. ZOLOZ's general manager needed to decide how it could continue to expand the use of facial recognition technology to the rest of Southeast Asia.

In early 2020, Scarcity Labs Inc. (Scarcity Labs) was created as a spinoff from ViewFin Canada Corporation, a financial technology company providing a wide range of blockchain and cryptocurrency services. Scarcity Labs’ chief executive officer (CEO) and chief product officer (CPO) sat in the company’s Toronto office discussing potential opportunities for blockchain applications. In particular, they pondered the possibility of developing a non-fungible token (NFT) platform for artist, where works of art could be turned into NFTs, which people could then buy and sell. The CEO and CPO wondered what Scarcity Labs needed to do to successfully launch such a platform.

In early 2020, Scarcity Labs Inc. (Scarcity Labs) was created as a spinoff from ViewFin Canada Corporation, a financial technology company providing a wide range of blockchain and cryptocurrency services. Scarcity Labs' chief executive officer (CEO) and chief product officer (CPO) sat in the company's Toronto office discussing potential opportunities for blockchain applications. In particular, they pondered the possibility of developing a non-fungible token (NFT) platform for artist, where works of art could be turned into NFTs, which people could then buy and sell. The CEO and CPO wondered what Scarcity Labs needed to do to successfully launch such a platform.

The chief technology officer of a leading pharmaceutical distributor in the US is facing a crossroads. Driven by the company’s mission of “reimagining healthcare,” his team has just conducted a pilot of blockchain. Having designed the blockchain and tested it in real-world conditions, the team is now keen to use it in the company’s supply chain. As the team leader, the CTO is grappling with how to move forward. How can he ensure he chooses the right business partners for incubating blockchain technology at Cardinal? And how can he ensure he chooses the right business processes for implementing blockchain technology?

The chief technology officer of a leading pharmaceutical distributor in the US is facing a crossroads. Driven by the company's mission of "reimagining healthcare," his team has just conducted a pilot of blockchain. Having designed the blockchain and tested it in real-world conditions, the team is now keen to use it in the company's supply chain. As the team leader, the CTO is grappling with how to move forward. How can he ensure he chooses the right business partners for incubating blockchain technology at Cardinal? And how can he ensure he chooses the right business processes for implementing blockchain technology?

Alibaba, China’s biggest e-commerce company, had dedicated itself to corporate responsibility from the time of its launch, focusing on poverty and environmental protection. Alibaba released its Carbon Neutrality Action Report in December 2021, aiming to achieve carbon neutrality in its own operations and slash emissions across its supply chains and transportation networks by 2030. Alibaba was launching several new initiatives, and needed to know whether they would help to achieve its carbon neutrality goals.

As of the end of 2019, the point-of-care testing (POCT) products of Getein Biotech Inc., an important in vitro diagnostics (IVD) enterprise, had been successfully applied to the detection of many diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, inflammation, kidney diseases, and blood coagulation disorders. Its market share and output value were both among the highest in the industry. In addition to improving its core POCT products, Getein Biotech firmly grasped industry opportunities to accelerate expansion in key IVD segments and build a complete product system. However, with the impact of COVID-19 in 2020, the enterprise, unlike its competitors in this industry, failed to seize the opportunity of developing COVID-19 test kits. As a result, its profits fell sharply, and its competitive position in the industry faced huge challenges. At the beginning of 2021, due to uncertainties about the COVID-19 pandemic, the enterprise was forced to integrate its original resources and capabilities and adjust its development strategy in order to establish sustainable competitive advantages.

Alibaba, China's biggest e-commerce company, had dedicated itself to corporate responsibility from the time of its launch, focusing on poverty and environmental protection. Alibaba released its Carbon Neutrality Action Report in December 2021, aiming to achieve carbon neutrality in its own operations and slash emissions across its supply chains and transportation networks by 2030. Alibaba was launching several new initiatives, and needed to know whether they would help to achieve its carbon neutrality goals.

As of the end of 2019, the point-of-care testing (POCT) products of Getein Biotech Inc., an important in vitro diagnostics (IVD) enterprise, had been successfully applied to the detection of many diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, inflammation, kidney diseases, and blood coagulation disorders. Its market share and output value were both among the highest in the industry. In addition to improving its core POCT products, Getein Biotech firmly grasped industry opportunities to accelerate expansion in key IVD segments and build a complete product system. However, with the impact of COVID-19 in 2020, the enterprise, unlike its competitors in this industry, failed to seize the opportunity of developing COVID-19 test kits. As a result, its profits fell sharply, and its competitive position in the industry faced huge challenges. At the beginning of 2021, due to uncertainties about the COVID-19 pandemic, the enterprise was forced to integrate its original resources and capabilities and adjust its development strategy in order to establish sustainable competitive advantages.

In May 2021, Alibaba Group Holding Limited (Alibaba), China’s biggest e-commerce company, faced a number of challenges. Alibaba, which operated under a platform business model, was confronted with weakened consumer spending due to the coronavirus pandemic as well as increased competition from JD.com Inc. (JD.com) and other e-commerce entrants. To boost business growth and strengthen Alibaba’s leading position in China’s e-commerce market, Daniel Zhang, the company’s chief executive officer, would need to evaluate the possibility of adding a direct online retail model to complement the operations of its flagship platforms Taobao and Tmall. What challenges could Alibaba potentially face in its e-commerce business expansion?

In May 2021, Alibaba Group Holding Limited (Alibaba), China's biggest e-commerce company, faced a number of challenges. Alibaba, which operated under a platform business model, was confronted with weakened consumer spending due to the coronavirus pandemic as well as increased competition from JD.com Inc. (JD.com) and other e-commerce entrants. To boost business growth and strengthen Alibaba's leading position in China's e-commerce market, Daniel Zhang, the company's chief executive officer, would need to evaluate the possibility of adding a direct online retail model to complement the operations of its flagship platforms Taobao and Tmall. What challenges could Alibaba potentially face in its e-commerce business expansion?

In July 2018, Amir Bell was heading the Operational Excellence (OpEx) team for the Light Duty Pickup Truck Seat Cost Reduction program at General Motors (GM). GM had decided to launch the new full-size truck program in 2019 at assembly plants in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Silao, Mexico. To increase profits, GM sought to decrease costs in the manufacturing process. At the time, GM enjoyed a long-term tier-1 supplier relationship with Skübi Automotive North America LLC (Skübi) for its truck seats. Skübi’s facility in Indiana could not fully support the seat assembly for the new truck program, but Skübi did have capacity at its plant in Ohio, and so it approached GM about moving all or some of the new truck seat production. However, GM had investigated some additional cost-saving opportunities. GM could contract directly with tier-2 suppliers (directed buy) for some parts and negotiate volume pricing, though these arrangements could harm relations with long-time supplier Skübi. Alternatively, GM could assume the risk of raw material cost fluctuations by entering material indexing contracts with its directed-buy suppliers. Bell needed to analyze these alternatives and their related risks, and choose the most cost-effective option for GM.

In July 2018, Amir Bell was heading the Operational Excellence (OpEx) team for the Light Duty Pickup Truck Seat Cost Reduction program at General Motors (GM). GM had decided to launch the new full-size truck program in 2019 at assembly plants in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Silao, Mexico. To increase profits, GM sought to decrease costs in the manufacturing process. At the time, GM enjoyed a long-term tier-1 supplier relationship with Skübi Automotive North America LLC (Skübi) for its truck seats. Skübi's facility in Indiana could not fully support the seat assembly for the new truck program, but Skübi did have capacity at its plant in Ohio, and so it approached GM about moving all or some of the new truck seat production. However, GM had investigated some additional cost-saving opportunities. GM could contract directly with tier-2 suppliers (directed buy) for some parts and negotiate volume pricing, though these arrangements could harm relations with long-time supplier Skübi. Alternatively, GM could assume the risk of raw material cost fluctuations by entering material indexing contracts with its directed-buy suppliers. Bell needed to analyze these alternatives and their related risks, and choose the most cost-effective option for GM.

As a traditional retailer focused on selling home appliances, Suning.com Co. Ltd. (Suning) grew quickly and became a leading retailer in China, dominating the market until the 2000s. By 2021, however, Suning was facing challenges, including fierce competition from e-commerce giants such as Alibaba Group Holding Limited, Jingdong, and Pinduoduo Inc. and from its upstream brand manufacturers. It also faced financial pressure in its core business due to aggressive expansion. Suning's revenue, assets, and equity declined, and its net income, which had significantly declined since 2018, had been in the red since 2020. Should Jindong Zhang, co-founder of Suning, change the company's current business strategy? How could Zhang use an omnichannel structure to ensure Suning's sustainable growth?

The vice-president at Tencent LeXiang (LeXiang), the enterprise social networking platform of Tencent Holdings Limited (Tencent), had been overseeing the development of the platform from its inception. Since its official launch in 2017, LeXiang had been successfully adopted across a wide range of multinational corporations; it was also popular internally at Tencent, with many employees engaging with their fellow co-workers on the forums.<br><br>The vice-president was preparing for a meeting with Tencent’s leadership about the future of LeXiang and how the platform could bring value internally to the company. As part of her preparations, she received a data set that included many posts and replies within Tencent’s own LeXiang platform. While she thought there was significant value in the insight the platform provided about Tencent’s own employees, she was unsure how to organize the wide-ranging posts and demonstrate their potential value to Tencent’s leadership.

The vice-president at Tencent LeXiang (LeXiang), the enterprise social networking platform of Tencent Holdings Limited (Tencent), had been overseeing the development of the platform from its inception. Since its official launch in 2017, LeXiang had been successfully adopted across a wide range of multinational corporations; it was also popular internally at Tencent, with many employees engaging with their fellow co-workers on the forums. The vice-president was preparing for a meeting with Tencent's leadership about the future of LeXiang and how the platform could bring value internally to the company. As part of her preparations, she received a data set that included many posts and replies within Tencent's own LeXiang platform. While she thought there was significant value in the insight the platform provided about Tencent's own employees, she was unsure how to organize the wide-ranging posts and demonstrate their potential value to Tencent's leadership.

As a traditional retailer focused on selling home appliances, Suning.com Co. Ltd. (Suning) grew quickly and became a leading retailer in China, dominating the market until the 2000s. By 2021, however, Suning was facing challenges, including fierce competition from e-commerce giants such as Alibaba Group Holding Limited, Jingdong, and Pinduoduo Inc. and from its upstream brand manufacturers. It also faced financial pressure in its core business due to aggressive expansion. Suning’s revenue, assets, and equity declined, and its net income, which had significantly declined since 2018, had been in the red since 2020. Should Jindong Zhang, co-founder of Suning, change the company’s current business strategy? How could Zhang use an omnichannel structure to ensure Suning’s sustainable growth?

As a leading short-video social and livestreaming app in China, Kuaishou Technology's Kuaishou application (app) was facing various challenges, including fierce competition from ByteDance Ltd.'s Douyin. In June 2018, to sustain its long-term growth, Kuaishou needed to evaluate the possibility of entering the livestreaming e-commerce market, as livestreaming was becoming one of the hottest ways to sell to Chinese consumers. The co-founder and chief executive officer of Kuaishou Technology needed to decide whether Kuaishou should launch a livestreaming e-commerce business. If so, should Kuaishou cooperate with an existing e-commerce platform or build its own e-commerce ecosystem? What potential challenges might Kuaishou face in its livestreaming e-commerce business expansion?

HSBC Commercial Banking was a key business for HSBC Holdings plc, contributing one-third of the bank's profit in 2019. In 2016, the regional head of Commercial Banking, Asia Pacific, began initiating a series of open innovation programs in Hong Kong. The programs aimed to embrace collaboration in the innovation and technology ecosystem to co-create value for Commercial Banking's small and medium-sized customers.<br><br>Now, in 2020, the regional head of Commercial Banking and his innovation team leader were discussing their innovation initiatives. They reviewed what they had achieved in the last four years. What value had they created for not just the small- and medium-sized customers but also the ecosystem stakeholders? What challenges had they met, and how well had they resolved these? Had the proper culture and talents been in place to meet these challenges? Had they measured the performance of the team properly to keep their colleagues motivated about sustainable innovation? They also explored a few critical areas for future growth. The regional head of Commercial Banking wondered what more they could do in Hong Kong, and how they could replicate the success they had achieved in Hong Kong in other emerging markets in Asia.

HSBC Commercial Banking was a key business for HSBC Holdings plc, contributing one-third of the bank’s profit in 2019. In 2016, the regional head of Commercial Banking, Asia Pacific, began initiating a series of open innovation programs in Hong Kong. The programs aimed to embrace collaboration in the innovation and technology ecosystem to co-create value for Commercial Banking’s small and medium-sized customers.<br><br>Now, in 2020, the regional head of Commercial Banking and his innovation team leader were discussing their innovation initiatives. They reviewed what they had achieved in the last four years. What value had they created for not just the small- and medium-sized customers but also the ecosystem stakeholders? What challenges had they met, and how well had they resolved these? Had the proper culture and talents been in place to meet these challenges? Had they measured the performance of the team properly to keep their colleagues motivated about sustainable innovation? They also explored a few critical areas for future growth. The regional head of Commercial Banking wondered what more they could do in Hong Kong, and how they could replicate the success they had achieved in Hong Kong in other emerging markets in Asia.