<div style="font-size: 0.95em; line-height: 1.4;"><p align="justify">The Climate Change Conference is a five-party, multi-issue, in-class negotiation simulation that requires no software or other digital means. The exercise develops an understanding of the complex landscape of global climate change mitigation and adaptation measures across various constituencies. At the core of the simulation, students take the roles of representatives from Developed Countries, Developing Countries, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Fossil Fuel Companies, and Electric Vehicle (EV) Firms, with each stakeholder having distinct priorities and interests. In a highly interactive small- and large-group negotiation process, participants navigate through three critical issues: (1) securing global net-zero emissions by mid-century by keeping the goal of a maximum 1.5℃ average global temperature rise within reach through (a) meeting emissions reduction targets, (b) coal phase-out, (c) methane reduction, and (d) halting deforestation; (2) protecting communities and natural habitats; and (3) mobilizing climate finance.
BOE Technology Group Ltd. (BOE) was a leading semiconductor display company worldwide. This case study examines BOE’s journey from facing near bankruptcy to becoming a major player in the display industry and subsequently transitioning into the Internet of Things (IoT) space. The company leveraged effective knowledge management to streamline resources; accelerate knowledge sharing, flow, and application; improve internal management and operational efficiency; mitigate the impact of industry cycles; enhance profitability and innovation capabilities; and support development at each stage. Meanwhile, the firm also faced many challenges. How could BOE further upgrade its capability and transform into a leader in the IoT age?
In May 2023, Lei Yang, general manager of Jiangsu Tianan Smart Science and Technology Co. Ltd. (Tianan), based in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, China, was deciding how to improve his company’s profitability. In its early days, Tianan had sold in-vehicle infotainment devices to automobile companies, and in 2014, it started installing in-vehicle software systems and driver terminals. But from 2010 to 2017, the company lost money. So when the Chinese government announced in 2018 its plan to create internet of vehicle (IoV) pilot zones throughout China, Yang recognized this as an opportunity to transform his company and get rid of its losses. He restructured Tianan’s team, integrated its hardware and software suppliers, took advantage of the government’s help, and turned Tianan into an IoV system service provider. Tianan was profitable in 2020, 2021, and 2022—but Yang was not yet satisfied. Despite the turnaround, the company’s revenue still came primarily from the government, its project delivery capacity was too low to increase sales volume, and its limited bargaining power led to high purchase costs from suppliers. Now, in 2023, what could Yang do to improve his company’s profitability?
Seattle-based Dropbox Inc. (Dropbox) was a leading provider of cloud storage and online collaboration tools. The company had successfully grown a global user base by combining digital channels (user-driven viral growth) with investments in physical assets (offices and infrastructure) overseas. However, in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced individuals and organizations worldwide to work remotely and created an unprecedented growth opportunity, the company found itself outflanked by more aggressive rivals. Dropbox needed to reassess its existing strategy and find a way forward.
Suning Logistics, a retail logistics enterprise, was located in Nanjing, Jiangsu, China. As a subsidiary of Suning Holding Group (Suning), Suning Logistics represented the core competitiveness of Suning in occupying the leading position in China's retail landscape. Suning Logistics was registered as a company in 2012 but was a subsidiary of Suning before growing into Suning Logistics Group (Suning Logistics) in 2015. During the 30-year development process, Suning Logistics had repeatedly iterated and upgraded its logistics model to support the transformation from a physical retailer to online retailer. With the China's new retail wave, experiential shopping and digital consumption brought challenges to the logistics upgrade. To win competitive advantage, the general manager of Suning Logistics had to make a choice between two transformational directions: Should the company improve the logistics efficiency of multi-scenario retail? Or, should it explore the reverse supply chain with emerging technology?
Hangzhou Kub Baby Products Co. Ltd. (Kub), an e-commerce company established in 2009, sold maternal and child products. After a decade of development, Kub had earned praise from customers for the high-value, high-quality, and cost-effective products it sold, but the company's own brand, KÜB, remained less well known. In July 2018, Kub launched a three-day brand marketing campaign, called "KÜB×Tmall Happy Day," which largely relied on new media. The event was successful with increased brand effectiveness; however, new media was increasingly fragmenting marketing and brand awareness. How could Kub maintain its brand success in that context?
TikTok was a short-video sharing app based in China. On November 9, 2017, TikTok’s parent company, the Chinese tech company Beijing ByteDance Technology Co. (ByteDance), announced a strategic acquisition of Musical.ly, a popular short-video sharing app based in the United States. With more than 100 million users and similar features to TikTok, Musical.ly was a powerful competitor for TikTok’s international expansion into the North American markets. For ByteDance and TikTok, the closing of the Musical.ly acquisition in August 2018 was not the end goal, as it would create another new challenge. Would it be better to keep Musical.ly as a separate platform, as Musical.ly had achieved a good reputation and millions of users in the United States? Or should Musical.ly be replaced to create a global app under the TikTok brand, which was relatively new to the US market?