Edwin Lee, is a fourth generation member of the Lee family. He owns and runs Sun Hing Group, and is a board member of the Simon KY Lee Foundation. The Foundation was established in 1985 and managed by Edwin's grandfather until his passing in 2010. Largely inspired by the family's experience with other charitable organizations, it underwent a major reorganization to accommodate a business model where social innovation is central to the Foundation's charitable activities, and where the entire multi-generational family volunteers to participate in the decision-making process. As next in line to be the senior decision maker, Edwin's challenge is to reconcile his professional ambitions of making a large-scale social impact as a philanthropist with his family's wish for him to become the guardian of the family's business. The question is, to what extent Edwin should be involved simultaneously with the family business operations and The Simon KY Lee Foundation's charitable activities in achieving his personal and family's objectives and in ensuring the Foundation's future development?

Elizabeth Mok was the second born and the only daughter in the fourth generation of the Lee family. She was also the only one of five siblings who did not own shares in the family business, the world-renowned sauce maker Lee Kum Kee, headquartered in Hong Kong. For Elizabeth, it seemed natural not to own shares, as she had high respect for the traditional approach to succession planning, where females did not inherit a family business. Besides, she believed her brothers worked hard to build the firm's international reputation and therefore deserved the shares more than she did. Elizabeth was once again asked by her family to reconsider her decision not to own shares. This time, she could sense their determination to change the state of things.

Founded in 2007, Bolaven Farms is a coffee business with a social purpose. Set up in Laos and Hong Kong, Bolaven Farms aims at providing high-quality coffee to the worldwide public while helping to alleviate poverty among coffee farmers in Laos. The business model involves a full integration of the coffee supply chain, from planting the coffee seed to selling the final branded product to wholesale and retail customers. Consequently, farmers and the company benefit from excluding intermediaries from the supply chain and keeping profit margins for themselves. The company's vision of educating farmers and providing them with higher income for their work is very compelling to the public and was quickly picked up by the media. However, the business model has yet to be tested. For one thing, once the farmers graduate from the programme, they need employment assurance and additional land to cultivate. For another, the coffee market is a mature one, with many players and a multitude of competing and lower-priced offers to choose from. People find the company's vision very inspiring, but it is also very difficult to translate into viable actions. The company has already invested US$4.0 million in the project, but is still a long way from educating the public and finding customers willing to pay premium prices for the coffee. Both ends of the supply chain need further refinement, and Say is not willing to compromise on quality or price. The case begins with an introduction of the coffee industry and its practices. A description of Laos as a business environment for Bolaven Farms follows. The case describes the development and implementation of a business model that incorporates vertical integration supported by social networks. It allows for an advanced analysis of issues related to choosing an appropriate business model and focuses on the risks related to future expansion and resulting from the strategic choices of the entrepreneur.