Nick worked as the weekend shift leader at the fulfillment center of Lee Valley Tools. in Ottawa. The company operated three shifts-a day and night shift on weekdays and a weekend shift on Saturday and Sunday. Reviewing performance statistics, Nick noted that members of the night shifts in the warehouse seemed to be achieving higher performance in order fulfillment and line item fulfillment. On the other hand, the members of the weekend shifts were more aligned with the performance of members of the day shift, which had to deal with deliveries of incoming items and placing these items in the warehouse. Nick wondered why the weekend shift seemed to lag behind. He also wondered whether these differences were significant and meaningful. Nick found that there appeared to be a lag in the picking and packing processes.
In March 2020, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted global supply chains. The spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus affected the entire world, including the scenic Prince Edward County in Eastern Ontario. Three co-owners of the boutique distillery Kinsip House of Fine Spirits (Kinsip) were inspired to contribute to their community's efforts to limit further spread of the virus. As a distillery, Kinsip was aptly able to produce the principal ingredient of hand sanitizer-ethanol. The other two main ingredients-glycerol and hydrogen peroxide-were generally procured on the open market from North American suppliers. Obtaining the right packaging for the sanitizer as quickly as possible, including both the bottle and the cap, was one of the key challenges the three partners were facing. Another challenge was navigating Health Canada's approval process. In addition, the partners needed to determine Kinsip's capacity to supply hand sanitizer to the local region and the production schedule on which it could deliver the product.
In May 2020, the three cofounders of Kinsip House of Fine Spirits (Kinsip), a craft distillery located on a farm in Prince Edward County, Ontario, Canada, felt a great sense of accomplishment. The distillery had a varied product mix that included light and dark spirits, a broad variety of bitters, and cask-aged maple syrup. However, in March of 2020, the business had retooled to produce hand sanitizer in response to the shortages resulting from the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a distillery, Kinsip already produced ethanol for its regular products, which was also a key ingredient in the composition of hand sanitizer, and in combining this with their production and bottling expertise, were able to meet the needs of the community quickly and effectively. Before long, Kinsip had added hand sanitizer to its list of products for sale to the public. Should the cofounders make hand sanitizer a regular Kinsip product offering?
Jeanette Williams, the administrative assistant of the IT department of a large firm, had suggested creating a departmental gift fund to which employees would each contribute a set amount each year and that could be used to purchase gifts to mark significant events in the lives of department employees. Though she had managed the fund since its inception, Dave Babcock, the interim manager, had decided to take over its management. Over the course of several months, a number of events occurred requiring the use of the gift fund. In most cases, those events were of the type for which the fund had been created - births, deaths, promotions, and departures. However, Dave had also used the fund to pay for a social event, generating mixed reactions from employees. The fund had been depleted, and Dave had solicited volunteer contributions from employees when more events occurred calling for gifts. Department staff had begun to ask questions about Dave's management of the gift fund. Faced with another event and a depleted fund, Dave had to decide what to do next.
In 2012, Graham's Pharmacy opened to offer more traditional pharmacy services and counselling in contrast to franchise pharmacies. The business was the brainchild of a pharmacist and entrepreneur with a strong commitment to the pharmacist profession. Located in the heart of the historic business sector of Kingston, Ontario, Graham's Pharmacy had taken over a historic building that formerly housed a bank. The pharmacy was intended to improve the quality of life of its clients through prevention and active engagement, rather than merely through the passive and mundane role of a pill dispensary. However, the pharmacy needed to be profitable if the vision was to be fully realized. Although the founder was confident in the capabilities of his team, and that a market existed for a pharmacy that provided personalized service and advice, he wondered how to market the business in light of competition from much larger rivals.