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The Apple's Electric Vehicle case provides an interesting context for discussion in which participants can explore whether a very successful global company with a powerful brand should enter a new emerging product market such as Electric Vehicles (EVs) that may represent an attractive opportunity. Specifically, the questions faced by Apple are 1) whether EVs represent an attractive opportunity, 2) whether Apple has an opportunity to be successful in this industry, and finally 3) how Apple should participate in this industry. The company had to make key strategic decisions regarding the competitive positions of its proposed product offering and the scope of its participation in the industry while recognizing the uncertainties of customer demand, competitor actions, and government regulations.

The case Reviving Edwards Lifesciences provides a vehicle to understand the evolution of Edwards Lifesciences (EL) as a leader in the heart valve replacement industry, with solutions for aortic, mitral, and tricuspid valves. The company has been at the forefront of innovation specifically in the research, design, and manufacturing of multiple generations of valves used in transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). The case describes the various components of strategy and organization that EL successfully integrated to manage the process of continuous innovation, and to create and deliver outstanding value over an extended period to customers, partners, and shareholders, thereby earning the admiration of analysts and management experts.

The Apple in China and India case explores the competitive challenges faced by a global company in two large emerging markets - China and India. Specifically, in these two large emerging markets, Apple's sales of its flagship iPhone are falling significantly short of its market share in many developed country markets, and well below its own professed and announced revenue and volume targets. The company has to make key strategic decisions regarding its product offerings and the competitive positioning of its products, taking into account the offerings of its key global and local competitors and the unique needs of customers in the two emerging markets in terms of desired product features, and their ability and willingness to pay. In making these choices, Apple has to consider how the decisions made with respect to these two markets align with the broader global strategy for iPhone.

The Growing Pains at Commonwealth Dairy case provides an interesting situation to explore the challenges faced by a fast-growth company and the potential ways to address these challenges. Specifically, Commonwealth Dairy (CD) faces challenges that may be categorized along the following dimensions: a) how to continue the rapid pace of growth, b) how to manage the administrative challenges which the two founding managers faced, brought on by growth and the establishment of a second location of operations, c) how to manage the changing roles of the co-founders and the increasing need for more formal management systems and processes, and d) how to manage the changing nature of the co-founders' relationship with their primary investor from Germany. The co-founders face some key decisions regarding the future of CD in terms of its growth trajectory, the CD organization's ability to sustain its entrepreneurial energy and values in light of explosive growth, the relationship between CD and their primary investor Ehrmann, and finally, the co-founders' personal aspirations and roles.

The case may be used in the latter part of a core course on strategy, or in advanced or elective courses on strategy which deal with business models, or in courses on mergers and acquisitions. There is data in the case for students to do some modeling using spreadsheets to experiment with and evaluate alternative strategies and business models, especially in the context of the acquisition of Lee Enterprises. The context is especially challenging given the difficulties faced recently by so many newspapers, suggesting this is a problem for the industry as a whole and not just a problem for a single newspaper company. Through discussion of this case, students may be expected to expand their understanding of industry structure analysis and business model analysis, and also to examine in detail the financial implications of alternative strategies and business models using spreadsheets. This case demonstrates well the implications of specific strategies for the financials of a company.