Amidst the complex landscape of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in mainland China, CrossBorder Environment Concern Association (CECA) has emerged as an independent grassroots environmental NGO focused on conserving coastal biodiversity. With the vision to become a leading think tank, CECA provides well-founded research findings to authorities through early intervention, ensuring environmental compliance in government-proposed development projects. In its advocacy efforts, CECA emphasizes community engagement and relies on its well-trained volunteers to carry out complex procedures. The NGO sets itself apart by upholding independence, transparency, and refusing government funding or any illicit "guanxi" connection. This raises questions about how CECA secures its funding and diversifies its revenue streams. Furthermore, the partners contemplate how CECA can more effectively demonstrate its environmental and community impact to stakeholders, thereby further enhancing both financial and societal support. Readers are invited to analyze the competitiveness of CECA in the industry, identity success factors, as well as potential challenges. They are also encouraged to propose alternative strategies for CECA to consider, taking into consideration of the missions of the NGO.

At 25 years old, Terence Hon found himself spending most of his time thinking about how to retain the young staff in his company. As a second-year student at the University of Hong Kong, Terence had cofounded GreenPrice, Hong Kong's first sustainable supermarket, with teammates Allison Chan, Ben So, and Cherissa Hung. The venture had found its target customer base among middle-class consumers who were attracted to the concept of purchasing short-dated products at heavily discounted prices. Each GreenPrice store had 1,000 to 1,200 stock-keeping units (SKUs) at any given time, and the supermarket chain saved over 2.55 million items that were set to expire annually. While the eight stores in GreenPrice's retail network were profitable, the high turnover rate among the nearly 100 employees at GreenPrice was keeping Terence awake at night. Terence and his cofounders pondered whether they should have emphasized GreenPrice's social mission more in the recruitment and retainment of its staff, since the commitment to sustainability could be a means to attract young people. They needed to determine whether GreenPrice should favor those who were most capable but were not interested in sustainability or those who were less capable but cared deeply about the environment.

At the height of the COVID-19 crisis, Terence Hon, cofounder of Hong Kong's first sustainable supermarket, GreenPrice, had the option of selling pandemic necessities that were in high demand in addition to his core business of selling short-dated products. Having founded the venture several years ago with teammates Allison Chan, Ben So, and Cherissa Hung when they were still university students, Terence and his cofounders pondered whether they should accept an offer that was tempting for its high margins, even as they needed to determine whether it contributed to their business objectives and their social mission as the first supermarket chain in Hong Kong that sold short-dated products that otherwise ended up in landfills. In addition, while GreenPrice had faced the challenge of high rents in the expensive, real estate-driven city, the ongoing health crisis caused vacancies in shopping malls to go up, resulting in a significant decrease in shop rental fees. Terence and his cofounders needed to make strategic choices on whether to enter the market for pandemic products while determining the optimal locations for expanding their retail network and the customer segments that they should target.

WeChat Pay is one of the leading mobile payment platforms in China. The SME sector is one of the target customer groups WeChat wants to help with its ESG (environmental, social, and governance) efforts to facilitate financial inclusion. SMEs are characterized by diverse needs but limited financial, technological, and human resources. WeChat Pay wants to leverage its technological strengths to provide the products that can address the pain points of SMEs. This case illustrates the challenges that WeChat has faced during its efforts to develop technologies that can meet the various needs of SMEs. The case gives students an opportunity to discuss such topics as why companies like WeChat need to include ESG strategies, and how leading companies can develop IT solutions that are useful for SME users. After studying this case, students will be able to suggest how to make sustainable ESG efforts, instead of as window dressing, and how to develop technologies that the potential users will accept and use.