The case study follows Microsoft's transformation under CEO Satya Nadella over the last decade. The story of the transformation emphasizes two critical and inseparable themes, namely strategy and leadership. In doing so, it hews closely with the classical view of a turnaround and how Nadella was able to command the attention of the organization as he breathed new life into what had become a complacent company resting on past laurels. It traces a host of changes that were made to articulate and implement a cloud-first strategy with an emphasis on customer centricity and ubiquity of the product suite. The changes called for destroying some of the core advantages the company had relied in the past to deliver predictable revenue growth. It discusses the approaches that Nadella deployed to reengage the talent of the company and rebuild a new culture consistent with his new vision for the company, and the manner in which he infused a growth mindset among the rank and file. It closes with the partnership deal with OpenAI and the changes that have followed at the company. The case also raises questions about the viability of another turnaround, this time a pivot toward generative AI in an intensely competitive landscape.

Lisa Mitchell, Deputy Vice President of Tech Operations at Albright Cancer Centers (ACC), is confronted with significant customer service issues. The current cloud system often malfunctions, causing disruptions for patients and their families. Founded in 1988 by Robert L. Albright after the heart-wrenching loss of his daughter to cancer, ACC has always prioritized compassionate care. By 2023, the center had expanded to over 2,000 staff across various cities. Their unique Guardian Standard combines traditional medical care with therapies aimed at enhancing the overall well-being of patients, emphasizing empowerment throughout their treatment journey. However, the present call system falls short of these standards. Recognizing this gap, Mitchell advocates for the exploration of advanced AI solutions. She launches the "Guardian Level of Call" initiative, aiming to transform the calling experience. With the help of consultant Alex Sanches, they undertake a thorough analysis of the customer journey. ACC's CEO, Dr. Fernanda Rivera, later introduces Air.ai, a state-of-the-art AI system, believing it could replace customer service reps and redefine ACC's customer service approach.

The case focuses on the precision agriculture industry, an emerging combination of technologies and solutions targeted at improving the economics and sustainability of the agricultural industry. Within the context of the industry transformation, the case specifically examines the strategic decisions made by John Deere, the leading agricultural machinery and equipment manufacturer in the world as it charts its course towards digitally transforming the company. The case provides an ideal platform to explore a broad spectrum of topics ranging from ecosystems and platforms, defining and delivering a unique customer value proposition, and leveraging contemporary tools such as artificial intelligence (AI), internet of things (IoT), data analytics, and deep learning to revolutionize the old and tradition-bound agricultural business. John Deere has introduced a set of leading-edge tractors, sprayers, and farm equipment that promise to personalize agriculture at the plant level. The technologies embedded in its tractors along with cloud-based analytical capabilities provide farmers with real-time actionable data and advice. As it launches a new way of farming, the company confronts skeptical customers who think the equipment is too expensive and hard to repair, and the data streams too complex to comprehend and apply to their field-level decisions. There are other issues relating to data privacy and ecosystem management that Deere confronts as it aspires to emphasize its software platform as the way to the future. The reader is asked to assess the way the Leap Ambitions strategy has played out in the marketplace and suggest course corrections as needed to guarantee that Deere can ensure it derives the maximum value from the ecosystem.

As 2023 neared its end, Richard Adkerson, CEO and Chairman of Freeport McMoRan, marked two decades of leadership. Dubbed "the elder statesman of the copper industry" by The Economist, Adkerson had witnessed various industry shifts. He anticipated a surge in copper demand, driven by the transition from fossil fuels to renewables. However, meeting this demand posed challenges, as copper mines take nearly a generation to become operational. With demand outstripping supply, the industry might seek copper alternatives. Recognizing these challenges, Adkerson prioritized operational efficiency and yield across Freeport's global copper operations. Embracing the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Freeport invested heavily in technologies like artificial intelligence and data analytics to maximize copper extraction from existing mines. This strategy, initiated in Baghdad, Arizona, expanded across the U.S. under the America Concentrator program, aiming for efficiency in all American copper mines. However, competitors like BHP, Grupo Mexico, Codelco, and Rio Tinto were also adopting similar technologies. The ubiquity of these technologies raised questions about their potential as a sustainable competitive advantage for Freeport. The company faced the challenge of leveraging its human capital to maintain its edge, especially as its stock performance lagged behind rivals like Southern Copper. The future posed questions about Freeport's continued dominance in the copper industry.

Daniel Jones and Niki Lewis of Bext360 are struggling to persuade a potential corporate client to use their software as a service (SaaS) solution that focuses on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) metrics. In a meeting with a big-box retailer, initial enthusiasm for the platform's capabilities, including measuring Scope 3 emissions, turned to caution when a senior corporate attorney raised concerns about legal liability. The deep transparency offered by the platform could expose the company to risks related to their suppliers' actions, leading the executives to postpone their decision. Jones and Lewis now face a paradox. Their technology offers in-depth ESG oversight, which companies should theoretically want. However, this transparency also introduces risks and responsibilities that potential clients may be hesitant to assume. The challenge lies in persuading clients to see the transformative potential of their ESG practices despite these risks.

The case focuses on the evolution of Einride, a Swedish startup that provides supply chain logistics capacity as a service (CaaS) and software as a service (SaaS) through its Saga platform. Initially, it may seem that Einride is a manufacturer of unique cabless autonomous electric trucks. In fact, the company doesn't manufacture anything. It is a tech company that designs the different elements of a trucking freight and logistics ecosystem that includes autonomous electric trucks, trailers, charging stations, remote operator pods and a software platform that consists of multiple apps needed to manage and optimize a fleet of electric trucks.

Simon Roca, founder of Neovida, a social enterprise startup, was contemplating next steps in striving to fulfill the company's aspirational mission and vision. Neovida created cascara-based superfood products by upcycling what had traditionally been the wasted husks of coffee cherries. This upcycling reduced methane emissions and had the potential to provide an additional revenue stream for small-scale coffee farmers in developing countries. He imagined a future in which the Internet of Things (IOT), machine vision, and artificial intelligence (AI) would create transparency in his cascara supply chain and offer fair and rapid payment to small-scale farmers. Simon was beginning to realize that some compromises had to be made before Neovida could become the type of social enterprise that he envisioned. His two founding partners resigned, and Simon was working with attorneys to dissolve his original and start a new LLC under the name Neovida. One of his former cofounders let a batch of biodynamically grown organic cascara spoil at a farm in Chiapas, Mexico, so Simon had to resort to different suppliers that further distanced him from fulfilling the startup's social and environmental goals. With a loan of $22,000 to keep the company afloat for six months, what should Simon do next?

The case focuses on key decisions facing a startup venture BuyHive, that is on the cusp of disintermediating the sourcing business with a new business model. There are a few core issues such as (1) identifying the pros and cons of raising capital from strategic investors who can open doors to large pools of small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) that can be attracted to the platform versus financial investors who typically only bring in the capital, (2) how to monetize the data that the company can access from the platform users, and (3) how to address some of the issues that are central to platforms such as platform disintermediation, network switching, bridging, and multi-homing. The founders have to specifically consider ways in which they can increase scale and stickiness with respect to the platform users as well as its sourcing specialists. The platform was an outcome of radically rethinking the way value was being delivered to buyers seeking to identify manufacturers who could supply to the specifications that the buyers had developed. The giant global sourcing companies and platforms such as Alibaba, Made-in-China, Global Sources among others had typically focused on creating value for the suppliers (manufacturers and their representatives or intermediaries). BuyHive seeks to turn the attention on buyers as their core focus and create a buyer-centric platform. The company has to make decisions on identifying the right type of investors, engineering the platform to create greater buyer value, improve stickiness of the platform, and adopt AI-based algorithms in bringing sourcing experts on board.

Toyota's supply chain, long admired as an industry benchmark for efficiency and effectiveness, was unable to supply critical parts to replenish inventory in its plants pursuant to the global chip shortages that resulted from the general disruption created by the Covid-19 pandemic. During the first quarter of 2021, the delta variant of the virus was spreading across the globe. Southeast Asia, where Toyota sourced many auto components, was particularly hard hit. As demand for automobiles was surging during the second half of 2021, a critical shortage of microchips forced Toyota and other automakers to shut down some of their assembly lines. Set against this backdrop, the case focuses on options that firms might pursue in preparing for black swan events such as Covid-19.

IBM launched Rapid Supplier Connect, a blockchain-based solution to help battle medical supplies supply chain shortages due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the April 31 launch, the company also announced that this solution would be offered at no cost, until August 31, 2020, to qualified buyers and suppliers in the United States and Canada. The solution provided healthcare procurement professionals with secure lists of vetted suppliers. Each supplier's available capacity, quality and regulatory compliance data were stored in the blockchain. An integrated supply chain solution provided details on order fulfillment status.

At the end of November 2020, Demetrio Santander and Juan David Gómez were finalizing the details for a pitch scheduled to take place in a few days. After three years of effort and dedication, the entrepreneurs had positioned Waykana as a fast-growing Ecuadorian company with a national and international presence. The company was selling bulk guayusa leaves (a tree located in the Ecuador rainforest) and branded products in more than 10 countries. To accelerate the firm's growth and social and environmental impact mission, the entrepreneurs believed that the time had come to secure additional growth capital and formalize the firm's expansion strategy. Waykana's business model had three sources of income. First, brand product sales in Ecuador-tea boxes and energy drinks-through the country's largest retailer. Second, brand product sales in the United States- tea boxes and loose-leaf-through Amazon and Shopify. And third, bulk guayusa sold to big international traders and extractors. Facing increased competition while deeply committed to Waykana's social mission, the entrepreneurs knew they had to prioritize their growth efforts. But which income stream should be given more attention-without overly weakening the others? Given Waykana's mission-driven interests, which one would generate a better social and environmental impact? Did they need to choose just one or could they secure enough funding to reinforce the three businesses simultaneously? Answering these questions would not only help the entrepreneurs to fine-tune their funding pitch, but also provide insight into the company´s next strategic moves.

Many of the changes seemed to occur at the confluence of three major trends that characterized the industry; namely, (1) the advent of extremely cheap computing power and ubiquitous connectivity; (2) the increasing impact of customer centricity, and (3) the rising influence of wide-ranging new technology tools such as predictive data analytics, artificial intelligence, and neural networks that promised to reduce operating costs while at the same time making a quantum leap in product design and customization. Loosely referred to as the 4thIR (4th Industrial Revolution), these technologies were a small subset of fundamental shifts that were reshaping the industrial world. The financial services industry in the United States was dominated by a handful of very large players who dominated both the active management as well as the passive fund management sides of the business. Most of the industry revenues originated from the fee income for investment advisory services and active fund management services that the companies provided through its legions of financial advisors and branch networks that spread across the country. Black Rock, Vanguard, State Street, JP Morgan, and Fidelity managed approximately $23 trillion. However, life at the top was far from secure. The advent of distributed payment systems, new investment opportunities and approaches such as blockchain-powered Bitcoin and Ethereum, along with the rise of chat bots and digitally enabled user-friendly advisory interfaces, threatened to upset the balance in this once staid industry. The case discusses attempts by Fidelity Investments to navigate the changing landscape through the establishment of Fidelity Labs, an in-house innovation engine that was chartered to experiment, validate, and develop new technological solutions that would allow Fidelity to retain its edge in the changing world of financial services.

This case study focuses on enterprise considerations when entering into new sales modalities. Retail shopping models had long been considered binary - either e-commerce or brick and mortar. In practice the retail industry involved a long spectrum with pure e-commerce on one end and pure brick and mortar on the other end. In between, many different models were emerging like ordering online and picking up in-store (Walmart's Grocery Pickup), shopping in-store and ordering online (Warby Parker and Bonobos made their name in this space - largely facilitating the showroom behavior of consumers), digitally-enhanced physical shopping (several companies hold patents in this space with virtual reality promising to push this model), and many others. By 2019 Amazon, was the world's most valuable online retailer at around $1 trillion (USD). So, when the company announced the purchase of Whole Foods and further committed to the expansion of Amazon Go store locations many questioned the strategic value. Why would a company so clearly successful in the digital realm seek to enter the more traditional brick and mortar space?

At the end of 2018, international markets were no longer paying a premium for Ecuadorian roses. Despite globally recognized product quality, mainly attributed to a longer vase life, Ecuadorian rose growers found it extremely difficult to achieve attractive levels of profitability. A multi-year analysis of US-based data showed just how pronounced this trend was (see Exhibit 1). Being one of Ecuador's chief exportable products, and generating more than 100,000 jobs, the industry needed a change. How could this small Latin American country reimagine how it competes in this global market?

Coda Coffee's commitment to ethical coffee came at a high cost. The company paid three times the commodity exchange rate for raw coffee beans, or cherries. By late 2018, their supply chains reached from Denver all across the world. Could AI, machine vision, blockchain, IoT help Coda Coffee, and in turn, their customers, receive assurance that this premium pricing translated into fairer wages for farmers? It is this assurance that Coda continually strived for through the relationships they built and the methods of sourcing they pursued. This case describes a partnership between relatively new Coda Coffee and Bext360, a technology startup, to leverage Industry 4.0 technologies to ensure greater transparency in Coda Coffee's supply chain. Specifically, the case addresses the motivation behind conducting a pilot study in Uganda. The case can be used to stimulate discussion about the strengths and limitations of Fair Trade certification and how companies can go beyond Fair Trade with their own certification programs supplemented by increased supply chain transparency. The case can also be used to generate discussion about how Industry 4.0 technologies can serve both business and the greater good.

The push beyond traditional semiconductors signaled that Intel was positioning for new growth. The firm even sponsored an Industry 4.0 (term to highlight trends in automation and data exchange - largely centered on cyber-physical systems, IoT, cloud computer, cognitive computing, and AI - and their related productivity gains) informational series to shape the agenda around next generation technologies - and their implications. Company executives reasoned that the emerging future would be more interconnected and data-driven than ever - requiring a proactive digital convergence strategy. Robust AI capabilities (and related machine learning) were central to this design. But acquiring and developing leading-edge technology is different from winning wide-scale adoption. How could Intel develop compelling use-cases for still emerging technologies? If successful, what could be next for Intel in Industry 4.0?

This case study focuses on the creation of SingularityNET, a blockchain-based marketplace for AI. SingularityNET was conceived by Ben Goertzel, Simone' Giacomelli and David Hanson in a series of brainstorming sessions at Hanson Robotics in Hong Kong in 2017. A key goal for creating this democratized marketplace platform was to accelerate the development of artificial general intelligence, or AGI. Companies that could not afford customizing their own AI could access AI Agents that would subcontract to and collaborate with other AI agents to create customized solutions to meet specific needs. The distributed blockchain-based network allowed for stitching together clusters of narrow AIs that could mimic sections of a brain. Collectively, these clusters could eventually function like a global brain.

Facing increased customer service scrutiny in the airline industry, JetBlue, in August 2017, announced a partnership with Gladly, a relatively new entrant in the customer service software market. JetBlue was going beyond simply using Gladly's software. The company decided to invest in Gladly through its venture capital arm, JetBlue Technology Ventures. Frankie Littleford, JetBlue's Vice President of Customer Support, stated, ""We are fortunate enough to be working so closely with Gladly that we are co-creating this [platform]together." Bonny Simi, president of JetBlue Technology Ventures group, was enthusiastic about a potential "onmichannel" approach to communicating with customers. "People just don't want to call in anymore. So we are aiming for omnichannel communication that is on at all hours, that can take advantage of AI (artificial intelligence) to resolve customers' issues as quickly as possible, and that will work with all of the important messenger apps." Picking the right customer-service platform and then rolling it out without disrupting current operations were no small tasks for any airline, but JetBlue was committed to make it simpler for its customers to communicate with the company.

James McAllister was responsible for the construction of new production facilities for a rapidly growing global medical equipment manufacturer. A recent safety audit, triggered by an anonymous reporting system, revealed that a supervisor had discouraged reporting several significant "near-miss" events that could have led to serious injury or fatality. The same individual indicated several deviations from company safety policies and standards. The company's COO, Sarah Gupta, asked McAllister to extract lessons learned from BP's Macondo oil spill and NASA's Challenger disaster. Each of these incidents is summarized in the case.

Westinghouse Electric Company (WEC) filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy on March 29, 2017. The bankruptcy arose from billions of dollars of cost overruns on four nuclear power plants (NPPs) it was designing and building for two utilities in the United States. The cost overruns were a direct result of a completely new NPP design, the AP1000, and its innovative modular construction. Although WEC's core engineering intellectual content would live on (that was in part the objective of the chapter 11 process), many questioned whether WEC's failure didn't signal the end of nuclear energy for electrical power generation.