RiQian Motor was a Chinese company focusing on the development of wheel motors for mining machinery. Its long-term track record with providing high-quality products and service had won the trust and favour of its many clients. In 2016, the mining machinery industry began to focus on the production of electric vehicles. RiQian Motor invested in this new direction, but as of 2018, it was suffering losses in this new area. RiQian Motor was faced with a difficult choice: Should it discontinue its efforts at diversification and go back to the specialized strategy it excelled at? Or should it take a risk and continue the diversification strategy?

RiQian Motor was a Chinese company focusing on the development of wheel motors for mining machinery. Its long-term track record with providing high-quality products and service had won the trust and favour of its many clients. In 2016, the mining machinery industry began to focus on the production of electric vehicles. RiQian Motor invested in this new direction, but as of 2018, it was suffering losses in this new area. RiQian Motor was faced with a difficult choice: Should it discontinue its efforts at diversification and go back to the specialized strategy it excelled at? Or should it take a risk and continue the diversification strategy?

Since its establishment in 1999, Xiamen Golden Home Co., Ltd. (GoldenHome) had adopted a high-end strategic positioning for its professionally produced kitchen cabinets. The company had first established a high-end brand image by differentiating its service and providing consumers with the ultimate full-process shopping experience. It had then consolidated a high-end perception of its products in the minds of its target customers by continuously researching and developing new processes and selecting high-quality materials. When changes in market and competition patterns led it to expand into new home-furnishing categories such as wardrobes and wooden doors, the company worked to transform its brand to encompass the entire range of customized home products. While customers had long recognized the high-end nature of the company’s kitchen cabinets, it had been more difficult to transfer this brand recognition over to the new product lines. Moreover, substantial changes in the competitive landscape had made the company’s original high-end positioning ambiguous. In 2022, the company faced a dilemma about its future development: Should GoldenHome use high-level strategic changes to establish its entire series as high-end products, or should it implement differentiated positioning for different product lines, maintaining the high-end positioning of its kitchen cabinet products while positioning other product lines for mass-market consumers?

Since its establishment in 1999, Xiamen Golden Home Co., Ltd. (GoldenHome) had adopted a high-end strategic positioning for its professionally produced kitchen cabinets. The company had first established a high-end brand image by differentiating its service and providing consumers with the ultimate full-process shopping experience. It had then consolidated a high-end perception of its products in the minds of its target customers by continuously researching and developing new processes and selecting high-quality materials. When changes in market and competition patterns led it to expand into new home-furnishing categories such as wardrobes and wooden doors, the company worked to transform its brand to encompass the entire range of customized home products. While customers had long recognized the high-end nature of the company's kitchen cabinets, it had been more difficult to transfer this brand recognition over to the new product lines. Moreover, substantial changes in the competitive landscape had made the company's original high-end positioning ambiguous. In 2022, the company faced a dilemma about its future development: Should GoldenHome use high-level strategic changes to establish its entire series as high-end products, or should it implement differentiated positioning for different product lines, maintaining the high-end positioning of its kitchen cabinet products while positioning other product lines for mass-market consumers?

Founded in 1996, Dalian Leasun Food Co., Ltd. had become one of the largest canned food manufacturers in northeast China by 2020. In 2016, it began a digital transformation, adopting digital technologies such as data mining and cloud computing. The company also revised its internal operations and adopted an omnichannel sales strategy. Digital transformation enabled Dalian Leasun Food Co., Ltd. to move beyond the traditional retail and distribution market, which was becoming oversaturated. Its successful transition also helped the company maintain a stable sales growth rate during the COVID-19 pandemic. The next stage for its digital transition however, presented a dilemma. One option for the chairman of the company was to develop a customer-oriented platform and create value for customers. The other option was to digitalize the company's supply chain and internal management system. The chairman had to decide which direction to follow.

Heilongjiang Feihe Dairy Co., Ltd. (Feihe) was located in Qiqihar City, a medium-sized city in Heilongjiang Province, northeastern China. Situated in the golden milk source zone at 47 degrees north latitude, the city had been producing powdered milk products and sold them to domestic consumers for 58 years. However, the 2008 melamine incident (MLM) almost wiped out local brands in the domestic infant formula market and left a vacancy for foreign brands to fill. In a further blow to domestic brands, a fierce price war started as Chinese companies all attempted to regain market share. MLM nearly destroyed consumer confidence in domestic brands across-the-board. In 2015, Feihe realized it needed to create a new brand image that resonated with Chinese mothers if it was going to emerge from the mire. In 2015, Feihe redirected its strategy towards building a domestic infant formula brand that most suited the nutritional needs of Chinese babies. By upgrading its technology and production capability and adjusting its promotional tactics, Feihe was able to grow into an industry leader. In 2020, Feihe's chairperson Leng Youbin was thinking of Feihe's future. Feihe's past win reassured him that Feihe should continue its mission of creating more value for customers. However, there were several paths to that goal. He asked himself whether he should customize the production of infant formula to cater to the needs of each individual baby and reach for higher premium, or, should he choose the low-hanging fruit of adding more product lines so that Feihe could leverage its current reputation to realize higher market growth?

Founded in 2000, Dalian Xinhe Leather Clothing Co. Ltd. (Dalian Xinhe) mainly produced men’s and women’s leather clothing; it had become the largest leather garment manufacturer in northeast China. At the beginning of 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dalian Xinhe began to produce medical protective clothing, which brought the company through the business challenges created by the pandemic and earned it wide recognition from the government and society. As the pandemic situation evolved, two opinions emerged within the company with regard to Dalian Xinhe’s further development. Chun He, the chairman of Dalian Xinhe, needed to determine whether the company should continue to expand production of medical protective clothing or whether it should concentrate on returning to original garment manufacturing and developing the company’s own brands.

Founded in 2000, Dalian Xinhe Leather Clothing Co. Ltd. (Dalian Xinhe) mainly produced men's and women's leather clothing; it had become the largest leather garment manufacturer in northeast China. At the beginning of 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dalian Xinhe began to produce medical protective clothing, which brought the company through the business challenges created by the pandemic and earned it wide recognition from the government and society. As the pandemic situation evolved, two opinions emerged within the company with regard to Dalian Xinhe's further development. Chun He, the chairman of Dalian Xinhe, needed to determine whether the company should continue to expand production of medical protective clothing or whether it should concentrate on returning to original garment manufacturing and developing the company's own brands.

Founded in 1996, Dalian Leasun Food Co., Ltd. had become one of the largest canned food manufacturers in northeast China by 2020. In 2016, it began a digital transformation, adopting digital technologies such as data mining and cloud computing. The company also revised its internal operations and adopted an omnichannel sales strategy. Digital transformation enabled Dalian Leasun Food Co., Ltd. to move beyond the traditional retail and distribution market, which was becoming oversaturated. Its successful transition also helped the company maintain a stable sales growth rate during the COVID-19 pandemic. The next stage for its digital transition however, presented a dilemma. One option for the chairman of the company was to develop a customer-oriented platform and create value for customers. The other option was to digitalize the company’s supply chain and internal management system. The chairman had to decide which direction to follow.