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Spreadsheet for product 9B18M134.

Spreadsheet for product 9B18M135.

Spreadsheet for product 9B18M136.

In June 2018, the co-founder of a work-integration social enterprise in Calgary, Alberta, called CMNGD (Commongood) Linens, took stock of the impact her venture had on helping homeless people get back on their feet and into meaningful employment. Her ambition was to expand into other Canadian cities, but she was worried that scaling CMNGD might place so much strain on the venture that its viability could be thrown into question and its core mission put at risk. She knew that a lot was at stake, not only financially, but also for the vulnerable people she was trying to help. She and her husband had to carefully weigh the options and decide on the best way forward.

In 2012, the Institute on Aging, a US non-profit organization that served seniors in San Francisco, appointed a new chief executive officer (CEO). His mission was to salvage the organization, which was close to bankruptcy. His strategy was to consolidate services and pursue geographic expansion. Through these efforts, net income rose steadily and gross revenue increased from US$28.7 million in 2012 to US$45.2 million in 2017. However, not every outcome was positive. Morale among the line staff had suffered, and the senior leadership raised questions about the long-term business model that the organization should adopt. What more could the CEO do to help the Institute on Aging, an organization that straddled the public and private sectors?

In January 2017, Ontario, Canada launched its cap-and-trade program in an effort to curb greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Ontario took a progressive position on combatting climate change that included shutting down coal-burning power plants, investing heavily in renewable power, and setting aggressive emissions-reduction targets across all sectors. Its targets included reducing emissions levels of 1990 by 15 per cent in 2020, 37 per cent in 2030, and 80 per cent in 2050. Its efforts allowed the province to meet its 2014 target of 6 per cent below 1990 levels. These targets complemented Ontario’s commitment to the United Nation’s 2015 Paris Agreement. Firms that annually emitted more than 10,000 tonnes but fewer than 25,000 had the option of entering the market on a voluntary basis. The expected downstream impact to the average Ontario household would be an increase of about CA$150 per year in home-heating and car-fuel costs. However, cost increases would be felt less directly through the rest of the economy. Four particular companies in Ontario had some decisions to make regarding how the province’s cap-and-trade program would affect their operations.

Supplement for product 9B18M132.

Supplement for product 9B18M132.

Supplement for product 9B18M132.

Supplement for product 9B18M132.

In analyzing the many stereotypes surrounding Arab Middle Eastern women's employment issues, this article focuses on women's labor participation and their career development in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. We first unpack the stereotypes by demonstrating the progress of women's labor participation in the region. We then uncover the critical challenges of a high female unemployment rate during GCC countries' economic transformation in the non-oil sectors. We discuss the factors contributing to low women's labor participation and the difficulty of career advancement for women, including (1) norms and traditions; (2) job opportunities and workplace discrimination; and (3) role models, mentors, and networking. Finally, we provide recommendations on how to improve women's labor participation by involving the public and private sectors, deploying technology, and engaging in multilevel mindset change.

CEOs face constant scrutiny over their compensation packages. This scrutiny has only intensified amid discussions of CEO-to-employee pay ratios and income inequality nationwide. CEO retirement packages are criticized as camouflage compensation used to award excessive compensation to CEOs and were, prior to 2006, less transparent than they are now. Thanks to the transparent disclosures now required by the SEC, we have a better understanding of the types and amounts of compensation owed to CEOs after they depart or retire, termed inside debt. I investigate whether all CEO inside debt components share similar incentive effects and offers some thoughts on how companies might structure these packages to be most effective. I discuss the structure and incentive effects of the two primary components of inside debt: deferred compensation and supplemental executive retirement plans (SERPs). I explain why inside debt, particularly CEO SERPs, may actually help companies manage firm risk. Finally, I outline the best ways to structure inside debt so that it functions as a resource to manage firm risk and foster a long-term perspective rather than mirroring the incentive effect of equity, increasing risk, and encouraging a myopic focus.

Underconfidence among women can reduce their career aspirations and thwart advancement in whatever career they choose. For managers seeking to retain and promote capable women, we recommend addressing the gender gap in confidence to increase the effectiveness of women in the current workforce as employees and leaders and thereby attract the best new hires among women seeking opportunity. Based on a wide range of research and the broad experience of the authors, we discuss useful approaches-include helping women learn how to be more self-confident through classes and webinars-but also discouraging practices such as equating low confidence with low competence. The entire organization can benefit when its practices recognize the need for and payoff from reducing the confidence gap between women and men.

This case describes how Robert Fadel, CEO and chairman of ABC, one of Lebanon's leading retail and real estate groups, professionalized the family business. Robert was the second son of the company's founder, Maurice Fadel, who had run it single-handedly. Concerned that the business might be affected by rivalry between his four sons after he died, Maurice set up a trust in 2002 that designated Robert as his successor, and in May of 2009, Maurice revised the trust, granting Robert full control of the board as well. In June 2009, Maurice Fadel passed away, and according to the provisions of the trust, Robert became the chairman and CEO of ABC for a period of five years, with the possibility of extending his term by an additional three years, on condition that he had the support of at least one of his brothers. In his new role, Robert set two main goals for the company. First, he wanted to turn ABC into a professionally managed organization at all levels. Second, he wanted to invest in long-term projects that would expand the business. Actualizing his vision was not an easy task given the family conflicts and Lebanon's economic and political environment. However, Robert achieved both of his goals by the end of his eighth year, in 2017, when he stepped down as ABC's CEO. The dilemmas at that point were whether he should appoint someone from outside the Fadel family as ABC's new CEO, and whether he should step down from the board chairmanship.

This case describes how Robert Fadel, as CEO and chairman of ABC, one of Lebanon's leading retail and real estate groups, professionalized the family business amid ongoing disputes with his siblings. Robert was the second son of Maurice Fadel, who had founded the business years before and who ran it single-handedly. Growing up with three brothers, Robert and his siblings were tested by their father before they were allowed to take on managerial positions at ABC, which created competition and tension between them. Their relationship was often contentious. To prevent the business from being affected by the rivalry between his sons after his death, Maurice set up a trust in 2002 that designated Robert as his successor. A month before he died, in 2009, Maurice revised the trust, granting Robert full control of the board as well. In June 2009, Maurice passed away, and according to the provisions of the trust, Robert became the chairman and CEO of ABC for a period of five years, with the possibility of extending his term by an additional three years-on condition that he had the support of one of his brothers. In his new role, Robert had two main goals. First, he wanted to turn ABC into a professionally managed organization at all levels. Second, he wanted to invest in long-term projects that would expand the business. Actualizing his vision was not an easy task. Robert had to deal with his brothers' opposition, who focused on collecting dividends rather than making investments to grow the business. In spite of everything, Robert achieved both his goals by the end of his eighth year, in 2017, when he stepped down as ABC's CEO. Should he appoint someone from outside the Fadel family as ABC's new CEO? Should Robert Fadel step down from the chairmanship as well?

The MSK Group Oy was a third-generation family-owned business located in Ylihärmä, Finland. One of its subsidiaries, Junkkari Oy (Junkkari), manufactured agricultural and forestry equipment, including a range of mid-sized disk wood chippers used in small-scale farming and forestry applications; most of these were exported to markets in Europe and South Africa. Junkkari was not the only Finnish firm manufacturing wood chippers, and there was little to differentiate Junkkari’s machines from those of its competitors. Like many small firms that exported to foreign markets, Junkkari used partner distributors to sell its equipment internationally. In early 2017, Junkkari’s export manager was reviewing the wood-chipper orders. He knew the firm could double its annual production, but without firm orders, growth was stalled. He wondered how to grow the company’s business with a very limited budget.

In 2017, the president of Fujitsu Asia Pte. Ltd. in Singapore, a subsidiary of Japanese conglomerate Fujitsu Limited (Fujitsu) needed to decide between two project options that represented growth in different industries in Asia. Both projects represented Fujitsu's vision of connected services and could potentially be much-needed engines of new growth for Fujitsu Singapore over the next 5 to 10 years. The first option was to offer its Japanese-engineered cloud-computing platform to engage small and medium enterprises in the manufacturing industry. Given the high costs of customizing the existing platform for local use, the president wondered whether small and medium manufacturers would generate sufficient demand to justify such a costly investment. The second option was to leverage the success of Fujitsu’s intelligent agricultural cloud-computing project with the Japanese government to offer vertical farming to Singapore and other Asian cities that faced similar space constraints but valued food resilience. But was it the right time to enter the agricultural industry? The president had limited time and resources, and needed to make a decision very soon.

On July 4, 2016, the president of Pathfinder Career System Inc. (PCS), based in Montreal, Canada, was preparing to meet with his company’s advisory board to present a comprehensive plan mapping out the growth and financing strategy for the business, which he acquired in 2011. PCS was a career assessment system that used 85 behavioural attributes and 35 career themes to predict potential job performance. The company had sales of approximately $1.4 million at the end of 2015, and the president aimed to attain revenue of $22 million by the end of 2021; however, the company faced several challenges. PCS had limited organizational structures and resources. The company needed to raise investment capital; develop a marketing plan; instill a sales culture; define its customers; and establish a brand name, vision, and mission. PCS's president needed to finalize a plan to overcome these challenges by the launch date of September 2016.

Phenicoptere Ltd. (Phenicoptere), founded in 2012 by two female entrepreneurs, was a Polish start-up offering a makeup-removal glove called GLOV. Phenicoptere went global at the very early stage of its development. By 2017, the company was present in 44 countries and derived nearly 90 per cent of its revenues from foreign markets. The chief executive officer and vice-president of Phenicoptere must now decide whether and how the company should incorporate e-commerce into its internationalization strategy.