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Long before Spotify had become a household name, and when Netflix was still mailing off DVDs to customers' homes, Tien Tzuo had foreseen a major transformation in the business world: from one-off sales to subscription business models. He realized that no one was making billing software to serve the complex needs of such companies, so he founded Zuora in 2007 to automate billing, commerce, and finance operations for companies built on a recurring revenue model. Initially, Zuora catered mostly to start-ups, but the world rapidly evolved. By 2017 its customers included companies such as Box, the Financial Times, Ford, GM, GE, Caterpillar, and Zendesk. In 2016, Zuora had crossed a major threshold: $100 million in annual recurring revenue. In 2017, Tzuo could see that Zuora was positioned to hit $300 million, and before then, he believed he would take Zuora public. The company was growing rapidly, and Tzuo had begun that he needed to approach this next phase of scaling more deliberately than he had with Zuora's early growth. "A company that is going from $100 million to $300 million has to be different than a company going from $30 million to $100 million," said Tzuo. "That $30 million to $100 million was a sprint; making the transition from $30 million, we were not so thoughtful. I wanted to be more thoughtful this time." In 2014, Tzuo had identified four major areas in which the company needed to transform: sales, finance, products, and people. Tzuo knew the transformation plan meant he would have to make a wave of leadership changes, managing hirings and terminations. And he would have to change his own leadership style to match the company's increasing size. Meanwhile, he had to think strategically about how Zuora could fend off challenges both from software behemoths like Salesforce.com and Oracle, and nimble upstarts. To successfully IPO, and satisfy investors over the long term, Tzuo knew that Zuora had to deliver consistency and predictability.

In April 2017, a third year student at Western University was contemplating launching a new business, Backyard Pub. The company would rent inflatable pubs and party supplies to individuals planning outdoor summer gatherings across Southwestern Ontario. This start-up enthusiast needed to evaluate his product offering and marketing strategy in addition to projecting the new venture’s financial performance for the first three years of operations. Was there a market for this product? What target demographic would buy into this product? Where was the best place to market Backyard Pub?

This is not your typical family business case and that is what makes it such a rich teaching tool and learning experience. The Paul Newman story covers several family business topics and issues including Fair Process, philanthropy, social ventures, estate and succession planning, governance, next generation roles, entrepreneurship, family communication and relationships, and non-family executives. The sense of fairness is achieved with effective family communication and governance that builds trust to support long-term family commitment. The Newman case demonstrates the difficulty of making ownership, governance and leadership decisions that are effective and perceived as fair by the next generation.

In September 2016, Fast Retailing Co. Ltd. entered the Canadian retail industry by opening its first Canadian Uniqlo store in Toronto. The retail industry in Canada had notably rejected foreign brands such as Target and Aéropostale, while other Canadian retailers, such as Reitmans Ltd. and Le Château were struggling to keep up with the competitive landscape. Uniqlo, a Japanese fashion retailer, had struggled in the U.S. market due to a lack of brand awareness and an aggressive expansion strategy. Hoping to become a dominant fashion brand in Canada, Uniqlo conducted extensive research prior to entering the Canadian market. How could Uniqlo increase its brand awareness and thrive in the Canadian fashion market?

Teva Pharmaceuticals, the largest company domiciled in Israel, is a multinational pharmaceutical company that develops, manufactures, and distributes both patented and generic versions of ethical pharmaceuticals. In 2017, the company was in dire need of a turnaround plan based on a variety of factors: $17 billion in debt maturing in 2021; declining cash flows from its largest selling drug, Copaxone; intensified competitive challenges in its core generics business; and an inefficient organizational structure. In this case students are presented with detailed data on Teva's financial circumstances as well as an overview of the challenges facing the global pharmaceutical industry in order to determine whether the company can avoid the need for Chapter 15 protection.

The chief operating officer at Cambridge Cooling Systems (CCS), based in Cambridge, Ontario, was helping his senior team prepare for two conference calls, with Italy and India, where CCS had foreign subsidiaries. At first glance, the chief issue with Italy seemed to be a lack of response from the managing director for Europe to detailed questions posed by project management for CCS. The issue with India seemed to be an inability to issue and stick to sales goals, and the Cambridge project manager wanted to speak about this with the managing director for Asia as soon as possible. However, further analysis revealed issues with how the headquarters in Cambridge had been managing its subsidiaries. Communications had broken down, and a conference call or two would not resolve the problem.

Despite fast advancements in technology and production capacity, China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) faced a variety of challenges and risks on its path to build profitability in the global high-speed rail (HSR) market. Some of these challenges arose from competition between CRCC and nations with competing HSR technology and international expansion plans. Other challenges were related to the country of origin and its effects on perceptions about the product and brand positioning. In 2018, CRCC was facing intensive competition and complicated international environments, and it needed to develop an effective risk prevention and management scheme in order to compete and succeed through global expansion.

Handu Group was an online fast fashion apparel brand established in 2006 with headquarters in Jinan, China. The company had successfully adjusted its business models since 2006, transitioning from an unknown seller on the shopping website Taobao into a leading enterprise that owned over 20 subsidiary brands. However, in 2015, fierce competition in the fast fashion apparel market had intensified, with an increasing number of traditional garment companies establishing online channels. Online brands without physical stores, such as Handu Group, lost their primary competitive advantage. Faced with a bottleneck in development, the founder of Handu Group had to consider another innovation in the corporate business model. Zhao was considering three options: continuing multi-brand expansion, building brick-and-mortar shops to open offline channels, or opening operating platforms to serve other brands.

In 2017, the French automaker Groupe PSA (PSA) agreed to buy loss-making Opel/Vauxhall units from General Motors Company. PSA had just recovered one year earlier from losses it had sustained since the global financial crisis. With the recovery, PSA had launched a new strategic plan with aggressive goals for sustainable profitable growth. However, PSA’s sales were continuing to drop in the important Chinese market due to fierce competition, and the newly acquired units were still making losses. The use of electric cars was on the rise, and the European Commission had proposed a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. PSA was planning to re-enter the United States, and in Britain, it was facing ambiguous Brexit negotiations, raising concerns about increased costs with importing and exporting parts and finished vehicles. In light of all of these challenges, how could PSA still reach its aggressive goals for sustainable growth?

In October 2017, the co-founder of Australian social enterprise Illumination Solar was rethinking his company’s Give Power campaign. After five marginally profitable years designing and supplying portable solar lanterns to some of the world’s most energy impoverished communities, including refugee camps, the co-founder had decided to market his products to Australian customers for outdoor uses such as camping and hiking. Under the Give Power campaign, Illumination Solar donated one solar lantern to a community in need for every solar product purchased by Australian customers. However, this strategy was not successful. The co-founder’s main goal for his company was to sustainably provide good quality solar lanterns to impoverished people in developing countries. To reach that goal, he wondered which strategy to follow; should he return to the original business model, re-structure the Give Power campaign, or come up with something entirely new to generate higher profits?

In 2013, a high-school graduate began work as a construction labourer. His upbringing included experience driving and fixing various machines, which, combined with his hard work, led to a job operating a small loader. After working with three different construction companies on big equipment, he was considering whether or not to buy his own backhoe and start his own excavation business. He had investigated the cost of buying a backhoe, operating costs, financing, and the potential demand. In late 2014, he needed to decide whether or not to proceed with his own business.

By 2019, leaders from the public and private sector had become increasingly anxious about how advanced technologies and aging global populations could affect labor markets, workplaces, and workers' lives. Some analysts forecasted that hundreds of millions of workers would have their jobs threatened by automation. Questions about how relevant stakeholders (e.g., workers, firms, NGOs) should respond to those threats created a new field of study called the "Future of Work." Comparing current forecasts to historical episodes of workers getting automated, many commentators wondered "will this time be different?" Despite so much uncertainty on the topic, many leaders concluded that they would need to collaborate across sectors to address many different challenges, such as rapid technological changes and evolving labor markets.

This case tells the story of Alain St-Pierre, fire captain and the most decorated firefighter in Montréal's history, from childhood through retirement. It describes the key points of Alain's career, his heroic feats as firefighter, his influence as lieutenant and captain, and his failures. Alain's management "philosophy" and personality traits are also discussed.

This case tells the story of Alain St-Pierre, fire captain and the most decorated firefighter in Montréal's history, from childhood through retirement. It describes the key points of Alain's career, his heroic feats as firefighter, his influence as lieutenant and captain, and his failures. Alain's management "philosophy" and personality traits are also discussed.

This case tells the story of Alain St-Pierre, fire captain and the most decorated firefighter in Montréal's history, from childhood through retirement. It describes the key points of Alain's career, his heroic feats as firefighter, his influence as lieutenant and captain, and his failures. Alain's management "philosophy" and personality traits are also discussed.

This case is based on the professionalization and governance challenges faced by Touchdown Footwear Limited (TFL), a mid-sized Indian footwear manufacturing family business. TFL was set up in 1965 in the southern Indian city of Mangalore by three brothers, Ramnath, Krishna and Ganesh Pai who had inherited their father's rubber trading business. Initially, TFL made flip-flops and catered to the local market. Over the years, it had expanded the product portfolio to include school shoes and other non-leather footwear. By 2016 TFL had a pan-India presence with some exports to African markets. In the early years, the three brothers managed all the functions of the business. When the next generation came of age and joined the firm in the 1970s and '80s, they took up various roles based largely on business exigencies. By 2016, TFL had a turnover of INR 16.19 billion but lacked professional management and a clear strategy. In the absence of an appropriate structure, systems and processes, decision-making was ad hoc. Inefficiencies and wastage were evident across the organization, and working capital was under severe strain. The firm suffered from a deficit of governance at both the family and business systems. The lack of clear policies and processes delayed many crucial decisions. Earlier attempts to professionalize the business had failed to achieve the desired results as family members lacked clear policies to follow and were unable to change their mindset. Furthermore, when the fourth generation began to enter the business, there were questions about their level of commitment and discipline. TFL required transitional change on multiple fronts to sustain the business but there was lack of clarity on the roadmap for the future.

The Diet Center (DC) was Lebanon's first nutritional company to offer food consultancy services and meal catering to the public. The company faced numerous challenges competing in an unstable local market. Despite her company's growth in sales and product development, DC's general manager was extremely frustrated with the operating results and the bottom line. In November 2014, she decided to consider migrating to an enterprise resource planning system that would integrate all of DC's operations and deliver real-time relevant financial and operational data. The sales manager of System, Applications, and Products in Data Processing (SAP) for the Middle East and North Africa region suggested that DC should migrate to the gold standard SAP business management software to reap many benefits. Should DC implement the new SAP system? Would the benefits exceed the costs? What challenges would DC face if it chooses to adopt a SAP system?

It was 2014, and the chief executive officer (CEO) of Knightsbridge Custom Homes Limited (Knightsbridge) had just purchased a site for his next project in the rapidly gentrifying East Village neighbourhood of Calgary, Alberta. He had built Knightsbridge on a commitment to three core values: finding great locations, catering to underserved markets, and providing niche products. Since it's founding in 1990, these values had remained the same, but the type of projects undertaken by Knightsbridge had changed dramatically. The company started by building infill homes in inner-city Calgary and estate homes on the city's outskirts. Then it built multi-family homes in the suburbs and tackled a transit-oriented development in an established area. Now, the CEO was considering developing a no parking, high-rise condominium tower close to the downtown core. High-rise living without parking would be an entirely new concept in car-centric Calgary. Was developing a residential site without parking a viable plan in this growing city? Knightsbridge's CEO needed to find an effective way to answer this question.

The chief executive officer of Scotbar Proprietary Limited (Scotbar) in Queensland, Australia, decided to develop a process to convert sandstone to sand, a technique that large multinational mining companies failed to perfect. The stakes could not have been higher, with global environmental disaster looming and the world quickly depleting its reserves of construction sand, severely affecting coastal communities and destroying marine ecosystems in the process. After spending years and millions of dollars on research, Scotbar appeared to have developed a process to produce construction sand, although more expensive than natural sand. Scotbar decided not to patent its process in hopes that more companies would adopt it and thereby reduce the harmful impact of mining on the environment. Was Scotbar’s approach to sustainability through innovation an effective response to the environmental legacy of more traditional mining processes? Was the company’s approach to intellectual property appropriate in this context?

Case analysis is an effective tool for teaching, learning, and most importantly, practising the art and science of management. The case method immerses students in real-life situations, allowing them to develop their business skills by analyzing realistic situations, applying business theories and tools, and making substantiated recommendations for a course of action. However, working with cases is a pedagogical approach that is unfamiliar to most new business students and often inadequately understood by advanced students.<br><br>The Case Guide Series introduces students to the case method and, in discrete notes, walks them through the tasks that are typically involved in case assignments: analyzing a case, discussing cases in class, writing case reports and giving presentations (individually and in groups), and writing case exams. A final note introduces students to the most common business tools used for case analysis. This field-tested series is best used as a complete package to orient students to the case method, but each note also stands on its own and can be used to supplement other course materials.<br><br>Understanding the Case Method: Note 1 of the Case Guide Series describes the case method and its purpose, and outlines the basic process of reading and analyzing a case.