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In 2013, after almost three years of making organizational changes, the chief executive officer of Federated Co-Operatives Limited (FCL) wondered if he was pushing his unique company through a transformation too quickly or if he was not pushing hard enough to modernize the company. FCL was a co-operative, a remnant of a farmers’ purchasing association that had grown to become one of the 50 largest companies in Canada. However, the company’s financial success and democratic governance structure had lulled FCL into a situation characterized by outdated processes and systems. Information technology, branding, leadership, and talent management processes needed to be transformed, and a culture change was necessary to move forward. But some employees were resisting, possibly as a result of burnout due to the magnitude of change or the co-operative governance structure that complicated the process of change. The chief executive officer needed to address his employees at a questions and answers session about the progress of the transformation. What should he tell them?

<p style="color: rgb(197, 183, 131);"><strong> AWARD WINNER - John Molson MBA Case Writing Competition</strong></p><br>When Etsy proceeded with an initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange in April 2015, it was the second U.S. company to go public as a certified B Corporation. Etsy’s status as a B Corporation meant that social responsibility was ingrained in its mission. However, as an online marketplace for artisanal goods, Etsy faced a number of challenges. Principal among them was the launch of the new online store Handmade at Amazon, a direct attack on Etsy. Etsy had a core base of merchants and buyers, but Amazon had significantly more as well as a greater level of financial security than Etsy. Etsy’s fast growth had also put pressure on its merchants’ ability to offer larger quantities of handmade goods. Many merchants were pressing the company to allow sales from large-scale manufacturing, a path the company had eschewed since its start. Could Etsy find a way to successfully confront these challenges while maintaining its B Corporation ethos?

In 2013, after almost three years of making organizational changes, the chief executive officer of Federated Co-Operatives Limited (FCL) wondered if he was pushing his unique company through a transformation too quickly or if he was not pushing hard enough to modernize the company. FCL was a co-operative, a remnant of a farmers' purchasing association that had grown to become one of the 50 largest companies in Canada. However, the company's financial success and democratic governance structure had lulled FCL into a situation characterized by outdated processes and systems. Information technology, branding, leadership, and talent management processes needed to be transformed, and a culture change was necessary to move forward. But some employees were resisting, possibly as a result of burnout due to the magnitude of change or the co-operative governance structure that complicated the process of change. The chief executive officer needed to address his employees at a questions and answers session about the progress of the transformation. What should he tell them?

In February 2016, Tim Cook, Apple’s chief executive officer, challenged a U.S. Federal Court order for Apple to assist the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in a case involving suspected international terrorism. The government wanted Apple to provide the FBI with access to encrypted data on an Apple product, the iPhone. Cook's refusal to acquiesce to the government's demands drew strong public debate, pitting the proponents of national security against those in favour of customers’ digital privacy and security. The case invoked an ethical dilemma faced by management in issues involving right-versus-right decisions. Which right should Cook choose? What are the ethical dilemmas involved in making this decision? How should Cook resolve the dilemma?

In 2012, Li-Ning Co. Ltd. (LNCL) was the third-largest sportswear company in China in terms of revenue, after international brands Nike and Adidas. Following its highly successful founding in 1990 by China’s Olympic champion and company namesake, Li Ning, the firm attempted to formalize its organizational structure and establish a professionally managed organization, while dealing with the rise of well-established international sportswear brands in China like Nike and Adidas. By 2013, however, the company’s performance had started to decline. LNCL found itself caught in a tough spot, with profit margins falling as the company was squeezed between international and local sportswear brands. Furthermore, its aggressive past expansion had resulted in heavy expenditures in market promotion, large unsold inventories, and low operational efficiency. What should the new leadership team do to turn around the company’s performance?

In late 2014, Diamond Developers was building Dubai’s first large sustainable city, which was a mixed-use community designed to set new standards in environmental sustainability in the Middle East and beyond. As the project neared completion, the company’s co-founders needed to decide how to measure the development’s sustainability performance. Existing sustainability rating schemes had faced heavy criticism and were not easily applicable in Dubai’s desert climate. The co-founders therefore needed to determine whether the company should adapt one of the existing measurement systems or design its own sustainability performance measures. Regardless of the measurement system the company chose, the co-founders needed to decide how to define, measure, and manage sustainability as part of a unique real estate development project.

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Project Teams: A Structured Development Approach is a seven-chapter book published by Business Expert Press in 2016 and written by Vittal S. Anantatmula, professor at the College of Business at Western Carolina University. The author provides a model of successful teams, examining a key aspect of the model in each chapter. He explores how the development, process, and management of teams works. He compares traditional teams with virtual global teams. He considers the attributes of productive team members and suggests traits of high-performance teams. Each chapter begins with objectives and a preview of concepts covered. Each chapter contains discussion questions. In Chapter 1, Significance of Teams (18 pages), the author examines the key elements of teams. He considers the nature of groups, defines the characteristics of teams, and lists six types of teams: project, production, service, action/performing, management, and parallel. He differentiates between groups and teams, including a formal structure, timeframe, and common goal. He explores project teams, their elements, and their importance. He presents a model of efficacy and outlines approaches to successful teams, such as defining roles, creating cohesiveness, and providing regular updates.

Project Teams: A Structured Development Approach is a seven-chapter book published by Business Expert Press in 2016 and written by Vittal S. Anantatmula, professor at the College of Business at Western Carolina University. The author provides a model of successful teams, examining a key aspect of the model in each chapter. He explores how the development, process, and management of teams works. He compares traditional teams with virtual global teams. He considers the attributes of productive team members and suggests traits of high-performance teams. Each chapter begins with objectives and a preview of concepts covered. Each chapter contains discussion questions. Chapter 2, Development of Project Teams (25 pages), describes two approaches to team motivation: task-related, focusing on the project's purpose, and people-related, focusing on creating a cohesive team. The author discusses the characteristics of each approach and explores how a team's structure affects the team's success. He categorizes structure into functional, projectized, and matrix, and presents advantages and disadvantages for each. He considers team members and the impact of social, behavioral, and cultural issues, especially on communication. He reviews basic information on generational groups, like veterans and Generation X, and considers how these groups work together in teams.

Project Teams: A Structured Development Approach is a seven-chapter book published by Business Expert Press in 2016 and written by Vittal S. Anantatmula, professor at the College of Business at Western Carolina University. The author provides a model of successful teams, examining a key aspect of the model in each chapter. He explores how the development, process, and management of teams works. He compares traditional teams with virtual global teams. He considers the attributes of productive team members and suggests traits of high-performance teams. Each chapter begins with objectives and a preview of concepts covered. Each chapter contains discussion questions. In Chapter 3, Project Team Processes (25 pages), the author explores how teams operate. He presents two models of team development. He differentiates between management and leadership, and outlines how to develop each. He lists factors that support team performance and ways leaders can support the team. He describes these factors as a process of causals, means, and effects. He emphasizes how communication can reduce uncertainty and provides a model for supportive communications. He shares insight on communicating with senior executives. He also looks at how technology can support and enable communication.

Project Teams: A Structured Development Approach is a seven-chapter book published by Business Expert Press in 2016 and written by Vittal S. Anantatmula, professor at the College of Business at Western Carolina University. The author provides a model of successful teams, examining a key aspect of the model in each chapter. He explores how the development, process, and management of teams works. He compares traditional teams with virtual global teams. He considers the attributes of productive team members and suggests traits of high-performance teams. Each chapter begins with objectives and a preview of concepts covered. Each chapter contains discussion questions. In Chapter 4, Managing Project Teams (31 pages), the author reviews concepts in team leadership. He considers the power culture and team decision-making. He describes the task, socioemotional, and destructive roles of team members and how each affects delegation. He reviews influences on decision-making and proposes a six-step process from gathering information to monitoring results. He examines team conflict and ways to resolve it. He also reviews negotiations. He discusses the drivers of team motivation and links team behavior to stages of team development. He reviews the relationship between project success and the team manager's skill sets and attitudes. The chapter ends by comparing leadership and management.

Project Teams: A Structured Development Approach is a seven-chapter book published by Business Expert Press in 2016 and written by Vittal S. Anantatmula, professor at the College of Business at Western Carolina University. The author provides a model of successful teams, examining a key aspect of the model in each chapter. He explores how the development, process, and management of teams works. He compares traditional teams with virtual global teams. He considers the attributes of productive team members and suggests traits of high-performance teams. Each chapter begins with objectives and a preview of concepts covered. Each chapter contains discussion questions. Chapter 5, Productive Global Project Teams (23 pages), explores virtual global teams. The author explains the risks of such teams, including challenges such as diversity, lack of informal communication, and conflict management. He explores how the global nature of the team affects the project structure. He also highlights potential obstacles for knowledge sharing in a global team setting. He outlines success factors for global teams, such as communications, culture, and leadership. He summarizes the relationship between culture and leadership in a Global Project Success Model. The chapter ends by comparing elements of success for traditional and virtual teams.

Project Teams: A Structured Development Approach is a seven-chapter book published by Business Expert Press in 2016 and written by Vittal S. Anantatmula, professor at the College of Business at Western Carolina University. The author provides a model of successful teams, examining a key aspect of the model in each chapter. He explores how the development, process, and management of teams works. He compares traditional teams with virtual global teams. He considers the attributes of productive team members and suggests traits of high-performance teams. Each chapter begins with objectives and a preview of concepts covered. Each chapter contains discussion questions. Chapter 6, High Performing Project Teams (25 pages), focuses on the experience of team members. The author explains how organizational structure develops, and suggests the organization will affect the team's hierarchy and operation. He outlines project, proposal, and portfolio teams, and lists success measures for each. He explains that success depends on the team's dedication, unity, spirit, harmony, and trust. He recommends that a team create a charter to define their systems and expectations. He presents how to create environments to help teams succeed. He mentions considerations for technology in teams and briefly explores issues of team maturity.

Project Teams: A Structured Development Approach is a seven-chapter book published by Business Expert Press in 2016 and written by Vittal S. Anantatmula, professor at the College of Business at Western Carolina University. The author provides a model of successful teams, examining a key aspect of the model in each chapter. He explores how the development, process, and management of teams works. He compares traditional teams with virtual global teams. He considers the attributes of productive team members and suggests traits of high-performance teams. Each chapter begins with objectives and a preview of concepts covered. Each chapter contains discussion questions. In Chapter 7, Sustaining Effectiveness of Project Teams (4 pages), the author reviews concepts in team structure, development, and management. He suggests how organizational structure and culture affect a team's structure. He argues that an organization must support teamwork to have effective teams. He emphasizes that team management and leadership need to handle conflicts and obstacles, as well as guide team members. He identifies unique challenges for global teams. He suggests that teams use a charter to outline goals, practices, expectations, and metrics. He also reviews the success factors for the project, the project team, and the organization.

In late 2014, Diamond Developers was building Dubai's first large sustainable city, which was a mixed-use community designed to set new standards in environmental sustainability in the Middle East and beyond. As the project neared completion, the company's co-founders needed to decide how to measure the development's sustainability performance. Existing sustainability rating schemes had faced heavy criticism and were not easily applicable in Dubai's desert climate. The co-founders therefore needed to determine whether the company should adapt one of the existing measurement systems or design its own sustainability performance measures. Regardless of the measurement system the company chose, the co-founders needed to decide how to define, measure, and manage sustainability as part of a unique real estate development project.

As of April 2012, TerraCycle had witnessed exponential growth over the past few years due to its unique value proposition of creating a line of consumer products out of trash. With continued global expansion, the firm's biggest challenge was how to move forward while staying true to its mission to eliminate as much waste as possible from landfills, make fun products that consumers liked, and turn a profit. Operationally, TerraCycle was losing money on every domestically manufactured product and was regularly late on delivering its shipments to a major retail customer. All signs indicated that the company should move some of its manufacturing to an offshore location; however, TerraCycle had built its reputation on its strict adherence to the principles of sustainability, and such a move could cause a significant public-relations problem. There was little time to act, as orders from Walmart and Target were piling up. Should the CEO move some of TerraCycle's production to China?

Launched in 2012, Grab began in Malaysia as a third-party e-hailing taxi dispatching mobile application. The company expanded at a remarkable speed and by 2015, the app had been downloaded more than 4.4 million times, averaging seven bookings per second. A year later the app had over 13 million downloads, serving 30 cities across six countries in Southeast Asia. The app's functionality too had expanded to include an array of locally suited transportation booking options beyond just taxi services, such as car-pooling, ride-sharing, private vehicle hire and more. Valued at about US$1.5 billion in 2016, Grab was one of Asia's most successful start-ups. The company's business model was aligned with its social mission to improve the safety and accessibility of transportation, along with improving the lives of its passengers, drivers and the community. End-users benefited through improved transportation options, where safety, certainty and speed were guiding principles of the company. However, long-term success was far from guaranteed. Technological and social change was always afoot. The sharing economy, of which Grab was a part, was hyper-local, social and mobile - and above all - extremely competitive. Uber, its main rival, was a larger, technologically savvy global player offering nearly identical services in the region. However, Grab's local roots could prove to be a competitive advantage in navigating Southeast Asia's many complicated and highly fragmented markets, which faced significant regulatory uncertainty in the on-demand transportation industry.

Netflix adopted an aggressive growth strategy to establish itself as a global force in the video streaming industry. To solidify its position as an industry leader, Netflix invested heavily in the production of in-house content. In January 2016, to deal with slow growth in the domestic market, the company announced an aggressive expansion of its services into a total of 190 countries, thereby giving Netflix coverage over nearly the entire world. International expansion did not come without its challenges. Netflix faced regulatory compliance issues in its targeted markets, competition with domestic competitors, and the need to satisfy local preferences. Was the enormous cost of such an aggressive expansion strategy the right direction for the company?

An entrepreneur contemplated the future of her business that had evolved from a one-woman show to a team of more than 20 highly skilled and specialized coaches from around the world, including some former Cirque du Soleil performers. As chief executive officer and owner, she had taken a community-based gymnastics program and grown it into Flip Factory Inc., a company offering alternative gymnastics activities such as circus-arts and parkour. Its market was customers who wanted experiences outside of traditional competitive gymnastics. She had achieved success in building her company and, despite steep costs and meagre profits, sought further growth. Her coaches were restless to offer a broader range of programs to match their skills. Her facility was at capacity,but, with two years remaining on her lease, she was torn between renting a second location and/or building her own. Could she franchise out her programs to grow the company?

Netflix adopted an aggressive growth strategy to establish itself as a global force in the video streaming industry. To solidify its position as an industry leader, Netflix invested heavily in the production of in-house content. In January 2016, to deal with slow growth in the domestic market, the company announced an aggressive expansion of its services into a total of 190 countries, thereby giving Netflix coverage over nearly the entire world. International expansion did not come without its challenges. Netflix faced regulatory compliance issues in its targeted markets, competition with domestic competitors, and the need to satisfy local preferences. Was the enormous cost of such an aggressive expansion strategy the right direction for the company?