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At the end of 2013, Karstadt Warenhaus GmbH, the second-biggest German department store chain and one of the most traditional and well-known companies in Germany, was in a highly challenging strategic position. Following recent mismanagement, it had narrowly escaped insolvency. By the end of 2013, however, Karstadt was still struggling against competition in the retail sector. Could the newly appointed chief executive officer come up with a business model and strategic direction that would ensure the company's continued existence and sustainable profits in the near future? Challenges that she had to address included increasing competition (e.g. from online shops), low liquidity, delays in necessary investments, and rising concerns about job security among employees. What strategic options were best for turning around the performance of the iconic 130-year-old department store chain?

At the end of 2013, Karstadt Warenhaus GmbH, the second-biggest German department store chain and one of the most traditional and well-known companies in Germany, was in a highly challenging strategic position. Following recent mismanagement, it had narrowly escaped insolvency. By the end of 2013, however, Karstadt was still struggling against competition in the retail sector. Could the newly appointed chief executive officer come up with a business model and strategic direction that would ensure the company’s continued existence and sustainable profits in the near future? Challenges that she had to address included increasing competition (e.g. from online shops), low liquidity, delays in necessary investments, and rising concerns about job security among employees. What strategic options were best for turning around the performance of the iconic 130-year-old department store chain?

The case is set in 2014 in Indonesia, with the leaders of a once strong national bank - Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) - facing the challenge of transformation amidst a volatile and uncertain business environment. With growing competition and the rapid economic growth of the nation, the bank leadership recognises that a major change is needed to ensure the future survival of the bank. In 2008, a new management team was appointed to address those issues as BNI fell from number one to four in terms of market share in Indonesia. The bank suffered from inefficient business practices and a capability gap due to a zero-growth policy in terms of employees. As a long-time stable state-owned enterprise, which was typically slow to adapt, bringing about change would be quite a challenge. At the centre of the transformation agenda is the need to shift from a product-centric approach to a customer-centric one. To achieve this, a strong emphasis on human capital was necessary to address the firm's strategic needs in the areas of talent, leadership, culture, and structure. For this purpose, Felia Salim, the Vice CEO, took charge of the human capital strategy.

The global convenience store brand 7-Eleven entered Indonesia in 2009, with local player PT Modern International as the master franchisor. To differentiate the stores from other convenience stores and to cater to emerging market customers in Indonesia, the CEO combined the idea of a restaurant and a convenience store in his new 7-Eleven outlets. The 7-Eleven stores provided an affordable and convenient location for youth to hang out and have a quick bite to eat. They also offered wireless Internet and a range of services and products like fresh food and beverages. The case requires students to outline the innovative elements that explain 7-Eleven's success in Indonesia, reflect on its scalability and sustainability, and also to advise the CEO on further strategies to strengthen 7-Eleven in Indonesia.

AWARD-WINNING CASE - 2015 AESE Case Writing Competition. The global convenience store brand 7-Eleven entered Indonesia in 2009, with local player PT Modern International as the master franchisor. To differentiate the stores from other convenience stores and to cater to emerging market customers in Indonesia, the CEO combined the idea of a restaurant and a convenience store in his new 7-Eleven outlets. The 7-Eleven stores provided an affordable and convenient location for youth to hang out and have a quick bite to eat. They also offered wireless Internet and a range of services and products like fresh food and beverages. The case requires students to outline the innovative elements that explain 7-Eleven’s success in Indonesia, reflect on its scalability and sustainability, and also to advise the CEO on further strategies to strengthen 7-Eleven in Indonesia.

In July 2014, the expatriate CEO of McDonald's Japan (MDJ) faced a crisis after a video was broadcast accusing one of the company's China-based food suppliers of serious health and sanitation violations. Although MDJ was the biggest brand in Japan's fast food industry, the company's sales had been falling since 2008, and its profitability had deteriorated dramatically since 2012. The CEO, who had recently taken over at MDJ, urgently needed to turn around the company's situation and deal with the crisis at hand. How could she reassure Japanese consumers and put the company back on the road to growth?

This case is a supplement to W15400. In February 2015, the sales of McDonald's Japan had continued to slide, despite the implementation of new pricing and the introduction of new food items. The company posted a loss for 2014, citing costs in dealing with the Shanghai Husi debacle and the impact it had on sales. However, numerous reports of foreign objects in McDonald's food items had resulted in the loss of consumers' trust. How should the expatriate CEO rebuild the company's position in the Japanese market?

To be used with Hexion/Apollo's Courtship of Huntsman Corporation (A) 316-028.

No corporation and its board of directors is immune to a disruptive shareholder activist attack. The Novell (A) and (B) cases take students through a shareholder activist attack and its aftermath -- a saga that spanned 5 years. The cases outline the activist playbook in conducting an attack, the board's response, and key decisions that must be made.

Supplement to case 916404. No corporation and its board of directors is immune to a disruptive shareholder activist attack. The Novell (A) and (B) cases take students through a shareholder activist attack and its aftermath-a saga that spanned 5 years. The cases outline the activist playbook in conducting an attack, the board's response, and key decisions that must be made.

This case presents the perspective of a Malaysian company, Nora Bhd, which was in the process of trying to establish a telecommunications joint venture with a Finnish firm, Sakari Oy. Negotiations have broken down between the firms, and students are asked to try to restructure a win-win deal. The case examines some of the most common issues involved in partner selection and design in international joint ventures.

This case presents the perspective of a Malaysian company, Nora Bhd, which was in the process of trying to establish a telecommunications joint venture with a Finnish firm, Sakari Oy. Negotiations have broken down between the firms, and students are asked to try to restructure a win-win deal. The case examines some of the most common issues involved in partner selection and design in international joint ventures.

The chairman of one of India’s leading tire manufacturers must devise a strategy to maintain his company’s significant position in the tire industry. To date, the company has generated most of its revenues from sales in India, and it has become a leading player in the Indian commercial vehicle segment. With an overall slowdown in the manufacturing sector, the commercial vehicle segment has been hard-hit. The passenger car segment, however, is expected to grow. The manufacturer must find a way to effectively align its tire sales network and decide which segment to focus on.

In 2015, the vice-president of international operations must decide whether to continue to operate or abandon the company's Nigerian joint venture. Although the expatriate general manager of the Nigerian operation has delivered a very pessimistic report, Larson's own hunch was to stay in that country. Maintaining the operation was complicated by problems in staffing, a joint venture partner with divergent views, and increasing costs of doing business in Nigeria. If Larson decides to maintain the existing operation, the issues with its local partner and staffing problems (especially in terms of the joint venture general manager) have to be addressed.

Discusses leadership from the perspective of seven activities that must be managed if an organization is to be successful. The activities include: (1) strategy formulation, (2) cultural maintenance, (3) customer management, (4) conflict management, (4) customer management, (5) motivation, (6) management control, and (7) authority and influence.

A joint venture company that started its operations in 2004 in India was in the business of growing, processing and marketing fresh fruits and vegetables, both in India and abroad. As new market opportunities emerged in response to the growing demand for frozen products in the domestic market, the company launched frozen vegetables in the Indian market in 2011 and successfully established the supply chain covering contract farming, processing and distributing the product. The following year, the chief executive officer (CEO) of the company was reviewing the first year's performance of frozen vegetable business as part of the annual business plan process. The business was still small and not profitable. The CEO had to decide how to scale up and make the business profitable.

Founded in 1889 in Kyoto, Japan, Nintendo has always operated in the entertainment business, beginning with playing cards and, in the 1970s, entering the electronics and video game industry with a small handheld console. By investing in innovation to ensure continuing delivery of new recreational experiences, Nintendo was dominant until the mid-1990s when the two multinational giants, Sony and Microsoft, entered the market with large investment capital and promotional campaigns. Nintendo competed with these new challengers, but its Wii U and 3DS systems, launched in November 2012, met with little success. In 2014, the company faces many questions as it looks to move forward. Has it lost its innovative edge? Were its strengths in human resources and research and development not being leveraged to their full potential? Can the new strategic directions — to revitalize existing products, take advantage of smart devices, actively utilize existing character IPs and expand into other new markets and other new business areas — successfully revive the traditional dominant position of Nintendo in the game industry? Should it pursue strategic alliances or mergers and acquisitions to acquire required resources and competencies from outside to invest in product and market diversification?

This article identifies three types of traps that can emerge when implementing workplace flexibility-altered work-life dynamics, reduced fairness perceptions, and weakened organizational culture-and provides core lessons for managers seeking a balanced flexibility approach. First, managers must become flex-savvy to understand the variation that exists in flexibility practices to align implementation with the workforce and organizational context. Second, implementing flexibility must not be treated as an accommodation but as a broader systemic organizational change empowering individuals and teams. The article provides a Worksmart case to highlight how to avoid traps and implement balanced workplace flexibility across multiple stakeholder interests.

Two related trends characterize the recent past: value propositions are migrating from the physical to the informational, and value creation is shifting from firms to consumers. These two trends meet in the phenomenon of " consumer generated intellectual property" (CGIP). This article addresses the question: " How should firms manage the intellectual property that their customers create?" It explores how CGIP presents important dilemmas for managers and argues that consumers' intellectual property should not be leveraged at the expense of their emotional property. It integrates these perspectives into a diagnostic framework and discusses eight strategies for firms to manage CGIP.

For ambitious executives working in dynamic global businesses, big career transitions--to new roles, organizations, industries, or geographic locations--are a fact of life. So is the need to constantly adapt to new technologies, work groups, strategies, and ways of thinking and behaving. And yet even seasoned professionals find this sort of change difficult. Management researchers have a lot to say about the best way to approach organizational change, but when it comes to personal transitions, there is no blueprint for success. Over years working with MBA students and executives, the author has developed a framework to help in thinking about change. It involves navigating through the Seven C's: Complexity (considering all the issues in a particular change effort); Clarity (understanding and prioritizing those issues); Confidence (believing that one can be successful in making the change); Creativity (brainstorming innovative solutions to problems that arise); Commitment (beginning to implement the change); Consolidation (leaving behind the previous identity to adopt the new one); and Change (living into the change and its consequences).