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In 2012, Pactera, a China-headquartered IT service firm, went public on the NASDAQ. In 2014, it was taken private by a consortium led by the U.S.-based global investment and advisory firm Blackstone. This accelerated the firm’s expansion in the U.S. market and its plans to move up the value chain. Pactera’s executive vice-president must formulate and implement the right strategy in order to continue its success in the U.S. market, gain access to cutting-edge technology and talent, and better compete against sophisticated American and Indian rivals. Failure to apply the correct strategy to its operations in the U.S. market could restrict its growth and negatively impact its performance in the global market.

By 2015, technological innovations-the smartphone and the advanced data connectivity that enabled it-created new opportunities for people to move around cities quickly and conveniently without owning a car, via car-sharing services like Zipcar or new ride-sharing services. Uber, a five-year-old startup, enabled users to order private rides via a smartphone app. In mid-2015, the company had achieved pre-IPO market valuation of $50 billion, with operations in 311 cities in 58 countries. Despite its scale and success, Uber often found itself embroiled in controversy, with resistance from a broad range of unhappy stakeholders-regulators, competitors, drivers, and even some customers and partners-across the U.S. and the world. Could Uber continue on this route?

The case describes the situation of over a hundred years old, family-owned, and male-managed business group - Qadri-Group (QG). QG was facing challenges in family's interplay with the group's business. Meanwhile QG also foresaw several new business opportunities and challenges in domestic and international markets that required greater focus and harmony among the family members and group companies. QG's Board of Directors (BoD) felt that a unanimously formulated Family Constitution was needed to manage the increasing complexity in the family and ownership, as the group ventured out to benefit from the emerging business landscape. Rizwan, a third generation family member of the BoD, initiated and advocated the idea of developing a family constitution as soon as possible to address the complex and lingering matters that the family faced. Rizwan appreciated that the challenges related to involvement of the family's fourth generation in the business and ownership would complicate the situation in subsequent years, during which more challenges related to QG business were also anticipated. He took on the responsibility to provide suggestions on how to govern increased family complexity (in terms of diversity of educational backgrounds, allocation of incentives to family members according to their profiles, involvement of daughters and their in-laws in QG's business etc.) and business complexity. Rizwan Qadri hoped that his suggestions related to the formulation of the family constitution would help address the following issues: 1. clarity on the issue of employment of daughters and daughters-in-law in the business 2. involvement of in-laws (unrelated by blood) in the family business 3. compensation for family members; competitive and merit based career planning Also he had to give suggestions for the process to be followed for arriving at a mutually agreed family constitution.

Tremendous changes in the global competitive landscape threaten Deutsche Lufthansa AG, the largest airline group in the world. Three large Gulf carriers, Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways, as well as Turkish Airlines, now stand to compete with Lufthansa on the traditionally profitable long-haul segment. Chairman of the executive board and chief executive officer has to act quickly if Lufthansa is to keep its top spot. Having ignored the threat from low-cost airlines in the past, Lufthansa must now be better prepared to respond. It is crucial that Lufthansa finds adequate strategic options for sustaining and further expanding its market-leading position.

The term "conflict minerals" referred to four minerals-tantalum, tin, tungsten, and gold-that are mined in countries throughout the world, including the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). These minerals, sometimes referred to as the "3TG" minerals, were used in many industries for a variety of purposes. The electronics industry was a significant user of the "3 T's" and gold. Tungsten, for instance, was used in the screens of cellphones and also created the vibrating alert. Tantalum held the battery charge in a cellphone or tablet, was critical to the exchange of text messages and emails, and was a component of cellphone camera lenses. The conflict minerals issue dated to the early 2000s but public awareness took years to develop, following the efforts of nongovernment organizations such as the Enough Project. Intel began to work on the issue internally in 2008, at the direction of its CEO, and conducted its first conflict minerals supply chain survey in 2009. Intel then pledged to manufacture microprocessors with tantalum sourced from conflict-free supply chains by 2012 and to make the world's first commercially available microprocessor that is DRC conflict free for all four metals by 2013; it achieved both goals. Intel's decision to address the conflict minerals problem head-on was one of the movement's first big successes; the policies Intel implemented to obtain conflict-free minerals went beyond what was required by Dodd-Frank.

This case illustrates the dilemma faced by the president of EGA, a Latin American business school, who chooses to innovate and has to make some controversial strategic, organizational and financial decisions. The case focuses on the challenges posed by product innovation, following the Stage-Gate model and describing its phases, from business case preparation, through protocol definition and product architecture, to identifying operation requirements. It explores the difficulties and dilemmas involved in starting and executing an innovation project.

Tremendous changes in the global competitive landscape threaten Deutsche Lufthansa AG, the largest airline group in the world. Three large Gulf carriers, Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways, as well as Turkish Airlines, now stand to compete with Lufthansa on the traditionally profitable long-haul segment. Chairman of the executive board and chief executive officer has to act quickly if Lufthansa is to keep its top spot. Having ignored the threat from low-cost airlines in the past, Lufthansa must now be better prepared to respond. It is crucial that Lufthansa finds adequate strategic options for sustaining and further expanding its market-leading position.

WeChat was developed by Tencent Holdings as a lightweight messaging platform. As it grew quickly to become the most popular messaging app in China, it added a range of products and services that sat on top that were designed to appeal to a broad range of consumers and businesses. Official accounts, WeChat payment, and online to offline features expanded its reach, but the core question was whether the company could break out from its home market and offer the rest of the world something that its competitors could not.

Team Rubicon, a military veteran volunteer disaster relief organization, has experienced significant success in attracting attention and support in its first four years of operation. The challenges of managing the volunteer base, the cost of responding to disasters, and the evolution of the organization raise significant strategic and organizational issues for the founding team.

Arçelik, a member of the Turkish Koç Group, had grown from a leading manufacturer of household appliances (also known as ‘white goods’) in Europe’s largest emerging economy to a substantive international player. Yet the company faced new challenges in strengthening its positions in advanced economies, exploiting its competitive advantages across a wider range of emerging economies and in raising the profitability of its international operations. In Western Europe, its Beko brand was often perceived as a low-tier brand, and in most of the region, brand recognition was low. In Eastern Europe, Arçelik’s low-cost strategies matched local demand, but the potential for demand growth was limited. In the Middle East, brand recognition was strong, but political risks remained high. In other emerging economies, Arçelik’s product offering fit local demand patterns well, yet trade barriers inhibited import market penetration. Thus, the firm needed to design and prioritize strategic initiatives for future growth.

The U.S.-based executive vice-president (EVP) of Glenmark Generics Inc., the subsidiary of an Indian generic manufacturer, is weighing his options on whether or not to proceed with what is known as a Launch @ Risk in the U.S. market. Defined as a "risk taken by a generic company when it puts a product on the market before resolving outstanding patent lawsuits against it," Launch @ Risk is a widely acknowledged route to gain an entry into the world's largest and most profitable pharmaceutical market. The focal product is the generic version of a hypertension drug whose patent is set to expire in 2015. Glenmark Generics has just secured approval from the U.S. Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) to launch a low-cost generic version of the patented drug but the FDA approval is being contested in a court of law by the patent holder. While awaiting the court's ruling, the EVP must evaluate his company's options and decide whether to proceed, in the interim, with the product launch.

The managing partner of Proto3000, a 10-year-old 3D Printing services and supply firm, was both gratified by the recent explosion of popular media coverage of 3D Printing that was certain to bring his firm additional opportunities, and concerned as to how his company could maintain their broad leadership position as new competitors began to join the fray. As the managing partner began thinking about what to do next, he wondered whether he should stick with his biggest market segments or diversify into new markets that seemed to hold a lot of promise. In addition, he wondered which challenges associated with the disruptive technology that his industry revolved around he needed to consider as he plotted a course forward for Proto3000.

In 2005, Patagonia launched the Common Threads Recycling Program. The goal was to reduce the number of products Patagonia customers purchased through a two-fold effort. The first part was to encourage customers to fix damaged clothing. Patagonia began publishing do-it-yourself repair guides to assist customers in repairing their clothing. To provide an alternative for customers who were unable or unwilling to repair their clothing themselves, Patagonia charged an affordable fee to have garments shipped to their repair facility. The second aspect of the Common Threads program was to create a second-hand market for Patagonia garments that did not fit or that were no longer worn. Patagonia collaborated with eBay to develop a storefront and also created an online marketplace on its main website. Patagonia also offered to cover the shipping costs for garments that were beyond repair, which Patagonia would then break down and repurpose. To promote its Common Threads initiative, Patagonia created "Worn Wear," a program that highlights thousands of videos and pictures from customers around the globe who treasure their worn, patched-up Patagonia garments with pride. While most companies would encourage customers to repeat their purchases, Patagonia prides itself and its customers on waste-free purchases. Patagonia's next step was to launch a campaign in 2011 to dissuade customers from purchasing clothing that they did not really need. On the busiest weekend for retailers in the US, a 2011 New York Times ad from Patagonia featured a picture of one of Patagonia's highest grossing fleece jackets below the words: "DON'T BUY THIS JACKET." Underneath was a detailed description that defended Patagonia's rationale based on the negative environmental impacts caused by consumerism. Despite Patagonia's efforts, sales increased by approximately 30% in the nine months following the ad. The case concludes with the business dilemma facing Chouinard: What should Patagonia do?

Alberta Ballet, composed of the Alberta Ballet professional dance company and The School of Alberta Ballet, had experienced remarkable success in North America and Europe. However, in 2014, it faced a set of unique problems. Demand for performances from the company had grown so significantly that it was no longer able to accommodate all requests, especially from smaller markets in Alberta. Coupled with increasing demand, operations were fragmented across many locations, including some very expensive leases that were set to expire in 2016. Building a brand-new facility that could house all of the Calgary operations was an option, but was it feasible with the current economic conditions? Furthermore, how could Alberta Ballet better serve secondary markets?

An investor has purchased a share of Cisco stock and wants to protect himself from some downside risk using the stop-loss trading strategy. However, he doesn't want to sell the stock prematurely based on short-term price fluctuations. What is the best threshold for the stop-loss strategy? How does it compare to the holding strategy?

The Children's Place was a New Jersey-based specialty retailer of apparel and accessories for children up to age 12. Starting in fiscal 2013, the company was moving from a clearance-centre model, where it sold a variety of national brands, to a made-for-outlet model that emphasized its own brands. This was necessitated by intense price competition in its market. The new strategy involved developing, coordinating and controlling its own global apparel value chain. When the Rana Plaza building in Dhaka, Bangladesh collapsed on April 24, 2013, killing and injuring a large number of workers, products destined for The Children's Place were found in the debris. The adverse publicity that ensued meant that the company's top management had to re-evaluate its strategy. What should be their response?

In June 2007, the chief executive officer of Telesat Canada, headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, was considering his strategy following a decision by Industry Canada to reject four out of six of its applications for satellite slots. His largest concern was the decision to award the two most important licences for the Extended Ku-band network - which the company's largest clients, Bell Canada Inc. and Shaw Communications, were both seeking - to a subsidiary of a non-Canadian company, Ciel Satellite Limited Partnership, which was owned by SES S.A., a global corporation based in Luxembourg. The regulator's decision had the potential to severely limit Telesat's future revenues as well as destabilize its valuation in the midst of a sale process. The company needed a plan of action to propose a reconsideration of the allocation of licenses while also maintaining its working relationship with Industry Canada.

The director of CPVet in Gurgaon, India, was worried. The cost of running the veterinary clinics was mounting. Was customer behaviour in India with respect to pets changing? Unlike in many developed countries, Indian pet owners were not as willing to think of their pets as their own children and care for them accordingly. However, the industry seemed to be changing and trends showed that spending on pet care was steadily increasing. Were pet owners in India ready to invest more in their pets? Should CPVet expand beyond Gurgaon? Despite the fast growth rate of the industry and the company’s first-mover advantage, CPVet faced several challenges with respect to its goal of expanding to a national level.

In December 2012, the senior management team of Whole Foods Market Inc. was contemplating the company’s options for international expansion, including further expansion in Canada. The company, headquartered in Austin, Texas, was a natural and organic foods supermarket that had become known and trademarked as “America’s Healthiest Grocery Store.” It had seen steep growth since its inception in 1977 and had an appetite for more. Ten years ago, its first Canadian store was opened in Toronto, followed by three more stores in Ontario and four in British Columbia. Was it time to expand deeper now and, if yes, into which provinces? It would be interesting to expand into Quebec with a store location in Montreal, but that province had a strong union presence, which was inconsistent with the company’s culture. Also unclear was which management team should be running an extensive Canadian operation. Should the current U.S. team facilitate the expansion, or should a Canadian management team be developed? A systematic approach to assessing the options was needed.