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In March 2011 Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was devastated by three reactor explosions and three core meltdowns in the days following a 9.0 earthquake and a tsunami that produced waves as high as 17 meters. The world is familiar with Daiichi's fate; less well known is the crisis at its sister plant, Daini, about 10 kilometers to the south. As a result of the storm, three of Daini's four reactors lacked sufficient power to achieve cooldown. To prevent the disaster experienced up north, the site superintendent, Naohiro Masuda, and his team had to connect them to the plant's surviving power sources. In a volatile environment, Masuda and Daini's hundreds of employees responded to each unexpected event in turn. Luck played a part, but so did smart leadership and sensemaking. Until the last reactor went into cold shutdown, Masuda and his team took nothing for granted. With each new problem they encountered, they recalibrated, iteratively creating continuity and restoring order. Daini survived the crisis without an explosion or a meltdown.

We'd like to think that no smart, upstanding manager would ever overlook or turn a blind eye to threats or wrongdoing that ultimately imperil his or her business. Yet it happens all the time. We fall prey to obstacles that obscure or drown out important signals that things are amiss. Becoming a "first-class noticer," says Max H. Bazerman, a professor at Harvard Business School, requires conscious effort to fight ambiguity, motivated blindness, conflicts of interest, the slippery slope, and efforts of others to mislead us. As a manager, you can develop your noticing skills by acknowledging responsibility when things go wrong rather than blaming external forces beyond your control. Bazerman also advises taking an outsider's view to challenge the status quo. Given the string of ethical failures of corporations around the world in recent years--from BP to GM to JPMorgan Chase--it's clear that leaders not only need to act more responsibly themselves but also must develop keen noticing skills in their employees and across their organizations.

The soccer superstar talks about becoming an informal team leader, why he came out of retirement to join the New York Cosmos, and what he thinks about money in sports.

An ambitious executive is about to leave his employer in order to launch his own Pan-African venture. Should he start up in a rapidly growing, but already competitive, market or in a series of smaller, untapped markets? Expert commentary comes from Ashish J. Thakkar, founder of Mara Group, and Iqbal Surve, founder and chairman of the Sekunjalo Group.

By 2004, the Industrial Finance Corporation of India ("IFCI") is on the verge of collapse; its profitability has become negative. Non-performing assets ("NPAs") have reached their peak, and the company does not have enough money to do business. It begins selling off and renting out its premises to get money to sustain its operations, going door-to-door to save itself. Employee morale is at its lowest level. IFCI's operations become unsustainable and are no longer viable. Against this backdrop, the IFCI board of directors and the government of India are in a quandary as they try to decide on IFCI's future course. After evaluating all possible options, IFCI and the government decide to restructure IFCI. IFCI's turnaround, which catapults it on the path to growth includes multiple factors such as converting debt into equity, creating provisions for bad loans, restructuring liabilities, retiring high-cost debt, managing NPAs aggressively, voluntarily retiring staff, focusing on short-term projects, adopting a selective approach in identifying projects for assistance and monitoring projects more effectively. The most critical factor that enables the turnaround of the state financial institution is the able leadership that not only changes IFCI's public sector culture but also brings a new work culture and ethics to the organization. ICFI's turnaround from the financial crisis inspires a lasting motivation in the hearts of its employees.

Dopfner had directed Axel Springer to approach this task with a two-stage digital transformation strategy process. Beginning in 2006, the company focused on organic growth and late-stage digital acquisitions. This stage of the strategy process had centered around profitability and the infusion of digitization into the corporate culture. In 2013, the second stage of the strategy process was driven by Dopfner's formulation of the firm's corporate mission to become "The Leading Digital Publisher" and his defining the company's business as its branded content and not its distribution channels. With this new strategy, Axel Springer intended to espouse early-stage investments and entrepreneurship and grow revenue through three business models: paid content, marketing, and classified advertising. As of 2013, Dopfner's two-stage digital transformation strategy had been a stunning success. Axel Springer had more than 12,800 employees, total revenues of $3.9 billion, and EBITDA of $625 million. The company had exceeded the goals it had set for digital media contributions to revenue and EBITDA, achieved reach in 44 countries, and serviced 98 million unique digital visitors worldwide. Looking forward in April 2014, however, it was clear that the future still held many challenges. Dopfner knew that Axel Springer would need to continue to successfully balance digital and traditional media business strategies, further reestablish the firm's identity, and continue to pioneer the cultural transition within the organization.

A manufacturer of over 75 grades of styrenic resins - used to make DVD cases, refrigerator trays, packaging materials and auto parts - faces a "transition loss" each time it switches production from one grade to another. A transition loss for each grade arises from the initial 16 metric tons produced, which are sub-standard and unsuitable for usage by customers. To the company, this implies a loss of resources (raw material and production cost) and a disposal fee ($10,000) to remove each sub-standard production. The case illustrates a sample of 15 grades for which data on their requirements for machine time usage, raw materials and labour hours are provided, as well as their production cost, selling price and market demand. Some of these grades must also be sold jointly in specific ratios. A newly hired sales executive must present an optimization template that would meet the company's production constraints and maximize its profitability. Which grades of styrenic resins should be produced? Furthermore, how much of each grade should be produced?

By 2009, since the introduction of liberal economic policies by the government of India in 1991, many Indian companies manufacturing leather cloth were closing down due to cheap imports from China and Taiwan. There had been no new investment or expansion in this field at all. In such a business environment and against the advice of many trade analysts, the chief executive officer of Northern India Leather Cloth Manufacturing Company Pvt. Ltd., based in the industrial town of Faridabad, India, decides to beat the competition by investing in new technology. He undertakes a rigorous examination of the company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, as well as listing and prioritizing four associated factors — technological, business, cultural and social, and financial — to identify the potential advantages and challenges associated with new technology absorption. Should he invest or not invest in new technology, and, if so, which of three possible technologies should he choose?<br><br>There is a supplement to this case, <br>9B14M069.

In this, the B case, the chief executive officer wonders how to enlist and prioritize important qualitative factors, along with financial factors in evaluating the shortlisted technologies from which he must choose. He consults a leading industrial pundit for his advice on multi-criteria decision-making techniques used by many practitioners in industry. They decide to use the analytic hierarchy process methodology, which had gained huge popularity among managers due to its simplicity and its ability to incorporate tangible and intangible factors alike. In training sessions involving managers with varied experiences across business processes such as manufacturing, quality, commercial, human resources and marketing, the three technologies were subjected to a close analysis and a decision was made about which one would best achieve the goal of expanded future growth for the company. See A case 9B14M068.

The owner of Escapes Outdoor Living Designs (Escapes) must decide what to do with his small landscaping and construction business. Escapes has been doing well, but has not had any sustainable growth over five years. The owner feels the business lacks focus and will need a good strategy in order to grow successfully. Facing problems with employee retention and shifting market opportunities, he has to perform an in-depth analysis of his current business to decide where it should go in the next few years or if it should be closed down altogether.

In March, 2014, the founder and chairman of the board of Yama Ribbons & Bows Co., Ltd., the world's largest polyester ribbon manufacturer based in Xiamen, China, was reflecting on the awards, accolades, victories and revenue growth that he had achieved over the past 16 years. In spite of the problems that beset the Chinese ribbons industry — intense competition, rising labour and production costs and strict international regulation of imports — the company had not only launched a successful subsidiary in the United States and was poised to open a second in Hong Kong but planned to outsource some of its manufacturing operations to a new plant in India. It had won a major trademark dispute and successfully survived an investigation by the U.S. Department of Commerce joint investigation into anti-dumping and anti-subsidy practices. By concentrating on superior customer service through its make-to-stock strategy and in-house research and development, the company was able to control inventory while achieving an excellent product deliverable on time anywhere in the world. As he reflected on his growth goals for the company, the founder wondered what, if anything, he was missing. How could he best grow the company over the next decade?

In March, 2014, the founder and chairman of the board of Yama Ribbons & Bows Co., Ltd., the world's largest polyester ribbon manufacturer based in Xiamen, China, was reflecting on the awards, accolades, victories and revenue growth that he had achieved over the past 16 years. In spite of the problems that beset the Chinese ribbons industry - intense competition, rising labour and production costs and strict international regulation of imports - the company had not only launched a successful subsidiary in the United States and was poised to open a second in Hong Kong but planned to outsource some of its manufacturing operations to a new plant in India. It had won a major trademark dispute and successfully survived an investigation by the U.S. Department of Commerce joint investigation into anti-dumping and anti-subsidy practices. By concentrating on superior customer service through its make-to-stock strategy and in-house research and development, the company was able to control inventory while achieving an excellent product deliverable on time anywhere in the world. As he reflected on his growth goals for the company, the founder wondered what, if anything, he was missing. How could he best grow the company over the next decade?

The owner of Escapes Outdoor Living Designs (Escapes) must decide what to do with his small landscaping and construction business. Escapes has been doing well, but has not had any sustainable growth over five years. The owner feels the business lacks focus and will need a good strategy in order to grow successfully. Facing problems with employee retention and shifting market opportunities, he has to perform an in-depth analysis of his current business to decide where it should go in the next few years or if it should be closed down altogether.

Within four weeks of becoming the new CEO of Microsoft, Satya Nadella lays out the major challenges that await him in the two letters he sends to everyone at Microsoft. He defines Microsoft's battlefield as the "mobile-first and cloud-first world". That is where Microsoft needs to get its products and technology right, to build platforms and ecosystems and to integrate Nokia devices, services and the new mobile capabilities. In order to do so, Microsoft needs to zero in on "a mobile and cloud-first world and do new things." In his view "...industry does not respect tradition - it only respects innovation". And in order to innovate, he needs his 125,000 strong staff around the world to lead and help drive cultural change, to find Microsoft's swing so that the team is "...in such perfect unison that no single action by any one is out of synch with those of all the others". Many challenges await Microsoft in its transformation journey. On platforms, it is not clear what the future will hold for Windows. On devices, Microsoft needs to find ways to woo application developers to build its mobile ecosystem. On integration, the Company has to find ways to transfer and to grow the mobile capability acquired from Nokia. And most importantly, Nadella must figure out how he can achieve cultural changes to focus everyone on innovation via collaboration.

At the end of 2012, an "instant chicken" scandal was revealed in China after a leading national broadcaster reported that chickens reared for KFC in the country were illegally fattened with excessive antibiotics. The local food safety authorities investigated the situation and found that KFC China had been aware of the situation since 2010 but had chosen to remain silent. Local consumers and netizens were in an uproar over the scandal, which eventually in 2013 broke the group's 11-year streak of double-digit growth. A series of marketing campaigns were conducted to rescue the reputation of the fast food giant. The incident reflects the challenges faced by KFC China's supply chain management in ensuring the safety and quality of products from its first-tier suppliers and their suppliers in a subsequent tier. Would the "Finger Lickin' Good" chain be able to rebound fast from the scandal? What could KFC China do about its supply chain and consumers' trust?

This is a role-play case, intended for use in a leadership development course for MBA students. The case has four roles: two for students playing the co-founders of a startup and two for students/coaches playing the venture capitalists deciding whether or not to provide seed funding. There are two versions of the case, one for students playing the co-founders (L-25CF), and one for those playing the venture capitalists (L-25VC). While both versions of the case contain identical background information for the role-play, L-25CF includes additional information that is available only to the co-founders and L-25VC contains additional information that is available only to the venture capitalists. The role-play objectives stated in the case can be accomplished if the students playing the co-founders successfully identify and address the questions and concerns of those playing the venture capitalists. The co-founders must solicit and grasp the underlining concerns of the venture capitalists, decide how to react and address those concerns, and reassure the venture capitalists that a seed investment is worthwhile. All students have the opportunity to demonstrate active listening, inquiry, and feedback regarding the concerns and proposals to address them. All four individuals in the role play have varying objectives and interests and need to manage the expectations and perceptions of the others in a manner that may be assertive, collaborative, or both.

This is a role-play case, intended for use in a leadership development course for MBA students. The case has four roles: two for students playing the co-founders of a startup and two for students/coaches playing the venture capitalists deciding whether or not to provide seed funding. There are two versions of the case, one for students playing the co-founders (L-25CF), and one for those playing the venture capitalists (L-25VC). While both versions of the case contain identical background information for the role-play, L-25CF includes additional information that is available only to the co-founders and L-25VC contains additional information that is available only to the venture capitalists. The role-play objectives stated in the case can be accomplished if the students playing the co-founders successfully identify and address the questions and concerns of those playing the venture capitalists. The co-founders must solicit and grasp the underlining concerns of the venture capitalists, decide how to react and address those concerns, and reassure the venture capitalists that a seed investment is worthwhile. All students have the opportunity to demonstrate active listening, inquiry, and feedback regarding the concerns and proposals to address them. All four individuals in the role play have varying objectives and interests and need to manage the expectations and perceptions of the others in a manner that may be assertive, collaborative, or both.

The case describes the actions taken by Gib Bulloch, the founder of Accenture Development Partnerships, a social venture within Accenture, to gain buy-in and to grow the unit within the firm. The future of the venture is in question due to a leadership transition at Accenture. A decision must be made about its separation from, or integration with, the rest of the firm.

The case describes the actions taken by Gib Bulloch, the founder of Accenture Development Partnerships, a social venture within Accenture, to gain buy-in and to grow the unit within the firm. The future of the venture is in question due to a leadership transition at Accenture. A decision must be made about its separation from, or integration with, the rest of the firm.

Explores the relationships formed between consumers and the Peapod consumer-direct grocery delivery service, as revealed through an ethnographic study of Boston-area Peapod shoppers conducted between the Summer of 1997 and the Fall of 1999. Three representative case histories are brought to life using extensive quotes from these selected longitudinal interviews. Closes with short vignettes describing the experiences of four additional service users so that students can offer relationship predictions using process insights derived from the detailed case studies. Together, the data-driven exercises are designed to deepen students' understanding of the development processes characterizing consumer-firm/brand interactions over time, toward the goal of more informed relationship marketing strategies and sharper brand relationship executions.