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The director of the Infection Prevention and Control Unit at the University Health Network (UHN), in Toronto, Canada, is working to reduce healthcare acquired infections (HAIs) by using a different way to communicate with hospital staff. Through positive deviance (PD), participants are gaining new perspectives to help identify the changes that are needed to reduce HAIs. The initiative has been successful at UHN. Now the director needs to figure out how to spread the success of positive deviance to more health care regions and facilities in Canada and the United States to improve patient lives and the quality of health care.

The case presents the sequence of events that occurred when a global leader in automated information management technology had to compete fiercely to retain one of its key customers. It presents the environment for B2B sales and the challenges facing the company in a fiercely competitive scenario. The case describes in detail the politics and personalities involved and the importance of relationships and optimism in making sales. It is intended to stimulate readers to explore situation restoration strategies for an existing technology provider that faces the emergence of a capable competitor. Discussion of such strategies involves ethical considerations and highlights the thin divide between ethics and diplomacy in selling efforts.

The case presents the sequence of events that occurred when a global leader in automated information management technology had to compete fiercely to retain one of its key customers. It presents the environment for B2B sales and the challenges facing the company in a fiercely competitive scenario. The case describes in detail the politics and personalities involved and the importance of relationships and optimism in making sales. It is intended to stimulate readers to explore situation restoration strategies for an existing technology provider that faces the emergence of a capable competitor. Discussion of such strategies involves ethical considerations and highlights the thin divide between ethics and diplomacy in selling efforts.

This case describes in rich detail the change challenge the director of pharmacy services at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) faces in September 2011. She is responsible for implementing project HUGO, an acronym for Health Care UnderGoing Optimization. HUGO is a computerized system that requires a switch from paper and pencil to fully electronic patient records. This project is the most complex and comprehensive one that London area hospitals have ever undergone: the project includes a total of 11 healthcare organizations in London and surrounding region, with expected project costs in excess of $25 million. Implementing HUGO has the potential to save lives in the hospital, where critical errors are often linked to manual processes that involve multiple steps and people. Despite the strong reasons for implementing this project, the director expects significant resistance from nurses, doctors and staff who are used to their way of operating. It is clear that this change challenge involves not just the adoption of new technology but a significant cultural change.

In April 2011, Sony’s PlayStation and Qriocity services were attacked by an illegal and unauthorized intrusion into the company network, compromising user account information. For five days, the corporation turned off both its PlayStation Network and Qriocity services while it conducted a full and complete investigation with the help of an external security firm. Although brief statements about the issue were posted on the PlayStation blog site, Sony did not publicly disclose the full extent of the security breach or the expected date when network services might return to normal, leaving many people speculating if personal or financial information had been illegally obtained. The timing was complicated by the imminent announcement of the launch of Sony’s first tablet computer. With its public statement, Sony intended to communicate key points of information about, explanations of and solutions to the network interruption. With over 70 million PlayStation Network and Qriocity service user accounts worldwide, customers, industry analysts, investors, consumer protection groups and government officials were all waiting for answers.

On a mission to give "hope, chance and choice" to underprivileged students, Erwin Huang started the social enterprise WebOrganic to sell quality computers and internet services to students at below-market prices. In its first year of operation, the company had already served more than 7,000 low-income families, and had expanded from being a technology distributor to becoming a provider of a full-fledged service surrounding online learning. Now entering its second year, WebOrganic continues to face resistance from parents and educators in e-learning adoption as it introduces tablet computers to its product mix. This case is about creating a blue ocean in the overlapping zones of the computer and internet services retail market and a growing e-learning market. It explores ideas pertaining to the design and execution of a blue ocean strategy; including such topics such value innovation, the four actions framework and tipping point leadership. The case also touches on concepts of strategic relationship management and social entrepreneurship.

On January 31, 2012, The Associated Press released what would soon become a major news story, writing: "The nation's leading breast-cancer charity, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, is halting its partnerships with Planned Parenthood affiliates creating a bitter rift, linked to the abortion debate, between two iconic organizations that have assisted millions of women. The change will mean a cutoff of hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants, mainly for breast exams." The article cited "newly adopted criteria barring grants to organizations that are under investigation by local, state or federal authorities" and referenced a congressional investigation of Planned Parenthood as the key reason for the change. Planned Parenthood accused Komen of "bowing to pressure from anti-abortion activists." Planned Parenthood's president Cecile Richards said, "It's hard to understand how an organization with whom we share a mission of saving women's lives could have bowed to this kind of bullying. It's really hurtful." The controversy roiled the nation, drawing politicians, activists, the press and supporters of both organizations into a painful battle that pitted one venerable women's health organization against another. Each organization appealed to its constituents-using the mainstream press and social media outlets-to support their position: Komen leaders emphasized the importance of administering high quality grants to direct service providers; Planned Parenthood claimed that women's health was being jeopardized for the sake of political expediency. Social media outlets were flooded with messages largely supporting Planned Parenthood and castigating Komen, which capitulated after four days of social and mass media criticism and reversed its funding decision. This case explores the power of social media to drive social change by asking students to consider the effect of a well-managed social media campaign as well as the cost of inaction in a social media driven environment.

This six-part video case series features social entrepreneur Craig Kielburger as he faces pivotal moments in his life and the remarkable evolution of his organization. The primary dilemmas are strategic in nature and their solutions rely on leadership and social entrepreneurship. Students assume the role of Craig Kielburger in each case, which begins with a video set-up, followed by a short one- or two-page case and a discussion, and concludes with Craig describing what happened in a video clip. (This no-fee product consists of five of the six cases. Use product #9B12M031 to order the remaining case.)

The director of Lands and Economic Development in the Ministry of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) must make recommendations on how to handle challenges around a large farming company that leases land from First Nations communities in Western Canada. New Horizon Farms (NHF) has already leased over 180,000 acres from First Nations communities and plans to grow to one million acres. An immediate challenge is the leasing process whereby INAC must review and sign leases and receive lease payments, which are later turned over to the First Nations. The process slows the partnering process and the speed of cash flow to First Nations and many First Nations object to government control over their land on principle. However, without INAC involved, the leases are not legally enforceable, an essential factor for NHF and its public parent company. NHF provides leasing revenue but also training, employment, and shares in the company to the First Nations it partners with. On the surface it looks like a good opportunity, but it raises several questions for policy makers. Will NHF’s control of one million acres of First Nations land be seen as a form of economic colonialism? How does this kind of initiative fit with INAC’s and First Nations’ mandates to improve economic and social conditions among First Nations communities? How will the provinces and neighbouring communities perceive and react to the situation?<br><br>New Horizon Farms also needs to consider its long-term strategy. Will the operation meet its target of one million acres? What are the risks for the company? How should it approach the training issue now that funding has finished?

When Joseph Jimenez joined Novartis, in 2007, the company was facing a big challenge: Its blockbuster drug Diovan, which accounted for more than 20% of the pharmaceutical division's revenue, would lose its U.S. patent in 2012. His senior executives had some ideas for offsetting the loss--about 100 of them. From that list they chose three on which to focus: (1) The division invested significantly in testing Afinitor (a treatment for renal cell carcinoma that was nearly ready for market) in breast cancer. (2) It set up Novartis China Commercial University to screen, hire, and train several hundred salespeople for rapid expansion in high-growth markets. (3) It began to transition to an outcomes-based approach to selling medicine by offering to screen patients for responsiveness to new drugs before they're prescribed. Five years later, Jimenez writes, those efforts are beginning to pay off: Revenue is expected to remain stable even as Diovan gives way to generics.

When the history of an organization comes up, it's usually in connection with an anniversary--just part of the "balloons and fireworks" (as one business leader characterized his company's bicentennial celebration, knowing that the investment of time and money would have little staying power). A fast-changing world leaves little time for nostalgia and irrelevant details--or, worse, strategies for winning the last war. But the authors, business historians at the Winthrop Group, assert that leaders with no patience for history are missing a vital truth: A sophisticated understanding of the past is one of the most powerful tools they have for shaping the future. The job of leaders, most would agree, is to inspire collective efforts and devise smart strategies for the future. History can be profitably employed on both fronts. As a leader strives to get people working together productively, communicating the history of the enterprise can instill a sense of identity and purpose and suggest the goals that will resonate. In its most familiar form, as a narrative about the past, history is a rich explanatory tool with which executives can make a case for change and motivate people to overcome challenges. Taken to a higher level, it also serves as a potent problem-solving tool, one that offers pragmatic insights, valid generalizations, and meaningful perspectives--a way to cut through management fads and the noise of the moment to what really matters.

Most people are born creative. But over time, a lot of us learn to stifle those impulses. We become warier of judgment, more cautious, more analytical. The world seems to divide into "creatives" and "noncreatives," and too many people resign themselves to the latter category. And yet we know that creativity is essential to success in any discipline or industry. The good news, according to authors Tom Kelley and David Kelley of IDEO, is that we all can rediscover our creative confidence. The trick is to overcome the four big fears that hold most of us back: fear of the messy unknown, fear of judgment, fear of the first step, and fear of losing control. The authors use an approach based on the work of psychologist Albert Bandura in helping patients get over their snake phobias: You break challenges down into small steps and then build confidence by succeeding on one after another. Creativity is something you practice, say the authors, not just a talent you are born with.

Muhammad Yunus, founder of Grameen Bank, on the power of social enterprise to solve the world's problems.

Frank Barnaba has rescued people from human trafficking situations for decades and received an award from President Reagan for his work. Now retired, he has started the Barnaba Institute to continue his humanitarian mission. As its president, Frank is involved in providing direct services to victims of sex trafficking, often in dangerous urban environments in the Northeast. The Barnaba Institute not only provides necessities, such as clothing, to victims, but also education and training about the scope and dangers of human trafficking to other organizations and the general public. Contacts with many organizations, such as Covenant House, the largest nonprofit child services agency in the U.S., have provided a forum for Frank's outreach and rescue techniques. Barnaba Institute's executive director, however, is concerned not only with accomplishing the organization's mission, but with finding adequate resources. Having used up the "seed" funding during its first three years, the executive director must now review its choices for continuing into the future.

Though innovation is critical to a company's growth, investors don't seem to factor companies' strength or weakness at R&D into decisions to buy stock.

Shelby Givens, a recent business school graduate, returned home to Raleigh, North Carolina to help rescue her family's ailing and outdated bowling alley, Westlake Lanes. Although she cut costs and addressed inefficiencies, moving the business from near-bankruptcy to profitability in nine months, market conditions threatened the long-term viability of the business. Givens then sold her family on a new, more youth-oriented concept, an urban lounge called Sugar Bowl that could generate sizable revenues from the food and beverage businesses already embedded in Westlake Lanes. The case follows Givens as she builds Sugar Bowl into a turnaround story through shrewd decision-making in finance, operations, and marketing while contending constantly with challenging surprises and disappointments. The case also captures Givens's reflections on how the entrepreneurial drive that has motivated her. Sugar Bowl may be taught alone or after "Westlake Lanes" (4431), which follows Givens through the initial turnaround process.

Spreadsheet Supplement for Product #913537

Pure Organic Food and Juice Bar (Pure) is a restaurant located in Collingwood, Ontario specializing in raw, organic and vegan foods. The company’s strategy is to tap into the growing demand for food that is associated with a healthy and more sustainable lifestyle. However, the difficulty of attracting customers in a small town with seasonal fluctuations in the number of residents/visitors, combined with competition from “green” products provided by competing restaurants and grocery stores and the lack of a focused strategy have resulted in weak profit levels. The co-founders are wondering what needs to be changed to tap into the lucrative mainstream market. Students are pushed to think about how Pure should change its strategy, what sorts of marketing approaches it should use and, most importantly, how the co-founders can tap into the mainstream market without compromising their original values.

The focus of the case is on understanding firms’ campaign contributions and lobbying strategies — and their limits. The case centers on controversy facing Target Corporation in 2010. In the wake of the Citizens United decision, Target was one of the first companies to take advantage of their newly acquired freedom to use corporate treasury money (rather than money in a corporate-linked PAC) to make a contribution to an independent expenditure committee (aka “Super PAC”). <br><br>The company decided to make a donation to Minnesota Forward, a political action committee that had the primary goal of supporting job creation within the state. Pro-gay rights activists discovered that Minnesota Forward primarily backed Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer, who had previously supported traditional marriage. After this, Target, despite its liberal and socially responsible positioning, was subject to harsh criticism and activist protests as its donation was viewed as a contradiction to its social policies.<br><br>The events put CEO Gregg Steinhafel in a position to revisit the company’s policies towards political activities. Should there be constraints on what the firm would do on the political front? If so, what should those be?

The focus of the case is on understanding firms' campaign contributions and lobbying strategies - and their limits. The case centers on controversy facing Target Corporation in 2010. In the wake of the Citizens United decision, Target was one of the first companies to take advantage of their newly acquired freedom to use corporate treasury money (rather than money in a corporate-linked PAC) to make a contribution to an independent expenditure committee (aka "Super PAC"). The company decided to make a donation to Minnesota Forward, a political action committee that had the primary goal of supporting job creation within the state. Pro-gay rights activists discovered that Minnesota Forward primarily backed Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer, who had previously supported traditional marriage. After this, Target, despite its liberal and socially responsible positioning, was subject to harsh criticism and activist protests as its donation was viewed as a contradiction to its social policies. The events put CEO Gregg Steinhafel in a position to revisit the company's policies towards political activities. Should there be constraints on what the firm would do on the political front? If so, what should those be?