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Metaza SA (Metaza) was a family business created by two brothers who later invited their younger siblings to join the firm. Metaza operated in the steel sector, a capital-intensive business with fierce competition. The industry had experienced several mergers and acquisitions led by international players. To remain competitive, Metaza had changed its strategy, moving away from being a steel dealer and toward being a value-added producer. However, these changes generated debate within the family business, which operated with a low level of institutionalization. Consequently, the brothers hired a family business governance consultant for assistance. Metaza's chair and chief executive officer needed to learn how to implement these strategic changes so that he could pass the torch of a healthier organization.

In 2020, Neha Mathur and Debi Kar co-founded the start-up Wishyogi India Pvt. Limited in Bangalore, India, and launched an online HR platform called Personifwy. Driven by artificial intelligence (AI), Personifwy analyzes employee engagement experiences and integrates data with the client's own systems, thus serving as an HR analytics platform. During their interactions with clients, Mathur and Kar discovered a gap in the process of recruiting prospective employees. Many candidates were engaging in a phenomenon referred to as "ghosting," which caused the talent acquisition teams of client firms to constantly restart the process, wasting time and resources. Mathur and Kar wanted to reveal the reason why candidates were dropping out of the recruitment process (or "ghosting" the employer) after receiving an offer letter and find a way to stop the practice. Potential solutions included having the client call these candidates directly or hiring consultants to establish a contact. Could AI technology help to resolve the issue? Could Mathur and Kar design an innovative solution to increase the ratio of job offer to confirmed employee for Personifwy clients? Should the company consider using employees advocates to help resolve the ghosting issue?

In October 2019, the McDonald's Corporation board of directors, chaired by Enrique Hernandez, Jr., gathered to learn the results of their outside counsel's investigation into the conduct of the CEO. On the surface, the iconic fast-food chain was thriving as growing profits translated into share price gains. But unbeknownst to the public, a drama was unfolding that threatened the company's success and brand value. Hernandez and other directors listened intently as counsel explained their findings that the CEO had engaged in an inappropriate consensual relationship with an employee, in violation of the company's code of conduct. As directors grappled with the situation, they faced a litany of difficult questions. What action should they take with a CEO some were calling McDonald's "savior," credited with revitalizing the business and doubling its share price in under five years? Should they sanction him or possibly even remove him from office? And, if they did remove him, should he receive his potentially substantial severance package? How might shareholders, employees, and customers react-and to what extent should the directors consider stakeholder reactions in their deliberations?

In 2019, Daniel Pinto, President and COO of JPMorgan Chase, has to make a recommendation to the bank's Chairman and CEO, Jamie Dimon, about where to physically locate the bank's European trading operations after Brexit takes effect in 2020. The decision-making process considered a range of European locations, including Dublin, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, and Paris, and ultimately Pinto is left with a choice between Frankfurt and Paris. The case describes the decision-making process and gives an overview of JPMorgan's history in France and the French government's efforts to make the country more economically competitive to lure banks moving from London in the wake of Brexit.

An exodus of nurses from the profession is leaving health care leaders with a staffing shortage that can’t be ignored. To understand the factors behind the burnout and dissatisfaction driving nurses’ exit, the authors analyzed the free-text employer reviews nurses shared on Glassdoor. The results revealed what actions leaders can take to reverse the trend and resulted in an interactive tool that can be used to compare how 200 large health care systems stack up against one another.

"Working with Lawyers" explores effective management of external legal counsel in business. It highlights lawyers as precise "legal software engineers" and advises clients to balance expert advice with broader business goals. Building a trusted advisor relationship and realistic cost management are crucial. Early lawyer involvement, understanding the legal team, and recognizing cognitive biases are emphasized. Reading legal documents and avoiding last-minute changes are essential. Mistakes often result from communication breakdowns, necessitating efficient process management and communication channels for successful collaboration.

In October 2021, the head of digital communications and branding at the Australian biopharmaceutical conglomerate CSL Limited (CSL), was tasked with a strategic rebranding exercise. By August 2022, he and other stakeholders felt a sense of pride and satisfaction at how quickly the rebranding initiatives had been completed. CSL felt that it had achieved the desired brand associations and met its targeted brand net promoter score performance. Looking forward, the company's executives needed to outline an implementation plan to ensure CSL's brand positioning-its key differentiator-to ensure that CSL outpaced respected competitors and that the CSL brand connected with the company's product brands at each customer touchpoint-all while maintaining trust and attracting the best researchers possible.

In October 2021, the head of digital communications and branding at the Australian biopharmaceutical conglomerate CSL Limited (CSL), was tasked with a strategic rebranding exercise. By August 2022, he and other stakeholders felt a sense of pride and satisfaction at how quickly the rebranding initiatives had been completed. CSL felt that it had achieved the desired brand associations and met its targeted brand net promoter score performance. Looking forward, the company’s executives needed to outline an implementation plan to ensure CSL’s brand positioning—its key differentiator—to ensure that CSL outpaced respected competitors and that the CSL brand connected with the company’s product brands at each customer touchpoint—all while maintaining trust and attracting the best researchers possible.

In 2023, Nieves Segovia, President of the SEK Education Group in Spain, contemplates the future of her family's for-profit education company, which includes K-12 schools and the newly established UCJC university. Renowned for its innovation in education, SEK faces crucial decisions in a rapidly evolving market. Nieves Segovia grapples with the direction to prioritize for UCJC's growth strategy, considering whether to expand programs and degrees, invest further in online education post-COVID-19 success, or delve into lifelong learning opportunities.

In a groundbreaking move on September 20, 2022, Lasell University's President, Michael B. Alexander, announced an extraordinary 33% reduction in tuition, room, board, and fees, signaling a pivotal shift in higher education. Situated in an affluent Boston suburb, Lasell, a venerable 170-year institution, is taking a bold step to enhance transparency and affordability in response to the perennial escalation of college costs. This historic decision aims to recalibrate the value proposition of a college degree, attracting a more diverse student body, and challenging the prevailing narrative of spiraling tuition rates nationwide. The impact of this unprecedented policy shift is not confined to Lasell alone but reverberates through the broader landscape of American higher education, prompting a critical reassessment of the cost and value dynamics of pursuing a college education.

Suparshva Swabs India (SSI), a family-owned firm started by Brij Mohan Jain and his sons in 1992, when India was going through liberalization, began its journey in the personal-hygiene category by launching high-quality cotton swabs (also known as cotton buds). SSI had steadfastly managed environmental challenges on the regulatory, economic, financial, and competitive fronts to offer good-quality products in India at an affordable price. In early 2020, as COVID-19 struck the whole world and the Government of India was under pressure to increase the number of COVID-19 tests conducted per day, the high costs of importing cotton swabs from the United States, Italy, and China exacerbated the crisis, making real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests unaffordable for the average Indian and reducing the number of tests conducted per day. SSI identified the opportunity to produce swabs indigenously in India and substantially bring down the costs. With very little time to respond to the challenge and meet the government’s demand with a price acceptable to all stakeholders, SSI worked within severe time and cost constraints to make this possible. In August 2022, as the intensity of COVID-19 tapered off and a slew of substitute consumer-friendly methods for testing were arriving in the pipeline, SSI needed to determine what strategic alternatives were available for growth from this point.

Karen Chan was a Hong Kong second-generation leader in her family business, German Pool Hong Kong Limited (German Pool), a home appliance and furniture company founded by Karen’s father, Edward Chan. By July 2022, Karen had developed the family business and founded her own high-fashion brand, Sparkle Collection, amid ongoing disruptions in Hong Kong. Karen was an innovator of products and ideas for the family business, but her niche venture Sparkle Collection gave her an understanding of the hardship her father faced starting a new business from scratch. Social unrest in Hong Kong in 2019 and the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 had a strong impact on the economy, drastically affecting sales of premium products. Karen pivoted to make her venture survive. She also created a new strategic plan for the enterprise’s portfolio. Sparkle Collection targeted a niche artistic and cultural sector. In contrast, German Pool’s appliance and furniture business, along with its Happy Kitchen Cafe, catered to the mass market. Karen knew that it could take years of continued investment in Sparkle Collection to make it a “star” in the portfolio. She wondered if she could balance her roles as steward of the family business, while pursuing her passion as the entrepreneurial founder of Sparkle Collection. Should she continue to invest in her venture despite uncertainties in the economy and in her own future? Or should she give up on Sparkle Collection and refocus her efforts on steering German Pool’s existing business through the pandemic?

Effective leaders use pushback as an opportunity to boost learning while moving their organizations forward. The authors describe three primary mistakes leaders make when responding to ambivalence, disagreement, or resistance and offer five guidelines to help them better respond.

Scuderia Ferrari SPA, the racing division of the auto manufacturer Ferrari, was the oldest and most successful team in Formula One. Since the inception of the sport of Formula One in 1950, Ferrari had never missed a season. Having navigated many technological changes over the past seven decades, Ferrari faced the latest innovations in sports and beyond: data and digitalization. What were the opportunities and roadblocks ahead? The Maranello-based company founded by Enzo Ferrari needed to make some strategic decisions about its use of data and technology.

Udaan was an Indian business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce start-up founded in 2016. Initially, it grew at a brisk pace, achieving unicorn status in record time. For the small retailers Udaan targeted, the pre-existing product distribution chain was long, inefficient, and highly fractured. With the arrival of e-commerce, deepening cell phone penetration, and the government’s increased interest in digitization, many start-ups emerged in the B2B e-commerce space. While most players adopted a vertical-based business model focused on specific product categories, Udaan pursued top-line growth and attacked the sector’s inefficiencies with a horizontal, cross-category business model. As of 2021, the valuation of Udaan’s competitors have grown much faster than its own. In face of this pressure, Udaan’s founders had to consider revisiting their strategy and exploring other options.

In the 2020s, with the emergence of a variety of digital technologies, Prada Group was interested in developing a new digital strategy. The global leading luxury fashion house headquartered in Milan, Italy, was recognized for its innovation and creativity. It sought a strategy that reflected the values and legacy of the company, while considering the sense of exclusivity that consumers of luxury brands desired. Prada Group was considering a digital strategy involving either the Metaverse or Web3 through the launch of a non-fungible token or by offering branded headsets and other equipment for customers to enter the Metaverse. Both the Metaverse and Web3 were relatively new technology concepts, not commonly known for interacting with luxury fashion brands. The company had to decide if it should explore an opportunity involving the Metaverse or Web3, or if it should instead find a way to remain relevant to customers by pursuing another digital strategy.