個案總覽

In January 2010, Andrew Witty realized that the Pharmaceutical Patent Pool in and of itself was insufficient to generate action on neglected tropical diseases. He announced, therefore the "Open Labs, Open Minds" strategy. Was this enough to encourage action for neglected diseases affecting the world's poorest? How would GSK's shareholders react?

In February 2009, Andrew Witty reflected on his vision for big pharma as a catalyst for change which focused on two key issues: 1) promoting innovation for the products that treat or prevent neglected tropical diseases and 2) improving access to medicines in the world's poorest countries. He had announced the creation of the "Pharmaceutical Patent Pool" and wondered if it was the right strategy to deliver on the two key issues.

The Chief Information and Security Officer (CISO) of HDFC Bank Ltd, a leading private sector bank in India, is examining the options before him in strengthening the bank's online security subsequent to a phishing attack on the bank's customers. Introducing an additional level of security involving new gateways for each online transaction seems a foregone conclusion. But the CISO must contend with customer convenience which is becoming a source of differentiation in a competitive banking scenario. The case provides an opportunity for students to develop a road map for the CISO in reinforcing the online security of a new generation bank.

The case describes the development of Caesar's sustainability initiative program, the effect of the initiative on employee engagement and motivation, and on customer satisfaction.

Through 2007, Crocs grew rapidly, and its stock soared. In early 2008, the stock plunged, as analysts cited excess inventory. During 2008, revenues decreased, and the company restructured. The B case summarizes these developments, and asks what the company should do now.

Calveta Dining Services contracts with senior living facilities (SLFs) for the management of food service to residents. Created by Antonio Calveta and built on his passion for food and traditional family values, the firm had enjoyed three decades of strong growth when Antonio retired and named his eldest son, Frank, CEO. Frank Calveta now struggles to carry out his father's directive: double revenues within five years while maintaining the humanistic and emphatically pro-employee company culture. Should he expand beyond the SLF market? Can he continue to maintain the quality level for which Calveta is renowned? Can he contend successfully with organizational and communications challenges?

The development coordinator for Just Us! Development Education Society (JUDES) was reviewing the preliminary agenda for the JUDES Annual General Meeting (AGM). The meeting would take place some time between May 1 and May 14, 2010, during Canada’s National Fair Trade Weeks. The coordinator was preparing her to-do list for the event. Just Us!, a Nova Scotia-based cooperative that offered fair trade products, had a very loyal regional following, and the coordinator wanted to communicate how the premium paid for fair trade products actually helped producer communities. She was planning several events for the AGM, most importantly presentations and discussions of the Community-based Tourism (CBT) trip that JUDES personnel had taken to Oaxaca, Mexico, in 2009, and planned to take again in 2010. For the AGM presentation, she wanted to organize the trip guidelines and the budget information into a triple bottom line format.

This case describes the situation for Globalive in 2009 shortly after its bid to enter the Canadian wireless telecommunications sector had been denied by the regulatory agency on the grounds that it breached foreign ownership restrictions. The case covers the background to Globalive and the events leading to the regulator’s decision. Andrea Wood, the chief legal officer of WIND Mobile, the wireless brand owned by Globalive, must decide what recommendations to make to Globalive’s chief executive officer.

This case study is based on a high-profile issue facing the Canadian federal government that began in 2008 and was still ongoing as of December 2010. Industry Canada, working from a set of policy objectives crafted over a period of three years, had decided that in the auction sale of wireless spectrum licenses in 2008, it would set aside 40 per cent of the licenses for new entrants. This decision had come about because research indicated that Canadian usage of wireless services had lagged behind that of other developed countries, mainly due to the high relative cost of wireless services. <br><br>One of the new entrants was Globalive Communications Corporation (Globalive), a start-up which was funded by Orascom Telecom Holding S.A.E., an Egyptian company. Despite the fact that Canada had well-defined foreign ownership restrictions for the telecommunications sector, Globalive was allowed to bid. It won, and paid $442 million for its spectrum, began to hire hundreds of staff, and committed another $300 million to investing in wireless infrastructure. From the time Globalive applied to participate in the spectrum auction to the period prior to its official launch, the firm met several times with Industry Canada, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), and the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to ensure that its ownership was structured so as to fit within the foreign ownership restrictions.<br><br>Pressure had been put on the CRTC by carriers such as Rogers and Bell to conduct a formal review of Globalive, and this review had determined that Globalive did not fit within foreign ownership restrictions. However, the government had overturned this decision, revealing a conflict between regulation and policy.

The Royal Group Technologies case provides information on insider trading and other allegations faced by the former executive officer and the company’s management team. The executive officer founded the firm after immigrating to Canada from Italy, and built it up into a large conglomerate by the 1990s. However, by the early 2000s, stakeholders were starting to question some of management’s practices, including awarding themselves high levels of compensation and engaging in related party transactions. The allegations led to charges being laid by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in 2008. An Ontario Superior Court justice acquitted the management team in late 2009, providing a soon-to-graduate MBA student the chance to review the company’s successes and challenges in the hope that some general lessons about corporate governance could be distilled.

In July 2010, Microsoft, the global leader in software, services, and solutions, announced record revenue of US$62.48 billion for the year ending June 30, 2010, an increase of 7% from the previous year. This came as a relief to investors, given that the previous year had seen the company report its first-ever annual drop in sales. Founded in 1975, Microsoft's software pervaded computers worldwide. The company had traditionally been regarded as being on the cutting edge of software and services. However, for some time-particularly since the middle of the last decade-it had been increasingly criticised for having had the opportunity for massive disruptive potential in the market but repeatedly allowing it to slip away. Its huge employee base of bright and talented engineers had not kept up with the creativity and innovation displayed by its competitors, whether it was Apple's iPod or iPad, Google's search engine, Nintendo's Wii, Amazon's Kindle, or social networking services such as Facebook and Twitter. Despite its undisputed financial success, Microsoft was being described as having become a "clumsy, uncompetitive innovator". In a tangible reflection of this concern, on 26 May 2010, Microsoft's position as the technology industry's most valuable player was overtaken for the first time in many years, when Apple exceeded the company's US$219.2 billion market capitalisation by almost US$3 billion. Then on 4 October 2010, Goldman Sachs downgraded Microsoft's stock, which it had supported since the company's initial public offering in 1986. Why was Microsoft no longer creating the truly disruptive and breakthrough technological products and services that the company used to pride itself on? How could the company once again regain its position as the powerhouse of technology innovation?

In 1984 the express delivery company Aramex had launched several small offices in the Middle East, hoping to become the first courier company based in that region. Money was tight, and cofounder and CEO Ghandour describes Aramex in those days as a scrappy, hand-to-mouth business. Global courier companies shied away from the Middle East, in part because there was little market demand for their services, and in part because civil wars and complex political relationships presented enormous logistical and bureaucratic challenges. Often the local postal authorities had a virtual monopoly on deliveries. In this context Aramex approached the Seattle-based Airborne Express, a respected logistics company, offering to sell a 50% stake for $100,000. Airborne turned down the offer, but promised to send some regional business Aramex's way. That gave Aramex the credibility to approach other leading couriers; by 1987 FedEx was also a client. Over the next two decades, the Arab start-up took full advantage of Airborne's experience, technology, and global reach to learn and grow. It became part of Airborne's global alliance of regional courier companies, and access to Airborne's package-tracking technology gave Aramex an enormous competitive advantage at a very low cost. In 1996 Airborne acquired 9% of Aramex for $2 million, and the following year Aramex became the first Arab company to trade on the NASDAQ.

Job requirements at the top of corporations have changed. Companies have come to expect much more from their C-level executives, who need new and different skills to deal with today's business realities. Exactly what abilities do firms want in their leaders-now and in the future? By examining hundreds of job profiles developed by executive-search firm Heidrick & Struggles and interviewing numerous senior managers, the authors have identified some clear trends. One strikingly consistent finding is that today technical and functional expertise matters less at the top than business acumen and "soft" leadership skills do. Members of senior management now have more in common with their peers than with the people they manage. To thrive at the C-level, you must be a strong communicator, a collaborator, and a strategic thinker. You need a global mind-set and will be expected to offer your CEO deep insights on key business decisions. This article explores those developments in more detail and explains other findings about the latest requirements in each of seven C-level jobs: CIO, chief marketing and sales officer, CFO, general counsel, chief supply-chain management officer, chief human resources officer, and CEO. It offers a road map for ambitious managers who want to know which skills they should focus on developing in order to rise up the chain of command.

People reinvent themselves all the time-they may want a new challenge, a new line of work, or a new image among their colleagues. Taking control of your brand can mean the difference between an unfulfilling job and a rewarding career. But how can you persuade others to take the reinvented you seriously? The author presents a five-step approach: (1) Define your destination: Check out industry trade journals, do informational interviews, even try an internship. See if your company offers shadow programs or sabbaticals. Then build the skills necessary for your new path, (2) Leverage your points of difference: Use your past experiences and your distinguishing characteristics to your advantage, even if they're not strictly relevant to your work, (3) Develop a narrative: Learn to communicate exactly how your past fits into your present, and focus on the value your experience brings (rather than on your own interests) when explaining your transition, (4) Reintroduce yourself: Strategically re-educate your friends and acquaintances, addressing negative perceptions if necessary. Get involved with projects that will showcase your new interests and abilities, (5) Prove your worth: Use the internet to create and share your content. Associate with the leading organizations in your field. Be consistent and committed as you move forward.

John Donahoe took over for Meg Whitman, eBay's celebrated longtime CEO, just under three years ago. The core business was slipping, and eBay's acquisition of Skype had gone wrong. The challenge facing him was how to keep the company strong despite enormous changes in consumer behavior. He talks about capitalizing on mobile technology-eBay's iPhone application, "by far the largest m-commerce application in the world," went from $600 million in volume in 2009 to between $1.5 billion and $2 billion in 2010-and breaking down the barriers between online and offline. The company's acquisitions of RedLaser and Milo, for example, mean that you can walk into a store, scan an item you want with your smartphone, and learn its price both across the web and at merchants within five or 10 miles of you. Because the ability to search for products on the Internet has undercut the power of eBay's auctions, Donahoe is working to make its marketplace indifferent to format. He expects that fixed-price sales will eventually account for 70% of transactions. But that will require re-architecting almost every element of the business system.

Zoom buttons on digital devices let us examine images from many viewpoints. They also provide an apt metaphor for modes of strategic thinking. Some people prefer to see things up close, others from afar. Both perspectives have virtues. But they should not be fixed positions, says Harvard Business School's Kanter. To get a complete picture, leaders need to zoom in and zoom out. A close-in perspective is often found in relationship-intensive settings. It brings details into sharp focus and makes opportunities look large and compelling. But it can have significant downsides. Leaders who prefer to zoom in tend to create policies and systems that depend too much on politics and favors. They can focus too closely on personal status and on turf protection. And they often miss the big picture. When leaders zoom out, they can see events in context and as examples of general trends. They are able to make decisions based on principles. Yet a far-out perspective also has traps. Leaders can be so high above the fray that they don't recognize emerging threats. Having zoomed out to examine all possible routes, they may fail to notice when the moment is right for action on one path. They may also seem too remote and aloof to their staffs. The best leaders can zoom in to examine problems and then zoom out to look for patterns and causes. They don't divide the world into extremes-idiosyncratic or structural, situational or strategic, emotional or contextual. The point is not to choose one over the other but to learn to move across a continuum of perspectives.

Grockit, Farbood Nivi's online-education start-up, had only 15 employees in the spring of 2009 when Nivi's scooter was hit by a minivan, and the CEO found himself in the emergency room with a severely damaged kidney. He underwent surgery and was out of the office for about six weeks. Then, shortly after his return, he learned that he needed a second operation, which was followed by another long recovery period. Not until the following December was he back at work full time. Nivi's efforts to stay involved and keep Grockit afloat-with the help of some proactive employees-made clear to him that he needed more help in running his business. He hired a chief marketing officer and a chief business development and strategy officer, and stepped aside so that a veteran Google manager could come aboard as CEO. (Nivi now serves as president and chief product officer.) He believes that the accident changed his outlook in two key ways: He lives a little bit more for the things he really enjoys, and he's quicker to move on things that need to be changed.

One of the world's most celebrated architects talks about inspiration, teamwork, and the importance of good workplace design.

A new study by Zakary Tormala of Stanford Business School looks at how the certainty of a person's opinion affects his ability to influence others. A lot depends on whether the opinion is from an expert or an amateur. The surprising finding: Experts are more persuasive when they express uncertainty, but amateurs are more compelling when they express confidence.

Infusion had grown over the 10 years between 2000 and 2010 to become a $50 million per year international software services business with 350 employees. The president was wondering how he could move the company towards becoming a $100 million per year international business through a mix of organic growth and initiatives with partners. The entrepreneurial vision of its original founders lived on in many ways, but the company had found it necessary to install an administrative structure with a professional management layer to underpin delivery in both domestic and international markets. It had not been an easy ride. The company had encountered problems in India, and there had been periods of staff attrition and challenging deliveries to clients. Clients were beginning to pull the company in new directions. The pace of technology change appeared to be relentless. While entrepreneurship was still encouraged in the form of an idea incubator called Infusion Angels, the CEO was faced with some critical decisions.