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VDart Inc (VDart) was founded by Sidd Ahmed in December 2007 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, as a digital talent management and services firm, which grew at a steady rate to reach US$160 million in annual revenue and more than 2,550 employees in 2019. The same year, the company was classified as the 138th largest and fifty-sixth fastest-growing staffing firm in the United States. VDart's global servicing hub was based in Tiruchirappalli, India, with about 380 employees who served clients from seven geographic locations. VDart differentiated itself from its competitors through its core values of appreciation, recognition, and encouragement (ARE) and through unique cultural practices including shout-outs during Monday conference calls, Friday Lunch & Learn sessions, and annual reward and recognition (R&R) events. Growing rapidly, VDart had set itself an ambitious goal of becoming a $500 million revenue firm by December 2022. However, the rapid growth was putting a strain on the existing culture, making it challenging to sustain and nurture it. Ahmed and the top management were finding it increasingly difficult to instill the VDart culture in new employees, realizing that the values which had propelled VDart's success thus far would not take it to the next level. The case describes the company's twelve-year growth journey, its unique cultural practices, and the growing pains, inviting students to think about options to manage culture during rapid growth.

In December 2019, Pembina Pipeline Corporation (Pembina) must evaluate an opportunity to partner with the Western Indigenous Pipeline Group (WIPG) to bid for the Trans Mountain Expansion (TMX) project owned by the Canadian government. Pembina's chief executive officer had previously stated that the company was unlikely to bid on the pipeline due to the challenging legal landscape, especially regarding Indigenous land rights. However, since WIPG consists of Indigenous communities along the pipeline's route, partnering could mitigate these concerns. If the project succeeds, the payback could solidify Pembina's position as a market leader in oil and gas. Should Pembina proceed with the WIPG partnership? And if they do, how should they manage relations with governments and other stakeholders?

Speaking truth to power is just table stakes when it comes to real leadership-which requires the courage to challenge beliefs, fears, and blind spots.

The Social Purpose of the Firm (SPF) is a short module designed to explore how, and under what circumstances, business leaders can harness the power of capitalism and markets to "make a difference in the world" - that is, to address a significant societal problem as a commercial endeavor. This Module Note summarizes the cases and themes discussed in SPF. Together, the cases are designed to study entrepreneurs and business leaders who are tackling some of the world's most complex problems and understand 1) how to identify the problems or challenges that have both commercial potential and a positive impact on society; 2) the opportunities and limitations of the private sector's role in systems change; and 3) how to collaborate with other societal entities to operate most successfully in a cross-sectoral fashion.

Manuel Hernandez, mill manager at Duoro Mine (Duoro), located near Arequipa, Peru, was considering options for increasing output to take advantage of a recent spike in commodity prices. It was Wednesday, January 25, 2023, and prices for copper and gold, the main products of Duoro, were trading at historical highs compared to their five-year average. The mine manager had asked Hernandez to make recommendations about increasing production, and Hernandez had identified three options. Students are expected to evaluate each option and decide which, if any, would address Diaz’s objectives of increasing output and minimizing financial risks.

Much of the quantum research community is focused on showing quantum advantage that a quantum computer can perform a calculation that is impossible on a classical computer. The authors contend that enterprises should focus instead on seeking opportunities for quantum economic advantage when a quantum computer provides a commercially relevant solution faster than a classical computer could, or when a quantum computer provides viable solutions that differ from what a classical computer yields.

Singapore Airlines Ltd (SIA) is an aviation company headquartered in Singapore. It is majority-owned by Temasek Holdings, a Singapore government investment and holding company. SIA adopts various strategies to sustain and grow its business operations, even in the midst of the Covid 19-pandemic, while devising plans to propel it toward a bright future. The evolving key issues and challenges SIA faces include: (a) Covid-19 pandemic travel restrictions that have impaired SIA's business operations; (b) the lack of sustainable alternative revenue generating options outside of commercial and cargo flight services; (c) its inability to cover expenses and recurring payments that affected the optimization of its commercial flights operations that eventually led to its underutilization; (d) damage to its corporate reputation stemming from backlash from environmental activism groups in Singapore and other eco-conscious customers; (e) developing viable business strategies to bounce back while navigating the post-Covid-19 pandemic era. Aside from these, when examined from the decarbonization and environmental sustainability across its operations front, there are strategic systematic issues in SIA's usage of its new-generation aircrafts, adoption and implementation of low-carbon technology. The case is intended to help participants to better appreciate how an airline operates to sustain its business operations and growth.

In 2021, a coalition of seven First Nations communities was exploring a potential partnership with Premium Brand Holdings Corporation (Premium Brands). If executed, this partnership would constitute the single largest investment in the seafood industry by any Indigenous group in Canada. Chief Terry Paul, the Chief of Membertou First Nation in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, had ambitious goals. He desired to develop his community to become economically and financially self-sufficient in order to free it from dependence on government funding. In 2020, John Risley, co-founder of Clearwater Seafoods Incorporated (Clearwater), shared his plans to retire with Paul and asked him to consider purchasing the company, as he believed Paul and his community would be good stewards of Clearwater. Seeing the opportunity, Paul formed partnerships with six other First Nations communities in Atlantic Canada, but they needed to secure additional funding, and sought a corporate partner to assist. While Paul searched for a partner who would be willing to eventually allow the coalition to purchase 100 per cent of Clearwater, the best offer he received was for a 50/50 ownership split with Premium Brands. Although Premium Brands was not willing to accept Paul’s ownership criteria, this deal would have a significant impact for the First Nation communities. Should Paul set aside his criteria and accept the counteroffer? How could he secure this deal while maximizing the benefit for all stakeholders?

In June of 2022, Jada Abimbola, chief executive officer and owner of Workplace Safety Trainers (WST), needed to develop a strategy for the business after experiencing stagnating profits during the coronavirus pandemic. WST was one of Ontario's foremost private occupational health and safety companies, providing training for businesses that needed to comply with the standards of the Ontario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training, and Skills Development. Abimbola was considering several alternatives to revive the business while remaining committed to its new employee-centred focus: maintain the status quo, offer first aid training, or develop and sell a new line of physical goods. Abimbola was also considering cashing in on her investment by selling the business and moving on. This case will also serve as a talking point for the importance of occupational health and safety in various industries.

Origo Commodities Indian Pvt. Ltd. (Origo) had grown to achieve revenue of US$40 million in just a decade, making it one of the leading players in India's agricultural commodity sector. The co-founders had explored various avenues to accelerate growth but had repeatedly encountered employees' discomfort with implementing technology. By 2020, with emerging competition, growing investor interest, and the movement of government processes to online platforms, they needed to take tough decisions now to grow further. Would restructuring the organization and hiring technology-proficient replacements be their only option? Since the employees had been with Origo since its inception, replacing them would be an agonizing decision. The founders had to decide what to do and how to do it before their investors' meeting in four weeks.

The owner of Primes and Zooms, a retail still photography rental organization based in Pune, India, was facing a hard choice in the spring of 2022. After ten years in the business, he saw that the market was changing in some unexpected ways. These changes, coupled with the challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic had brought, meant that Primes and Zooms needed to determine a new growth strategy. There had been fast-paced growth in the video photography space, compared to the still photography space. The options were as follows: should Primes and Zooms enter new geographies with its existing still photography business, or should it expand its current locations to include video rental services?

Lululemon Athletica Inc. was a Canadian multinational athletic apparel company for women and men. Founded Vancouver in 1998, the company ended fiscal year 2020 with a strong performance, bringing in over US$4.4 billion in annual sales. However, with only 14 per cent of its sales coming from international markets outside North America, the company’s priorities for 2021 and beyond included global expansion. As of February 2021, the new executive vice-president international was a month into his role and faced the challenge of quadrupling 2018 international sales of US$360 million to US$1.44 billion by the end of 2023. How many new stores should Lululemon Athletica Inc. plan to open in each of the company’s three major international markets of China, Asia-Pacific, and Europe? Which geographic regions or countries should it focus on to grow the Vancouver-based company internationally?

This is the Student Spreadsheet that accompanies product W29942.

On the morning of May 7, 2021, Colonial Pipeline Company became aware that the company had been the victim of a malicious ransomware attack that had stolen and locked up company data. The extortionists demanded 75 bitcoins (worth about $4.4 million at the time) in exchange for the decryption tool needed to unlock the data. To contain the system infection, the control room promptly shut down all company pipelines that transported nearly half of all refined oil products consumed in the East Coast of the United States. Within hours, external experts and governmental authorities were assembled to help but information was still limited on how to manage the cyberattack. As the passing of every minute threatened the oil supply to 13 states and the nation's capital, CEO of Colonial Pipeline, Joseph Blount had to make one crucial decision: whether to pay the ransom or not. The case discusses Colonial Pipeline's cybersecurity practices, ransomware trends, detail of the ransomware attack at Colonial, impact of the attack, Colonial's response to the attack, and post-attack repercussion. Overall, the case prompts readers to contemplate how organizations should prevent and respond to the ever-increasing threat of cyber breaches.

Lululemon Athletica Inc. was a Canadian multinational athletic apparel company for women and men. Founded Vancouver in 1998, the company ended fiscal year 2020 with a strong performance, bringing in over US$4.4 billion in annual sales. However, with only 14 per cent of its sales coming from international markets outside North America, the company's priorities for 2021 and beyond included global expansion. As of February 2021, the new executive vice-president international was a month into his role and faced the challenge of quadrupling 2018 international sales of US$360 million to US$1.44 billion by the end of 2023. How many new stores should Lululemon Athletica Inc. plan to open in each of the company's three major international markets of China, Asia-Pacific, and Europe? Which geographic regions or countries should it focus on to grow the Vancouver-based company internationally?

Spreadsheet Supplement for Case W29942

Spreadsheet supplement to case 523033.

NET ZERO TO NET HERO - CAN WE GROSS IT? is a two-part case that highlights the pressing need for businesses to move towards sustainable practices. This is particularly relevant in today's Climate Crisis environment, where governments and businesses need to work together at COP summits to lay out policy roadmaps. Paving the way for sustainability in a firm, is a multipronged approach with interlinkages to local as well as global policy directives and understanding this, through the context of what CII does, gives the bigger picture for any small, medium or large firm to strategically plan and communicate their approach to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as well as to be seen as clearly "walking the talk" when it comes to showcasing themselves as being oriented towards truly caring for the planet.

Corporate training isn't all fun and games, but maybe it should be. Most of us have (often grudgingly) used corporate learning systems. We skim through 50-slide PowerPoint decks hoping to correctly guess enough answers to pass so that we can get back to our "real work." Much of what we learn is often forgotten by the time we receive our certificate of completion. But a new study, conducted at the professional services firm KPMG, shows that gamified training done right-lessons conducted carefully and over time, incorporating elements such as progression through challenges and levels, instant feedback, points, and competition-can significantly improve employee performance.

When it comes to providing career development support for employees, most companies offer three key elements visibility into opportunities and paths, the means to learn and practice, and rich feedback and coaching only to high-potential performers. The authors explain how organizations can integrate those elements into a career development system that works across all levels of the workforce to boost retention and cultivate needed skills.