個案總覽

Lilium is a German company focused on developing electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles (eVTOLs) that can be used to offer air taxi services. The company went public in September 2021 through a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) deal, raising more than $800 million. While Daniel Wiegand (the co-founder and CEO) is confident about the design of the company's latest seven-seater aircraft, he is still struggling with the business model. Lilium has three main options. First, it can offer air mobility services to passengers, i.e., become a full-service B2C company. Second, it can become an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), selling its jets to other companies that offer mobility services (B2B option). Third, Lilium can choose a hybrid option, offering air mobility to end-users in certain markets while selling its jets to other air mobility service providers.

Breastcancer.org (BCO), a small, Pennsylvania-based non-profit organization with a $5.4 million annual budget in 2020, was looking ahead several months to the start of Pink October (also known as Breast Cancer Awareness Month). Unlike the many non-profits that focused on medical research to find a cure for breast cancer, BCO was dedicated to helping patients and their caregivers make sense of complex information, and it had established a digital community that became a trusted source of information and stories. BCO’s vice-president of partnerships and development was preparing for the 2019–2020 fiscal year-end review with the chief executive officer and the board of directors. While BCO was not at risk of closing, it had to find ways to increase revenue beyond individual donations and corporate sponsorships. The organization needed funding from additional revenue streams to expand its program offering, and the vice-president had just a few weeks to complete her assessment of BCO’s assets and revenue strategy, which she would present to the board.

Over his 40-year career, Paul Polman had led some of the world's largest consumer goods companies, making his biggest mark as CEO of Unilever-a multi-national corporation that produced everything from soap to soup. Polman was also well-regarded as a leader in corporate social responsibility (CSR) and had consistently staked his career on the message that doing better for the planet and its inhabitants ultimately made for better business. Many called him visionary; others felt he was misguided. But thanks to his sterling business credentials, when Polman spoke, people listened. And speak out he did, trying to win over corporate leaders to his vision of how business should serve society, and not the other way around. Now, having stepped down from Unilever and living in the midst of the biggest global health crisis in a century, he wondered how to rally business and civic leaders to do more to fight climate change, preserve biodiversity, and reduce global inequity.

Breastcancer.org (BCO), a small, Pennsylvania-based non-profit organization with a $5.4 million annual budget in 2020, was looking ahead several months to the start of Pink October (also known as Breast Cancer Awareness Month). Unlike the many non-profits that focused on medical research to find a cure for breast cancer, BCO was dedicated to helping patients and their caregivers make sense of complex information, and it had established a digital community that became a trusted source of information and stories. BCO's vice-president of partnerships and development was preparing for the 2019-2020 fiscal year-end review with the chief executive officer and the board of directors. While BCO was not at risk of closing, it had to find ways to increase revenue beyond individual donations and corporate sponsorships. The organization needed funding from additional revenue streams to expand its program offering, and the vice-president had just a few weeks to complete her assessment of BCO's assets and revenue strategy, which she would present to the board.

The social enterprise Apni Shala Foundation (ASF) provided social and emotional learning programs to disadvantaged communities in Mumbai, India. Since its founding in 2013, ASF had engaged with more than 16,000 students. Before February 2020, ASF was directly engaged with more than 4,600 students, 1,000 parents, and more than 500 teachers at 35 government schools and non-profit organizations. However, on March 31, 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced ASF to shut its office and discontinue operations, and its mission of equipping children, educators, and parents with skills to support improved mental well-being stopped abruptly. Amrita Nair, the co-founder of ASF now faced a dilemma regarding resuming the foundation’s social and emotional learning programs: If ASF did continue, which categories should it choose to serve, and why? How could it transform its offerings and operations without compromising much on the quality of programs?

Driven by a passion to develop his own brand, Sandeep Yadav started Rock Pharmacy in 2014 in a rented area of 700 square feet and with seed capital of US$6,665. His primary customers were patients who required medication regularly for conditions including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and kidney issues, and people who worked for companies in the local area. The venture dealt mainly in patented medication. However, over 2018-2020, there had been a dramatic decrease in sales and profits due to the rise of e-pharmacies and organized pharma, and the business was struggling to meet its operating expenses. Considering the options available to save his business, Yadav had to decide: should he give up his brand and collaborate with online/organized pharma players, or should he compete with them?

Driven by a passion to develop his own brand, Sandeep Yadav started Rock Pharmacy in 2014 in a rented area of 700 square feet and with seed capital of US$6,665. His primary customers were patients who required medication regularly for conditions including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and kidney issues, and people who worked for companies in the local area. The venture dealt mainly in patented medication. However, over 2018-2020, there had been a dramatic decrease in sales and profits due to the rise of e-pharmacies and organized pharma, and the business was struggling to meet its operating expenses. Considering the options available to save his business, Yadav had to decide: should he give up his brand and collaborate with online/organized pharma players, or should he compete with them?

The Center for Sustainable Agriculture was founded in 2004 as a solution to various problems in India’s agricultural industry. The founder developed a sustainable agriculture model to help farmers lower crop failure risk and reduce production costs, to which pesticide and fertilizer use contributed over 30 per cent. The Center for Sustainable Agriculture built a sustainable agriculture model by collaborating with farmers, producer associations, governments, and markets. The introduction of organic products allowed the company to integrate sustainability into its core business plan. In 2021, after achieving success in Telangana, India, the founder was planning to expand his organic farming model across the country, but he wondered what challenges he would face in other states and how he could overcome these.

In February 2016, the principal dealer of several European luxury automotive dealerships learned from Audi of America LLC (Audi) that he would have to relocate one of his dealerships to a new location. The relocation would be to a new market area and the dealer would most likely lose his current customer base. Instead, the dealer used the opportunity to create a new business model for auto retailing that could enable him to maintain his market share without having to comply with Audi's relocation requirement. His new concept, named "Carcierge" and opened in 2016, was showing initial success, but the dealer wondered whether the boutique sales model he developed would be viable in the long run.

The key objective of this case is to provide students with the skills and understanding of how out-of-home (OOH) advertising is utilized as a channel for brands to communicate their messages to consumers, as well as how a media company contributes to the value chain in the industry. The six examples cited in the case illustrate the concept in practice as well as the developing trend of the interactive outdoor-and-online (O&O) model going forward. The case describes a situation faced by Asiaray Media Group (Asiaray), a company founded by Vincent Lam in Hong Kong in 1993. Despite entering the market as a latecomer amid fierce competition, Asiaray has grown in stature as a media enterprise and gained a strong foothold in Greater China and Singapore. Its success was largely attributed to its innovative spirit, particularly in developing its Space Management concept as highlighted in the case studies. The pandemic which began in 2020 brought disruptive and unprecedented changes to the economy and the advertising landscape. Despite signs of recovery in the first half of 2021, the company recorded a net loss of HK$113.7 million in the period, and its share price had plummeted close to 75% from just before the pandemic. Based on what he and the company have learned and built in the past, Vincent must now seek and seize the next opportunity, with innovation being a key for survival in these changing times.

In October 2018, Yehuda Katzman, vice-president of marketing and business development at design house Inbal Dror, was attending the 2018 New York Bridal Fashion Week event, where Inbal Dror and its direct competitors revealed their spring lines to distinct buyers. As in previous years, Katzman had lined up meetings with interested retailers and wanted to make sure they appreciated the unique nature of Inbal Dror’s designs and the quality of its craftsmanship and the raw materials it used. Katzman also wanted to ensure that the couture brand was recognized for its dependability, sincerity, and understanding of different cultures. Travelling from Israel to participate in international bridal shows was a costly undertaking, and it was critical for Katzman to identify new retailers to continue expanding Inbal Dror’s global reach. His challenge this time was to successfully penetrate the vast markets of China and the Far East—a challenge that could, if successful, generate incredible growth.

While there will always be a place in this world for "art for art's sake," the artistic value of creative works need not be diminished by the application of commercial considerations. In fact, the argument can be made that both artist and consumer benefit when these two worlds are harmoniously fused. This note explores this notion, with the authors developing a reference document for business and art students to draw upon when entering the business of Broadway and navigating the myriad decisions when bringing a creative work to commercializable life.

This field-based case describes Wahoo Fitness's (Wahoo's) data-collection process, focusing especially on the customer survey it used to gain insights into its current and potential customers. One month before businesses across the United States closed due to COVID-19 lockdowns, Wahoo launched the Elemnt Rival GPS smart watch, which catered specifically to triathletes. The team at Wahoo was excited about the potential of this new category. To decide on next steps, the company turned to its roots: data insights. The team started with quantitative data surveys to identify customer segments and extract insights into other market opportunities. The data uncovered potential sports activity customer segments-competitive, social, and leisure. The team wondered: Was now the time to engage with cycling hobbyists or leisure cyclists? Or did it make sense to expand on the initial success of the smart watch and offer more products in the running segment? The case includes a student spreadsheet with survey data, as well as R code scripts for analyzing customer data and noncustomer data. Students utilize Excel to perform a K-means cluster analysis on the survey data, then use the analysis to determine a product expansion strategy and present their findings as if they were on the management team of Wahoo. It is a practical application of a data-driven process for tailoring product offerings and marketing strategy. This case has been taught at Darden in the Master of Science in Business Analytics program and in second-year MBA electives. It would also be suitable in graduate-level marketing or analytics courses, in addition to Executive Education programs.

Spreadsheet Supplement for Case UV8688

In May 2019, a senior analyst and blogger for a market research firm decided to analyze the performance and pay of various top-rated cricket players in the Indian Premier League. Teams usually spent millions of dollars acquiring players through auctions, and on coaches and other key personnel, as well as promotional campaigns. The analyst had started following the player auctions, where bids on some players had run into millions of US dollars. He wanted to take a more objective and data-driven approach toward analyzing player rankings and how far players' salaries reflected their performance, something that was often ignored by the pundits. The analyst wondered if these claims were at all valid and decided to use data visualization techniques to determine their validity.

Spreadsheet to accompany product W25528.

In May 2019, a senior analyst and blogger for a market research firm decided to analyze the performance and pay of various top-rated cricket players in the Indian Premier League. Teams usually spent millions of dollars acquiring players through auctions, and on coaches and other key personnel, as well as promotional campaigns. The analyst had started following the player auctions, where bids on some players had run into millions of US dollars. He wanted to take a more objective and data-driven approach toward analyzing player rankings and how far players’ salaries reflected their performance, something that was often ignored by the pundits. The analyst wondered if these claims were at all valid and decided to use data visualization techniques to determine their validity.

Additional Supplement to accompany product W25528.

Hongxing ERKE Industrial Co., Ltd. (ERKE), founded in 2000, was the first large Chinese sportswear company to list overseas. Despite the difficulties it faced caused by poor management and the decline of its brand influence, ERKE donated ¥50 million worth of aid to disaster-hit areas in Henan, China, shortly after severe flooding in the province in July 2021. The donation caused an unprecedented online event in China and ignited the enthusiasm of netizens for buying ERKE products. Millions of netizens rushed to ERKE’s livestreaming studios and expressed their gratitude and support for the company through “wild consumption.” ERKE became representative in consumers’ minds of excellent domestic products that were part of Chinese fashion trends. Why had ERKE’s donation become such a hot topic and triggered a consumption binge in China? On the heels of this situation, how should ERKE use the opportunity to achieve a long-term competitive advantage in the future?

David Heath and Randy Goldberg founded Bombas in 2013 to serve two missions: to deliver the "best socks in the history of feet," and to donate socks (the most requested item in homeless shelters) to Americans experiencing homelessness. Eight years later, Bombas had established itself mostly through online marketing as a preeminent direct-to-consumer sock maker, and had introduced lines of underwear, T-shirts, and slippers as well. Bombas was also one of America's most visible buy-one-give-one companies, with over $250 million in annual revenue and 50 million pairs of socks donated. As it grew, however, the company faced mounting challenges. What pace of growth would best allow Bombas to reach new customers while maintaining focus on its social mission? How could the company attract the talent necessary to manage such a complex online operation? And with a sprawling network of 3,500 Giving Partners of varying sizes around the U.S., was it time for Bombas to simplify its giving program?