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In 2002, Dr. Michael Crow was appointed as the 16th president of Arizona State University (ASU) which, at the time, was known to be one of the biggest party schools in the United States (U.S.). Under his leadership, ASU transformed into the New America University. The New American University was designed to enhance access to education and deliver social impact. In 2016, ASU was recognized by U.S. News and World Report as being the most innovative university in the U.S. Despite recognition as an innovative academic institution, ASU's own University Technology Office (UTO) considered itself the place where good ideas went to die. Terms such as digital transformation were buzzwords, and the culture hearkened back to the technological ideals of the 1970s. The case presents the benefits of digital transformation to enhance the higher education experience. These same benefits apply to any organizational cultures seeking large-scale digital transformation. The case offers a front row view on how digital transformation unfolds in a large organization with users who demand unique functionalities. It offers a realistic discussion of the integrated role that leadership, strategic thinking, and technology play in a successful transformation.

Simon Roca, founder of Neovida, a social enterprise startup, was contemplating next steps in striving to fulfill the company's aspirational mission and vision. Neovida created cascara-based superfood products by upcycling what had traditionally been the wasted husks of coffee cherries. This upcycling reduced methane emissions and had the potential to provide an additional revenue stream for small-scale coffee farmers in developing countries. He imagined a future in which the Internet of Things (IOT), machine vision, and artificial intelligence (AI) would create transparency in his cascara supply chain and offer fair and rapid payment to small-scale farmers. Simon was beginning to realize that some compromises had to be made before Neovida could become the type of social enterprise that he envisioned. His two founding partners resigned, and Simon was working with attorneys to dissolve his original and start a new LLC under the name Neovida. One of his former cofounders let a batch of biodynamically grown organic cascara spoil at a farm in Chiapas, Mexico, so Simon had to resort to different suppliers that further distanced him from fulfilling the startup's social and environmental goals. With a loan of $22,000 to keep the company afloat for six months, what should Simon do next?

This case is a study of the initial discovery of penicillin and how it came to be a mass-market product. The discovery of penicillin is fascinating first and foremost because of its direct, life-saving benefits and because of the context of World War II that surrounded its rise. Throughout the case, an argument is made for the importance of this invention not only for the society of the 1940s, but for our society today. Students are introduced to a handful of the individuals and institutions involved in the discovery and development of the technology, providing them with the information necessary to consider the people, institutions, and other factors that led to the drug's success. Students consider especially the role of intellectual property during penicillin's rise to success, as well as the cultural and legal differences between Britain and the United States related to the patenting of medical discoveries.

This case set describes the gale of creative destruction that came with the rise of refrigeration and the creation of a globalized food supply chain, examined through the life of Charles Tellier, a French entrepreneur and inventor of the refrigerated ship that completed the first successful transoceanic shipment of fresh meat. It takes place largely during the mid- to late 19th century, a time of increasing globalization and disruptive social change. Tellier was a visionary inventor who saw refrigeration's potential to transform the world's food supply and improve nutrition and quality of life for the growing middle classes through improved year-round access to high-quality, perishable animal protein. While he was a dedicated and ultimately successful inventor, he struggled to fund his pursuits and manage stakeholders in his endeavors. The A case rests on a pivotal moment when Tellier's refrigerated transport technology showed early promise, but Tellier and the owners of the company disagreed on the appropriate next steps to verify and capitalize on this early success.

This case set describes the gale of creative destruction that came with the rise of refrigeration and the creation of a globalized food supply chain, examined through the life of Charles Tellier, a French entrepreneur and inventor of the refrigerated ship that completed the first successful transoceanic shipment of fresh meat. It takes place largely during the mid- to late 19th century, a time of increasing globalization and disruptive social change. Tellier was a visionary inventor who saw refrigeration's potential to transform the world's food supply and improve nutrition and quality of life for the growing middle classes through improved year-round access to high-quality, perishable animal protein. While he was a dedicated and ultimately successful inventor, he struggled to fund his pursuits and manage stakeholders in his endeavors. The A case rests on a pivotal moment when Tellier's refrigerated transport technology showed early promise, but Tellier and the owners of the company disagreed on the appropriate next steps to verify and capitalize on this early success. This B case offers an epilogue.

Following the Arab Spring of 2011, the centuries-old co-operative movement helped the emancipation and financial independence of women in Morocco. One such woman was Samira Smahri, the founder and president of a co-operative called Attadamoun, which nationally and internationally marketed a unique product native to Morocco now used around the world: argan oil and its derivative products. The co-op, founded in 2014 and located in Sidi Bibi, a small village in Morocco, had experienced steady growth and given women a sense of hope and new-found freedom. However, this was all put on hold with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Accordingly, Smahri had to decide whether to persevere under extremely unfavourable conditions or to shut down the co-op that meant so much to her and the co-op's emancipated women employees.

Marlow is a new menstrual health company that developed the first-ever lubricated tampon for smoother and more comfortable insertion and which aimed to deliver the product through a direct-to-consumer subscription model. During its first year in business, the team of female founders focused on product development, including completing the research and testing required to secure regulatory approval from Health Canada and the US Food and Drug Administration. After successfully raising $500,000 in an angel pre-seed fundraising round, the team was ready to bring its innovative product to market. In preparation for the launch, Marlow needed a comprehensive marketing plan that identified the consumers who would benefit most from the product and who would be willing to purchase it. Key messages and a communications plan had to be finalized highlighting Marlow’s differentiated advantage, and the financial estimate for the first year had be forecast and presented to investors.

Following the Arab Spring of 2011, the centuries-old co-operative movement helped the emancipation and financial independence of women in Morocco. One such woman was Samira Smahri, the founder and president of a co-operative called Attadamoun, which nationally and internationally marketed a unique product native to Morocco now used around the world: argan oil and its derivative products. The co-op, founded in 2014 and located in Sidi Bibi, a small village in Morocco, had experienced steady growth and given women a sense of hope and new-found freedom. However, this was all put on hold with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Accordingly, Smahri had to decide whether to persevere under extremely unfavourable conditions or to shut down the co-op that meant so much to her and the co-op’s emancipated women employees.

Sheree Evans and Danielle McFarland had spent five years trying to build and launch business management software for the health and wellness industry. After an attempt with Mystro, an online payment gateway, they pivoted to create a new business, Therapair, a multi-sided platform. They had enough funds left for just over three months of operations and needed to decide whether they should continue to invest in their businesses or walk away from them.

Sheree Evans and Danielle McFarland had spent five years trying to build and launch business management software for the health and wellness industry. After an attempt with Mystro, an online payment gateway, they pivoted to create a new business, Therapair, a multi-sided platform. They had enough funds left for just over three months of operations and needed to decide whether they should continue to invest in their businesses or walk away from them.

Marlow is a new menstrual health company that developed the first-ever lubricated tampon for smoother and more comfortable insertion and which aimed to deliver the product through a direct-to-consumer subscription model. During its first year in business, the team of female founders focused on product development, including completing the research and testing required to secure regulatory approval from Health Canada and the US Food and Drug Administration. After successfully raising $500,000 in an angel pre-seed fundraising round, the team was ready to bring its innovative product to market. In preparation for the launch, Marlow needed a comprehensive marketing plan that identified the consumers who would benefit most from the product and who would be willing to purchase it. Key messages and a communications plan had to be finalized highlighting Marlow's differentiated advantage, and the financial estimate for the first year had be forecast and presented to investors.

Two decades into the 21st century, agriculture and farmers faced multiple challenges. The following case study presents a success model for all Indian stakeholders involved in the agriculture sector from growing food to processing food. The business model adopted by Sahyadri Farms worked to find solutions for the problems of small and marginal farmers and make farming into a profitable venture with development of agriculture and rural community. It not only linked farmers to international markets through export channels for remunerative returns but also provided innovative technologies like blockchain to ensure solutions forcrop advisory, weather forecasting, etc. Sahyadri Farms were successful in establishing itself as India's biggest and most successful Farmer Producer Company. The Sahyadri's case explores the interventions in agriculture supply chain with technology and economies of scale (Farmer Producer Company). Though the company continues expand, the trade-offs between expansion and vision remain a dilemma.

Kinbor, a pioneer and top brand of creative planner journals in China, was launched in 2015 by Guangbo Group (Guangbo), a leading stationery manufacturer and worldwide exporter. In January 2022, Jessie Yu—Kinbor’s, founder and general manager— was facing several urgent issues in moving the start-up forward. Like many intrapreneurial projects, Kinbor was only contributing a small fraction to Guangbo’s total annual revenues, so pressure to boost sales and scale up the operation was mounting. In addition, Kinbor’s incongruence with the parent company’s business model was making integration a challenge. Externally, major stationery industry competitors were launching their own creative planner journal brands, thereby intensifying the market’s competition. Kinbor had to find the right strategy to address these issues.

Kinbor, a pioneer and top brand of creative planner journals in China, was launched in 2015 by Guangbo Group (Guangbo), a leading stationery manufacturer and worldwide exporter. In January 2022, Jessie Yu-Kinbor's, founder and general manager- was facing several urgent issues in moving the start-up forward. Like many intrapreneurial projects, Kinbor was only contributing a small fraction to Guangbo's total annual revenues, so pressure to boost sales and scale up the operation was mounting. In addition, Kinbor's incongruence with the parent company's business model was making integration a challenge. Externally, major stationery industry competitors were launching their own creative planner journal brands, thereby intensifying the market's competition. Kinbor had to find the right strategy to address these issues.

In early 2021, Kent Fawcett was a food entrepreneur facing typical questions around scaling his enterprise, Local Pulse. Driven by a personal passion for food as a means to heal both people and the planet, he developed a line of shelf-stable plant-based foods, including breakfast cereals and dehydrated hummus. Since 2018, he had been offering his products online and at the local farmers’ market in Kamloops, British Columbia. He started selling Local Pulse goods wholesale and was beginning to understand the scale at which he would have to produce the goods in order for his business to be financially sustainable. Fawcett was not sure if he was ready to take the financial risk of investing in new facilities to grow the business.

In early 2021, Kent Fawcett was a food entrepreneur facing typical questions around scaling his enterprise, Local Pulse. Driven by a personal passion for food as a means to heal both people and the planet, he developed a line of shelf-stable plant-based foods, including breakfast cereals and dehydrated hummus. Since 2018, he had been offering his products online and at the local farmers' market in Kamloops, British Columbia. He started selling Local Pulse goods wholesale and was beginning to understand the scale at which he would have to produce the goods in order for his business to be financially sustainable. Fawcett was not sure if he was ready to take the financial risk of investing in new facilities to grow the business.

In June 2022, the founders of Singapore mobile operator Circles.Life had a crucial decision to make. Circles.Life developed a new business model in mobile telecommunications-a digital telco-built around its proprietary operating system. After expanding its brand in several countries, the company received interest from traditional telcos to license its operating system to create their own digital telcos. While the B2B opportunity was more economically attractive, Circles.Life's original B2C business was the key to continued innovation in its operating system. The founders had to decide on the best next steps to capitalize on the company's existing and budding business verticals.

Luigi Lavazza SpA (Lavazza) was the largest coffee maker in Italy and the seventh-largest coffee roaster in the world. Despite its success in global markets, Lavazza was finding it difficult to make its mark in the United States. After establishing its North American subsidiary in 1989, Lavazza entered the US market in the 1990s with strategic partnerships with restaurants and hotels to cater to US consumers. But even as a strong global brand with thirty years of experience in the US market, Lavazza continued to struggle. As competition in the global coffee industry intensified, Lavazza could no longer afford to be complacent with its performance in the US markets, and it sought to increase its market share. However, Lavazza faced a key strategic decision: should it try to introduce US consumers to the “Italian way” of drinking espresso coffee, or should it create a new brand identity and a new portfolio of products that were more aligned with the tastes of US consumers?

In March 2020, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted global supply chains. The spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus affected the entire world, including the scenic Prince Edward County in Eastern Ontario. Three co-owners of the boutique distillery Kinsip House of Fine Spirits (Kinsip) were inspired to contribute to their community’s efforts to limit further spread of the virus. As a distillery, Kinsip was aptly able to produce the principal ingredient of hand sanitizer—ethanol. The other two main ingredients—glycerol and hydrogen peroxide—were generally procured on the open market from North American suppliers. Obtaining the right packaging for the sanitizer as quickly as possible, including both the bottle and the cap, was one of the key challenges the three partners were facing. Another challenge was navigating Health Canada’s approval process. In addition, the partners needed to determine Kinsip’s capacity to supply hand sanitizer to the local region and the production schedule on which it could deliver the product.

The case discusses the relatively low technology approach used by Russia to influence the U.S. Presidential Election in 2016. Although political parties manipulating the media was not a new phenomenon, the Russians ran a broad, well-financed, and sophisticated social media campaign that started in 2014 and grew each year. Russia's IRA (Internet Research Agency) managed messages, and posted links and content across Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. Like any disciplined marketer, they tested content on a few sites and doubled down on messages that worked. Messages relied heavily on sharable memes tailored to the identity of each target group based on political affiliation, religion, ethnicity, and geography. The IRA initially focused on building trust and group identity by creating a sense of belonging. Over time, these morphed into messages that were external threats to the group identity with an aim to sway behavior. Russia's ability to meddle with the Presidential election was partly the result of systemic weaknesses in the U.S. governance of social media platforms. The leaders of social media platforms admitted that state actors had gamed their platforms to influence politics. However, underlining the misinformation campaign were opaque, influential algorithms that determined what content was viewed by billions of internet users. In a quest to capture attention and maximize engagement, these had fractured social norms necessary for a healthy democracy -- leaving populations vulnerable to online misinformation.