個案總覽

The Himalayan Chocolate is a start-up brainchild of Rohan Keshewar. Stuck in Manali during the Lockdown, Rohan stayed with a family in their homestay facility. While interacting with the host family, Rohan discovered that the locals had two primary sources of income: working at a nearby farm and tourism. Apart from that, they did not have any other source of livelihood. Owing to his skills in making chocolate, he made his first batch of chocolate for the host family using local food ingredients. It began the journey of The Himalayan Chocolate with a bit of start-up investment, raw chocolate, and unique local flavors. Rohan named the brand The Himalayan Chocolate to suggest a chocolate made by the Himalayan people using local ingredients.

Zibusiso Mkhwanazi, chief executive officer of Avatar South Africa, looked out of his office window in Johannesburg. Mkhwanazi was contemplating whether he should stay at Avatar or move on to new things. This question was triggered by a media briefing that South Africa's Minister of Health had just given in which he outlined the rollout for the COVID-19 vaccine. Avatar had been directly involved with the communication strategies the president of South Africa and the Ministry of Health used to reach the majority of the population in a country in which access to the internet was not equal. The work had been innovative, challenging, and a matter of life and death. Mkhwanazi had enjoyed and thrived on the work, and felt it had been the outstanding achievement of his career. Mkhwanazi had never stayed in a job when the job had stopped challenging him. He started his career when computer technology was disrupting the way organizations worked and communicated. Initially, he was motivated by money. However, he had achieved his goals and now had different motivations. At Avatar, he had helped develop a culture through faith-driven leadership, but Avatar no longer gave him the joy and fulfilment of working on the cutting edge of technology. His dilemma was whether he should stay at Avatar with the people he had come to love and care about, or leave to find something that would satisfy his passion for innovative and creative work.

PeriFerry is a pioneering social enterprise working toward creating sustainable livelihood opportunities and inclusive workplaces for transgender persons in India. Originally located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, PeriFerry has upskilled 320 transgender persons and sensitized more than 30,000 employees about their inclusion in the workplace. PeriFerry's founder and chief executive officer, Neelam Jain, does not believe in an extravagant showcase of effort. Instead, since she founded PeriFerry in 2017, her approach was that when transgender persons wished to transform their lives, they could locate and reach out to PeriFerry via the internet and various social media platforms like LinkedIn, X, Facebook, or Instagram or meet on-ground community representatives. But Jain is looking forward to PeriFerry's next five years and contemplating whether this approach will be relevant to scale social impact. Alternatively, Jain is considering adopting a proactive stance in reaching out to transgender people. This could involve extending its geographical coverage to include other cities in India and introducing a diverse range of services to provide holistic support for transgender persons. The new approach will allow PeriFerry to scale wide by reaching out to more trans people who are dispersed in various geographical locations in India who find it difficult to locate PeriFerry due to a lack of technological amenities. But Jain would also have to figure out the resources and capabilities required to scale its social impact. Jain must determine which strategy PeriFerry should pursue in the next 23 years.

The case showcases a variety of innovations at Ganga Hospital, a trauma care center located in Coimbatore, India. These innovations have helped the hospital handle large patient volumes. The DNA of innovation at Ganga is traced to the enterprising mindset of the founders and their sons. Trauma surgeries rely on precision. The case depicts the fallout of a clinical complication on the patient as well as the treating surgeon. By investing in technologies like computer-assisted 3D navigation, the directors have created a conducive atmosphere for consultants to safely undertake challenging surgeries. The principle of patient-centricity governs all activities at Ganga. The case elaborates on the factors helping the diffusion of these innovations.

Several firms worldwide that attempted to penetrate the bottom of the pyramid (BOP) with digital service innovations have encountered disappointing returns. This article explores what capabilities firms should develop and how they should nourish them for value creation at the BOP. Using the multiple-case method, this study inductively derives persuasion, co-creation, adaptation, and self-sustainability as essential capabilities. Cumulative maneuvering of these capabilities resulted in a sand cone model. Both established incumbents and digital natives benefit from this model, which enables them to safeguard their digital offerings while penetrating or expanding within BOP markets.

This is the first of a three-case series that explores the challenges faced by Uniswap, a key player in the decentralized finance (DeFi) sector. Founded by Hayden Adams, the case traces Uniswap's rapid growth from a simple idea inspired by a Reddit post to becoming one of the leading decentralized exchanges in Web3, with trading volumes peaking at $6 billion in the summer of 2020. The case zeroes in on a critical moment when Uniswap is threatened by a "vampire attack" from SushiSwap, a rival that forks Uniswap's open-source code to launch a competing service, threatening to drain its liquidity. Adams faces the dilemma of how he should respond to the rise of SushiSwap. The case delves into the competitive dynamics of the DeFi ecosystem, challenges of open-source software, and strategic responses to market disruptions.

As Chief Executive Officer Maya Kambeitz sat in her Calgary office preparing for the upcoming mid-2018 board meeting, she considered a potential growth strategy for Norfolk Housing Association (Norfolk Housing) that would align with its core values: to offer inclusive and affordable housing, and to maintain financial stability in 2019 and beyond. Norfolk Housing was a social enterprise registered as a non-profit corporation in Calgary, Alberta, offering rentals of affordable and priced-to-market apartments in shared buildings. Kambeitz wanted the board to consider whether or not to acquire another building, ideally near the current locations, to expand their operations. The increased number of units would improve operational efficiency through economies of scale and serve more people, aligning with the social enterprise’s dedication to both long-term financial sustainability and social purpose. However, expansion would require financing and support to acquire and manage the new building, which could put Norfolk Housing’s financial sustainability at risk.<br><br>The challenge was to achieve Norfolk Housing’s purpose to expand and provide affordable housing to more Calgarians while also maintaining long-term financial stability, which ensured that current tenants would not lose their homes if the association failed. Kambeitz had learned about Riley Park Place, a property with 24 units that was for sale. The location was close to their current properties and its acquisition had potential. However, there were some questions about whether the opportunity aligned with Norfolk Housing’s purpose and financial sustainability.

HelpSeeker Technologies, a Calgary-based technology startup, employed technological innovations such as digitization and artificial intelligence (AI) to address social welfare solutions, facilitating swift access by its users to crucial resources like psychological aid, medical services, and housing. HelpSeeker confronted a significant challenge: reconciling its identity as a technology firm with its commitment to societal betterment. In October 2023, facing the need to expand and monetize its services, the company grappled with the delicate task of scaling without compromising its core mission of addressing pressing social issues.

<p align="justify">In 1978, Jaipur Rugs was founded in a small village in Rajasthan, India. Over the next 40 years, Jaipur Rugs developed into a global business with strong social responsibility. Right from the start, the founder looked beyond profits to provide a source of livelihood and dignity of life to thousands of women in rural villages without formal education and no opportunities outside their homes. Over time, Jaipur Rugs grew into an empire that empowered 40,000 women weavers from some of the most economically disadvantaged areas of India. In 2022, Jaipur Rugs was planning to expand internationally, with high acclaim and demand for its products. However, traditional weavers and their families were losing their original motivation. Younger family members of veteran weavers were opting instead for more lucrative opportunities in India’s urban centres. With an evolving socio-economic environment across India, how would Jaipur Rugs retain its weavers and attract new artisans?

Soma Solutions was a small consulting firm based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Soma Solutions had provided face-to-face, on-site information and communications technology (ICT) training on SAP and ERP to state-owned enterprises. However, due to the nationwide lockdown and the need to curb the spread of the virus, the company could no longer conduct on-site training. The state-owned enterprises, its main clients, also had to close temporarily and shift to remote work. The economic upheaval left Soma Solutions facing uncertainty and instability. Despite having operated for only four years, it grappled with the decision to pivot or preserve its existing approach. The challenge was to remain relevant and competitive while navigating evolving norms and limited resources. How prepared was the company to transition to virtual training? What would pivoting look like for the company, and would it help sustain the business post-pandemic?

Trimster was a premium men's personal care e-commerce start-up founded in 2015. In India, where trust deficit was a primary reason for the failure of new brands, most customers preferred cash on delivery (COD) modes of payment. Companies, however, preferred prepaid orders not only because they guaranteed the customer's intent to purchase but also because COD orders were much more likely to result in returns that would take a heavy toll on Trimster's reverse logistics costs, reducing the company's profit margins and leaving less money for the company to invest in marketing to acquire new customers. In an increasingly competitive market, Trimster's senior vice president of sales and marketing needed to decide on the best payment modes to pursue in order for the company to achieve sustainable growth.

Announcing that your firm has set out to make the world a better place can help you recruit employees-if your company is large and established. For new ventures, a social mission may actually be a drawback, making job candidates perceive that they offer fewer opportunities for success.

Student spreadsheet for case 823079.

<p align="justify">Natalie Jung, amid the COVID-19 lockdowns, transformed her newfound passion for handcrafted jewelry into Radiant Sun Shop (RSS), a thriving Etsy business with 3,100 transactions as of February 2023. Initially launched during her virtual undergraduate studies, RSS flourished with her dedicated time. As Jung approached the end of her master’s degree and subsequent graduation in April 2023, uncertainty loomed regarding the future trajectory of her business. Contemplating the role of RSS in her post-graduation life, Jung grappled with pivotal entrepreneurial questions, unsure of where to commence her introspection. Balancing academic milestones and entrepreneurial aspirations, Jung embarked on a critical self-examination to navigate the evolving dynamics of Radiant Sun Shop in her life ahead.

Julia Sohajda was the young, female founding partner of the Hungarian VC firm Vespucci Partners, which focused on investing at seed stage into Hungarian deep tech startups and prepare them for a launch in the U.S market. Vespucci's first fund had largely been comprised of money from the Hungarian Development Bank, which had limited the fund's investment possibilities. Sohajda was now in the process of raising capital for her firm's second fund, targeting exclusively institutional investors and high net-worth individuals. In a country without much generational wealth and a difficult macroeconomic environment, would she be able to reach her goal of collecting €60 million?

Natalie Jung, amid the COVID-19 lockdowns, transformed her newfound passion for handcrafted jewelry into Radiant Sun Shop (RSS), a thriving Etsy business with 3,100 transactions as of February 2023. Initially launched during her virtual undergraduate studies, RSS flourished with her dedicated time. As Jung approached the end of her master's degree and subsequent graduation in April 2023, uncertainty loomed regarding the future trajectory of her business. Contemplating the role of RSS in her post-graduation life, Jung grappled with pivotal entrepreneurial questions, unsure of where to commence her introspection. Balancing academic milestones and entrepreneurial aspirations, Jung embarked on a critical self-examination to navigate the evolving dynamics of Radiant Sun Shop in her life ahead.

In mid-2023 Akash Gupta, CEO of GreyOrange Ltd (GO), an Atlanta-based robotics firm, had to decide whether GO still needed its exclusive technology partnership with LOGI, a leading US-based contract logistics firm. Since 2018 the partnership had been instrumental in establishing GO as a major provider of robotic solutions in the warehouse automation space. With new management at LOGI, a renegotiation had become inevitable. Numerous options were possible. These ranged from complete discontinuation of exclusivity, to continuation of exclusivity with revised pricing terms, to continuation with an expanded scope of products provided by GO.

In mid-2023 Akash Gupta, CEO of GreyOrange Ltd (GO), an Atlanta-based robotics firm, had to decide whether GO still needed its exclusive technology partnership with LOGI, a leading US-based contract logistics firm. Since 2018 the partnership had been instrumental in establishing GO as a major provider of robotic solutions in the warehouse automation space. With new management at LOGI, a renegotiation had become inevitable. Numerous options were possible. These ranged from complete discontinuation of exclusivity, to continuation of exclusivity with revised pricing terms, to continuation with an expanded scope of products provided by GO.