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Jabwood, a wood trading company with four branches in Lebanon owned by the Jabado family, is contemplating international expansion into new markets — specifically, Saudi Arabia and China — to compensate for a decline in revenues. This case examines the macroeconomic environment of Lebanon, China and Saudi Arabia as well as the wood industry in those countries. The characteristics of a successful international expansion are considered. In addition to identifying the criteria of attractiveness for each country, the case requires a decision on a market entry strategy that would ensure a successful expansion for the company. Given the risks and tradeoffs in each country, Jabwood has to decide whether it should expand in either market or both and on the mode of entry it should adopt to increase its chances of success.

Jabwood, a wood trading company with four branches in Lebanon owned by the Jabado family, is contemplating international expansion into new markets - specifically, Saudi Arabia and China - to compensate for a decline in revenues. This case examines the macroeconomic environment of Lebanon, China and Saudi Arabia as well as the wood industry in those countries. The characteristics of a successful international expansion are considered. In addition to identifying the criteria of attractiveness for each country, the case requires a decision on a market entry strategy that would ensure a successful expansion for the company. Given the risks and tradeoffs in each country, Jabwood has to decide whether it should expand in either market or both and on the mode of entry it should adopt to increase its chances of success.

The case examines Harley-Davidson’s decision to enter the Indian market. Due to India’s rapidly growing economy and its swelling base of high-net-worth consumers, numerous luxury product companies lined up to enter India. The case enumerates the factors that such firms should take into account when selecting new markets to enter. Also discussed are the various post-marketing issues Harley-Davidson faced in India after its entry and the resolutions the company could implement to resolve those issues.<br><br>The case provides an opportunity for students to understand the dynamics involved in selecting new markets for the firm to maximize its gain while expanding its business.

This case presents the perspective of a Chinese company, Zhejiang Tianlong Capsule Co. Ltd. (Tianlong), and its experiences with the negative impact of an industry scandal. On April 15, 2012, China Central Television disclosed that several capsule producers in Ru’ao had illegally used industrial-grade gelatin to produce medical capsules. The capsules were found to contain excessive chromium, a heavy metal harmful to human health.<br><br>Tianlong was not on the list of guilty companies, but the scandal threatened to ruin the reputation of all capsule firms located in Ru’ao. Most pharmacy companies immediately avoided Ru’ao after such a nationwide scandal. The director of Tianlong must decide how to address customers’ concerns and keep Tianlong’s good reputation from being damaged as a result of the current scandal. The director was also annoyed by the local government’s requirement to suspend production. Some gelatin material had already been melted; suspending production would result in a direct financial loss. How should he respond to the supervision agency’s order?

The Hidesign case examines issues facing a niche fashion company in pursuit of its next growth phase. After three decades of offering a leather products portfolio, the founder and president of Hidesign has decided to extend Hidesign’s portfolio to include non-leather product categories such as sunglasses and pens. The company’s advertising tagline — “Real leather. Crafted the forgotten way.” — has helped position Hidesign as a quality leather accessories brand. How should Hidesign position its new product range? Should different taglines be used for its leather and non-leather products? Should Hidesign do away with taglines altogether? Could the decision to extend the brand to non-leather product categories dilute its carefully cultivated core identity? Or could this decision help transform Hidesign into a fashion lifestyle brand?

In February 2012, Lars Kolind, chairman of Welfare Tech Region, a cluster organization in Southern Denmark that promotes the use of technology to assist people with daily living activities, considered the challenges that the cluster organization's member companies face in developing and commercializing new products on the global market. The case explores whether regional innovation strategies can help foster the global competitiveness of small countries. It focuses on critical issues related to the development and commercialization of new products, influenced by factors such as national innovation culture, product choice, access to capital, human resources and ability to attract talent. Case Number 1970

The chief executive officer of Mission Hills, a Chinese golf course operator, is thinking about how to expand his resort operations into Hainan Island, a few hundred kilometres away. He is wondering what his organization needs, from a human resources standpoint, to be able to develop another five-star resort. Mission Hills is a top golf course brand in China employing 7,000 people in its Shenzhen and Dongguan facilities. The expansion to Hainan Island is part of a larger plan to establish Mission Hills resorts around China.

The three-case series is about how a medium-sized Taiwanese company approached competition with 3M in global markets. The series covers a 14-year period. The A case starts in 1994, when 3M decides to launch a lawsuit against companies (including Hopax) selling repositionable notes that compete with 3M's highly successful Post-It notes in the United States. How should Hopax respond? The B case explains that, unlike the other players, Hopax decides to fight in court. Staples, Hopax's largest customer in the United States, decides to cancel its contract. What should Hopax do now? The C case recounts the events that follow until 2008 and explains how the company applies principles of judo strategy to become the second largest supplier of repositionable notes in the world. The series allows students to explore options to smaller innovative companies as they try to compete in global markets with large, resource-rich, players who do not hesitate to use courts to try to eliminate their smaller competitors.

This supplement to Hopax (A), product number 9B10M004, explains that, unlike the other players, Hopax decides to fight in court after Staples, Hopax's largest customer in the United States, decides to cancel its contract.

A large global study examines the factors that stock analysts consider most important when issuing buy, hold, or sell recommendations. The considerations that are deemed significant vary widely from region to region.

The global vice chair of public policy for Ernst & Young discusses how emerging multinationals can address talent shortfalls in rapid-growth markets. The problems start, she says, with senior leadership teams that lack international experience. Often they are driven to poach talent from rivals, inviting high turnover and salary inflation. Instead of focusing so much on the "science" of talent management--the best practices of Western companies that have been internationalizing for decades--executives need to pay attention to the "art": a commitment to inclusive leadership. They must value difference as opposed to merely tolerating it, encouraging discussion and actively engaging conflicting points of view.

In 2012, China attained a historic development milestone with more Chinese citizens living in cities than in the countryside. China's rapid urbanization, and the accompanying conversion of agricultural land to non-agricultural uses, raised a number of economic, social, and political concerns. Could China maintain its food security in view of the sharply rising demand for land for urban development? How could it ensure the sustainability of local government finances? Was the growing number of land protests the harbinger of major changes in China's political institutions? How would the challenges of urbanization affect the business environment for private firms? The success and viability of China's overall growth strategy depended crucially on managing a successful urban transition.

The case described the issues faced by a mid-sized Indian generic pharmaceutical firm, in its attempt to acquire a small unlisted Japanese generics manufacturer. It showcases the strong motivation of a successful emerging market pharmaceutical firm to expand into the developed market, buoyed by its cost competitiveness. The case presents an opportunity to discuss the trade-offs involved with most of the dynamic decisions in a cross-border acquisition, such as estimation of synergies and value, bidding, and financing the acquisition. The case may be used in programmes on valuation, and mergers and acquisitions.

The president of a Chinese auto parts manufacturer is facing a crisis. For nearly 10 years the company's production lines have not been able to keep up with the orders. Deliveries are due, but the in-house stock is in short supply despite the production lines operating under extended hours. Quality issues have resulted in recent recalls in the United States, making the company's prospects worrisome. Faced with worsening international trade conditions and mounting problems, the chair and president decide to expedite the initiative of transforming their company into a lean manufacturer based on the Toyota Production System. However, the company has no in-house expertise or experience in lean production. The case presents a challenging situation faced by many companies as they move up the ladder of production competence and operational excellence. The major learning focuses on the adoption of Japanese production practices in an emerging Chinese company as it implements lean production.

The chief executive officer (CEO) of a large consumer health conglomerate faces a controversial situation. Loyal consumers of a feminine hygiene product are outraged when they learn that a highly coveted product has been permanently discontinued. Unable to find their favourite brand in stock, consumers create a website and post online petitions to boycott, or rather “girlcott,” all products made by the company. The company has already suffered serious consumer, investor and government scrutiny after having experienced more than a dozen product recalls in recent years. The CEO needs to develop a strategy to deal with the mounting consumer anger and public speculation, or risk the negative consequences of a militant, brand savvy, population of female consumers.

Primary co-operative banks in India located in semi-urban and urban areas, known as Urban Co-operative Banks (UCBs), were traditionally centered around communities and work place groups. The main business of these banks was lending to small borrowers and business houses but the scope of their operations had increased greatly. The case describes Shamrao Vithal Co-operative (SVC) Bank’s inorganic growth strategy through acquisition of weaker/loss-making UCBS, and the problems and challenges faced by the bank. <br><br>It also examines the alternative of organic growth towards its objective of achieving a pan-India presence. One of the fastest growing Urban Co-operative Banks (UCBs) in India, SVC Bank was moving towards this objective. From a total of 38 branches in 2005, with a deposit base of Rs24 billion, the bank had grown to more than 100 branches with a total business of Rs100 billion by 2011. This growth had come in three phases. During 2005-2008, when government policy did not permit opening of new branches, SVC Bank had grown by acquiring three weak UCBs with 24 branches. When the curbs on organic growth were lifted in 2009, the bank aggressively added 26 new branches in two years. During 2010-11, it added 16 new branches and also acquired one UCB with one branch.<br><br>Since the vice-chairman of the bank had experienced the advantages and disadvantages of both organic and inorganic growth, he wondered which route made better sense and whether the bank should continue with the kind of aggressive expansion of the past six years.

Royal Dutch Shell has been among the early players to implement diversity and inclusion policies in the 1990s, first in the U.S. and then globally. In May 2009, Peter Voser, CFO and soon-to-be CEO, wants to adjust the company's business, head count, and cost levels to adapt to changing economic conditions after one of the worst economic downturns in decades. His all-male executive committee has raised eyebrows because it is a step back from that of his predecessor, and he must decide whether to continue to promote the firm's emphasis on global diversity and inclusion while it restructures its business and reduces its managerial workforce.

On October 1, 2010, Scotiabank implemented changes to its organizational structure that realigned its business globally and positioned it for further growth. Under the new structure, the bank’s businesses were regrouped into four business lines: Canadian Banking, International Banking, Global Banking and Markets, and Global Wealth Management. The bank had to figure out how to help individuals improve on working together across business lines. The formalization of cross-collaboration was through the newly instituted leadership teams. Team members had a joint accountability to ensure that the bank achieved optimum results in the geographic region in which the leadership team operated. And it was up to the team to consider how it was going to leverage collaboration. These teams were a significant departure from the behaviours and activities expected only a few months ago – people reported up to their own business line and did not worry about what anyone else in the particular geographic market was doing. There had been anecdotal evidence that a number of the leadership teams had success during the first few months. Still the sentiment among the senior leaders of the bank was that the implementation of the leadership teams was associated with several challenges.

The case presents a role play between a buyer and a seller who must negotiate a price for a perishable but rare commodity. The case covers the dilemma faced by buyers and sellers when they are in possession of limited information but must still attempt to negotiate a best-case scenario for themselves. This case involves the seller and is used with The Cinnamon Case: Sales Negotiation (Role Play) - (B) The Buyer.

The case presents a role play between a buyer and a seller who must negotiate a price for a perishable but rare commodity. The case covers the dilemma faced by buyers and sellers when they are in possession of limited information but must still attempt to negotiate a best-case scenario for themselves. This case involves the buyer and is used with The Cinnamon Case: Sales Negotiation (Role Play) - (A) The Seller.