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The case describes the circumstances surrounding the introduction of www.google.cn. In order to comply with Chinese government requirements, google.cn censors web results. This appears to contradict Google’s stated philosophy and its mission to organize and make accessible the world’s information. A public outcry ensues and Google is forced to defend its controversial decision. The case presents both sides of the debate and asks students to consider what they feel is right.

Dove is one of Unilever's better-known personal care brands. It has significant top-of-mind awareness among women in many countries. In an attempt to increase sales volume by 80 per cent, Unilever re-launched Dove in 2004. The campaign asks the question What is real beauty? and attempts to redefine it in ways that challenge commonly portrayed stereotypes. This case examines the re-launch of Dove, Unilever's well-known international personal care brand, and the marketing issues behind its phenomenal success. It also raises questions about how to maintain the brand's momentum as the next phase unfolds. In 2007, Dove products are still well thought of by consumers and the campaign has attracted imitators, including brands outside the cosmetics and beauty care sector.

A non-profit organization, partnered with a microfinance organization would send undergraduate students from a business school to teach entrepreneurship in Third World countries: Kenya, India and South Africa. The case requires students to develop fairly straightforward cash budgets and to consider sensitivity analysis based on exchange rate fluctuations. Students are introduced to the concept of micro financing as an effective tool for improving the socio-economic status of entrepreneurs in Third World countries. Students are encouraged to think about relevant issues in gaining sponsorship for a non-profit venture.

The founder and chief executive officer of Air Deccan, India's first low-cost airline, ponders the imminent launch of the airline. His mind goes back to his passion and vision of empowering every Indian to fly, a bold dream in a country of one billion people who travelled predominantly by buses and trains. Would Air Deccan fly?

At the beginning of 2006, the president of Ullman International (Ullman), a leading producer of hybrid chicks for both the American and world egg industry was facing many challenges: his imminent retirement, the threat of the Asian bird flu, zero or negative growth in primary markets, increasing pressure from the animal rights movement and a strained relationship with Ullman's European parent company. 2006 marked the end of an era for this $200 million company as it enters a period of revolutionary organizational and environmental change, the resolution of which will determine its fate for the next decades.

ForeFront Wood Products produces high quality wooden door-sets. The company faces capacity constraints and inefficiencies resulting from its processes and culture. As a consequence, it struggles to be profitable. ForeFront's parent company, ForeFront Holdings, plans an initial public offering in 2007. It has recently hired a new operations manager with the mandate to turn the factory around. As the operations manager begins his job he tours the manufacturing facilities to gather information on production processes and factors affecting capacity, cost and conformance. The case describes the firm's manufacturing and managerial processes. Many issues are described, including high costs, low yields, unreported defects and equipment that fails to operate near its rated capacity. Organizational and change management challenges, including high employee turnover, excessive use of overtime and failure of supervisors to observe or report employee errors are also described.

The environmental manager at the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) has finally received the detailed environmental and social risk assessment of Qatargas II LNG Project. RBC was a potential participant in a syndicated loan for a project financing venture in Qatar. The project would extract and process liquid natural gas there and transport it to the United Kingdom market. RBC was among the first banks to use an environmental and social risk assessment process based on the Equator Principles that supported the principles underlying sustainable development. However, environmental non-government organizations further complicated any financing decision; they were only too quick to point out publicly any shortcomings. Moreover, it was not clear if problems might occur in monitoring and enforcing any loan covenants. Two basic questions remained: first, does the Qatargas II Project make sense to RBC as it attempts to balance economic, environmental and social performance (i.e. the triple-bottom line); and second, do the Equator Principles provide a competitive advantage?

The founder chairman and managing director wants to make Biocon, Ltd. one of the top 10 biotech firms by 2015. The company has dealt in low-risk enzymes and generic drugs for many years. In order for the company to grow, the chairman believes that Biocon must enter the riskier business of drug discovery and development. Without making large investments into new capabilities, the company cannot become a top 10 biotech firm.

The vice-president of finance for Westwood Plastics, Inc. (Westwood), wants to assess the impact of the possibility of a weakening Canadian dollar on the company's financial health given its exposure to the Euro. Because Westwood is required by a loan covenant to generate a minimum level of pre-tax earnings, management is concerned about the possible impact of the exchange rate volatility on projected income and cash flows. The vice-president of finance is considering both an option and a forward strategy to minimize the foreign exchange risk Westwood is facing. She must decide how to use financial instruments to hedge the risk.

In December 2005, the vice-president of global sales and marketing for MedMira Laboratories in Halifax, Nova Scotia, has to decide whether to enter the over-the-counter (OTC) HIV testing market in the United States, if the company receives approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Entry into this market could potentially open the door to OTC sales of other infectious disease tests that MedMira could develop with its current technology. Not entering the market could result in shareholder disapproval and a significant missed opportunity. With the exception of China, the majority of the company's tests have been sold to hospitals and laboratories, therefore, U.S. OTC sales would require the development of new marketing and distribution expertise. It would also be a very expensive undertaking for such a small company with accumulated losses. If MedMira decides to enter the market, the vice-president of global sales and marketing would need to determine whether to go it alone or partner with Home Access Health Corporation, a Chicago-based company, which has the only FDA-approved at-home test system on market. There are also a number of ethical concerns surrounding at-home testing that would need to be addressed.

Orchid Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Limited (Orchid) is an Indian pharmaceutical company, which commenced its operations in 1994. Over a span of 10 years, the turnover of this company has increased from US$11 million to US$153 million. The company's profit after tax registered a five fold increase from US$1.3 million to US$6.8 million in the corresponding period. Early success was a combination of pricing flexibility, lower production cost and business opportunities in unregulated markets. Orchid decided to explore opportunities for the manufacture of generic drugs in the regulated markets and formulations in the domestic market. Diversification to basic research was also considered. Cooperation and joint ventures were the primary route to expand and explore new molecule discovery. By 2005, Orchid was no longer a single-product company, its business had widened to multiple products in bulk, formulations and generics, in both regulated and unregulated markets. Orchid was making its presence felt in its novel drug delivery systems and new drug development processes. In 2005, Orchid faced several challenges related to financial leverage and risks, leadership, managerial challenges associated with joint ventures, balancing the new business model, setting global trends in being a pioneer in the industry, addressing shareholders' concerns and evolving an appropriate organization culture and process.

This note examines an industry that is losing its competitive advantages due to globalization. Suitable for use in a section of an international strategy/business policy course which introduces the topic of industry analysis. It is intended to be used as an application of Michael Porter's Five Forces Model, where students are asked to determine the attractiveness of an industry and its ultimate profit potential. Because pewter design, product and sales occur in an international value chain, this case can also be used in an international management course.

The CEO of a Singapore-based computer company, with successful operations in Europe and Asia, was contemplating whether to pursue growth opportunities in the United States. The company had to decide between developing its own subsidiary, acquiring a small mail-order company based in Austin, Texas, or not entering the U.S. market at this time. If the acquisition option was pursued, there were challenges regarding fixing an appropriate value for the company, as well as integrating the American subsidiary into its own global network.

Mekong, a joint venture among Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese auto assemblers, is facing significant changes in the business environment in Vietnam. As the government of Vietnam has implemented its economic and administrative reform program, foreign and domestic companies in Vietnam have had to deal with changes in regulations and competitive forces. In addition, Vietnam's membership in ASEAN (Association of South-East Asian Nations) has further complicated the business decisions that foreign companies have to make in this newly-opened economy. Students will be challenged to devise a strategy for Mekong as a multi-national company operating in the Far East.

The managing director of a new Malaysian producer of stainless steel tubing received a letter from the company's attorney in Washington, DC, informing him that the U.S. Specialty Tube Group had written to the U.S. President concerning stainless steel tubing imported into the U.S. from Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Malaysia at dumped prices that was causing injury to the U.S. industry. For the next year, the managing director considered how he should respond to this threat, while at the same time increasing the company's exports to the U.S. so that it could meet its sales and profits goals. One year later, he was informed that a formal antidumping action had been taken against imports of stainless steel tubing from Malaysia (and other countries). He is considering what he should do now, both to preserve the company's U.S. market and maintain alternative markets in other countries.

The managing director and founder of Bangkok-based Siam Canadian Foods Co., Ltd., was considering the emerging business opportunities in neighboring Burma (also known as Myanmar). Although relatively undeveloped compared to the rest of Southeast Asia, Burma had been experiencing increasing levels of foreign investment activity in recent years. Siam, who had considered entering Burma in the past but declined, needed to determine if the time was now appropriate for the company to enter the market.

Learning Lab Denmark, a research and development institute, encountered many of the difficulties typically experienced by start-ups, especially obstacles that involve developing a set of routines for getting things done. In other respects LLD faced several distinct challenges that are specific to its charter. This case describes in detail the history behind the formation of Learning Lab Denmark, the goals and the organizing principles underlying LLD and its sub-components, the various personnel roles and issues, including performance problems, criticism and paradoxes that arose in the first couple of years. The supplement, Organizing from Scratch: The Learning Lab Denmark Experience (B) case, product 9B06C007, picks up the story and discusses significant organizational changes.

This supplement to Organizing From Scratch: The Learning Lab Denmark Experience (A), product 9B06C006, identifies several of the consortia's achievements, notes some findings from LLD's self-evaluation report and discusses significant organizational changes.

Chateau Margaux, luxury brand or connoisseur brand? Although France is awash with unsold wine, demand has never been stronger for the very finest Bordeaux. How should Margaux sustain and grow its business? The Chateau management team is wondering if it can take more control of distribution instead of leaving it to the Bordeaux wine merchants. Also, can the Chateau build marketing and sales capabilities on its own? Who is the target market, wine connoisseurs or the newly rich? Corinne Mentzelopoulous, who took over the estate from her father in 1980, wonders whether a new lower-priced wine should be added to the portfolio.

In 1984, when it was a small factory in Xiaoshan, Zhejiang, Wanxiang signed its first export contract. Ten years later in 1994, when Wanxiang America Inc was just registered, the company was headed only by a Chinese overseas student. In 2003, Wanxiang sold its products all around the world, and had acquired dozens of companies in the United States and Europe, becoming a true multinational corporation. The chairman of the board and the president were full of confidence, Wanxiang will become a large multinational company in the foreseeable future, with its unique core values and core competence. It will be named China Wanxiang Holdings. This case mainly discusses the process of Wanxiang's overseas expansion, tracing its development at different stages and presenting how the success had been achieved.