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A business student received a low rating on class contribution from her leadership professor. She struggled to understand how this low rating happened, as she thought she had contributed in every class. She then lost the motivation to participate in class discussions, but considered developing a plan of action to address the problem. What strategies would help her to increase her contributions in class and improve her grades?

Phenicoptere Ltd. (Phenicoptere), founded in 2012 by two female entrepreneurs, was a Polish start-up offering a makeup-removal glove called GLOV. Phenicoptere went global at the very early stage of its development. By 2017, the company was present in 44 countries and derived nearly 90 per cent of its revenues from foreign markets. The chief executive officer and vice-president of Phenicoptere must now decide whether and how the company should incorporate e-commerce into its internationalization strategy.

This exercise places the reader in the position of an investor, who, before 2017, had invested for almost 20 years. Since the financial crisis in 2008–09, this investor had stayed away from the US market. The investor’s return from the previous year stood at a mere 2 per cent. Given that many political events would likely occur in 2017, the investor hoped to revise their investment strategies at the time by developing a more internationalized portfolio. Specifically, the investor was considering how to allocate capital among the existing 10 broker-recommended exchange-traded funds traded on the Singapore stock exchange and two exchange-traded funds in alternative assets traded in the US market. The investor also needed to provide additional cash flows for the education of their two daughters from year two onward for a total of four years. The investor was also willing to reshuffle the investment portfolio to put more weights into the US market. However, before making the revised investment decision, the investor needed to consider the expected returns and risks.

Branded Lifestyle Holdings Limited (Branded Lifestyle) was an Asian apparel retail company that emerged in 2011 after Fung Retailing Limited acquired Hang Ten Group Holdings Limited, a company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. With five apparel brands, Branded Lifestyle was profitable in most of its Asian markets. However, it was struggling in China and had reported annual loses until the acquisition. In 2014, a new managing director of global brands was appointed at Branded Lifestyle. Looking at the evolving apparel industry in China, and reviewing the company’s weak performance over the past years, the managing director knew he needed to develop a strategic plan to turn around the company’s operations. His aim was to build a strong and sustainable business in the Chinese market.

The Diet Center (DC) was Lebanon’s first nutritional company to offer food consultancy services and meal catering to the public. The company faced numerous challenges competing in an unstable local market. Despite her company’s growth in sales and product development, DC’s general manager was extremely frustrated with the operating results and the bottom line. In November 2014, she decided to consider migrating to an enterprise resource planning system that would integrate all of DC’s operations and deliver real-time relevant financial and operational data. The sales manager of System, Applications, and Products in Data Processing (SAP) for the Middle East and North Africa region suggested that DC should migrate to the gold standard SAP business management software to reap many benefits. Should DC implement the new SAP system? Would the benefits exceed the costs? What challenges would DC face if it chooses to adopt a SAP system?

In January 2017, Banro Corporation, a Canadian gold mining company in the Democratic Republic of Congo, underwent recapitalization to cope with financial distress, and to optimize its operations of mining assets. Since the commencement of commercial mining in 2009, unexpected social conflicts and operational challenges had led to significantly lower production than expected, with a large cost overrun, while the price of gold declined sharply from 2012. Would the recapitalization enable Banro Corporation to carry out its medium-term strategic plan of incremental growth by operational improvements, through cost reduction and throughput expansion over a five-year horizon? How could the company achieve its long-term goal of being a model of excellence in sustainability?

Infosys Limited, a large Indian information technology (IT) company, had set a target of achieving revenues of US$20 billion by 2020 (known as Vision 2020) and thus needed swift growth. Acquisitions were a possible source of growth, but the problem was where and what to acquire and how to take the post-merger integration factor into account for achieving this growth. Infosys Limited had already made several acquisitions, which improved the company’s client base, knowledge, and geographical expansion, but a few had also been controversial. If Infosys Limited was going to use acquisitions to continue the swift growth it needed to meet its Vision 2020, the company needed the right buyout strategy. Which business and geographical segments should Infosys Limited invest in, and what should be the key determining factors to drive the acquisitions—increased clientele, enhanced technology, or increased geographical reach?

In November 2017, the chief executive officer of Sony Corporation was preparing to announce the company’s release of its rebooted robo-pup, the Aibo—a robot equipped with sensors and actuator technologies, and powered by artificial intelligence that allowed this virtual pet to behave like a real dog. Sony Corporation, the 70-year-old iconic Japanese manufacturing company, had diverse businesses. After significant restructuring since 1999 to address its financial troubles, the company was expected, in March 2018, to post a record operating profit for the first time in two decades. How did a virtual pet business, especially one that had already proved unviable in the past, fit into such a restructuring exercise? Was Sony Corporation's Aibo an intelligent decision?

Charagh Din sold premium men's shirts in Mumbai, India, to elite customers. It had been in business for three generations, dating back to 1949, and had evolved from a small tailoring shop to a multi-storied showroom. The brand was recognized for its unique designs and outstanding customer service. However, unlike its competitors, Charagh Din did not have in-house manufacturing. The business model worked well when India was a regulated economy, but, after the 1990s, aggressive national and international competition that catered to the apparel needs of the entire family began eroding Charagh Din's market share. In 2017, the owner was considering how to target growth while being able to maintain family control over the company.

In June 2017, the managing director of T-Systems South Africa (TSSA) was considering how best to inspire stakeholders to join his movement towards contributing positively to nation building in South Africa. TSSA had experienced some success in setting up information and communication technology systems and academies to create jobs and to create shared value, but it needed to overcome a threshold to exert its influence over a broader level within the country. Specifically, the managing director wondered how TSSA could receive a positive sustainable return on its investments in environmental and social impacts during a time of cost-cutting.

GAIL (India) Limited (GAIL), a public-sector undertaking, was India’s largest gas transmission and marketing company. As a leader in India’s gas and energy sector, the organization aimed to set a benchmark for other companies in the industry by implementing the best safety practices for its employees. In late 2013, GAIL’s top management decided to implement the behaviour-based safety (BBS) program across all of the company’s work sites. BBS was a health and safety standard that promoted change by training and enabling employees to observe and correct unsafe behaviour on the spot. BBS’s strength—changing employee behaviour—was also BBS’s challenge. Employees initially supported the initiative; but over time, employee commitment began to wane, and leaders redirected their energy to other pressing work demands. In 2016, general manager of HSE, and his team were finding it increasingly difficult to sustain the BBS initiative and transform the safety culture of the company. With the company’s operations growing and the number of employees increasing, management was grappling with what more could be done to inculcate a culture of safety.

Under the visionary leadership of Hiroshi Yamauchi, Nintendo Co., Ltd. (Nintendo) of Japan had transformed from a small founder-controlled business to a global and professionalized firm. Yamauchi’s death in 2013 had the potential to affect Nintendo’s corporate financial policy. Following his passing, Yamauchi’s family was left with a huge inheritance—but also an exorbitant inheritance tax bill. The family sought advice from Nintendo on how to deal with the matter. How could Nintendo solve this financial trouble in a way that balanced the interests of both the family and Nintendo’s management?

Over 26 consecutive days from September to October, the transboundary haze of 2015 lingered in Southeast Asia. For Singapore, this episode was one of the city-state's worst and most protracted pollution. The fires originating mostly from Sumatra and Kalimantan in Indonesia, produced more greenhouse gases each day than the emissions by the entire U.S. economy. They rendered two million hectares of land barren, incinerating forests, oil palm and pulpwood plantations alike. This was a repeat of the haze pollution two years earlier. How did Singapore, Indonesia, and Southeast Asia as a whole respond to the haze pollution of 2013 and 2015? What did different segments of society do to cope with the pollution? What could companies like Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) that had sizeable stakes in plantations across Indonesia do to improve their operations and public reputation? This case highlights the multifaceted sustainability challenges encountered in the quest for environmental protection and the resolution of transboundary haze in Southeast Asia. The haze is an annual phenomenon; its effects are exacerbated by destructive agricultural practices, climate conditions, inadequate legislation, weak environmental activism and intergovernmental cooperation, and a lack of consumer action. To date, it remains an intractable problem.

iSpace, a start-up hub that focused on women in technology, was founded in 2013 in Ghana’s capital, Accra, and provided space, technology, and funding to 62 entrepreneurs. In May 2017, the co-founder wanted to expand the business to maximize social impact by empowering a greater number of entrepreneurs who lacked technical skills, emotional support, and access to funding. iSpace had four strategies to choose from to meet its goal: create new programs to attract more entrepreneurs in Accra, establish a presence on university campuses, expand into other regions or countries, and collaborate with government programs. In addition, the company needed a plan to address the financial and human resources constraints it would face in executing an expansion strategy.

In 2007, the owner and director of marketing and research and development at Jaga was preparing for a meeting. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the future of the Belgian company’s Uchronia project (an online community and playground for creativity and product development). Over the previous 15 years, Jaga had transformed from a production-based radiator company to a highly innovative organization with a focus on the premium market. The owner, who had succeeded his father as chief executive officer during the 1990s, had managed this transformation. As an anthropologist with a unique view of the world, he saw the economy, innovation, and management as integral parts of his vision. Jaga had developed three major innovation projects in recent years. The first two were inexpensive projects and focused on direct benefits for the company. The third, the Uchronia project, was a larger and a more expensive project initiated at the Burning Man festival in 2006 that gained worldwide media attention. However, the Uchronia online community that resulted from the project had not grown as expected, leaving its founder to have to make a decision about the project’s future.

Jaga suffered negative economic effects from the 2008 financial crisis. As the crisis persisted in 2011, management planned to substantially reduce the number of employees, but the founder instead chose to fire half of the management team and reorganize the company. Although this decision was considered counterintuitive, it was perfectly aligned with the philosophy of this creative company.

Fauzia Kehar was a woman working in the male-dominated legal profession in Pakistan. She had overcome many barriers to achieve outstanding career success in Pakistan—a male-dominated environment with conservative laws and culture. Her impressive educational background and work experience led to her rapid progression to the role of head of Legal, Gulf Cluster, at Citibank NA in Dubai. After more than 20 years working as a lawyer, Fauzia had reached the top of her profession. In May 2018, she was reflecting back on the sacrifices she had made, and although she was confident she had made the right career choices, she wondered what was next. Should she continue her career in law or utilize her skill set to pursue a new career?

In June 2016, Sumayyah Sayed, a resident of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, decided to donate food to those who needed it through a sharing fridge for the full month of Ramadan. When she noted the extent of the need for more help, she turned to social media. What followed demonstrated the power of social media campaigns and the collective management of supply chains and perhaps initiated a new entrepreneurial venture. Within one month, the Facebook Inc. group Sayed had created to support her Ramadan Sharing Fridges initiative had 22,000 members, 165 donating fridges had been set up, and the story was creating waves in international media. What kind of entrepreneurial style was this? Was it sustainable? Was it an alternative model that could be adopted by others who aspired to set up business ventures, or was it a fluke?

Care Unlimited was a start-up in Kolkata, India, engaged in providing support and services to elderly customers whose children lived far away. The venture, four years old, had garnered a clientele who strongly believed in supporting the well-being of their elderly parents. The start-up endeavoured to change the experience of old age by supporting its customers in various chores, and by meaningfully engaging them in the various activities they enjoyed. By April 2018, the set-up had captured a share of the early market in Kolkata; however, the concept that the needs of elderly people extended beyond a need for emergency services had yet to gain wide-scale acceptance. Should the founder consider adding emergency services? Or should he continue to focus on driving home the point that elderly people needed far more than emergency services? Was there a need to explore alternative ways of earning revenue and diversifying his business?

Headquartered in Gurgaon, India, Vaidam Health Private Limited (Vaidam) was an online medical-value-travel (MVT) facilitator that had been hosting overseas patients travelling to India for medical treatment since its inception in January 2016. It had partnered with over 100 world-class health care facilities across the major cities in the country. Given the improved attractiveness of the MVT services, the founders of Vaidam realized that they would face tough competition in their attempt to further leverage this massive unaddressed business opportunity. Although they had successfully bootstrapped and come this far, they now had a tougher challenge to face in May 2018: as an MVT facilitator, how could Vaidam continuously offer value to medical travellers so that they would continue to choose Vaidam to plan their treatment and travel to India?