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The case describes the emergence and business model of VivaColombia, a low-cost Colombian airline. The airline was established in 2008, although it did not begin operations until May 2012. Since its inception, VivaColombia has grown within both the domestic and international markets. It provides passenger transportation services to major and intermediate cities in Colombia and to major cities in international destinations. In 2015, VivaColombia had nine Airbus A320 aircraft serving 21 routes in Colombia and six international routes in North, Central, and South America. It had over 500 employees. In 2015, it carried over 2.9 million passengers on domestic and international flights, with sales of $US119.2 million and profits of more than $US971,000. Although VivaColombia's board of directors was satisfied with the results achieved to date, they disagreed about how to proceed. Some board members believed that VivaColombia should consolidate its domestic operations. They were concerned about the large number of customer service complaints that had accompanied its rapid growth. In addition, two low-cost international carriers were planning to enter the Colombian market, which the board feared would jeopardize VivaColombia's position in the domestic market. Other board members thought VivaColombia should take advantage of the opportunity to expand into Brazil, a major Latin American market, presented by Aerocivil, Colombia's civil aviation authority, which had authorized VivaColombia to operate the Bogotá, Colombia-Sao Paulo, Brazil route. Students must decide whether the company should expand into Brazil or consolidate operations in the domestic market.

Logset Oy (Logset) was a privately held, specialized forest-machine manufacturing firm in Koivulahti, Finland. The firm had a strong presence in Europe but not in North America. Canada, with 42 per cent of its land mass covered by forest, was an appealing market, although 15 years of effort had not resulted in any appreciable increase in sales there. Logset had a strong dealer network in Ontario and Quebec. However, efforts to recruit a dealer for Atlantic and Western Canada had been unsuccessful. What strategy should Logset use to enter into partnerships with Canadian companies?

On November 8, 2016, the Indian prime minister announced that in an effort to counter corruption, black money, and counterfeiting, high-value currency notes of ?500 and ?1,000 denominations would be withdrawn from circulation. The currency to be removed in the demonetization exercise was worth ?15.4 trillion, or 86.9 per cent of the total value of currency in circulation. The old currency would be replaced with new ?500 and ?2,000 notes, but the transition would limit cash liquidity for 50 days in the Indian economy, which was heavily dependent on cash to facilitate both consumption and production. How would this process affect India, which had been identified as the world’s fastest-growing economy? Would demonetization have the desired effect of purging the economy of black money and moving India toward a cashless economy with increased growth? Or would it simply bring India’s remarkable growth story to a grinding halt and discourage investments?

In July 2017, Jorge Salcedo-Benitez was reflecting on his first decade as president of Solubles Instantaneos C.A. (SICA). Under his leadership, SICA had retained ownership of two leading brands of instant coffee in Ecuador: Don Café and Café Oro. As his descendants prepared to take the helm, Salcedo-Benitez wondered whether the company was still headed in the right direction. Giants like Nestlé S.A. dominated the markets elsewhere, in part by consolidating small, family-owned operations such as his own. Salcedo-Benitez wondered whether it was time to seek new markets, develop new products, or update the brand image; yet he was hesitant to make large strategic moves while his sons were still preparing to take the helm.

QualityKiosk Technologies Private Limited (QualityKiosk) was an information technology company providing software application testing and quality assurance services to banks and insurance companies in India. In 2015, QualityKiosk had over 70 per cent penetration in the insurance sector in terms of numbers of customers, and only 30 per cent penetration in the banking sector. Anuroop Krishna, head of QualityKiosk’s banking vertical, must put together a coherent sales strategy for 2016–17, and present his recommendations to QualityKiosk's chief executive officer.

In June 2017, the U.S. president had made a statement regarding his stance on Cuba-U.S. relations. Business leaders were very attentive, as his actions could impact the softening U.S.-Cuban relations started by his predecessor in 2016. A recent MBA graduate in Canada and an avid cigar smoker, viewed this scenario and wondered what effect it would have on the current environment, and if there was potential in the Cuban cigar industry. With an inheritance of $1 million coming available in the next month, he thought back to his strategy sessions and looked to evaluate this industry.

In April 2015, a legal associate at Spitzberg Elevators Corporation, a U.S. corporation operating in Hong Kong, was tasked with recommending how the company should respond to Hong Kong’s new anti-competition legislation, which was scheduled to be enacted within eight months. The legal associate first needed to review the legislation, specifically the key portions that could have an impact on her company's imminent plans to bid on several elevator contracts. She also needed to decide whether to recommend the company take a proactive stand by complying with the not-yet-enacted legislation or continue to comply with the current rules until the new legislation would take effect.

In June 2017, the U.S. president had made a statement regarding his stance on Cuba-U.S. relations. Business leaders were very attentive, as his actions could impact the softening U.S.-Cuban relations started by his predecessor in 2016. A recent MBA graduate in Canada and an avid cigar smoker, viewed this scenario and wondered what effect it would have on the current environment, and if there was potential in the Cuban cigar industry. With an inheritance of $1 million coming available in the next month, he thought back to his strategy sessions and looked to evaluate this industry.

In April 2015, a legal associate at Spitzberg Elevators Corporation, a U.S. corporation operating in Hong Kong, was tasked with recommending how the company should respond to Hong Kong's new anti-competition legislation, which was scheduled to be enacted within eight months. The legal associate first needed to review the legislation, specifically the key portions that could have an impact on her company's imminent plans to bid on several elevator contracts. She also needed to decide whether to recommend the company take a proactive stand by complying with the not-yet-enacted legislation or continue to comply with the current rules until the new legislation would take effect.

Logset Oy (Logset) was a privately held, specialized forest-machine manufacturing firm in Koivulahti, Finland. The firm had a strong presence in Europe but not in North America. Canada, with 42 per cent of its land mass covered by forest, was an appealing market, although 15 years of effort had not resulted in any appreciable increase in sales there. Logset had a strong dealer network in Ontario and Quebec. However, efforts to recruit a dealer for Atlantic and Western Canada had been unsuccessful. What strategy should Logset use to enter into partnerships with Canadian companies?

Manpreet Singh, chief executive officer of the Bosch multi-brand car service provider Motorcafe, wanted to scale up his business, which he established in 2010 in Mohali, India. The multi-brand car service sector promised huge market potential for Singh, but he faced some challenges: Bosch had failed to provide the expected support; the brand was being diluted by poor services offered by other service providers in neighbouring areas; competition from other multi-brand players in the Indian market was ever-growing; original equipment manufacturer workshops were renewing their competitive efforts; and customer needs were rapidly changing. How should Singh scale up his venture in the face of changing market dynamics and implement Motorcafe’s innovative value proposition for Indian car owners?

Financial holding company Gentera S.A.B. de C.V., located in Mexico City and operating in Mexico, Guatemala, and Peru, offered microlending, financial payment, insurance, and money transfer services to individuals at the bottom of the financial pyramid. The company was founded and operated on strong social values—reduce financial exclusion, focus on human and social values (including self-actualization), and enhance economic value—which pervaded the decisions made by the board and senior management. By 2016, the company had evolved from its origins as a non-governmental organization to become a private bank and, more recently, a public company listed on the Mexican Stock Exchange. The company faced questions about its governance structure and processes: should it reduce the number of board committees and alter their function in order to accomplish a stronger strategic focus? It also faced organizational challenges related to growth and the need to both adapt its current business model to encompass financial technology and invest in information technology. How should it allow extensive developments while simultaneously updating systems required to meet current needs?

On December 30, 2013, an account manager in the sales department of UIT India (UIT) filed a complaint with the company’s Ethics & Compliance Cell (ECC). UIT was the Indian branch of a leading U.S. multinational corporation. In his complaint to the ECC, the account manager alleged that he had suffered discrimination by his superior. He was called to a meeting with the ECC where he learned that his superior had received complaints from other employees and was already under investigation. That information made him feel hopeful that his complaint would be resolved quickly and favourably. However, his hopes were shattered when he was placed on a performance improvement plan the next day by the company’s human resource department. According to the plan, he would be terminated if he failed to deliver the set targets within two months. The account manager was furious and felt he was being treated unfairly. However, he was required to accept or refuse the improvement plan within 48 hours. His decision would not only determine his survival at UIT, but also impact his career prospects in the industry.

In early 2013, the founder of Shandong Aspop Clothing Apparel Group Co. Ltd. faced the annual “post-holiday recruitment dilemma.” His challenge was typical of the growth challenges that many labour-intensive original equipment manufacturer clothing enterprises in China encountered. Facing rising domestic labour costs, a change in attitudes among workers, the gradual shift of labour preferences from manufacturing industries to service industries, and a market environment in which international orders had shifted to Southeast Asian countries, the founder needed to make a decision. Should he strive to attract and retain more skilled front-line workers, replace personnel via automation, or set up a factory in a neighbouring country to transfer part of the enterprise’s production capacity?

In 2012, a pilot study undertaken by the data services team of the Dow Chemical Company in the polymer division of the multinational company’s Midland, Michigan, plant had revealed an uncanny trend on the company’s shop floor. Plant engineers were working for the data; the data was not working for them. The data services director saw an opportunity to reverse the trend through the deployment of big data capabilities and, more specifically, enterprise manufacturing intelligence (EMI), a subset of big data. How should he gain user acceptance of the proposed EMI?

In 2017, True Fruits, a German smoothie company, was operating in three European markets. The company had developed flash pasteurization, which was an efficient and gentle production process that made their product one of the highest quality smoothies in the world. The company successfully exported its product to premium Austrian and Swiss supermarkets, and was planning further expansion within Europe. True Fruits had strong brand loyalty, and a noteworthy, healthy lifestyle-oriented product. True Fruits' owners were convinced that entering other European markets would fuel the company’s growth.

In 2017, True Fruits, a German smoothie company, was operating in three European markets. The company had developed flash pasteurization, which was an efficient and gentle production process that made their product one of the highest quality smoothies in the world. The company successfully exported its product to premium Austrian and Swiss supermarkets, and was planning further expansion within Europe. True Fruits had strong brand loyalty, and a noteworthy, healthy lifestyle-oriented product. True Fruits' owners were convinced that entering other European markets would fuel the company's growth.

In response to its shrinking domestic market, Japanese liquor company Suntory Holdings Limited acquired American liquor conglomerate Beam Inc. in 2014 to expand into the promising U.S. market. Although the acquisition price was high, executives of both companies were confident in the deal. However, as the new combined entity, Beam Suntory Inc., began the integration process, it encountered significant friction, particularly from its separate corporate cultures. By 2016, the new entity had not integrated to a satisfactory level. The high acquisition price had left the parent company with monumental debt, while the consolidated operations struggled to establish trust and efficiency. Had Suntory Holdings Limited made a wise decision in acquiring Beam Inc.? How should it cope with the monumental debt? How should the combined entity resolve conflicts and integrate to realize potential synergies?

In 2016, Dalmia Bharat Cement Limited (Dalmia Cement) and its agency, the Dalmia Bharat Foundation, worked in the areas of sustainability and corporate social responsibility. It worked with communities in the neighbourhoods of its plants and with rural communities in many other areas, focusing on soil and water conservation. In 2016 there was a growing concern that its water harvesting structures and methods of soil protection and improvement were no longer good enough. A measure that valued water in financial terms was required to help justify the foundation's targets and funding. The company tasked interns from a well-known management institute with searching for such a measure.

<p style="color: rgb(197, 183, 131);"><strong> AWARD WINNER - Emerging Chinese Global Competitors Award, European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) Case Writing Competition</strong></p><br>In 2012, the Chinese state-owned oil corporation China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) acquired Nexen, a Canadian oil exploration company, in what was the largest-ever acquisition abroad by a Chinese company. The Chinese economy had become increasingly dependent on imported energy and the aim of this acquisition was to secure access to natural resources around the world. The deal received intense media attention and its merits for Canada were widely discussed in the media. Eventually, it was approved by the Canadian government after CNOOC made substantial commitments regarding Nexen’s future operations. However, after the acquisition, Nexen experienced considerable challenges regarding its financial performance and its health, safety, and environment processes. Financial performance was undermined by a sharp drop in the price of oil from 2014 onward. Moreover, Nexen’s operations were disrupted by a pipeline leak, a closure of pipelines by the regulator, and a plant explosion. Each event challenged the Chinese and Canadian leadership of Nexen to face the media and minimize reputational damage and safeguard its health and safety record. How could the company cut its losses and downscale its engagement in Canada? Did it need to refocus its Canadian operations to use its assets in a different way?