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In July 2014, the expatriate CEO of McDonald’s Japan (MDJ) faced a crisis after a video was broadcast accusing one of the company’s China-based food suppliers of serious health and sanitation violations. Although MDJ was the biggest brand in Japan’s fast food industry, the company’s sales had been falling since 2008, and its profitability had deteriorated dramatically since 2012. The CEO, who had recently taken over at MDJ, urgently needed to turn around the company’s situation and deal with the crisis at hand. How could she reassure Japanese consumers and put the company back on the road to growth?<br><br>See supplement 9B15M084.

This case is a supplement to 9B15M083. In February 2015, the sales of McDonald’s Japan had continued to slide, despite the implementation of new pricing and the introduction of new food items. The company posted a loss for 2014, citing costs in dealing with the Shanghai Husi debacle and the impact it had on sales. However, numerous reports of foreign objects in McDonald’s food items had resulted in the loss of consumers’ trust. How should the expatriate CEO rebuild the company’s position in the Japanese market?

Several experts had drawn attention to a peculiar problem existing in public-sector banks in India. There seemed to be two distinct generations: experienced employees who would be superannuated in the next four to five years; and newer employees who had come on board in the last four to five years. Though these young employees were academically sound, they lacked competence acquired through experience and thus were hesitant in taking on responsibilities. The older generation was slowly withdrawing. Management at Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) knew that in order to improve motivation and encourage higher productivity, the company had to trigger change and transform the mindsets of its employees.<br><br>Harnessing the energies of young members of the marketing team, IOB ran a unique campaign involving all employees called Rang De Basanti. Initial results were encouraging. However, two problems continued to arise: the underperformance of one particular region and the problem of keeping up the momentum and sustaining the change.

Built into a pension fund's calculations was a 7% expected return, but in this world of debt, deficits, and quantitative easing (and negative interest rates!), could such a return be counted on? Or was it necessary to reduce the fund's expected returns assumptions? And whether or not assumptions on expected returns were changed, should the fund's global asset allocation be altered? This case provides an opportunity for students to form, in the context of an analysis of the global macroeconomic environment, five-year expected returns for major asset classes.

Aqua Logistics Limited, one of India's leading logistics and supply chain management companies, suffered from poor financial management and was witnessing slowing demand in the industry. The company had significant financial debt to banks and financial institutions. Owing to such difficulties in managing its operations in a largely fragmented industry, the firm - with its strong network in multimodal transport and in the third-party logistics model of delivery - was a good target for companies seeking to consolidate their position in the industry. An acquiring firm, however, would want to answer several questions. What were the possible value drivers of Aqua Logistics Limited? From where would the synergistic gains be realized through an acquisition? How much should be offered for the acquisition?

In April 2013, Kassatly Chtaura, a family-owned producer of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages headquartered in Chtaura, Lebanon, faces a dilemma. It is doing very well in terms of revenues and market share and has succeeded in building a strong cash flow. However, the past year’s figures show little growth, and the family is concerned that sales of its syrups, juices, ready-to-drink beverages and wines have reached a plateau. Should the company expand its distribution network or build a new factory and move some operations to Saudi Arabia or Angola? These are promising markets, but they are in distant locations with different cultures. Or should it stay put and expand its operations by introducing a new product, beer? Adding to its successful portfolio will complement its business strengths in Lebanon, especially when bolstered by one of its highly successful advertising campaigns, and accomplish a family dream. Given the uncertain political situation in Lebanon, is it time to invest in international markets?

Aqua Logistics Limited, one of India’s leading logistics and supply chain management companies, suffered from poor financial management and was witnessing slowing demand in the industry. The company had significant financial debt to banks and financial institutions. Owing to such difficulties in managing its operations in a largely fragmented industry, the firm — with its strong network in multimodal transport and in the third-party logistics model of delivery — was a good target for companies seeking to consolidate their position in the industry. An acquiring firm, however, would want to answer several questions. What were the possible value drivers of Aqua Logistics Limited? From where would the synergistic gains be realized through an acquisition? How much should be offered for the acquisition?

A recent law-school graduate is delighted to land a job as a junior associate at an up-and-coming legal firm in New Delhi, India. In spite of his initial enthusiasm for the job, after just three months, the young man is on the brink of quitting. The firm has failed to meet its promises with respect to compensation and the nature of the work assigned. After many fruitless attempts to rectify the situation, the young associate is left feeling powerless, cheated and angry. A series of futile arguments with his immediate superior have left him all the more bitter, as he believes that his boss holds some sort of personal grudge against him. He now wonders whether he should quit this job he so desperately wanted, or tough it out and wait for things to get better.

In 2015, Renault-Nissan Alliance (RNA) launched four convergence projects in four key functions (research and development, manufacturing and logistics, purchasing, and human resources). The projects required the two independent entities, Renault and Nissan, to increase collaboration and integration to strengthen economies of scale, and thus reduce costs in order to better compete globally in both developed and emerging markets. However, as the alliance increased the level of integration and opened possibilities for inviting new partners, it also increased the time and resources needed to reach joint strategic decisions between the two companies. RNA had many difficult decisions to make with respect to moving forward — not least of which involved finding an eventual replacement for the alliance’s 61-year-old chief executive officer.

Sophia Tannis and her husband, Richard, had to choose between following her career or his. The pair chose to accept Sophia’s new job offer, which involved relocating geographically. Over the ensuing five years, Sophia and Richard became parents to two children and gradually settled into their new roles. Since putting his own career second to Sophia’s, Richard successfully built up a reputation as a future leader within his organization, and has recently been offered his next big job opportunity. As fate would have it, Richard’s promotion was announced the same day Sophia’s boss handed her the chance to take her next big career step. Also see case B supplement 9B15M102.<br><br>Students may be interested in the associated case Sophia Tannis: The European Transfer, product 9B13C027.

Supplement to case A 9B15M101.

The investment manager for Norfund, a Norwegian development finance institution, is seeking additional investors for a private equity fund focused on the African nation of Angola. After several large development banks reject the investment opportunity, the European Investment Bank agrees to conduct due diligence before making a potentially significant investment in the fund. The investment manager sees Angola as an investment area with high potential, but faces skepticism by investors who worry about potential risks after previous failed attempts to invest in the country.

In 2011, Suntech Power, the world’s largest solar panel manufacturer, found itself in a highly problematic position. Recent developments in the Chinese solar power industry had negatively impacted the company’s operations. As the industry had matured, the demand for Suntech Power’s products had become highly volatile. Changing policy regulations, the ambiguous financial structure of the firm and a shift in consumers’ perceptions of the product were only some of the issues that further compounded the problem. As a result of these changing dynamics within the global solar power industry, the company’s share price had plummeted by roughly 90 per cent. To remedy the problem, in May 2011, the founder and chief executive officer of Suntech Power hired a new chief financial officer and they faced the arduous task of turning the company around. How should they tackle changing political and economic conditions? What decisions needed to be made to maintain the position of the company in the global solar energy market?

More than a decade after its launch, DonorsChoose.org is a successful, well-known and well-regarded charitable organization that supports U.S. public schools. Yet in the years since the organization’s inception, the charity environment has changed, leading the organization’s chief marketing officer to investigate how to further clarify the brand in a shifting space. The case centres on findings delivered by a branding agency regarding a possible change to the organization’s tagline. Faced with a lengthy report on the branding agency’s findings, the chief marketing officer needs to decide on the organization’s next steps.

<p style="color: rgb(197, 183, 131);"><strong> AWARD WINNER -Bringing Technology to Market Award, European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) Case Writing Competition</strong></p><br>This case describes how General Electric has developed its China Technology Center over the past decade. The case also elaborates on the changing role of the China Technology Center in General Electric’s global research and development strategy. In 2000, General Electric set up its China Technology Center in Shanghai after bringing its technologies and products to China. In the first few years, the focus of the China Technology Center was to build local engineering teams, learn about customer needs, determine successful marketing strategies, and to develop relationships with local suppliers in order to reduce costs. Over time, the China Technology Center developed its “In China for China” strategy by adjusting its own products and designs to adapt to the local market, while still developing innovative technologies and products to address China’s toughest challenges — such as those encountered in the healthcare industry. This strategy was very successful; some innovations from the China Technology Center were used in other emerging markets as well as in U.S. and European markets — a process that is known as reverse innovation.

The chief executive officer of TCL Multimedia, a global TV manufacturer based in China, looked at the company’s first-half financial results with some concern. The results did not meet his expectations, and the company had lost market shares, both in China and internationally. Although he was confident that the new, recently adopted corporate strategy would enable a better future positioning of the company, he knew that without the appropriate supply chain design, the effectiveness of the new corporate strategy could suffer.

Elon Musk, the CEO of the U.S.-headquartered Tesla Motors (Tesla), was considering how the company should enter the Chinese market. Less than a year earlier, Tesla had exited Singapore after disappointing results only six months after entering that promising market. There were several questions that the company would have to answer in order to formulate an appropriate entry strategy for China. First, could the company learn from its experiences in the United States and Singapore and apply this learning to China? Second, was it the right time to enter the Chinese market? Finally, how could Tesla prevent a repeat of the Singapore experience in China? There were several questions that the company would have to answer in order to formulate an appropriate entry strategy for China.

In the fall of 2014, the Alibaba Group, an e-commerce company that operates domestic and international marketplaces and provides Internet-based services from its headquarters in Hangzhou, China, startled the world with its record-breaking initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange. The company’s business plan differs from other major Internet companies such as Amazon and eBay by its strategies that are tailored to the particular circumstances of the Chinese economy and Chinese consumers. Now, the executive team has set its sights on achieving the next big thing — developing its online-to-offline business, a market sector estimated to be worth a trillion dollars in the age of the mobile Internet. However, the company faces stiff competition from Tencent, the other Internet titan in China. How can Alibaba integrate online and offline activities to increase sales and improve the consumer’s experience — and, therefore, improve its own bottom line?

On November 25, 2012, the head of Revenue Recognition at ESol Limited (ESol) India was preparing for a meeting with the company’s sales team at the head office in Bangalore. ESol Limited was a large, U.S.-based multinational information technology corporation, which had moved into India in 2000. Since then, its management had insisted on the need for close monitoring of accounting procedures in strict adherence to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. Although the sales team had negotiated the Request for Proposal with MoveForward, a large research firm in India handling and processing high volumes of sensitive data, in good faith, the revenue recognition team felt that clauses dealing with penalties, liquidated damages and termination put their company at risk and wished to defer all of the revenue proposed for the contract until these issues were resolved. The friction between the two teams put the entire deal in jeopardy.

In 2014, Shooting & Outdoor Distributor (SOD) was a Puerto Rican family-owned wholesale business selling sporting goods for hunting and fishing. After a year of working for the company, the operations manager was confronted with the arrival of a U.S. retail chain, Sports Authority (SA), to the Puerto Rican market. SA carried many sporting goods sold by SOD, as well as a number of brands under exclusive distribution agreements between SOD and its U.S. manufacturers. Even though SA was a retailer, due to its size, it had the power to negotiate better prices with manufacturers than SOD and pass those deals on to the final customer. SOD’s operations manager was considering three options for combating this competition: 1) Develop private branding for a new rifle product; 2) Open SOD retail stores not operating close to SA or to its retail clients; and/or 3) Expand SOD to other Latin American and Caribbean markets where no competition was present.