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In November 2020, after the world's largest online shopping festival, also known as Singles' Day or "11.11 Global Shopping Festival" in China ended on a high note, the express delivery industry was again confronted with issues of burgeoning packaging waste and increasing carbon footprint from parcel deliveries. Cainiao Smart Logistics Network, a logistics arm of Alibaba Group, the largest e-commerce company in China, had been mitigating the impact caused by rapid e-commerce and logistic development. An e-commerce logistics platform, Cainiao led the industry to embark on nationwide green campaigns and launched digitalisation initiatives, including the introduction of e-shipping labels, smart packing, sorting, and parcel routing algorithms. On a broader scale, Cainiao had also built smart warehouses, and deployed robots and autonomous vehicles that contributed to lower ecological footprint. Yet, much remained to be done and at a significant cost. What else could Cainiao do to promote going green, keeping in mind that there was an economic cost associated with all such initiatives?

Navigating the chaos that characterizes periods of rapid change demands tools that prepare an organization for an uncertain future. So says the founder of the Institute for the Future, who shares several 'tools of the trade' that she uses with clients to help them navigate uncertainty. Leaders must also know the difference between trends and fads, and weak and strong signals. Her 'tools of the trade' are invaluable because, as she notes, "Accounting data, competitor intelligence and consumer research covering near-term needs can be accurate and useful in the present, but they are often unreliable predictors of the future."

"Power is misunderstood." Thus begins the new book from management professors Tiziana Casciaro (Rotman School of Management) and Julie Battilana (Harvard). In this interview, co-author Casciaro shares insights from the book, including the fact that the most effective changemakers in an organization are not necessarily the people at the top; and that power is not intrinsically good or bad. She provides a four-element definition of power and shares key principles of the authors' framework for shifting the balance of power-a critical undertaking in a world beset by inequality. Armed with this understanding of how power works, she promises that we have a chance to live on this planet in harmony.

As businesses the world over begin to recover from the pandemic, many are hoping to see a new and better economic model emerge that is both socially inclusive and ecologically virtuous. Acclaimed management thinker Navi Radjou argues that transitioning from a deleterious economic system to a virtuous one will require something from each and every one of us: a major shift in our consciousness. After defining 'the seven chakras', he shares his new-to-the-world balanced representation of the chakras, with 'heart' (love and compassion) at the center. In the end, he makes it clear that we cannot reinvent our economy without first reinventing ourselves.

Innovators who experiment solely to validate their idea are making a dangerous mistake, and the authors point to the inventor of the Segway as a prime example. The purpose of experimentation should always be twofold, they say: to test an assumption and learn from the testing, so you can decide whether to persevere, pivot-or pull out. They show how 'radical innovators' use experiments to validate and investigate. Their investigation is a more open-ended form of experimentation, designed to illuminate overlooked factors or preferences. Most importantly, it leaves room for unexpected insights to emerge along the journey to product launch.

Both practically and morally, corporate leaders can no longer sit on the sidelines of major societal shifts or treat human and planetary issues as "someone else's problem." For their own good, they must play an active role in addressing our biggest shared challenges. The economy won't thrive unless people and the planet are thriving. In this bold manifesto, consultant and author Andrew Winston and former Unilever CEO Paul Polman describe their vision of a "net positive" company--one that grows by helping the world flourish. Drawing on examples from Unilever and other leading companies, they outline four critical paths businesses can take to prosper today and win in the future. They can operate first in service of multiple stakeholders--which then benefits investors (as opposed to putting shareholders above all others); take full ownership of all company impacts; embrace deep partnerships, even with critics; and tackle systemic challenges by rethinking advocacy and the relationship with governments. No company has yet reached the ambitious goal of becoming net positive. But a growing number have begun the journey--unlocking greater value for their businesses while helping solve larger problems for the benefit of all.

The Intel AI for Youth case tells the story of a global educational initiative spearheaded by Intel's public affairs group. Intel executives are seeking to establish artificial intelligence (AI) education and skilling programs for public school systems in international markets that are important to Intel's business. The key decision point of the case is how to bring a program that has already been successfully introduced in nine different countries to Intel's home market in the United States. Behind this core decision are the larger questions about the creating and capturing the value of corporate responsibility and sustainability initiatives. At the time of the case, Intel is making big bets on being a leader in the emerging AI economy, a market that some analysts see growing to nearly $16 trillion within this decade. If Intel can successfully capture a substantial portion of this growth, AI will be a major business line for the company. By analyzing the case, students discover the multiple ways that the AI for Youth initiative supports the development of this market and allows discussion of how Intel can benefit from its growth.

Proxima Servicios is a company with a social orientation, recognized in 2017 among the 10% most sustainable B companies. It had the objective of improving the working conditions of workers with low qualifications and low salaries, through the provision of subcontracting services in the field of industrial cleaning and maintenance, by transforming the subcontracting work into supercontracting. Proxima sought to deliver a service of excellence and the development of its employees. The development of its workers focused on improving their work skills, increasing their employability, and supporting their welfare. The specific activities that were subcontracted in Chile were varied, and there were no tasks that could not be subcontracted: outsourcing of security and surveillance, cleaning and maintenance, construction and assembly, transport and/or distribution, legal services, and food was widespread. In contrast, the areas of IT, marketing, sales, and finance were outsourced by a small group of companies. From this, Eduardo considered that specifically security guards, cleaning personnel, transportation of workers, or maintenance tasks, were activities that in the last decade had ceased to be an integral part of a companies' operations. The growing trend in human resources pointed to these services being outsourced or subcontracted. In particular, Eduardo was informed that the Chilean private security market had risen to over 130,000 workers, reflecting a 211% increase in the last five years. This made him think that it could be very attractive to transfer Proxima's experience in the cleaning service to the private security market. If he remained in the cleaning service, Eduardo thought it was necessary to redefine his strategy but to maintain shared value or offer a new related service.

At many leading business schools, cases are written only by professors or professional case writers. At the Darden School of Business, however, MBA students may also write cases. Case writing helps students to gain tangible business writing and communication skills, to sharpen their business acumen, to understand better the key concepts learned in the classroom, and to prepare for the practical rigors of the workplace. This technical note explores what students can learn from case writing, how and why case writing can be beneficial to their careers, and the individual-level benefits of case writing.

This public-sourced case uses the California housing crisis to analyze economic policy in an environment featuring a rising cost of living and shrinking affordable housing options. The case discusses policy options as well as the role and incentives of the private sector in helping develop more affordability. In the case, economist Renee Bowen examines the tradeoffs involved in government intervention in housing markets. This includes understanding the causes of the state's rising costs of living, evaluating whether California needed more affordable housing, and assessing policy options to address high housing costs. Three big-picture questions are considered: Should the state government intervene to address housing affordability? What interventions might be most effective? And what would caution against government invention?

The Allbirds: Decarbonizing Fashion (A) case introduces Allbirds as a footwear startup not only focused on simple design, comfort, and sustainable natural materials but on decarbonizing the wider fashion industry. Background material highlights the growing environmental impact of the footwear industry, including its use of leather and fossil-fuel-based materials and its focus on shorter product lifespans. Allbirds' product development process, by contrast, collaborated with suppliers to develop natural materials including wool and sugarcane to substitute for conventional petroleum-based materials and leather. The case is set in 2021, when Allbirds was extending its product range into apparel and expanding beyond its online store to open more retail stores around the world. Allbirds was freely sharing its know-how and material innovations with its competitors to try to scale its efforts to decarbonize fashion, yet the company was also keen to remain ahead and differentiated based on its shoes' comfort, minimalist design, and sustainable natural materials. The Allbirds: Decarbonizing Fashion (B) case encourages students to assess Allbirds' product development and go-to-market strategies now that Allbirds is a publicly listed company. The (B) case provides a 2024 update on Allbirds including its initial public offering, mounting losses, decreasing share price, and the release of a strategic transformation plan. It also covers co-founders Tim Brown's and Joey Zwillinger's transition out of the co-CEO role.

In June 2020, the head of Customer Centre at DBS Bank Ltd. (DBS), the largest commercial bank in Singapore, was wondering how to leverage the bank’s current success in digitalization to create a competitive advantage. As a business leader, she was facing major decision points. How could she increase awareness of the bank’s digital assets among existing customers? How could she further digitalize the customer centre? In addition, the COVID-19 global pandemic, which had disrupted businesses worldwide, had been both a challenge and an opportunity for DBS. What should be the bank’s next steps? The head of the Customer Centre needed to find a way forward for DBS in the context of an industry that itself was not only in the middle of internal disruption but was also undergoing rapid transformation.

The case describes the experience of Lucchetti, a company owned by the Chilean holding group Quiñenco, in its first years of operation in Peru. It begins by describing the origin and positioning of the holding company (controlled by the Luksic family) and of its subsidiary Lucchetti, and it provides context about the country and pasta industry in the target market. On the one hand, en- tering the Peruvian pasta market generated a number of effects that were not hard to anticipate: despite price slashing by the competition, Lucchetti products gained market share. In short, the company anticipated market dynamics and the business plan seemed to evolve according to plan. However, the case also describes a series of initial setbacks in the acquisition of construction licenses, which appear to have been "off the radar" in Lucchetti's early analysis. Far from being resolved, these problems increased in intensity and complexity as weeks passed. The case concludes with Lucchetti's top management facing a difficult situation: the firm needed to put its production capacity into operation in Peru to make the venture economically viable, but regulatory entanglements prevented Lucchetti from starting production in its Lima manufacturing plant.

The Early years traces the genesis of the company as Imperial Tobacco Company and the consolidation of its manufacturing and marketing operations. The next five sections trace ITC's evolution under its five Indian chairmen. The Haksar Years begins with a description of Ajit Haksar's career at ITC, including his time at BAT, which shaped his beliefs about the role of professional management and his definition of his role as the company's first Indian chairman. The section outlines context in which BAT's stake in ITC was diluted, and ITC's eventual diversification into hotels and paperboards business. The Sapru Years describes the consolidation of market leadership in cigarettes business following a change in taxation regime and the company's foray into agri-business. The Chugh Years captures the tumultuous relationship between BAT and ITC, announcements of diversification into core sectors like power and the aborted takeover attempt by BAT. The Deveshwar Years traces Y C Deveshwar's initiatives to consolidate and strengthen the core businesses, venture into new businesses such as information technology and the company's growing focus on social imperatives. The company's foray into foods and personal care segment in line with its goal to become the #1 FMCG company in the country is also covered. The Puri Years details the developments in the company under the executive leadership of Sanjiv Puri. The section ends with Puri becoming executive chairman following the demise of Deveshwar. The final section, The Years Ahead, ends with details of challenges faced by Puri including pressure from ESG (environmental, social and governance) investors and questions on the company's continued engagement with the cigarette business.

In March 2021, the chief strategy officer of Green Car Inc. (Green Car), an on-demand car-sharing services company, was contemplating the company’s strategic direction. In an on-demand car-sharing services model, a company owned vehicles and received a fee from consumers who borrowed those vehicles. The strategy of Green Car’s main competitor was to maximize its platform competitiveness by aggressively expanding its operational scale and scope, even if it meant incurring financial losses. In contrast, Green Car tried to achieve a balance of growth and profitability, which had resulted in continuous profits. The company now faced an important question for the company’s overall strategic direction: growth or profitability? Which strategy would be successful in the end?

In March 2021, the chief strategy officer of Green Car Inc. (Green Car), an on-demand car-sharing services company, was contemplating the company's strategic direction. In an on-demand car-sharing services model, a company owned vehicles and received a fee from consumers who borrowed those vehicles. The strategy of Green Car's main competitor was to maximize its platform competitiveness by aggressively expanding its operational scale and scope, even if it meant incurring financial losses. In contrast, Green Car tried to achieve a balance of growth and profitability, which had resulted in continuous profits. The company now faced an important question for the company's overall strategic direction: growth or profitability? Which strategy would be successful in the end?

In June 2020, the head of Customer Centre at DBS Bank Ltd. (DBS), the largest commercial bank in Singapore, was wondering how to leverage the bank's current success in digitalization to create a competitive advantage. As a business leader, she was facing major decision points. How could she increase awareness of the bank's digital assets among existing customers? How could she further digitalize the customer centre? In addition, the COVID-19 global pandemic, which had disrupted businesses worldwide, had been both a challenge and an opportunity for DBS. What should be the bank's next steps? The head of the Customer Centre needed to find a way forward for DBS in the context of an industry that itself was not only in the middle of internal disruption but was also undergoing rapid transformation.

Between 1985 and 2007, Danaher has been one of the best-performing industrial conglomerates in the U.S. This case examines the corporate strategy of this diversified, global corporation. It describes the firm's portfolio strategy and the Danaher Business System-a systematic and wide-ranging set of organizational processes the firm has developed to drive growth and create value. In 2008, the firm confronts various challenges in sustaining its impressive historical performance. First, can it continue to balance organic and acquisition-led growth? Second, what will be the impact of increased competition from private equity players? Third, for how long can its strategy of "continuous improvement" continue?

HCL Technologies Ltd., one of the big four information technology companies in India, had established a corporate entrepreneurship function within its enterprise technology office (ETO). As part of its aspiration to scale up its corporate entrepreneurship activities, the ETO had adopted an ecosystem innovation strategy, and in 2020, the ETO team was deliberating how to standardize and institutionalize its corporate entrepreneurship practices, enhance the platform technology, and build a culture of innovation to leverage the newly adopted ecosystem innovation strategy.

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