個案總覽

Carrefour, the second largest retailer in the world, had just announced that it would open its first "Green Store" in Beijing before the 2008 Olympic Games. David Monaco, asset and construction director of Carrefour China, had little experience with green building, and was struggling with how to translate that announcement into specifications for store design and operations. Monaco has to evaluate the situation carefully both from ecological and economic perspectives. In addition, he must take the regulatory and infrastructure situation in China into account, where no official green building standard exists and only few suppliers of energy saving equipment operate. He had already collected energy and cost data from several suppliers, and wondered how this could be used to decide among environmental technology options. Given that at least 150 additional company stores were scheduled for opening or renovation during the next three years in China, the project would have long term implications for Carrefour.

This case explores management's challenge of how to best use a $10 million contribution to make the greatest impact for the poor. Acumen Fund is global philanthropic venture capital fund that seeks to prove that small amounts of philanthropic capital, combined with large doses of business acumen, can build thriving enterprises that serve vast numbers of the poor at the base of the pyramid. In recent years, the organization has expanded its work into talent building and knowledge creation. Students learn the different roles intermediary organizations like Acumen Fund play in facilitating the development of successful BoP ventures and why are these efforts needed.

Awarded 1st place in the 2008 oikos Casewriting Competition. VisionSpring sells affordable reading glasses to the poor at the base of the pyramid through Vision Entrepreneurs and, more recently, through franchise partners. Winner of the prestigious 2008 Oikos Case Competition, this case explores how to scale VisionSpring's approach to serving the poor. (Note: In 2008, The Scojo Foundation changed its name to Vision Spring.)

The case deals with a scam that has been run out of Nigeria since 1990. In it, foreign companies are approached for their assistance in facilitating an international transfer of funds in order to receive a very large but unearned commission. In the case, a Hong Kong-based manager who is travelling to Nigeria is unaware that he is walking into a situation where his company is about to be cheated. The objective of the case is to raise the issue of ethics in the conduct of international business. A follow-up case (908M39) is available.

En route to Nigeria the decision maker learns that he is walking into a scam and must decide whether to show up for the scheduled meetings or to return home immediately. The case illustrates ways of being drawn into unethical situations, and the severe implications for both the individual and organization if they do participate. This (B) case can be distributed part way through the class (with undergraduates) or at the same time as the (A) case with more experienced students.

This case was written for the "Ethics-The Core Value of Leadership" forum (2007) organized by Hong Kong's Independent Commission against Corruption. Attended by over 200 directors of listed companies, the forum aimed to educate directors of listed companies on issues of ethics and corporate governance. Set on the eve of a friendly takeover, the Manfold case introduces a wide variety of ethical and corporate governance issues faced by the (independent) directors, accountant, company secretary and management of the company.

As a home-grown compact car maker in Malaysia, Perodua has integrated social messages into its corporate advertisements since 1999, seeking to enlighten the local audience about various social issues and values. With the growing concern of corporate social responsibility ("CSR") globally, company advertising with a social dimension ("CASD") seemed to be an effective way for Perodua to portray its good corporate citizen image. However, the impact of the ads on direct and tangible returns in the form of sales was hard to determine. Since 2005, trade liberalization in South-East Asia resulted in reduced government protection for Malaysia's indigenous automotive industry and there was more emphasis on corporate differentiation strategies. In response to the escalating competitiveness and the increasing interest in CSR, Perodua's corporate leaders and its management had to rethink how corporate advertisements emphasizing social aspects could sustain the company's profitability and reputation in the long run. Besides, controversies easily arose when social issues such as race-related topics were not handled with sensitivity, given the diverse cultural context of Malaysia. Set in the context of an industry characterized by intensifying competitiveness and in a multicultural environment in which the social impact of advertising is emphasized, Perodua's strategy of CASD becomes very interesting.

In 1995, Procter & Gamble (P&G) scientists began researching methods of water treatment for use in communities facing water crises. P&G, one of the world's largest consumer products companies, was interested in bringing industrial-quality water treatment to remote areas worldwide, because the lack of clean water, primarily in developing countries, was alarming. In the latter half of the 1990s, approximately 1.1 billion (out of a worldwide population of around 5.6 billion) people lacked access to clean drinking water or sanitation facilities. An estimated 6 million children died annually from diseases, including diarrhea, hookworm, and trachoma, brought about by contaminated water. Many of these deaths were preventable if a water sanitation product was paired with effective education and distribution. With a long history of scientific research and innovation in health, hygiene, and nutrition, P&G considered ways it could address the safe drinking-water crisis as the new millennium approached. Although the company had a vast array of successful products, P&G did not offer anything that involved water purification, either domestically or in developing countries where poverty, lack of infrastructure, and inaccessibility of remote communities made the prospect of cleaning up the water more difficult.

In 1999, P&G purchased-through the acquisition of Recovery Engineering in a $265 million deal-PUR Water Filtration System, a point-of-use water filtration system. The PUR water filtration system used a combination of the flocculant iron sulfate, an agent that caused particles suspended in water to bind and form sediment, and calcium hypochlorite (chlorine), a disinfectant. After acquiring the product, P&G began to develop and expand it. With the success of PUR Water Filtration System, Procter & Gamble Health Sciences Institute (PGHSI) and its partners created the Children's Safe Drinking Water (CSDW) campaign, which targeted developing countries, in 2003. PUR was distributed, often at no cost, to poor countries where the drinking water was not safe, and elsewhere during emergencies: the Asian tsunami, flooding in Haiti, or cholera epidemics in Africa, among others. Through the CSDW program from 2003 to 2007, P&G had provided the sachets at no cost, made no profit on PUR sales, and donated programmatic funding to some of the CSDW projects. Between 2003 and 2007, 85 million sachets of PUR, treating 850 million liters of water, had been distributed globally in emergency response or sold through social marketing projects. With the help of its various partners, PGHSI had made the product available in 23 countries. Procter & Gamble had finally entered the water purification business but had chosen to augment its commercial and retail sales by helping bring clean drinking water to developing countries.

In 1998, the Tibet Poverty Alleviation Fund (TPAF), a small, US-based non-governmental organization, launched an initiative to bring the benefits of microfinance to the impoverished people of rural Tibet. Based on the lending model pioneered by the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, TPAF's microfinance program would make small loans to individuals and families to help them start up small-scale enterprises that would, it was hoped, raise their incomes and improve their standard of living. In consultation with the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) government, two vastly different, but representative, communities were ed for the program: the agricultural villages of the southern Lhoka Prefecture and the semi-nomadic communities on the plateau of Nakchu Prefecture. TPAF had been established with the specific mission of using poverty alleviation techniques to demonstrate that, with some adaptations from standard models and methods, it was possible to make poverty programs work in the difficult conditions of the Tibet Autonomous Region. Nevertheless, adapting the Grameen model for use in TAR would be a challenge even for TPAF's experienced staff. This would be especially true in Nakchu Prefecture, where a scattered population, primitive roads, and a livestock-based economy would require significant modification to a program designed to make small loans to recipients who lived and worked in close proximity. HKS Case Number 1913.1

In 1998, the Tibet Poverty Alleviation Fund (TPAF), a small, US-based non-governmental organization, launched an initiative to bring the benefits of microfinance to the impoverished people of rural Tibet. Based on the lending model pioneered by the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, TPAF's microfinance program would make small loans to individuals and families to help them start up small-scale enterprises that would, it was hoped, raise their incomes and improve their standard of living. In consultation with the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) government, two vastly different, but representative, communities were ed for the program: the agricultural villages of the southern Lhoka Prefecture and the semi-nomadic communities on the plateau of Nakchu Prefecture. TPAF had been established with the specific mission of using poverty alleviation techniques to demonstrate that, with some adaptations from standard models and methods, it was possible to make poverty programs work in the difficult conditions of the Tibet Autonomous Region. Nevertheless, adapting the Grameen model for use in TAR would be a challenge even for TPAF's experienced staff. This would be especially true in Nakchu Prefecture, where a scattered population, primitive roads, and a livestock-based economy would require significant modification to a program designed to make small loans to recipients who lived and worked in close proximity. This case follows TPAF's efforts to introduce microfinance first in Lhoka Prefecture, showing how it altered the original model to suit the peculiarities of its geography as well as its social and political structures. It then asks how, or even whether, TPAF should further adapt the program to meet the far greater challenges posed by Nakchu. HKS Case Number 1913.0

New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer faced a decision about how to stop wrongdoing committed by major Wall Street firms during the Internet boom. The equities analysts of Merrill Lynch and other Wall Street firms were charged with objectively advising retail investors whether to buy or sell publicly traded stock. The analysts had rated some stock a strong buy, while at the same time disparaging it in Internet emails as "a piece of junk" or a "powder keg." Spitzer concluded that the analysts sometimes issued such buy ratings on stock of companies because of a conflict of interest: the Wall Street firms the analysts worked for were making handsome fees for underwriting the companies' stock offerings and providing other services. The usual procedure when an enforcement agency such as the Federal Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) discovered such a situation would be to complete its investigation and negotiate a resolution privately with the financial firm. If it could not resolve the matter, the agency would formally file suit against the firm in court. This option was open to Spitzer, but the 1921 New York statue gave him an alternative. Even before filing suit in court--and while continuing to investigate the firm further--he could broadcast his findings to warn the public and brand the firm with wrongdoing. This case investigates the decision Spitzer made, and its long-term implications for U.S. financial regulation and financial industries.

In 1999, the 20-year-old AIDS crisis had ravaged many developing countries and, in particular, on the continent of Africa. Of the estimated 33.4 million people living with HIV/AIDS worldwide in 1998, almost two-thirds (22 million) were in sub-Saharan Africa, considered the "global epicenter" of the disease. Already 12 million had died, and life expectancy in the region plummeted from 62 years to 47. Chicago-based Abbott Laboratories had responded at the start of the AIDS outbreak by developing the HIV diagnostic test kit and then, later in the crisis, developed some of the state-of-the-art HIV/AIDS drugs. Abbott executives, led by new CEO Miles White, wanted to address the crisis in sub-Saharan Africa, but in a specific, efficient, and effective way. This case details the evolution of the AIDS crisis, Abbott Laboratories' HIV/AIDS drug production, and the company's efforts-in 1999-to find other ways to battle HIV/AIDS globally.

In 1999 and 2000, Abbott Laboratories' senior management considered a number of philanthropic options that could make a difference and define the focus for Abbott and the Abbott Fund's charitable programs. Although the cause was humanitarian, it was considered important that the programs align strategically with Abbott's leadership in the HIV/AIDS arena. The Abbott Fund officially launched the Program for Orphans and Vulnerable Children in June 2000. The program assisted orphans and vulnerable children infected and affected by HIV/AIDS as well as the communities that cared for them. They chose Tanzania as host for a pilot program, which involved updating the country's community health care infrastructure. Abbott partnered with Tanzania's Ministry of Health over the next five years to upgrade the facilities at Muhimbili National Hospital in Dar Es Salaam, the Tanzanian capital; build an HIV center comprising an outpatient clinic and counseling/support facilities; create a national HIV teaching center; and introduce pharmacy, health information, and management systems. The dramatic growth of the Abbott Fund HIV/AIDS programs suggested a strategic turning point for the Abbott Fund, transforming it from a domestic philanthropic program to one with a global focus, now aligned with Abbott's international business focus. By 2003, nearly $20 million from the Abbott Fund was being invested in its developing-world AIDS programs.

The partnership between Abbott and the government of Tanzania continued to flourish. As a demonstration of Abbott's long-term commitment to Tanzania, in 2007, the Abbott Fund opened its first office outside Abbott headquarters in Illinois. The new office in Dar es Salaam, led by Divisional Vice President Christy Wistar, oversaw the expanding number of philanthropic projects in Tanzania. In June 2007, Abbott CEO Miles White returned to Tanzania for the third time and announced the Abbott Fund's future plans to modernize the 23 regional laboratories across Tanzania. By the end of 2007, the Abbott Fund had invested more than $50 million in Tanzania alone, strengthening and modernizing the health care infrastructure and systems countrywide. The Abbott Fund planned to continue its support of numerous programs and organizations that were working to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS and deliver effective care and treatment to HIV-infected patients. The Abbott Fund also supported programs that provided for the basic needs of orphans and vulnerable children in Tanzania and elsewhere in Africa and India.

The case explains the ordeal of the newly appointed manager of planning and reporting at Connectco, an outbound call center in Ontario, Canada, who suspected wrong-doing early on at work. After his fears were confirmed, he was very uncomfortable with the situation he found himself in. However, he had to make a choice about how he would respond. This case also portrays, among other things, how young professionals find themselves in situations that create moral distress when they are aware of unethical conduct but feel constrained from taking action to correct it.

The case documents Tetra Pak's ambitious efforts to collaborate with the governor of Nasarawa State in Nigeria in the setting up of a school feeding program based on a non-milk product that will eventually use local cereals; Nutrisip. This is a business, and not a philanthropic initiative that is also aimed at kick-starting local industry (thus relieving poverty) while improving child nutrition at the same time. It is engaging Tetra Pak in tackling many challenging business and development issues. The case shows the experience of Tetra Pak over the first two years of the program and illustrates the challenges and obstacles encountered by the company while trying to get this ambitious program off the ground, promote local production of Nutrisip and secure the supply and distribution chain for the product. Learning objective: 1. Change traditional perceptions of the role of business in society 2. Show how innovation can be introduced in a sustainable manner and in a developing country 3. Understand the challenges of working in a developing world context at its most challenging 4. Understand the power of partnerships to reinforce corporate sustainability initiatives.

The (B) case describes how the various business groups responded to the Chinese government's invitation to submit comments on its draft labor contract law and details the ensuing global controversy. The (B) case also describes changes made to the working draft and provides an overview of the law as finally enacted in June 2007.

This case explores the larger context of competition among Internet companies for market share globally, especially in the emerging Chinese economy, as well as concerns about advancing the core values of the company including user privacy. Specifically, it concerns the decision facing Yahoo! CEO Jerry Yang when he is confronted with a request by the Chinese government to release the name of one of its users for alleged violations of Chinese law.