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Government digitization has proven to benefit both citizens and public agencies. On the one hand, citizens are able to find a consistent interface and reliable information on a single site and are able to access streamlined digital government services. On the other hand, centralized digital platforms enable governments to enhance services, reduce costs, and improve citizens' quality of life. In addition, by centralizing infrastructure that all agencies can leverage rather than having departments independently build from scratch, a platform approach can dramatically reduce software spending and maintenance costs. A unified government platform helps build interdepartmental relationships, fosters a user-centric mindset within the government, and allows public entities to focus their teams on their core services (education, health, etc.) rather than on building individual digital presence. Peru, Mexico and Argentina have led the way in digital transformation in Latin America, and have been able to build and launch unified government websites in short timelines by leveraging a user-centric approach. It is important to note that all these teams first focused on the problem, not a technical solution. Building a unified government website was one of the mechanisms to address the problem and goals. In Mexico, led by Yolanda Martinez and Alejandra Lagunes Soto Ruíz, the goal was to build a new relationship between society and government, focusing on the experience of the citizen as a user of public services. In Argentina, led by Julian Rodriguez Orihuela, the goal was to inform and provide services to citizens. In Peru, led by Daniella Raffo, Heidi Uchiyama, and Zoila Palza, the goal was to bring the government closer to its citizens through innovation. It is important in all product development to first focus on the problem and the people, and then see where technology fits to solve the problem.

The case "Pricing during a Pandemic" looks at food pricing during a natural disaster, in this instance a pandemic, which caused widespread disruptions in supply chains. Using data from India, a country whose food supply chains are particularly vulnerable to food supply disruptions due to limited warehousing facilities, the case examines the evolution of vegetable prices before and after the COVID-19-induced economic lockdown in India. It evaluates the price movement across three platforms: wholesale, offline retail and online retail. The data shows a sharp spike in food prices post-lockdown, raising concerns about price gouging by retailers. The case allows one to discuss what constitutes sufficient evidence of price gouging and the role of public policy in identifying such behavior. It also showcases the pricing strategies of various market players and can be used to discuss business ethics.

Spreadsheet supplement for case ISB208.

In January 2012, the government of India faced significant challenges to achieving three key objectives of high growth, inclusive development, and improved governance. The economy was experiencing a growth slowdown, persistently high inflation, and infrastructure and energy deficits. Policy reforms were hampered by several recent corruption scandals, widespread citizen protests against corruption, and disagreements with coalition partners. Could India make the right decisions needed to lift hundreds of millions of citizens out of poverty?

This case examines the technology of Ring, Inc. and how the technology is used by customers and law enforcement agencies. While Ring and its partners report that its camera-equipped smart doorbell and related technology (working in tandem with local police departments) have improved public safety, there is increasing concern from critics about breaches of privacy, infringement on civil rights, and racial biases inherent in the algorithms of facial recognition. This case provides an opportunity to identify the responsibility of companies with disruptive technology in a non-regulated industry, and also the role of companies that provide public services when a gap appears in the government's provision of those services.

This case focuses on the rising trend of CEO activism, especially as it relates to business extending its impact on democracy. The case centers on the contentious political issues of gun violence, gun rights, and gun control. Students will follow the protagonist and develop strategies to support Walmart CEO Doug McMillon, who took a stance on gun control by reducing gun and ammunition sales after a mass shooting in 2019 at a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas. Building on CEO activism, the case also focuses on further steps that corporations can take to influence public policy.

Although people tend to think of the American political system as a public institution based on high-minded principles, it's not. Politics behaves according to the same kinds of incentives and forces that shape competition in any private industry. Our elections and our legislative systems are drowning in unhealthy competition: The political-industrial complex wins, and the public interest loses. Business, in pursuing its short-term interests, has become a major participant in the politics industry, exacerbating its dysfunction. We can have healthy competition in politics--results, innovation, and accountability--by redesigning how we vote to connect acting in the public interest with getting reelected. Applying Porter's five forces framework illuminates the root causes of political dysfunction and points to the most powerful levers for transformation.

This case introduces Qualcomm's licensing practices in the mobile telecom sector, with a focus on the Chinese market. The point of view adopted is that of the partners of the fictitious Xiao Xing, a Chinese mobile phone start-up that has no sales yet but requires Qualcomm's chips in order to prototype its product. There are two cases. The main issues examined in Case A are: (a) the sort of questions and issues that entrepreneurs must examine when planning a technology start-up, including financing, location, and access to seed money; and (b) the terms under which Qualcomm's chips can be procured, and the problems posed by such terms, especially regarding the royalties involved, cross-licensing provisions included in their standard agreements, and their impact on the viability of the start-up.

This case introduces Qualcomm's licensing practices in the mobile telecom sector, with a focus on the Chinese market. The point of view adopted is that of the partners of the fictitious Xiao Xing, a Chinese mobile phone start-up that has no sales yet but requires Qualcomm's chips in order to prototype its product. There are two cases. The main issues examined in Case A are: (a) the sort of questions and issues that entrepreneurs must examine when planning a technology start-up, including financing, location, and access to seed money; and (b) the terms under which Qualcomm's chips can be procured, and the problems posed by such terms, especially regarding the royalties involved, cross-licensing provisions included in their standard agreements, and their impact on the viability of the start-up. Case B (which does not require previous study of Case A) examines the development of Anti-Monopoly Law in China and the recent measures taken by the Chinese NDRC regarding Qualcomm's licensing practices.

In January 2018, President Donald Trump announced steep tariffs on solar imports, at once plunging the US solar industry into uncertainty and deeply angering vital trade partners such as China, South Korea, and the European Union. The tariffs were in response to a complaint made by two bankrupt solar companies seeking protection against cheap solar imports. The companies invoked a rarely used provision of the 1974 United States Trade Act, Section 201 (safeguards), and argued that antidumping and countervailing duties imposed on China in 2012 had done little to stem the flow of solar products because Chinese producers had simply moved production to countries such as Malaysia and South Korea, where the duties did not apply. Five years after enduring a series of bruising trade battles, the global solar industry was once again in the eye of a rapidly escalating trade storm. Amid an unprecedented number of trade disputes at the WTO, the role of safeguards had suddenly taken center stage. Yet, the application of safeguards in the global trading system had been historically rife with problems. This case is designed to be taught in follow up to HKS Case 1992.0: Shaping the Future of Solar Power: Climate Change, Industrial Policy and Free Trade.

In 2012, the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice-an NGO dedicated, in large part, to criminal justice reform-led a campaign to enact a new state law in New Jersey known colloquially as "Ban the Box," which barred employers from automatically screening out persons with a criminal record when filling a job opening. The Institute had tried to pass such a law four years earlier, but in the face of concerted opposition from the business lobby, the measure had failed. The Institute decided to try again-this time with a smarter, more effective strategy. The case provides brief background on mass incarceration, the barriers to reentry for people with a criminal record, the rationale for the Ban the Box movement, and then provides a behind-the-scenes look at NJISJ's strategic thinking and internal debates. This includes information about NJISJ itself-what strengths and weaknesses does it bring to the table? What considerations will likely sway the state legislature and incoming Republican Governor Chris Christie? What approach to take with respect to employers? Which interest groups to tap, and how? What tone should the messaging take? In negotiations over the language of the bill, how far to bend?

Supply chain management impacts the delivery of both products and services for public and private sectors. Road salt for winterization illustrates the challenges associated with supply chain management from snowfall variability to product availability, sourcing, ordering, lead time, storage, and application aspects. Decisions involving service levels associated with road salt that public entities make directly impact the safety and lives of their citizens as well as public sector budgets and the local economy. Ultimately, the goal is to develop a justified strategy for road salt that create public value.

Spreadsheet supplement for case KS1325.

By April 7, 2020, over 1.4 million people worldwide had contracted the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Governments raced to curb the spread of COVID-19 by scaling up testing, quarantining those infected, and tracing their possible contacts. It had taken Singapore's Government Technology Agency (GovTech) and Ministry of Health (MOH) all of eight weeks to develop the world's first nationwide deployment of a Bluetooth-based contact tracing system, TraceTogether, and deploy it in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19. From late January to mid-March 2020, GovTech's Jason Bay and his team raced to create a technology that would supplement the work of Singapore's human contact tracers. Days after its launch, Singapore's foreign minister announced plans to open source the technology. Now, in early April, TraceTogether was a beta for the world. Whether the system would really help in Singapore, and whether other countries should adopt it was still a wide-open question.

In the wake of a mass killing in San Bernardino, California, in December 2015, the FBI requested that Apple unlock an iPhone used by one of the shooters. Thus began a dilemma for both Apple and the FBI, each of them with storied histories that intertwined data and individual rights to privacy. Apple faced a fundamental question made more difficult by the competing interests of a publicly-traded company: what is the best action for society and the public good? What precedent would Apple be setting if it complied with the FBI's request? If the company refused to comply, would it be standing in the way of preventing further attacks?

Despite Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's new economic strategy, known as "Abenomics," being enacted in 2012, Japan's deflationary spiral continued. In an effort to stimulate economic growth, early in 2013 the Bank of Japan (BOJ) stepped in, using quantitative and qualitative monetary easing (QQE) with the aim of achieving an inflation target of 2% in two years. At that time, the short-term prime interest rate was 1.475% per year. Could an unconventional monetary policy work? Despite all efforts, Japan's economy remained weak. On 20 January 2016, the BOJ's governor, Haruhiko Kuroda, held a policy meeting in Tokyo, where the decision was made to introduce QQE with a negative interest rate.

In 2017, Amazon began its search for a second headquarters location. From 20 finalists, after a bidding process that lasted nearly a year, Amazon selected two locations: Long Island City in the borough of Queens, New York City; and Arlington, Virginia. There were many stakeholders with varied opinions about the location, especially in New York. Progressive politicians, led by Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, argued against the New York City location, as did most City Council members. But New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo were in support of the deal, which they brokered. The case asks students to put themselves in the shoes of Amazon's director of economic development, as she and her team make a final recommendation to move forward with the New York deal or pull out.

Novetex, one of the world's largest single-site spinners, was celebrating the opening of its new spinning mill in 2018. The Hong Kong-based company had spent four decades expanding its operations, and its main factory was in Zhuhai, in southern China. But this new facility would be in Hong Kong, and would produce yarn from waste material in Hong Kong's textile and apparel industry. This case looks at Novetex's commitment to environmental sustainability, and efforts to become a leader in developing cleaner solutions by focusing on circular economy solutions within the global textile and apparel industry. Global clothing production had doubled within two decades, reflecting the rise of the middle class consumer in countries like China, and increasing sales in affordable fast fashion in mature economies. But the apparel industry was a top industrial polluter, accounting for 10 percent of global carbon emissions; the polyester and nylon textile industry, moreover, released about a half-million tonnes of plastic microfibers into the oceans each year. This case study looks at the evolution and risks of "upcycling" technologies within the textile industry, and the science and partnerships behind the new Novetex Upcycling Factory in Hong Kong, which aimed to demonstrate the profitability and environmental sustainability of circular economy practices.