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Zoho Corporation Ltd. (Zoho) was a privately held technology company that provided a suite of software applications for businesses of all sizes. The company was founded in 1996 with the aim of providing affordable, easy-to-use software applications to small- and medium-sized enterprises. In 2021, Zoho announced that it had reached $1 billion in revenue. The founders' socio-economic vision of embracing collective well-being and purpose-driven leadership and following unconventional business practices such as transnational localism had contributed to its unwavering growth. Under the leadership of its chief executive officer, who focused on customer-centricity, simplicity, and doing business with responsibility and accountability, the organization was able to pursue social and commercial objectives simultaneously. In late 2023, Zoho intended to address the grand challenges of the world, particularly the challenges of a developing nation, through its coordinated actions and collaborative efforts. The chief executive officer faced several pressing questions: What should Zoho do to remain afloat amid the global downturn? As a socially responsible enterprise, how can could Zoho balance its business goals with social goals, given the complex landscape of social responsibility?

February 2022 marked the start of the tenure of a new managing director and chief executive officer at Punjab National Bank, a critical position in the wake of the bank's challenges, including a massive instance of fraud and challenges associated with the bank's amalgamation with the United Bank of India and Oriental Bank of Commerce in 2020. With over three decades of experience leading other public sector banks, the new leader embarked on the mission to restore the bank's 128-year legacy. Faced with the daunting task of restoring the bank's former reputation and glory, he explored strategies for implementing a comprehensive plan to bring Punjab National Bank back on the track of sustainable growth. Which strategy would reshape the bank's trajectory and ensure sustainable growth while also reviving the bank's legacy and heritage?

Founded in September 2016 and based in Beijing, China, ZOMOZOMO primarily conducted business through its gamified freelancers' platform, where designers' works were publicly requested, reviewed, chosen, and rewarded, eliminating some of the long-standing troubles within the industry, such as inefficiency, fragmentation, and lack of transparency. The company soon became a prominent player in the design industry. The first four years of the company witnessed the rapid expansion and diversification of its client base, which began to include many influential brands such as Amazon.com Inc., Nike Inc., and Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. However, ZOMOZOMO began to find it increasingly challenging to meet the needs and requirements of its high-end clients in terms of response time, service quality control, and confidentiality. In deciding to shift from a bidding platform to a provider of one-stop design solutions, ZOMOZOMO needed to determine whether it should prioritize building its internal capabilities or seek external partnerships to deliver high-quality design solutions to its high-end clients.

This case describes how the Chinese company Huitongda created a B2B platform to systematically connect rural mom-and-pop shops with urban-market-based suppliers, thereby opening a brand-new market for itself and contributing to the modernizing transformation of rural retailing in China. The initial two decades of China's economic reform were marked by a distinct rural-urban divide, as urban areas experienced rapid development of a consumer economy, while rural regions continued to maintain a partially self-reliant way of life. Retail in rural areas was primarily provided by small local shops that had no systematic access to suppliers of modern industrial products. Although substantial improvements in technological conditions and physical infrastructure had been made in rural areas, companies, in general, shied away from developing long-term business there because of the perceived lack of basic business conditions, despite huge demand potential. The founders of Huitongda addressed this problem by building an innovative B2B platform serving thousands of mom-and-pop rural shops with systematic supply chain solutions in a variety of industries while empowering them with digital tools and services for uplifting their operations, logistics and sales management, thereby transforming and modernizing the landscape of rural retail, and creating a thriving blue ocean of rural B2B market for itself. The case of Huitongda is an example of blue ocean creation through an approach called "nondisruptive creation", a concept coined by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne in their book Beyond Disruption (2023). This is an approach to create new markets without disrupting existing industries.

Mass timber products included glued laminate timber and cross-laminated timber. These were valued-added goods made from softwood lumber that was resurfaced and glued together. Glued laminate timber, or glulam, was used in commercial construction in place of concrete or steel frames. Cross-laminated timber, or CLT, was multiple layers of planed lamellas glued together, and was used to form walls, floors, and ceilings. While regular timber products sold for about 200 euro per cubic meter, glued timber products could command prices between 500 and 1,000 euro per cubic meter depending on quality, strengths and engineering design. Hasslacher had intended to upgrade its plant located in Malaya Vishera, Russia, which was about 200 kilometres from St. Petersburg. The plan had been to double timber production to 200,000 m and to upgrade it to produce up to 50,000 m of glulam products per year for the Asian market. Christoph's options were to wait for the Russian and Ukrainian war to end and then to proceed with the upgrades, to buy a basic sawmill in Eastern Europe and upgrade it, to look for an acquisition in North America, or to sell the equipment. "We have to make a decision that will be best for the long-term even though we don't have all the information we need in front of us," remarked Christoph. "We have close relatives and long-standing employees working for us in Russia and Asian customers lined up for our glulam product. On the other hand, there is significant amount of uncertainty about the political situation. It's not an easy decision for us to make."

The case explores the role of sustainability initiatives in Avon's business strategy and how they align with its mission of empowering women. It also discusses the potential financial and operational implications of the yet-to-be implemented idea of a refill program, including changes to supply chain, production, and logistics. Additionally, the case highlights the importance of stakeholder engagement and the potential impact on Avon's Turkish associates and women entrepreneurs.

This case introduces Indian-born Devita Saraf, the founder and CEO of the consumer durables company, Vu Technologies, as she embarks on her entrepreneurial journey to create and scale her venture. Devita started her career as a tech entrepreneur in India in the mid-2000s when there were very few women entrepreneurs in the tech industry. The case provides an interesting avenue for a discussion on the role of gender in starting and scaling entrepreneurial ventures and the challenges that a young startup faced. The case recounts how she develops competencies and her personal brand to scale the cutting-edge luxury TV. With technologies continuing to evolve and the traditional methods of content consumption becoming increasingly obsolete, Devita ponders over the next steps in Vu's evolution to remain relevant to the new generation of television users in India and abroad. The case touches upon how as a woman entrepreneur she builds a successful tech business.

Siti Rahman, the CEO of Malaysia-based NVF Bank, faces a pivotal decision. Her head of AI innovation, a recent recruit from Google, has a bold plan. It requires a substantial investment but aims to transform the traditional bank into an AI-first institution, substantially reducing head count and the number of branches. The bank's CFO worries they are chasing the next hype cycle and cautions against valuing efficiency above all else. Siti must weigh the bank's mixed history with AI, the resistance to losing the human touch in banking services, and the risks of falling behind in technology against the need for a prudent, incremental approach to innovation. Two experts offer advice: Noemie Ellezam-Danielo, the chief digital and AI strategy at Société Générale, and Sastry Durvasula, the chief information and client services officer at TIAA.

Siti Rahman, the CEO of Malaysia-based NVF Bank, faces a pivotal decision. Her head of AI innovation, a recent recruit from Google, has a bold plan. It requires a substantial investment but aims to transform the traditional bank into an AI-first institution, substantially reducing head count and the number of branches. The bank's CFO worries they are chasing the next hype cycle and cautions against valuing efficiency above all else. Siti must weigh the bank's mixed history with AI, the resistance to losing the human touch in banking services, and the risks of falling behind in technology against the need for a prudent, incremental approach to innovation. Two experts offer advice: Noemie Ellezam-Danielo, the chief digital and AI strategy at Société Générale, and Sastry Durvasula, the chief information and client services officer at TIAA.

Siti Rahman, the CEO of Malaysia-based NVF Bank, faces a pivotal decision. Her head of AI innovation, a recent recruit from Google, has a bold plan. It requires a substantial investment but aims to transform the traditional bank into an AI-first institution, substantially reducing head count and the number of branches. The bank's CFO worries they are chasing the next hype cycle and cautions against valuing efficiency above all else. Siti must weigh the bank's mixed history with AI, the resistance to losing the human touch in banking services, and the risks of falling behind in technology against the need for a prudent, incremental approach to innovation. Two experts offer advice: Noemie Ellezam-Danielo, the chief digital and AI strategy at Société Générale, and Sastry Durvasula, the chief information and client services officer at TIAA.

In their final year of studies, many engineering students in Canada eagerly anticipate reciting their obligation and receiving their "ring" as part of the century-old iron ring ceremony (i.e., the Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer). Most students are unaware of the specifics of the ceremony or its history until they attend it. The Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer has been an important rite of passage for Canadian engineering graduates for almost a hundred years and upholds a culture of engineering that is male-dominated, hierarchical, and elitist, in addition to being implicated in environmental abuse and degradation. Over the last century, the ritual has remained largely unchanged, even in the face of public pressure. As a member of the Corporation of the Seven Wardens, what decision, if any, would you make about changing the Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer?

Mysore Deep Perfumery House (MDPH) faced the challenge of scaling a low-tech business in the incense stick market. Led by Prakash Agarwal and his sons, MDPH secured a substantial domestic market share through competitive pricing and extensive distribution, aiming to achieve a ₹10 billion turnover by 2026. The company had to choose between expanding their core business or diversifying into related or new product lines. Expansion entailed deeper market penetration and product variation, while diversification presented opportunities in sectors like home fragrances or personal care products. The chosen strategy had to align with MDPH's economic and non-economic family goals, considering market dynamics and consumer trends. By leveraging their brand equity and distribution networks while staying true to their values, MDPH had the opportunity to navigate industry challenges and realize their growth ambitions.

Orange Sky Australia evolved as an entrepreneurial non-profit organization offering two primary services for the homeless: mobile laundering of clothes and engaging in genuine, individual, face-to-face connections through conversation. In February 2024, with 73 employees and roughly 3,000 volunteers spread throughout Australia and New Zealand, the company's recent staff engagement data indicated a decline in well-being metrics since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, despite the strong positive organizational culture. The company's growth strategy to double volunteer numbers within the next two years created additional challenges for how to recruit volunteer team leaders to manage and oversee daily operations as most volunteers did not want leadership roles.

This short, engaging case challenges students to review a series of corporate financial metrics and match them to one of 13 listed industries. As such, students are to use their intuition and common sense pertaining to the distinctive characteristics of, and the key differences between, the 13 industries and then identify the financial metrics that are most indicative of those traits. The 2023 version of this case replaces several of the companies used in the 2021 version. Over the years, various versions of this case have been used at Darden in the full-time MBA program as well as in our EMBA and Executive Education programs. It is also appropriate for undergraduate courses in finance and accounting.

In fall 2023, the Food Program of Met Council-America's largest Jewish charity dedicated to fighting poverty-completed the rollout of the newest version of its digital pantry platform to twelve food pantries in the Met Council food pantry network. The digital initiative coincided with a shift from food pantries' traditional "pre-packed" model-in which pantry staff and volunteers pre-packed standardized bags of foods and handed them out to long lines of waiting clients (the standard model in the US)-to a "client choice" model, where clients could choose their own food items. Over half of the pantries in Met Council's network were undergoing the transition to client choice. For most of these pantries, the client choice model was initially implemented as an in-person shopping experience, similar to a small-scale grocery store. For the digital pantries, though, clients would be able to see available items and place orders online, similar to an online grocery shopping experience. Met Council viewed the digital initiative as the next step towards increasing the dignity of the pantry experience and incentivizing healthy food choices. This case discusses the evolution of the digital pantry; specifically, the pros and cons of each pantry model from an operational efficiency perspective, how operational levers can influence consumers' purchasing decisions, fairness in resource allocation problems, and "push" versus "pull" inventory distribution models.

The case of Quantum Park Hotels, a global hotel chain, is designed to uncover the challenges in designing a customer service recovery programme. The case is set in the Singapore branch of the hotel chain. General Manager David Ng is faced with several irate customers who have refused to pay their hotel bills, because they had no access to water from 4:30 am to 8:45 am that day due to damaged pipes. The front desk staff are seeking guidance from Ng on how to address the guest complaints. To help him arrive at a decision, Ng meets with his heads of guest services, finance, and loyalty programmes to get their insights and thoughts. Although the broken water pipes have since been repaired, they expect more customers to request some sort of compensation for their trouble. It will soon be check-out time at the hotel and while Ng is considering the inputs of multiple stakeholders, several decisions must be made. What sort of compensation should be offered - cash, room nights, hotel meals, or a combination of some or all of these? How much should be offered to the affected guests - a sum greater, less than or exactly the same as what they spent? Should different guests receive different benefits? And should something be done for guests who did not complain?

In early 2024, Ruth Jones, head of digital banking at Signa Bank, a (fictitious) European consumer bank, was thinking about how to best incorporate GenAI capabilities to improve efficiencies and create new ways to improve the customer experience. Where were the biggest opportunities? How could the bank incorporate GenAI to better personalize the customer experience? And what were the most effective strategies to mitigate the number of product and enterprise risks that would arise? Jones needed to ensure that as the technology was increasingly embedded and incorporated across the bank's operating systems, that there would be no negative fallout on its consumers or its reputation.

This case follows the founder and CEO of King's Flair International (KFI), Alex Wong, as he navigates a critical situation involving Zhong Ying (ZY), a long-standing strategic partner of KFI. KFI, a reputable Hong Kong-listed Original Design Manufacturer (ODM) for premium international household brands, has collaborated with ZY as a manufacturing partner for over two decades. Throughout the years, ZY has enjoyed a steady stream of orders from KFI, contributing to its gradual business growth. However, due to its recent overexpansion and mismanagement, ZY found itself buried heavily in bank loans. In early 2019, ZY had reached a point where it could no longer meet its regular debt repayment obligations due to a lack of funds. Consequently, the bank issued an ultimatum, demanding full loan repayment within a few days or else initiating legal action against the company. Faced with this dire situation, ZY had no choice but to seek out Wong's assistance. Wong now faces two crucial decisions: 1) whether he should extend help to ZY, and 2) if he decides to help ZY, which of the three alternatives should he choose? Complicating matters further, ZY is currently working on an urgent order for KFI. Wong understands the gravity of his choice, as it carries significant implications that extend beyond ZY and can impact other manufacturing partners as well. Hence, he must carefully deliberate and weigh the potential consequences before making a decision.

In March 2024, Anthropic, a leading AI safety and research company, made headlines with the launch of Claude 3, its most advanced AI model. This marked Anthropic's bold entry into the multimodal GenAI domain, showcasing capabilities extending to both image and text analysis. Co-founded by former OpenAI employees, Anthropic aimed to be at the forefront of generative AI innovations. The broader AI landscape had seen technologies like ChatGPT transition from niche applications to mainstream tools, sparking global discussions about their potential impact. Established as a Public Benefit Corporation, Anthropic prioritized public good alongside financial returns. The company emphasized aligning technological progress with human values, driven by concerns over AI's potential for harm without robust safety mechanisms. Anthropic's cautious strategy, including delaying the release of an earlier version of Claude to ensure appropriate safety protocols, contrasted with competitors such as OpenAI whose release of ChatGPT triggered an AI arms race. As a company with aggressive growth targets and a 75x revenue multiple, Anthropic had to balance its foundational safety mission against the demands of commercial success. The OpenAI experience with its Board replacement had demonstrated the importance of governance and the risks of misaligned values within the company. Did Anthropic's corporate structure effectively guard against profit-driven incentives that could compromise safety? As AI models became more powerful, what tools should Anthropic develop and share to prevent harm?