個案總覽

In 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) had faced the largest existential crisis since its founding in 1948. The directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations system, WHO had been severely criticized for its response to the COVID-19 pandemic by several member countries - especially the U.S. The organization had been accused of being too China-centric, not doing enough to quickly obtain accurate information from China about the new airborne illness, failing to press China for the speedy admittance of a WHO team of international experts, and only declaring the spread of COVID-19 to be a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) at a time and in a manner that was deferential to the Chinese government. Dissatisfied with WHO's actions, U.S. President Donald Trump decided in April 2020 to suspend funding to the international organization and, three months later, formally withdrew the U.S. from WHO. Based entirely on public information, this case gives students an opportunity to reflect on WHO's role in dealing with global health crises, why it was criticized during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, whether that criticism was warranted, and how the organization could be reformed to prepare for future PHEICs.

In July 2018, Amir Bell was heading the Operational Excellence (OpEx) team for the Light Duty Pickup Truck Seat Cost Reduction program at General Motors (GM). GM had decided to launch the new full-size truck program in 2019 at assembly plants in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Silao, Mexico. To increase profits, GM sought to decrease costs in the manufacturing process. At the time, GM enjoyed a long-term tier-1 supplier relationship with Skübi Automotive North America LLC (Skübi) for its truck seats. Skübi's facility in Indiana could not fully support the seat assembly for the new truck program, but Skübi did have capacity at its plant in Ohio, and so it approached GM about moving all or some of the new truck seat production. However, GM had investigated some additional cost-saving opportunities. GM could contract directly with tier-2 suppliers (directed buy) for some parts and negotiate volume pricing, though these arrangements could harm relations with long-time supplier Skübi. Alternatively, GM could assume the risk of raw material cost fluctuations by entering material indexing contracts with its directed-buy suppliers. Bell needed to analyze these alternatives and their related risks, and choose the most cost-effective option for GM.

In 2021, Rogers Communications Inc. (Rogers), one of the largest telecommunications companies in Canada, suffered a leadership crisis amid conflict between members of the Rogers family controlling the company. A decision by board chair Edward Rogers to oust chief executive officer Joe Natale triggered a chain of events that pitted Edward Rogers against his mother and two sisters (all board members). The company's complex governance model, which consisted of a dual-class share structure and the Rogers Control Trust representing the majority shareholders on the company's board, made it unclear who had effective decision-making power. In the light of this uncertainty, investors owning Rogers Class B non-voting shares had to decide whether to hold on to, sell, or purchase more shares.

Tire manufacturer Linglong initiated its green supply chain management (GSCM) program in 2018. By extending the ongoing green practices from within the organization to external supply chain partners, Linglong developed a green concept based on the entire product life cycle, which involved materials suppliers, equipment suppliers, distributors, and other stakeholders. After a one-year trial, the company saw an opportunity to mitigate the environmental risks in the supply chain and to enhance both environmental and economic performance at the supply chain level. However, the company also encountered challenges, such as the supply chain partners' limited understanding of the value of GSCM and a lack of senior leadership support among suppliers. Faced with these challenges, Linglong had to decide whether to extend its GSCM program and how to improve it.

Tom Ewart had been recently promoted to associate vice-president (VP) of Sustainability at The Co-operators Group Limited (Co-operators), a Canadian financial services company focused on insurance. Ewart and his team were in the process of publishing the company's annual integrated report to inform stakeholders of the firm's current environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives and commitments. With sustainability trends rapidly growing, Ewart wanted to ensure Co-operators was well positioned to address upcoming changes and to continue to be a catalyst for a sustainable society. Ewart was excited about the growing industry, but he also wanted to find ways to improve Co-operators' current sustainability strategies and ensure the company was on track towards its ESG commitments. One option Ewart was considering was to hire more individuals to join his Sustainability team, which currently had 3.5 employees. Given the lack of clear career structure in the industry, he was unsure of the types of candidates he should be looking for and what sort of experience they should have. Ewart reflected on his own career journey and the path he had taken to reach his current role as a sustainability executive. He also thought about the experiences and traits of his employees and how they brought value to the team.

Major League Baseball (MLB) had been financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. With a shortened season without fans in attendance, revenue-generating opportunities decreased dramatically from previous years. This case examines issues that MLB teams dealt with during the 2020 season, including the loss of revenue during the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. How would MLB move forward into the 2021 season, having lost a significant amount of money in the previous year? How should its teams invest their resources to maximize earning potential-despite the ongoing pandemic-for this upcoming season and possibly years to come?

Changing socio-economic trends led to the emergence of the men's grooming segment in India. With the rise of e-commerce, the progression of social media, and growing awareness among men towards their personal grooming, a number of start-ups emerged in a category once dominated only by established players like Gillette. One such start-up was LetsShave, which was founded by Sidharth Oberoi in 2015 and catered to men's shaving and grooming needs by offering products online only. Since its inception, LetsShave had maintained a product-centric approach to growth with a focus on high-quality products at affordable prices. This helped LetsShave gain a strong foothold in the market, growing at a sustained rate of 40 per cent per year with a loyal clientele and healthy rate of repeat sales. Other start-ups had adopted aggressive advertising and promotion strategies and were growing at a much faster pace than LetsShave. By continuing with its existing product-centric strategy, LetsShave might not be able to achieve its stated revenue target of US$10 million by the end of 2023. Oberoi had to quickly decide whether to continue with the company's current approach or change course towards pursuing an aggressive marketing strategy to boost its top line.

This case takes place in February 2019 as Rotoplas, a Mexico-based commercial and residential cistern and pipe manufacturer serving markets in Central and South America, explores new market solutions that could revolutionize access to potable water through a subscription model. The idea and implementation plans were developed by Charly Rojas, son of the company founder and CEO, Carlos Velasco. The case highlights the company's historical growth and culture, as well as Rojas's relationship with his father and his desire to transform Rotoplas into an innovative company. Rojas faces common challenges associated with leadership transition to the next generation in a family business, as well as those of implementing change in an organizational culture steeped in tradition. Rojas prepares to meet with his father to discuss how to manage the leadership transition and introduce innovative market solutions.

After launching a successful hot cloud storage company, Founder and CEO David Friend is ready to scale the venture rapidly. Wasabi Technologies had focused primarily on direct sales, but an opportunity to pivot to channel sales was on the horizon. The company's major competitors-Amazon, Google, and Microsoft-all sold their cloud storage products through multiple channels, and Friend feared that direct sales could never provide the momentum Wasabi Technologies needed to compete. However, channel sales would include changing its sales, marketing, and staffing strategies dramatically-effectively veering the company away from its already successful course. Was channel sales the right play for the burgeoning cloud storage provider? If so, how should Friend go about it?

Silicon Valley-veteran Shaun Stewart is the CEO of NewLab, a dynamic technology hub headquartered in the storied Brooklyn Navy Yard. Founded in 2016, NewLab fostered a community of entrepreneurs, corporate and government partners, and investors, all seeking to apply cutting-edge technology to solving global problems at scale. Stewart has expanded the business beyond the early membership subscription model to now include corporate partnerships, a venture studio, and an investor network. Partnerships include the likes of Ford, Verizon, and IBM, as well as civic organizations like NY State, and various nonprofits and academic institutions. Stewart contemplates the opportunities and the bottlenecks he now faces as he seeks to further expand NewLab.

The recycling system was in desperate need of innovation in North America in 2020. The average person was generating 12 times their body weight in landfilled trash annually, and the equivalent to a dump truck full of plastic waste was entering the world's oceans every minute. This crisis prompted Ainslie Simmonds and Mark Manley to develop MeCycle, an innovative, technology-enabled platform to help change consumer behaviour and increase recycling rates. This case examines consumer behaviour with regards to recycling, explores barriers to recycling, describes MeCycle's business model, and estimates the potential environmental and economic gains from hypothetically implementing the MeCycle platform in London, Ontario, Canada.

ARK Investment Management LLC (ARK)'s Next Generation Internet ETF (exchange traded fund) accumulated over 5 per cent of the outstanding shares of DraftKings Inc. (DraftKings), which held 24 per cent of the emerging US online sports betting market. Following the legalization of sports betting in May 2018, DraftKings faced escalating competition as competitors spent heavily on advertising and promotions to attract customers. This spending led to increasing quarterly operating losses, and DraftKings' stock fell about 75 per cent below its fifty-two-week high. ARK needed to re-evaluate its investment to understand whether the stock market's recent revaluation was a warning sign regarding DraftKings' ability to weather the competition or just a new opportunity to buy more of an undervalued stock.

Shein, an ultra-fast-fashion brand, is one of the most downloaded shopping apps in the United States. With an estimated value of USD100bn in 2022, Shein has caught the attention of the fashion industry as its huge range of low-priced and ever-changing fashion appeal to young consumers in their teens and twenties. Headquartered in China, Shein's success is built on its proprietary supply chain management system and China's garment production ecosystem to target overseas markets outside China. Shein mainly relies on digital marketing, collaborating with celebrities and influencers to market its products on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Despite keeping a low profile, Shein has found itself at the center of a series of controversies. Among others, Shein has been accused of low quality, copyright infringement, lack of supply chain transparency, encouraging a culture of excessive consumption, and indifference to environmental costs. This case gives an opportunity for students to discuss and explore what factors have contributed to the success of Shein, what challenges Shein is facing and what strategies Shein can adopt to develop a sustainable business. After studying this case, students will know how to identify and develop a company's core competences and develop a sustainable business.

During the rapid growth of China's commercial health insurance industry in the 2010s, many third-party administrators (TPAs) emerged to provide administrative services to primary insurers. However, most of these TPAs were small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) that offered poor-quality services and were often short-lived. This made them incompatible with the long time horizons and high risk management requirements of the insurance sector. There were also additional structural, institutional, and technical obstacles that primary insurers had to overcome to collaborate with TPAs. To address these pain points, in 2010, Steve Zhang, then Managing Director of Munich Re Life China, and Eric Zhao, general manager of the operations department responsible for insurance innovation, established HAP (Healthcare Assistance Platform) with a view to creating a one-stop solution for the customers of primary insurers by integrating top TPAs under one roof. After a decade of growth, by 2020, the company offered more than 30 services through this platform. It had also developed a set of criteria used to screen and evaluate TPAs, ensuring the quality of its services, which earned the platform recognition from primary insurers. As direct competition in the health insurance market intensified, and insurers became increasingly aware of the importance of customer service and data collection, many primary insurers started to develop their own service platforms, while reinsurers and TPAs also began to experiment in this direction. HAP was originally launched as a supporting service for Munich Re, so it wasn't placed under pressure to grow by the company. However, as HAP's operations matured and market competition intensified, Zhang began to entertain the possibility that the platform might grow its user base from three million to ten million in three to five years or perhaps even become a future profit center for Munich Re. However, he needed to carefully consider how this objective

As the world became increasingly urbanized, the contribution of buildings to climate change had increased dramatically. As of early 2022, the built environment accounted for 39% of all carbon emissions globally. American building technology giant, Johnson Controls International (JCI), recognized the huge business opportunity of providing sustainable and smart building management systems. At the same time, traditional and emerging competitors (e.g., incumbent industrial companies, utility or energy companies, technology companies, innovative start-ups, consulting companies) were also eyeing the same space. JCI took on the challenge to reinvent itself, in transforming from a traditional industrial organization to become a digital industrial organization, and eventually a digital industrial platform for smart building management. This process resulted in OpenBlue, moving the company from manufacturing HVAC, fire detection, and building controls products to providing predictive analytics and smart facilities. The company was now able to provide outcome-based solutions, and "net zero buildings as a service". How would JCI transform itself to seize new market opportunities towards a net-zero future? How promising was the company's new business direction? What could it do to stay ahead of the competition, especially with the new thinking around the future of workspace?