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In 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the globe, Apple and Google partnered to develop a contact tracing application that would collect information about users infected with the disease and notify those who they had been in contact with. While Apple/Google's app would keep information about infection and contact private, some governments wanted more access. Apple and Google refused to provide this information, sparking a debate over what responsibilities the companies had in the realms of personal privacy and public health. This incident marked a seeming increase in privacy protections among technology companies, with Apple increasing user privacy options with its iOS 14 update and Zoom offering free end-to-end encryption. Did this indicate a permanent shift in the tension between privacy and safety?

In September 2019, founding partners Michael and Yoel Zaoui decided to add principal investing to Zaoui & Co.'s offerings. The case outlines how, over the next two years, Zaoui & Co. pursued the formation of a SPAC, Odyssey Acquisitions, followed by the identification of a target company, BenevolentAI, and the subsequent de-SPACing process that led to the execution of the transaction in April 2022. Although their initial foray into principal investing was a success, the process proved more arduous and time-consuming than anticipated, diverting considerable attention and resources from Zaoui & Co.'s core M&A advisory business. The brothers were wondering whether Zaoui & Co should (a) continue to aggressively seek principal investing opportunities, or (b) scale back its principal investing efforts, or (c) focus solely on M&A advisory. The choice would have important strategic and organizational implications for the firm. Although their initial foray into principal investment was a success, the process proved more arduous and time-consuming than anticipated, diverting considerable attention and resources from Zaoui & Co.'s core M&A advisory business. The brothers were wondering whether Zaoui & Co should (a) continue to aggressively seek principal investing opportunities, or (b) scale back its principal investing efforts, or (c) focus solely on M&A advisory. The choice would have important strategic and organizational implications for the firm.

Nathalie grappled with the divergent views in her head and from her team, evaluating a range of options: Persisting doggedly, halting completely, pausing temporarily, decelerating prudently or reconsidering and crafting a new strategy. The case discusses the cost of perseverance and provides an opportunity to explore the qualities of a CEO facing difficult choices in the face of public and private criticism during a global crisis.

Case Supplement for Case IN1886

Supplement for Case ISB350

Founded in 2012, the END fund focused on eliminating five Neglected Tropical Diseases that accounted for 80% of the tropical diseases affecting nearly 1.5 billion people worldwide. Its roughly $25 million/year annual budget was fully committed when it got news that the British Government would be cutting back its funding for the sector, putting at risk nearly 50,000 people for a tropical disease (visceral leishmaniasis-VL), which the End Fund was currently not addressing. The case question is whether the End Fund should redirect its resources to VL. The case highlights the difficult decisions that noprofits have to make balancing resource stretch and mission focus.

This case set describes the gale of creative destruction that came with the rise of refrigeration and the creation of a globalized food supply chain, examined through the life of Charles Tellier, a French entrepreneur and inventor of the refrigerated ship that completed the first successful transoceanic shipment of fresh meat. It takes place largely during the mid- to late 19th century, a time of increasing globalization and disruptive social change. Tellier was a visionary inventor who saw refrigeration's potential to transform the world's food supply and improve nutrition and quality of life for the growing middle classes through improved year-round access to high-quality, perishable animal protein. While he was a dedicated and ultimately successful inventor, he struggled to fund his pursuits and manage stakeholders in his endeavors. The A case rests on a pivotal moment when Tellier's refrigerated transport technology showed early promise, but Tellier and the owners of the company disagreed on the appropriate next steps to verify and capitalize on this early success. This B case offers an epilogue.

In 2022, Cher Wang, CEO and Chairwoman of HTC, was focused on the company's pivot to virtual reality and the metaverse. Growing competition in consumer virtual reality from Meta, Sony, and Chinese headset manufacturers had altered the competitive landscape since 2017. This supplement updates the case "HTC and Virtual Reality" (718-421).

This case provides a brief update (2019-2022) on the rise and fall of JUUL Labs, the maker of the popular JUUL e-cigarette.

This is the second of a two-part case study about Ambienta, a leading European asset manager focused on environmental sustainability. Case A introduces students and participants to the company and its unique profile in the industry. Ambienta's mission statement is "Sustainability adds value." The company has developed a proprietary methodology (the Environmental Impact Analysis or EIA) to demystify the linkage between financial returns and doing good for the planet. Case B is an exercise in which participants put themselves into the shoes of Ambienta's Sustainability & Strategy head as he applies the EIA to four hypothetical companies (based upon investment candidates actually analysed by Ambienta).

In 2020, Francisco Staton, president of Arcos Dorados' Caribbean Division, and Héctor Orozco, Managing Director of Arcos Dorados Colombia, were looking into Arcos Dorados' options to consolidate its food delivery service in Colombia. This time the matter at hand hinged on signing an exclusivity agreement with a startup that had recently moved into Colombia's market.

In cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&A), post-merger integration is a challenge. The main questions posed are how should the expected operating and financial targets and a smooth transition be achieved and synergies be generated. These factors directly affect the ultimate realization of the value of overseas M&A transactions. This case, as the third one in the series of cases on BlueStar's acquisition of Adisseo, highlights new strategic initiatives adopted by the Bluestar Group in recent years to boost Adisseo's growth. Furthermore, this case focuses on the promotion of further integration between the Bluestar Group and Adisseo at various levels since the completion of the acquisition of and integration with Adisseo in 2012. The case focuses on the following questions: How did China National Chemical Corporation Ltd. (ChemChina) and the Bluestar Group promote the successful listing of Adisseo, the acquired companyin China's A-share market? How did the A-share listing transform Adisseo's corporate governance? Backed by the Bluestar Group and ChemChina, which initiatives did Adisseo take in terms of related diversification, capacity expansion, and global layout? How did ChemChina and the Bluestar Group further promote the merger and integration, as well as the sustainable development of Adisseo? Which innovative practices were adopted by the parties and how did they benefit? These explorations and practices provide useful experience for Chinese companies' M&A of overseas companies and integration after M&A.

Gold, tungsten, tantalum, and tin are essential to a wide array of today's products. Industries ranging from electronics to health care to defense rely on these minerals. A sizable portion of these minerals are sourced from Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) where funds raised from mining these minerals have fueled a decades-long civil war. Thus these minerals from the DRC are referred to as "conflict minerals." Global supply chains have been designed to use DRC sources based on economics and logistics; although, there are alternative sources. Some U.S. policymakers sought limit the conflict in the DRC by reducing the flow of conflict minerals. Initial Congressional action was unsuccessful; however the policy was incorporated into section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank) in 2010. The legislation required the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to establish a reporting requirement for publicly traded corporations using conflict minerals in their supply chains. These corporations could also certify their supply chains as DRC conflict-free through an independent private sector audit. The primary focus of the case is on how supply chains can be modified by public policies to achieve desired social outcomes. The case can also be used to teach the policymaking process.

Case Supplement for Case W28614