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Located in the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Cooperation Zone in Shenzhen, China, Vanke Port Apartment (Vanke Port) was the leader among China's centralized long-term apartment rental enterprises. Recently, the company had improved its cost and operational efficiency and recorded stellar performance. A key partner in Vanke Group recalled the struggles Vanke Port had encountered on its way to achieving this performance. In 2019, Vanke Port had been battling to survive, and shortly after, the business was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, Vanke Port capitalized on digital technologies and carried out major organizational changes. As the company made it through the crisis and even started to thrive, the partner needed to present the lessons learned and recommend next steps to the board of directors.

In March 2019, Kais Marzouki, Chairman and CEO of Nestlé Philippines Inc. (NPI), wanted his company to reach plastic neutrality at the earliest possible time. Globally, including in the Philippines, more and more consumers, governments, NGOs and media were concerned by plastic waste and pollution. Mark Schneider, Nestlé's global CEO, had recently stated his vision that none of Nestlé's packaging, including plastics, would end up in landfill or as litter. A few weeks earlier, Schneider had announced internally the group's ambition to have all of Nestlé packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025. How could NPI lead the way and mobilize all key stakeholders to achieve his objectives?

This case presents an interesting sequel to a successful product innovation called Carvaan. The product offering could be recognized as reverse positioning. In a market that had a proliferation of sophisticated technological gadgets, the retro-transistor-like device that could shuffle and provide Hindi music of yesteryear was welcomed for its simplicity. Managing Director Saregama India, Vikram Mehra, was confident that the hundred-year-old company could shift from a B2B to a B2C company with Carvaan. As a result, in the next two years, the firm came out with several product variants in quick succession. The latest in the line were CarvaanGo, launched in April 2019 and Carvaan 2.0 in June 2019. While CarvaanGo was a pocket-sized-iPod-like version of the original Carvaan, Carvaan 2.0 was an advanced version, still shaped like a retro transistor but loaded with additional features to enhance the listening experience. Mehra had great hopes that with these brand extensions, the entire music-listening consumer, regardless of age, could be targeted. However, as was evident from the sales figures, these variants had not been able to garner the same success as the original. It was quite clear that Carvaan 2.0 and CarvaanGo both needed promotional backing. The quintessential question was, should the Carvaan product range cover the entire spectrum of music listeners- both old and young- or would it be wiser to stay with the older generation.

This case features a family business working to better integrate the voice of the whole family into corporate governance. In November 2019, the Herschend Enterprises board prepared to elect its first family chair in almost 20 years. For several years, the business, which owned and operated multiple popular US-based theme parks and other entertainment offerings, had been governed by a majority independent board led by an independent chair and run by a non-family CEO, with an engaged but largely hands-off family ownership group. Third- and fourth-generation owners struggled with how best to provide input on company direction. This was partly because several longtime independent directors, who were deeply trusted by the family and knew the business very well, were able to shape decisions and wield influence with minimal family input. In this context, the family had recently formed an owners' council responsible for consolidating the owners' voice. But the inaugural council members recognized that family leadership in general remained concentrated among a few members who filled slots on the family council, owners' council, and board. The company therefore had no effective mechanism in place to consolidate the voice of the owners and assure this was heard in the boardroom. Instead, it relied on the individual voices of owners who reached out to independent directors or on owners who already served as family directors. Grappling with these challenges were third- and fourth-generation family and owners' council members Chris (the incoming board chair), Jim, Jonn, and Austin Herschend--all serving or former Herschend corporate board directors. They considered how best to unify and engage the family around issues such as advising and working with the board, engagement of the broad ownership group, determination of optimal profiles for owners' council members and family directors, and the looming decision of moving from an independent chair to a family chair.

In 2018, automotive tycoon Carlos Ghosn was arrested in Japan on financial misreporting charges, followed later by charges of improper payments and misappropriation of funds. Over a year later, still awaiting trial, Ghosn organized his escape from house arrest in Tokyo to Beirut, Lebanon, where he held a press conference alleging an unfair Japanese justice system and political persecution. This case introduces the business and legal context surrounding Ghosn's case, and explores Ghosn's perspective and decision-making process from the time between arrest and escape.

In June 2021, Darden Restaurants CEO Gene Lee contemplates how to position the world's biggest full-service restaurant more than one year into the COVID-19 pandemic.

On June 9, 2021, the owner and director of S.I.T. Car Rental, which was located in Trinidad and Tobago, was considering whether he should upgrade his fleet of cars. The COVID-19 pandemic had negatively affected his sales in 2020 and 2021, although the owner was hopeful that he could increase demand by the end of 2021, once the need for pandemic-related lockdowns had ended. He had recently retired one of his older cars and so needed to decide whether he should purchase a new car to replace it or downsize his fleet. If he decided to purchase another car, he had to choose between a used economical vehicle and a new luxury vehicle.

On April 5, 2017, the lead link at Liip AG, in Lausanne, Switzerland, was reflecting on the past seven years. The digital services organization had gone through a rapid development, from a company with a team-based structure led by a top management team to a holacratic organization. A holacratic structure was based on a skeleton of roles and processes, with individual employees self-defining their work with the intent to help the company fulfill its purpose. However, was a holacratic structure sustainable over the long term for a growing company? What potential inefficiencies might Liip AG face under a holacratic structure and how could the organization overcome them?

O'Desi Meals was a food and beverage start-up based in Dublin, Ireland that aimed to deliver high-quality, healthy, home-cooked Indian food meals at affordable prices to customers who wanted delivery without compromise on taste or health. A second and more important objective that had driven the founding of the venture was to empower the population of underprivileged homeless individuals in Dublin. In March 2020, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically affected projected estimates for O'Desi Meals operations and revenues. Demand for meals and its subscription-based sales increased exponentially. The substantial increase in orders and popularity strategically challenged the venture's sustainability. To address this challenge, O'Desi Meals adopted two strategies: one short-term, to ensure sustainability (i.e., revenue generation); and one long-term, to ensure growth. Could O'Desi Meals become a successful and socially responsible authentic Indian meals provider by applying these two strategies?

Banking Circle (A): EQT, a global investor in private equity, infrastructure, real estate and venture had a long track-record of supporting the development of companies with significant growth potential. Its Venture equity unit had discovered Banking Circle, a fintech involved in the underlying payments infrastructure and disrupting the traditional correspondent banking industry. However, it passed on the investment. After Banking Circle showed significant growth, EQT Private Equity unit re-looked at the potential investment and had to figure out the right structure to hold the investment. Banking Circle (B): EQT invested in Banking Circle, and held it across two of its funds - a Venture fund and a Buyout Fund. It also led to a Growth strategy. After good growth from EQT, it was time to decide what to do with the investment - take profit and sell, or hold for the long term.

China's agricultural sector is undergoing rapid transformation, but with growth come serious problems such as labor shortages, soil compacted by machinery, and chemicals (pesticides) that pollute the earth. In parallel, therefore, a major technological transformation is underway. The case follows JIFEI (XAG) Technology as it pivots from making consumer drones to agriculture drones, eventually becoming an agriculture tech company. It describes the automation and digitalization of the agriculture sector in China using JIFEI as an illustration of value innovation, penetration of the agricultural market, and a shift in core competences.

In late October 2020, hedge fund analyst Maya Botti was evaluating the decision to vote for the proposed merger of Forum Merger IIa special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), with Ittella International, a plant-based food company; if the SPAC shareholders voted in favor of the merger, Botti also had to recommend that the hedge fund's leadership redeem the hedge fund's shares in Forum II, sell the shares in the open market, or continue as shareholders of the merged company. The case provides an opportunity to discuss SPACs, including their structure; key players and participants in them; and their risks, rewards, and potential pitfalls. The case also provides an opportunity to discuss differences between regular IPOs and to compare and contrast IPOs to SPACs. This case can be taught in a second-year elective course on capital markets, financial institutions, and markets or capital raising. It can fit in a module that explores financial engineering and instruments such as collateralized debt obligations or that discusses ways of going public and contrasting them with regular IPOs.

In September 2021, the chief operating officer and executive vice-president of HealthCare atHome India Pvt. Ltd. (HCAH India), based in Mumbai, India, was concerned about his company's future. Founded in 2012, HCAH India provided a wide range of health services at home, including intensive care, step-down beds, post-operative care, nursing, physiotherapy, attendant services, and elderly care. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the company was growing at a rate of 60 per cent month over month. While the COVID-19 virus continued to strain the country's health care system, the chief operating officer and executive vice-president faced numerous organizational and social challenges. HCAH India had responded quickly to address the home health care needs of patients during the pandemic. It was even recognized for its excellence by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry as the best home health care provider. However, how could the organization evaluate its options and focus on internal capabilities, while building on its strengths to meet future challenges?

At one time, Bed Bath & Beyond was one of the most successful specialty retailers in the United States-it's growth and profit margins far exceeded both peer retailers in the home goods market as well as many other discount retailers. But in 2014, its stock price peaked, growth slowed, and margins began to shrink. By 2018, it was losing money and sales were declining as online and discount retailers (e.g., Amazon, Walmart, and Wayfair) entered the industry. Noting the underperformance, a group of activist investors tried to replace the entire board and leadership team in early 2019. Although they did not succeed, the company replaced five directors, asked the founders to retire, and appointed a new CEO named Mark Tritton in October 2019. About a year later, Tritton and a newly installed leadership team announced a new strategy "to unlock growth and drive significant shareholder value." They also announced a new "financial roadmap" and capital allocation framework to deliver strong and sustainable total shareholder returns. The question is whether this turnaround plan could save the once-venerable retailer and help it regain a competitive advantage in the new, more competitive retail environment.

In May 2021, Matt Sigelman, CEO of Burning Glass Technologies, a company that provided labor market analytics for a variety of markets, navigates his company's transition from data company to product company. Burning Glass originated as a service that used artificial intelligence to match resumes to job postings, then expanded to offer a comprehensive map of the labor market, and then ultimately developed models to provide insight into specific market segments, skills, geographies, college majors, and career paths. However, Sigelman believed that the company could have greater impact if it transformed from a company that sold data to a company that sold products based on its data. Rather than providing reports, the new products offered client companies specific suggestions based on their own labor force. After pivoting from a data company to a product company, Sigelman faced strategic decisions regarding scale, new product development, and competition. At the conclusion of the case, he must decide whether to continue licensing the company's data or focus exclusively on developing and selling their new suite of products.

Maison Singulier was an online vintage furniture and home goods store founded in October 2020 and based in Montreal. Since its inception, Maison Singulier had succeeded in building a loyal customer base across Canada and the United States. Despite the early success of Maison Singulier, the founder realized that she could increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the store's marketing communications if she adopted a more systematic approach to its marketing strategy. Although she had a good understanding of the typical Maison Singulier customer, she wanted to have a more formal definition of her target segment so that she could fine-tune Maison Singulier's marketing communications. Having enlisted the services of a local market research company, by the end of June 2021, Maison Singulier had the information it needed to redesign its marketing communications strategy to effectively reach out to the selected consumer segments. It was crucial for the future of the company to successfully manage this period.

Two women entrepreneurs' early-stage company achieved notable success when they introduced an innovative zero-sugar product into the highly competitive beverage market. After navigating a rebrand, the co-founders were poised to scale their company through product line extension, thereby entering the even more competitive ready-to-drink beverage market. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated their direct-to-consumer marketing strategy. The co-owners had to determine both the timing of the new product launch and the marketing strategy.

Dell Technologies Inc. was founded in 1984 in Austin, Texas, and became a global company that designed, developed, and manufactured personal computers and a variety of computer-related products. In 2016, it merged with EMC Corporation to create the largest privately-controlled technology company with the most comprehensive end-to-end solutions portfolio in the industry. In March 2018, the company formed an internal strategic group named Dell Global Operations and tasked its senior vice-president of strategy with planning the digital transformation of the company's supply chain. in 2018, the Dell Global Operations group had to consider the intrinsic challenges of a giant and diverse enterprise. How would the company ensure that key actors were aligned with its digital vision? Which levers were needed to establish a digital vision that matched business strategy and priorities with supply chain operations? How could an actionable roadmap be developed to achieve the digital transformation of such a complex supply chain? What actions or goals should be prioritized?

Burlap & Barrel was an upcoming and successful public benefit corporation based in the Queens borough of New York City that imported spices from foreign farms and sold them to restaurants, gourmet food stores, home cooks, and other food services in the United States and other markets. In March 2020, when COVID-19 gripped the world and forced most food establishments to close down temporarily, the two co-founders of Burlap & Barrel saw an instant drop in their revenues because half of their sales volume normally came from restaurants. To stay afloat in the pandemic, they changed their focus from wholesale channels to a direct-to-consumer business model. Media coverage in major outlets helped demand increase, but the shift from wholesale to direct-to-consumer raised many supply chain inefficiencies in sourcing, storing, packaging, and transportation. In early 2021, as restaurants began gradually reopening, the two B&B co-founders became concerned about meeting the growing demand from both direct-to-consumer and restaurant orders while retaining their core ethical, environmental, and business values.