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The case, set in 2016, follows Lavanya Nalli, a fifth-generation member of the Nalli family business, as she contemplates a critical decision about her future. Nalli Silks, an Indian ethnic wear retailer, had built an enviable reputation for quality and customer orientation over 90 years. As a female member of a conservative family business, she was not expected to enter the business and play an active role in it. Yet, she joined Nalli Silks after earning a degree in engineering and planned and pursued her own induction and learning in the firm. Over the next couple of years, she displayed her entrepreneurial drive by conceptualizing and setting up a successful business within the larger business. However, sensing that there were limited avenues within the firm to feed her ambition and keenness to learn and grow, she left India for the United States to pursue an MBA at Harvard Business School. After graduating, she worked at McKinsey, a leading consulting firm. In 2014, Lavanya returned to India and joined Myntra, a rapidly growing Indian fashion e-commerce company. These experiences provided her with rich and varied insights and perspectives. After seven years away, she was considering returning to the Nalli group with tentative plans of setting up a separate e-commerce vertical from scratch. Three generations of her family - her grandfather, her father and her brother - were active in the business and held independent charge of different parts of the Nalli group. There were serious reservations within the family and the organization about Lavanya's proposal to venture into e-commerce. She herself had some concerns about the larger strategy and set-up of the business, such as the absence of a leadership pipeline and inattention to market trends. The case closes with her reflections and questions on the way forward.

Tencent, one of the largest Internet conglomerates in China, had a vision to become a "Tech+Culture" firm. With dominant market shares in online games and social networking, it had built a vast Internet-based entertainment ecosystem, and was now focused on cultural asset development. Specifically, the company had an opportunity to develop a media franchise that was rich in Chinese cultural elements and had the potential to turn into a blockbuster franchise comparable with Disney's Marvel Cinematic Universe. Edward Cheng, the company's vice president, had to decide how to launch the franchise-whether it should start with a game, movie, a streamed series, or something more innovative. He also had to consider how to promote Chinese culture and project the country's image to a foreign audience.

XP, an investment platform, was on the verge of defining whether to do an IPO or selling off a majority stake to Itaú Unibanco, Brazil´s largest financial conglomerate. Under the leadership of Guilherme Benchimol, XP´s co-founder and CEO, XP had risen to become the largest independent investment platform in Brazil in 2017, reshaping the country's financial investment landscape by marketing itself as a "financial supermarket." The company offered digital seamless investment alternatives at low fees, pioneering a model leveraged across a wide network of independent financial advisors and disrupting a market dominated by large incumbent banks. By late 2016, XP raked in $71 million in net income, boasting over 340,000 clients and $20 billion in assets under custody. In turn, Itaú recorded $415 billion in total assets and net profits above $6.7 billion in 2016, serving over 55 million clients. Benchimol believed the game was just starting: Brazil presented an enormous market opportunity to offer more financial services to millions of new investment clients, but future growth would require additional funding. By the end of 2016, Brazil´s stock market began to show signs of recovery after a two-year performance slump, enticing XP to go public. Yet, Martin Escobari-an XP board member and partner at General Atlantic, the firm that owned 49% of the company by then-felt XP should explore the possibility of finding a potential buyer for XP, shortlisting Itaú among candidates. Although Benchimol openly criticized Brazil´s top banks and their treatment of clients, he realized Itaú´s privileged market position could provide XP with more credibility and, ultimately, more clients. Did it make sense to sell XP to Brazil´s biggest bank? Or should XP go public?

Urban Company is an India-based market platform that helps customers book home services and at home beauty services. The company differentiated itself by investing heavily in building customer trust. Rather than merely positioning itself as a lead generating platform, like many other marketplace platforms such as Uber, Airbnb, and Trip Advisor have done, the company invested in training and supporting the service providers, thus getting significantly involved in the service delivery process itself. While this approach increased the company's costs and slowed down its growth, the company's founders believed that its strategy would ultimately lead to a more sustainable business model. During the COVID pandemic, while the company's business was under significant pressure, the founders proposed to double down on this approach even further to build differentiation, and to strengthen customer trust even more. Is this strategy viable? How should the company leverage its current market position as it examines expansion into new verticals, new customer segments, and new geographies?

The automobile industry is going through a dramatic change as electric vehicles (EVs) rapidly gain in popularity. Two companies in particular have dominated the EV market over the last decade: Tesla and Nissan. However, Nissan, despite its global presence and production capability, has lost significant market share to Tesla. Going forward, the company's operational and strategic decisions are vital to its success in the EV market. Tesla, on the other hand, has aggressively gained market share over the past decade, becoming the most dominant player in the EV market. The company has taken unique approaches for its supply and operations. Will Tesla be able to scale its operations to meet the rapidly increasing demand for EVs? With other large global automakers now turning their attention toward the EV market, will Tesla and Nissan be able to retain their market shares? This case discusses the approaches taken by Nissan and Tesla with their operational, supply chain, and marketing strategies to become leading EV manufacturers. It also sets the stage for the discussion on whether or not their current approaches will be optimal going forward.

In early June 2020, several months into the COVID-19 pandemic, a business analyst was evaluating how COVID-19 had changed business and markets and whether these changes would be permanent. Already, a part of the business world had shifted to a working-from-home mode, while executives were evaluating financial strategies to help cope with the changes caused by the pandemic and assessing supply chains that had been disrupted. This case provides an opportunity to discuss key themes such as risk management, globalization, lessons from previous crises such as the global financial crisis (GFC), and the role of banks during the pandemic, as well as the role of the Federal Reserve in mitigating the economic destruction that COVID-19 had inflicted.

Eagles Nest Association of Waterdown was a not-for-profit organization in Waterdown, Ontario. It had two active programs: the HOPE Centre (Home of Practical Education) and Rescued & Restored (R&R), a thrift shop that provided up to 40 per cent of the organization's revenue. Changes in the retail environment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and increased turnover of volunteers at the store have forced the volunteer coordinator to evaluate the costs and benefits of the organization's staffing model. Should Eagles Nest hire paid staff as sales associates for the thrift store or recruit volunteers to fill those roles?

On March 11, 2020, The World Health Organization declared the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) a global pandemic. The pandemic brought production, trade, and businesses to a grinding halt, as governments closed borders and implemented lockdowns and restrictions; it also caused scrutiny of global supply chain strategies. While some US companies had already begun shifting outsourcing away from China during the US-China trade war amid the recent trend of deglobalization, the pandemic deepened concerns about overreliance on importing strategic goods, including pharmaceutical products and personal protective equipment (PPE), from China. This case starts with the pandemic development, explores public health and economic responses to the pandemic in China and the United States, and examines changes in policy and public opinion toward outsourcing in China. It provides a basis for understanding China's social and economic institutions through the lens of pandemic controls and the changing landscape of China's supply chains. The case has been successfully taught in a second-year MBA elective on growth and business in emerging markets in a module examining country-level endowments, trade, and risks, as well as in a course on China in the global economy. It can also be used for EMBA or executive education classes on China in the context of global business, trade, and supply chains. Issues discussed include questions about Chinese institutions and social norms, the effects of the pandemic, fiscal and monetary policies on employment, inflation and GDP growth. The materials provide a framework for making decisions on global outsourcing and the changing relationship between China and the United States.

In May 2019, Chiban Leather, a socially conscious leather manufacturing firm based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, was undergoing an expansion and the company's chief executive officer was contemplating its strategic future. She wanted to take advantage of opportunities in the Ethiopian leather industry and expand her client base to include 10 primary wholesalers. She was proud of the social impact the company had achieved so far, and she hoped to be able to focus more on this by expanding the company's production process. She was also considering other options, including developing Chiban Leather as a retail brand, focusing on trade shows, and pursuing alternative exposure through diversified products and subscription boxes. She wondered if this was the right time to establish the brand and sell directly to clients. She also had to consider whether this option would align with her current goals and strategy.

Bombardier Inc., a Canadian manufacturer of business jets and small aircraft, developed the C Series aircraft amid numerous technical and financial challenges. In 2016, the US aviation company Delta Air Lines Inc. made a large purchase of the plane at an allegedly highly discounted price, which was expected to help Bombardier Inc. enter the lucrative US aviation market. In response, The Boeing Company, the world's largest aerospace company, filed a complaint about the deal with the US Department of Commerce and with the United States International Trade Commission. The complaint was consistent with the current US administration position of promoting protectionist economic and trade policies. The US Department of Commerce concurred with The Boeing Company and levied anti-dumping and countervailing duties of 292.21 per cent against Bombardier Inc. However, the United States International Trade Commission found the tariffs unjustified and overturned the decision on the grounds that The Boeing Company was not materially harmed by the transaction. The Boeing Company had multiple options for pursuing a challenge, but each option had potential consequences.

After discovering that their cancer diagnostic tool, designed to leverage the cloud computing power of IBM Watson, needed greater integration into the clinical processes at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, the development team had difficult choices to make. The Oncology Expert Advisor tool used a combination of machine learning and the latest cancer care research to make recommendations to clinicians in the field. Was automated cancer diagnosis the future of cancer care? The development team, comprised of clinicians and data scientists, reviewed the results of their experiment to augment their implementation plan and better evaluate the efficacy of the analytics tool.

Ethos - Spirit of the Community (Ethos), a sustainable tourism company in Sa Pa, Vietnam, existed to support a wide variety of environmental and social initiatives that benefited members of local, ethnic minority groups. In early 2019, the organization's founders were working with 22 female tour guides and 260 ethnic minority host families to offer sustainable and socially responsible treks in the region. However, their ability to continue was in jeopardy due to changing regulations that would affect the working status of the company's local trekking guides. Addressing this change was essential because the business depended on the local women who led Ethos tour groups, and the new requirement could mean Ethos's underlying business model could fall apart, undermining its ability to support related environmental and social initiatives. How could the founders ensure that Ethos would survive as a long-term venture that was able to make a difference in the lives of the local people while also accomplishing their own long-term goals?

During the spring 2020 semester, Botsworth Business School had suddenly moved all classes to remote teaching due to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. The school's associate dean had to consider the implications of this new learning environment for academic integrity. She also had to manage the challenges of a new infrastructure and differing student and instructor needs. In May 2020, with urgency subsiding, and with the university confirming that classes would be taught remotely through the spring 2021 semester, the associate dean was considering the risks and benefits of what services had been-and what could be-implemented to support remote teaching and learning. Leading up to the remote fall 2020 semester, she was wondering how to best identify and manage risk from contract cheating-a form of academic dishonesty that occurred when a student submitted work for academic credit that was completed by a third party. The associate dean's task would have been complex and difficult in normal times, but it had become an especially salient problem after moving to online remote instruction due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

With an increasing number of women joining the workforce in India, the women's office-wear segment was gaining traction in the clothing industry and a number of start-ups had recently appeared in the country. Ayushi Gudwani founded FableStreet (FS), a premium office-wear brand, when she found it difficult to find office-wear that fit her well. She found this to be a major pain point for many professional Indian women and decided to solve the problem. After extensive research, Gudwani developed a sizing guide unique to Indian women's body types and an algorithm that drove the development of FS's well-fitting quality clothing for professional women. In December 2019, FS raised US$2.95 million in a Series A round to fund its expansion. Now Gudwani has to choose the company's next course of action by evaluating various growth options and choosing whether to build an offline presence, add accessory items as a new product category, or expand internationally.

Serum Institute of India (SII) was the world's largest manufacturer of vaccines and had signed an agreement to produce the Oxford vaccine, a top five candidate. The chief executive officer, Adar Poonawala, had announced in late July 2020 that the government of India had agreed to buy two doses of the vaccine, at a price of US$13 per dose. In early August, two developments caused Adar to revisit SII's initial pricing decision. The first development was that Russia had announced it had developed a vaccine that was ready for mass distribution in early October-two months ahead of SII. The second development was that Johnson & Johnson had announced a price of US$10 per dose. The case outlines the decisions facing SII concerning the pricing strategy and pricing dynamics for their COVID-19 vaccine.

The owner of a small retail flooring company is projecting her company's financial performance and financial position for the current 2020 calendar year. The company began business in 2019, and by all measures, that first year had been a financial success. A small profit was earned, and the year ended in a strong financial position. But disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has caused the need for new planning. A number of changes to business activity are projected, together enabling the construction of pro forma 2020 financial statements. Liquidity, profit, and the ability to take an annual owner's draw could then be assessed. This case is optimally used early in an introductory financial accounting course, or as a stand-alone exercise that illustrates the construction of financial statements. It can also be used as two distinct accounting analyses: (i) students can use the case data to reconstruct the 2019 balance sheet and income statement provided within the case exhibits, and (ii) they can also use the new projections to complete the 2020 pro forma financial statements.

The online eco-lifestyle start-up The Kommon Goods, founded by Alvin Li, a young Hong Kong social consultant and entrepreneur, seeks to change consumer behaviour through its sustainably sourced products platform. The social enterprise also aims to drive change in the B2B space, while also raising awareness about the growing issue of plastic waste in Hong Kong and globally. The Kommon Goods is an extension of Li's own lifestyle and philosophy. The social enterprise encourages consumers to avoid buying plastic items or packaging and to focus on purchase items that are produced sustainably and recyclable. The social entrepreneur has already gained worldwide recognition in his quest to support the UN's SDGs and reduce plastic waste worldwide.

The case is intended as a vehicle for analysis of the challenges involved in launching an innovative product. It is set against the background of the wave of innovation in the vehicle market, as manufacturers race to replace internal combustion engines (ICEs) with electric power. Protean Electric, a company of British origin but now Chinese-owned, aims to introduce another level of innovation by introducing its in-wheel motor (IWM) technology to electric vehicles (EVs). Instead of simply replacing an internal combustion engine with an electric battery unit, Protean technology dispenses with the central powertrain and mounts electric power units in some or all of the wheels of the vehicle. The company is committed to being part of the entry into the mainstream passenger EV market of Evergrande, its Chinese owners, but has historically also looked at other sectors such as urban shuttles and delivery fleets, and has retained the ability to continue to develop products for those sectors. It also has to consider the emerging consensus that the transport market of the future will shift away from individual ownership towards a model known as CASE (connected, autonomous, shared, electrified). The contrast between the 'niche' IWM innovation and the market-wide electric revolution highlights the key concepts in new-product market analysis.

In late 2020, an instructor at a Canadian university received an email from a concerned student about contract cheating (i.e., a student submitting someone else's work for credit) in her class. As the instructor read the email, many questions without obvious answers came to mind. She wondered what her professional and personal responsibilities were in dealing with the issues raised in the student's email. In particular, she was trying to come to grips with her responsibilities to her students, her colleagues, the program she taught in, and the university and society in general. She also wondered what she could do to make this type of cheating less prevalent and how she could better detect and discourage it. How could she and her colleagues support students to prevent them from seeking help from these types of companies, which promoted cheating under the premise of tutoring? Upon further considering the issues, the instructor wondered about potential risks to herself, her students, and the university that might result from various possible courses of action. She decided that, at the very least, she would talk to her students about contract cheating at the start of her next class, but she was not sure what she would say.