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RA Group, a technology consulting firm, introduced changes in 2019 that were impacting the organization and its employees. Employees were dealing with the transition to a new office location and resulting changes to the company's transportation services, the less private office configuration, a surge of new employees lacking proper supervision, and increased turnover. Employees encountered numerous organizational problems during the change process and were experiencing frustrations with the transition from the way things had been before the changes, leading to an identity crisis and resistance to the changes.

Green Consultant, a Singapore-based environmental consulting firm, had worked with several financial institutions before 2023 and was aware that many were interested in expanding their loan portfolios to include more environmentally inclined clients. In January 2023, one such client, a Singapore-based small and medium enterprise (SME) named Chang & Lee Manufacturing (CLM), approached Green Consultant to prepare a business proposal on how the SME could transition to solar energy. A green finance analyst at Green Consultant had one month to deliver a proposal to CLM. He had to consider the type of solar business model, the financing option, and the CLM stakeholders to engage, alongside CLM's operational and financial conditions, to recommend the most economically feasible solar solution for CLM.

Derrin Raffey, chief financial officer at St. Thomas More College (STM) in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, oversaw STM's investment trust. With a value of more than CA$22 million, managing the trust required careful consideration of various factors, including management fees, performance, the appropriateness of the holdings, and relationships with investment managers.<br><br>At times, the trust had held investments that were not appropriate, given the college's religious values. However, with the hiring of a new investment manager, switching from pooled fund investment to discretionary investment became an option. As STM did not have a formal process or template for reviewing investment managers, developing these was a priority. Finally, there was the question of what strategy STM should adopt-was it possible for STM to balance its need for growth and returns against other factors such as the college's religious ethos and the wishes of its various stakeholders?

Uno Minda Ltd. (Uno Minda) was a leading manufacturer of automobile components for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) of vehicles running on an internal combustion engine. The Indian company had a strong relationship with automobile manufacturers and long-standing international partners for joint manufacturing of auto components. The Indian market was rapidly adopting electric vehicles (EVs). In November 2021, Uno Minda was determined to establish itself as a leading manufacturer of components for EVs. The company could develop its expertise by investing in in-house research and development, acquiring a domestic or international EV component manufacturer, or forming a joint venture with a renowned domestic or international player in the EV component space. All three options had their pros and cons. Uno Minda had to choose among these.

In the sunny afternoon of October 5, 2023, in Edmonton, Alberta (Canada), the co-founders of TRAE Group contemplated the challenge of growing their business while maintaining a delicate balance between commercial activities and their social mission of addressing global food security. In view of the changes in the global markets due to COVID-19 and geo-political tensions, they needed to evaluate the potential impacts of inflation, supply chain disruptions, and other global events on their ability to generate income and continue their social initiatives. The dilemma was whether to reassess their business strategies, explore alternative suppliers, or diversify their product offerings.

Nick worked as the weekend shift leader at the fulfillment center of Lee Valley Tools. in Ottawa. The company operated three shifts-a day and night shift on weekdays and a weekend shift on Saturday and Sunday. Reviewing performance statistics, Nick noted that members of the night shifts in the warehouse seemed to be achieving higher performance in order fulfillment and line item fulfillment. On the other hand, the members of the weekend shifts were more aligned with the performance of members of the day shift, which had to deal with deliveries of incoming items and placing these items in the warehouse. Nick wondered why the weekend shift seemed to lag behind. He also wondered whether these differences were significant and meaningful. Nick found that there appeared to be a lag in the picking and packing processes.

In early 2023, the smart home industry stood at a pivotal juncture. The recent launch of "Matter" version 1.0, an ambitious interoperability standard developed by the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA), promised to unify a fragmented market plagued by incompatible devices and platforms. This new standard aimed to ensure that smart home products from different manufacturers could seamlessly communicate with each other, offering consumers a more integrated and user-friendly experience. Amidst this backdrop, Amazon, a major force in the smart home arena with its Alexa ecosystem and ownership of Ring, a leading smart home security brand, faced a strategic decision that could shape the future of smart homes. The crux of Amazon's dilemma revolved around the next iteration of the Matter standard-version 2.0. The potential inclusion of security camera compatibility in Matter version 2.0 presented both a significant opportunity and a substantial challenge. Amazon needed to decide whether to commit considerable internal resources to ensure that the next version of Matter supported security cameras, or to avoid committing these resources and keep the Ring security camera incompatible with the Matter standard.

On July 1, 2022, Don Allan was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Stanley Black & Decker (SBD). Although Allan had been with the firm for 23 years, most recently serving as President and Chief Financial Officer, he recognized that he was stepping into his new role as CEO at a time of turbulence and uncertainty. Allan and SBD had to grapple with the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain disruptions, and runaway inflation, among other challenges. More broadly, there was the sense that these obstacles reflected a shifting paradigm. "There is no normal anymore," Allan said. "The normal is change." This case study documents how, over decades, SBD had developed a robust innovation ecosystem with three horizons: (1) Core Innovation-which the company defined as making incremental improvements to existing products or creating new offerings that would drive year-over-year revenue growth; (2) Breakthrough Innovation-creating products that were worth at least $100 million and would substantially transform their markets; and (3) Stanley X-leveraging cutting-edge technology (e.g., software and IoT) to pursue extreme innovation, which SBD defined as products that "reimagine how we operate in today's technology-enabled, fast-paced world." The case allows for a discussion of the complexities of managing and growing a large business; 2) the tensions between maintaining a sophisticated innovation capability and profitability; and 3) Don Allen's decision about whether to pull back on the firm's pursuit of 'extreme' innovation and the impact of doing so on employees, customers, and shareholders.

This case study explores Microsoft Teams' strategic response to Zoom's rapid rise during the COVID-19 pandemic. It highlights the ways in which Microsoft leveraged its customer base, expertise in enterprise software, and integration with the Microsoft 365 suite to challenge Zoom in the video communications market. The case highlights the playbook Microsoft has used many times over the past three decades to compete against challengers who established a first-mover advantage. It covers two phases of the competitive battle between Microsoft Teams and Zoom. The first phase began with the launch of Microsoft Teams in 2017 and ended in March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic helped Zoom dominate the video communication market. The second phase of the battle focuses on how Microsoft Teams counterattacked to gain market share against Zoom.

A life-changing event prompted marketing professional Stacey Thomas to leave her successful career in media and entertainment to join dynamic, fast-growing healthcare provider, OceanView Medical. Initially drawn to, and inspired by, the company's mission and values, Thomas quickly discovered that the role for which she had been hired had expanded drastically in terms of responsibilities and challenges in the five weeks since her interview. The events that ensued became increasingly frustrating for Thomas, leaving her to decide whether to stay with the team she had built at OceanView Medical or to find a new job.

Aashica Khanna, the director of Ananda in the Himalayas, an internationally famed Indian luxury wellness resort, was mulling over her options to grow the luxury wellness brand. Could Ananda's Indian tradition based wellness solutions, hospitality, and cuisine pillars be replicated? While Khanna and Ananda's leadership team had constantly innovated and created a differentiation in the luxury wellness space, should the focus be on consistency in the Ananda luxury wellness experience or uniqueness? Would they be able to recreate the Ananda experience at another location while preserving the luxury wellness brand's promise?

In Kolkata, India, in 2021, a car battery failed at a crucial moment. Witnessing this, the research and development director at Exide Industries Limited (EIL) pondered creating an Internet of Things (IoT)-integrated smart battery solution to enhance customer experience by proactively monitoring battery health. The dilemma for EIL's cross-functional team was multifaceted: Could they innovate without compromising data privacy while maintaining sustainability? The team debated market receptiveness, return on investment, and compliance with environmental standards. The business situation was complex: Could EIL redefine customer experience, align with sustainability goals, and navigate the challenges of data security and market risks?

In 2019, Matthew Scullion, founder and CEO of U.K. startup Matillion, faced a decision about which term sheet to accept for the lead investor in his company's $35 million Series C financing round. Would the connections and opportunities offered by Silicon Valley-based VC Battery Ventures make up for its lower valuation offer, or would Scullion be better off choosing a European investment firm to lead the round?

TimeCredit is an artificial intelligence (AI) startup that is developing large language models (LLMs) to generate accounting memos. The case follows Ndonga Sagnia, a Gambian Harvard Business School MBA student with an accounting background, as she decides how much money to raise for her early-stage venture. The case also covers the challenges of finding a technical cofounder, initial equity allocation decisions, and the implications of the market context and founder identity for fundraising choices.

This case study explores the growth journey of Polish computer vision sports start-up ReSpo.Vision in an emerging entrepreneurial ecosystem. By providing 3D data and analysis to soccer clubs, ReSpo.Vision achieved significant milestones with a €1 million seed round, an EU innovation grant, and gained traction with top European soccer clubs. However, pressure to accelerate revenue growth led the company to consider a strategic shift towards immersive 3D visualizations for media and entertainment. Ahead of the upcoming funding round in early 2024, CEO Pawel Osterreicher faced a critical decision between scaling the existing business or creating a new business line. The case study highlights the opportunities and challenges associated with this shift in the context of a new and emerging market.

As the new CEO of Boston Consulting Group (BCG) since autumn 2021, Christoph Schweizer had big shoes to fill-his predecessor, Rich Lesser, had tripled the partnership's total revenues and created digital initiatives that contributed 40+% of 2021 revenues, more than doubling headcount along the way. Schweizer announced plans for fresh growth: he planned to double the partnership's size and pursue what he called moonshots-dedicated efforts to accelerate in artificial intelligence and climate & sustainability that would each help drive 20% to 30% of total BCG revenues by 2030. Externally, however, BCG was soon grappling with the macro-effects of Russia's invasion of Ukraine as well as rising interest rates, compounding the potential risks BCG faced with a commitment to rapid growth. As yet unclear was how much BCG needed to adapt or alter the formula of success that Lesser had applied in order to tackle these headwinds and deliver on Schweizer's vision.

In 2023, the Singapore-based startup company Horizon Quantum Computing was on the cusp of fast expansion and the founder faced the challenge to decide where to open the second office outside Singapore. To make a choice from the list of 10 countries, the founder had to consider the likelihoods of acquiring and competing for talent, developing business partnerships with quantum computer hardware makers, gaining market access for its upcoming product, among other issues. This case study also explores Singapore's startup ecosystem and its years long efforts in building a growth environment for deep tech companies.

In early 2022, the online sports betting market was opening in Ontario, Canada, and Rush Street Interactive (RSI), an online and offline gaming company based in Chicago and already operating in the gaming space in a number of US states and the country of Colombia, had to decide about its next move. RSI had so far focused its growth strategy on being a first mover in new markets, and several of its gaming competitors had already indicated their intentions to enter the newly opened online casinos and online sports betting market in Ontario. Should RSI take the opportunity to enter the Ontario online sports betting market or take advantage of its first-mover advantage in US jurisdictions such as Tennessee, West Virginia, and Massachusetts?

On July 18, 2022, transgender employees of Kochi Metro Rail Limited revealed several sad stories of discrimination, low salary, and inaccessible toilets in the workplace. The publicly owned company based in Kochi, India aimed to be seen as among the most sustainable and connected organizations in the country. In 2017, the company made a conscious effort to hire transgender candidates into primary positions. After hiring 1,000 women and 23 transgender employees as part of its social inclusion initiative, Kochi Metro Rail Limited earned praise from the public as an inclusive workplace. The company soon reached a high of 43 transgender employees, but that number dropped considerably down to nine employees within only five years, after issues and disappointments surfaced among the workforce. The transgender community saw the company's transgender employee policy as a promotional stunt to gain publicity and public attention. To regain its former status among India's top companies for social inclusion, it was imperative for Kochi Metro Rail Limited to quickly find a way to attract and retain transgender employees.