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In 2021, the Vancouver-based Universal Outreach Foundation (UOF) collaborated with the Rocky Mountain Soap Company (RMS), a Canadian natural beauty products company, to launch a soap-making venture for Liberia Pure, a business established by UOF and owned by and for Liberians. RMS then contributed a one-time donation to support the distribution of soap during Global Handwashing Day. This case highlights the different forms and levels of sustainability associated with corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects. Students consider how to make CSR a strategic advantage for the firm, rather than relying on regulatory incentives or emotion to ensure continued corporate support. It further looks at the sustainability of the impact on the recipients after the firm leaves.

Banca Comunitaria Banesco (BCB) was the microfinance business unit of Banesco Banco Universal (BBU), the largest private bank in Venezuela. By 2016 BCB was one of the leading microcredit institutions in Venezuela, serving more than 85,000 people in more than 8,000 low-income neighborhoods throughout the country, with 10% market share. However, there were concerns about the sustainability of BCB's inclusive business model and distribution channel. Serving BOP customers (80% of the Venezuelan population) posed several challenges. Venezuela was facing an economic and social crisis, combined with a decreasing GDP and skyrocketing inflation rates, a scarcity of essential goods, the plunging purchasing power of its population, and raising security issues, all of which had an overall negative impact on BCB customers' businesses. In this context BCB had to streamline the use of BBU's banking operative platform, build synergies and apply stricter customer risk assessment to gain financial viability. The necessity to be more cost-efficient went hand in hand with the need to evaluate new service models, that combined technological and human factors, to broaden BCB's reach and customer satisfaction and its social impact. Some questions needed to be addressed: Should BCB try to preserve the current omnichannel in place? Should BCB risk reducing its presence in the barrios and adopt a cost-efficient alternative as mobile banking technology?

The Carzaty case starts at a pivotal point in the start-up's story. It is 2021 and co-founders Hassan Jaffar and Marwan Chaar are preparing to scale up their online used car business they started in Oman. With the backing of investors, they are confident that threefold growth will be realised within a year. At this juncture, an exit offer from a Mexican unicorn company is added to the mix. The friends are torn between their own expansion plans versus the opportunity to exit. The students are invited to put themselves in the founders' shoes to decide which path to take-should they accept the offer or stay on course and maximise the potential of their business themselves?

This case looks at the ELYSIS joint venture and the commercialization of its technology for eliminating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with the electrolysis process in aluminum production. Although Alcoa developed the ELYSIS process, its commercialization is the result of a partnership between aluminum producers Alcoa and Rio Tinto Aluminium (RTA). This partnership was made possible by Apple, which acted as an intermediary, and is supported by the governments of Quebec and Canada. The use of ELYSIS technology has the potential to significantly reduce GHG emissions from aluminum production and to help companies affected by new GHG emission regulations. The success of the technology, however, depends on its widespread adoption, which involves replacing a production method that is over 130 years old.

Afzal Imram, co-founder of State Property, a fine jewellery retailer rooted in Singapore, had achieved a lot. Numerous celebrities, including Michelle Obama, Lady Gaga, Nicole Kidman, and Emilia Clarke, had worn State Property's products. A second brick-and-mortar store had been opened in Singapore, and the company was successful in overseas sales using Net-a-Porter. Despite these successes, State Property's website traffic remained relatively low. Afzal felt that sales would greatly benefit from an increase in the company's reach online. If consumers encountered his company's website earlier in their journey, they could be directed to an online sales platform or a physical store. How could he improve the company's organic ranking in search engine results?

Tropical rain forest covers about 80% of the West African nation of Gabon, part of the Congo Basin and the "lungs of the world." Gabon is one of the first nations to earn revenue from carbon sequestration...as long as the rain forest remains intact. There are economic pressures for logging (and also the shared global threat of illegal logging). The federal government, along with private investors, is striving to both preserve the rain forest and also to create more jobs and capture more export value from the forest products industry as the nation transitions away from extractive industries including oil. The venture needs to bring almost all of the supply chain from logging camps to bark processing to plywood manufacture to international wholesaling in this series of public private partnerships. What are the conditions precedent for this to be feasible? What are the capital, policy, and operational decisions and inputs needed to execute this strategy successfully? What risks need to be borne by whom to get the supply chain in place and attract other capital sources? This is more than just a special economic zone with some tax and energy benefits. Among other tools, Gabon has adopted sophisticated techniques to geo-tag lumber from stump to ship, and to track the chain of custody for certified forest products. What other decisions need to be made and resources committed? Can this model grow to scale and be replicated with other agricultural or renewable value chains, in other nations? When?

This case illustrates how ATRenew used digital technology to create a transaction and service platform for second-hand 3C products. ATRenew was established to " Give a second life to all idle goods. It focused initially on consumer electronics recycling (evidenced by its launch of the Aihuishou C2B platform in 2011) before venturing into the B2B business in 2017 via PJT Marketplace (a platform that aims to connect second-hand buyers and sellers) and the B2C business in 2019 by merging with Paipai, JD.com's re-commerce arm. When combining the C2B, B2B, and B2C business into one integrated platform, the company developed standard quality inspection processes, a rating system for recycled products (including mobile phones and other 3C products), as well as a C2B and B2B pricing models that considered ratings, and built operations centers and a supply chain to best serve its entire business ecosystem. These efforts also empowered its partners to get the most out of second-hand items. However, as the company grew, leading one-stop re-commerce platforms, typically highly trafficked, broke into the second-hand 3C business to divide up the pie. In May 2022, the company's management revisited the trade-off between the advantages of competing within existing market space and the advantages of developing new business for the company to achieve lasting success.

Nickel, a French fintech established in 2014, aimed to provide accessible banking services to underserved populations. Their innovative 'bank in a box' concept, requiring only an ID, a mobile phone, and €20, was distributed through local tobacco stores in France, which are an integral part of French daily life. In under five minutes, customers could acquire an International Bank Account Number and a ready-to-use Mastercard debit card. Did any bank go out of business or downsize because of Nickel? No. Instead, Nickel opened a nondisruptive new market beyond the bounds of the traditional banking industry. With it, the once financially excluded won, Nickel won, the tobacco stores won, and importantly, no one was made worse off. Nondisruptive creation is a term coined by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne in their books Beyond Disruption (2023) and Blue Ocean Shift (2017) to describe the approach of creating new markets without disrupting existing industries. Nickel's success led to its acquisition by BNP Paribas in 2017 for over €200 million. But beyond financial success, Nickel's nondisruptive creation also had a profound social impact, offering cost-effective access to basic banking services and empowering marginalized individuals. In 2023, the company still thrives, serving 3 million clients and expanding across Europe.

This case provides a chronological view of Bud Light's sponsorship of Dylan Mulvaney, a transgender influencer, and the resulting impact. It helps students and executives consider both the decision-making process when working with influencers and other promotional partners and the steps that can be taken to minimize (and even prevent) the damage that can occur when a brand and business crisis results from a partnership. Students can explore the challenges associated with (1) identifying celebrities/influencers who align with a brand/consumer base/business and (2) managing reputational damage and crisis after it has occurred. The case offers opportunities for a deep dive into strategic partnerships, corporate response to crises, and marketing's role in preventing or minimizing negative consumer behavior. This case is well suited for undergraduate, MBA, executive MBA (EMBA), and executive education programs. For undergraduate students, it can be placed in a course on brand management, crisis management, brand activism, promotions, marketing strategy, management/leadership communication, or management strategy. For MBA and EMBA students, it can be placed in a first-year core marketing course or an elective on crisis management, management communication, management strategy, or brand management. At Darden, this case is used alongside two others: "Mickey Mouse Takes a Stand: Does Sociopolitical Activism Change the Disney Story?" (UVA-M-1031), and "Coke Puts Its Brand between a Rock and a Hard Place: Aligning Activism with Brand Purpose" (UVA-M-1019).

In May 2022, Praneet Agarwal, Shashank Patidar and Shaurya Joshi-founders of WeSkill, a live, online "extracurricular" learning platform for children below the age of 14 years-were contemplating ways to sustain their business going forward. The venture, which had been launched in September 2020 when the entire world was fighting COVID-19, had traversed multiple twists and turns. The team had worked hard and enjoyed some success during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic waned, challenges began to mount. The case documents multiple issues that arise when creating a platform start-up and sustaining it over a long period. It also examines why start-ups that experience initial success may not sustain operations as time progresses.

Established in 2003 with 120 volunteers, Food from the Heart (FFTH) is a Singapore-based charity organisation founded to alleviate hunger by providing reliable, consistent, and sustainable food support to the less fortunate through food distribution programmes. FFTH's digital transformation journey began in the middle of 2018 and it went through an overhaul in 2019. Among several digitalisation projects rolling out in early 2020, one was about distributing beneficiary cards with a Quick Response (QR) code to its beneficiaries. Having no direct access to beneficiaries and needing to rely on its community partners, the beneficiary card could be a game-changer for FFTH, yet implementing these cards through its community partners would be a challenge. The case requires students to analyse the managerial capabilities of a charity organisation and discuss how change management and change leadership could digitally transform an organisation. At the end of the discussion, students will recommend a stakeholder management strategy for FFTH to continue its digitalisation initiatives with its community partners.

Set in early 2023, the case exposes students to the challenges of managing open source software at Google. The case focuses on the challenges for Alex Spinelli, Vice President of Product Management for Core Machine Learning. He must set priorities for Google's efforts in open source communities. An important priority is the TensorFlow framework. Released by Google in 2014, it supports many advances in modern artificial intelligence and continues supporting it. Spinelli must also manage open source activities in additional areas, such as the Android operating system for mobile handsets and cloud computing. The choices and strategies have consequences for Google's position as a technological leader among programmers who use and write code and for the safety and transparency of the code Google uses and supports. The case frames questions about what, if anything, Google should change with the explosion of interest in generative AI.

Bjorn Tore Larsen, Norse Atlantic Airways' founder and CEO, hadn't planned to get into the airline business. But when the COVID-19 pandemic depressed the global demand for air travel and the lease rates for jetliners, he realized if ever he was going to get into the airline business, this was the time. With below-market lease rates on 15 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, Norse launched a new long-haul low-cost carrier targeting heavily traveled intercontinental markets. Norse's business model started by offering consumers low-cost seats on routes like London - New York. This meant limiting their network to routes that already had well-developed traffic that afforded an opportunity for market segmentation. The company also put a strong focus on ancillary revenue as a key element of its business model. Many other companies had tried and failed to make the long-haul low-cost business model work on the North Atlantic. During the tourism-driven summer months, it was easy to fill the planes and make money. The question was, could they make it through the off-season? Larson was focused on maintaining operational simplicity and a low-cost structure, but he admitted that the model had yet to be proven, and the history of those who had tried before him was not great.

Since 1834, eight generations of the Ayala family have used their conglomerate to fund nation-building projects in the Philippines, including investments in tramcars, telecommunications, hospitals, and schools. In 1997, Ayala's subsidiary, Manila Water, took control of the failing water distribution system in Metro Manila's east zone, vowing to rebuild the infrastructure and bring cleaner, safer, and more widespread water to the area. Manila Water largely succeeded in this mission in its early years, but, as time went on and the climate grew more unpredictable, it became increasingly difficult to source water for the growing population. By 2019, Manila Water became unable to bring its customers a consistent supply of water, prompting both public and political outrage directed at the firm and the Ayala family. With their legacy at risk and the problem of water scarcity enduring, how should Manila Water and Ayala move forward?

FULPMES, AUSTRIA, AUGUST 2021. Sergey Ignatyev, the founder and CEO of Bobsla, had arrived in Austria in 2019 from his native Saint Petersburg, attracted to the country by Startup Tirol, a foundation dedicated to bringing top technology startups to Austria. His revolutionary electric vehicle, a hybrid between a snowmobile and a sled on tracks, had already won multiple prestigious technology and innovation awards and was the talk of the town on European slopes. The list of possible uses was growing every day. At the same time, the quest for investors had proved more arduous than expected. The question now was whether he could salvage his startup and finally turn it into the "Tesla on Snow." Prototypes were making the rounds between exhibitions and technology fairs already, attracting attention and supportive editorials. The thrill of riding an electric snowmobile at 30 km/h sitting only millimeters above the snow was an incomparable and addictive experience. The hard part now was to define a proper business model (Selling hardware? Organizing events? Licensing the patented technology? B2B or B2C? Austria, US or Canada?) and developing a robust business plan to take the Bobsla to the world's snowy slopes. Every dimension of the plan needed to be internally consistent and sustainable to make the Bobsla the "Tesla on Snow," the ideal replacement for the snowmobiles craved by nature lovers around the world but which were actually environmental disasters: noisy, polluting and gas guzzling.

This case explores the downfall of crypto hedge fund Three Arrows Capital (3AC), illustrating the critical role of operational due diligence (ODD). Established in 2012 by Su Zhu and Kyle Davies, 3AC's swift shift from forex to cryptocurrencies led to rapid success, marked by opulence and influence. However, in 2022, the fund collapsed due to mishandling, governance failures, and compliance missteps. Students assume the role of Vera-Maria, head of ODD at a fund of funds (FoF), tasked with investigating the 3AC collapse. The FoF, contemplating investments in crypto hedge funds, is wary of digital asset risks post-3AC's collapse. Vera-Maria aims to extract lessons and craft an ODD framework to mitigate risks in future digital asset investments. The case delves into the 3AC collapse's causes, offering students insights into institutional best practices. It equips them to navigate the digital asset space, and identify and mitigate counterparty risks, fostering a comprehensive understanding of ODD in the context of crypto hedge funds

The case describes how the Greek oil-spill specialist Polygreen diversified into municipal waste management and turned the Aegean paradise of Tilos into the world's first zero-waste island. Focusing on the company's charismatic CEO, Athanasios Polychronopoulos, the case follows the implementation of a business model based on the principles of the circular economy. The project progresses from the selection of the location to negotiating a "free" contract with the municipality, to rebuilding a whole new team and raising awareness in a community where sorting and recycling are not the norm. A few months later, the operation has to scale up massively for the summer season to cope with thousands of tourists. The results of this apparently successful experiment enable Polygreen to bid for similar business in new municipalities and markets in the Middle East, where it can apply the learning from Tilos.