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Tesla Motors, Inc. was founded in 2003 in San Carlos, CA, with the mission "to accelerate the advent of sustainable transport by bringing compelling mass-market electric cars to market as soon as possible." By 2015, Tesla is now a public company that faces multiple challenges, including scaling-up production, market acceptance, the lack of a clear technology standard, timing and launch of a mass-market vehicle, and increased global competition. Moreover, the competition in the automobile industry is getting more intense as gasoline prices have fallen by 50 percent in the United States. CEO Elon Musk must decide how to handle these issues to keep Tesla successful.

This case study presents the dilemmas faced by the Country Manager of Pioneer Energy in Turkmenistan. He has to find closure on a variety of issues ranging from procurement of steel casings to complete test wells in the Turkmen region, to implementing a new performance evaluation system mandated by Pioneer's headquarters in Dallas, localization of the workforce, and challenging cross-cultural matters associated with an upcoming trip by Turkmenistan officials to the US offices of Pioneer

Cipla Global Ltd. (CGL) is a real-life, undisguised decision case. CGL is one of India's top pharmaceutical companies. Thanks to India's process patent regime (1970-2005), Dr. Yusuf Hamied, the company's chairman, managed to catapult the company to its position as a leading generics manufacturer. However, in 2005, India changed its Patents Act to make it TRIPS compliant. Faced with Western pharmaceutical companies' 'evergreening', CGL became a prominent crusader against multinationals. It fought and won patent cases in Indian courts. On the other hand, the government of India took advantage of the TRIPS provisions to authorize Indian companies to manufacture copies of patented drugs without the patent holder's permission. This infuriated Western pharmaceutical companies because they saw this provision as an infringement on their rights, which would lead to decreased revenues. As a consequence, they started lobbying their respective governments to put pressure on the Indian government. The case ends with a dilemma about the best course of action for CGL going forward, given the various options offered by the industry, on the one hand, and the ambitions of its chairman, on the other.

Raven's Sun Enterprise Ltd. is a small oilfield and construction site delivery business operated by firefighter Mike LaPlante on his days off. Mike is the firm's only driver, so scheduling his time profitably is the critical success factor. Students will have to consider an unusual measure of volume, Mike's available work days, to assess potential profitability and risk during a recession. They will have to apply constrained resource analysis and cost-volume-profit analysis (CVP) to three different sales mixes, which in this service business involve combinations of in-city and long-haul deliveries. Finally, their recommendations will relate the CVP analysis to work/family balance and safety issues.

In April 2013, Colgate-Palmolive, a long-term front runner in a consumer goods business that specialized in oral care products, lost its dominance for the sensitive teeth toothpaste market in India. It was a dominance that Colgate-Palmolive had managed to build over the years by being a first mover and by leveraging its reputation as a leader in oral care products. However, new global and local competitors entered the market with diverse product variants and aggressive marketing campaigns, and started to erode the company's market share. By mid-2013, the fight for market share was fierce and on the verge of becoming even more intense. Could Colgate-Palmolive regain its dominance? How should the company navigate these extremely competitive tides to regain its lost market share?

In March 2015, Huayi Brothers Media Corporation is China's most influential entertainment company, accounting for one-fifth of the country's total yearly box office revenues. In recent years, in an effort to leverage its movie content and copyrights, the company has expanded into developing and distributing games on the Internet as well as building entertainment theme parks in Asia. Now, the chairman and co-founder is considering a partnership with Hollywood's STX Entertainment to jointly invest in and co-produce 18 films and distribute them worldwide within two years. Should the company enter into this partnership or not? What is the best strategy to move forward and grow internationally outside of China? Or should the company concentrate on bettering its competition by concentrating on its core business portfolio in visual (both movies and television), live (musical performances and theme parks) and Internet gaming in China and Asia?

A multi-issue one-on-one negotiation between a young entrepreneur (John Ambitchious) and a close-to-retirement CEO of a large corporation (George Gried). John and George are considering becoming partners on a venture John is setting up. Besides negotiating the partnerhship details, George currently works for a potential competitor, thus raising ethical tensions that should be negotiated before committing to a final deal.

A multi-issue one-on-one negotiation between a young entrepreneur (John Ambitchious) and a close-to-retirement CEO of a large corporation (George Gried). John and George are considering becoming partners on a venture John is setting up. Besides negotiating the partnerhship details, George currently works for a potential competitor, thus raising ethical tensions that should be negotiated before committing to a final deal.

Aarong, the retail arm of BRAC, a non-profit development organization based in Bangladesh, was created in 1978 to provide employment, income generation and social development opportunities for underprivileged women through the revival and promotion of Bangladeshi handicrafts. Profits from Aarong were used to extend such opportunities to more low-income producers and to cross-subsidize BRAC programmes for the poor. In 30 years, from a single shop, Aarong had grown into one of Bangladesh's biggest retail chains. Its products ranged from clothing, household items, gifts and fashion accessories to children's toys. The competition, however, was intensifying, both from local retailers in individual categories as well as foreign players, such as from India. How could Aarong compete in a global market? How could it leverage the brand, improve quality to match machine-made consistency, and keep prices competitive, while maintaining its social mission?

Axiom, an innovative player providing legal services to corporates, develops service lines to provide lawyers on secondment to clients and managed services to outsource part of its clients' legal activities. Axiom's growth is placed in the broader context of changing client needs and competition in the corporate legal market.

The case describes how Justin Trudeau came from a seemingly hopeless third place (in the party rankings) to win a stunning majority and become Canada's 23rd prime minister. Trudeau's win is analysed through a Blue Ocean lens, showing how his campaign broke with the traditional rules of engagement by reaching out to non-voters, and increasing willingness-to-vote while lowering the cost-of-voter acquisition. Video and Lecture Slides can be obtained from https://www.blueoceanstrategy.com/teaching-materials/blue-ocean-politics/

An HBS student is asked to misrepresent himself during the course of his summer internship by his employer in order to obtain data from industry competitors.

Atmel Corporation is a manufacturer of semiconductors (chips). It is an engineering-driven business-to-business company, and prior to 2012 its marketing was largely limited to preparation of specifications, launching new products, and trade shows. In 2012, it hired Sander Arts as Vice President of Marketing. Arts was not an engineer, and had very different ideas about how marketing could add value to the company. For instance, he believed that social media could be used to create active user communities for a company that makes commodity products. He also believed that the company was missing important opportunities in long-tail markets, and the Maker movement. He wanted to humanize the brand and create imaginative marketing solutions. This "case" is a series of videos - one to prepare students for the class session, and two to be shown after the class discussion. The 15-minute preparation video is a series of interviews in which the perspectives of different stakeholders (engineering, marketing, customer, etc.) are presented prior to the arrival of Arts. The challenges facing Arts are clearly demonstrated. Following class discussion, a nine-minute video interview with Arts can be used to show how he approached the challenges. The third video was prepared by Atmel, and shows the company's view of its success in developing marketing as an important part of the organization.

The general manager of a resort was considering completely renovating the resort's suites for the upcoming season. He would need to submit a proposal to the resort owners for funding approval. Although he knew the renovation would increase customer satisfaction, he would need to justify the significant up-front investment from a financial perspective.

This case examines Project Salta (Salta) a multi-year collaborative experiment among financial institutions, a foreign government aid agency, and a global management school. Binding goals of Salta were to provide practical business information in sessions of short duration to micro-entrepreneurs operating at or near the bottom of the socio-economic pyramid, while keeping sponsors' costs exceptionally low. Salta serves as a test case and potential template for organizations investing in educating micro-entrepreneurs via lessons that are information, engaging, memorable and affordable. Details are provided regarding the origins and setting of the Salta program, its targeted participants, and parameters for the roll-out of the program. Students using the case are challenged to think creatively about how they would translate their understanding of basic business knowledge into the fundamentals needed to thrive as a micro-entrepreneur in a developing country. The case is especially relevant to individuals or organizations considering or engaging in corporate social responsibility opportunities. It is also highly relevant to empowerment of women at or near the base of the socio-economic pyramid, as well as micro-entrepreneurs in developing countries. Lessons center on challenges and advantages of educational philanthropy for these populations.

Micro-entrepreneurs in developing countries often lack basic business knowledge and personal confidence needed to make the leap that will take their businesses beyond subsistence. In many of these countries, little or no business training is available to women micro-entrepreneurs. In some developing countries, tradition and social convention about gender-determined roles and responsibilities lead women to stay in the home. Those who become micro-entrepreneurs are often driven to the choice by financial need and lack of job alternatives. This case describes the business challenges facing a female micro-entrepreneur who worked from home and who participated in a large-scale, collaborative business education program set in Peru called Proyecto Salta (or, Salta, which means leap in Spanish).

Domotec was a small company devoted to home automation in Montevideo, Uruguay. Building automation involves a set of control and automation systems that can be used in homes, buildings, offices, etc. providing services related to energy, safety, security, comfort and communications. Case A describes Domotec's history from its creation in 1994 by three partners until a day in 1999 when the partners would meet to formally make the decision to shut down. One of them, Norberto Zejerman, the case protagonist, wondered whether to keep the company and run it alone. A description of the most salient features of the industry at the time in Uruguay, as well as at regional and world levels, is also provided. Case B gives an account of industry and company performance during the 2000-2005 period, when Domotec survived the difficult 2002 crisis but failed to rake in enough sales volume. Finally, case C depicts the growth of the automation market from 2006 to 2011 and presents the dilemma faced by Zejerman presented by the fact that in 2011 alone it sold one third of the total installations the company had carried out during its 15-year history. This case series has been designed to ensure that students understand the complexity of the challenge involved in creating a venture that includes both product and market innovation, exploring the strategic decisions required. In this context, customers still have no clear understanding of the scope of the value proposition, the market gives no hint of potential meaningful segments and the company perceives that it must educate consumers in addition to selling its products.

Founded in 1941, Cervecería Polar had kept its position as absolute market leader in beer production and distribution in Venezuela with its traditional Pilsen for over sixty years. In 1997, it introduced its Polar Light beer, which was well received on the market. However, in November 2001, Cervecería Regional launched its new Light beer, which soon became a challenge to the market leader. This new product met consumers´ expectations: a light, soft beer packaged in a transparent glass bottle that helped reinforce its attributes. A few months after its launching, it had already achieved 25% market share in the light category. To respond to the threat posed by Regional Light, Polar management awaited its new Chief Marketing Officer for the Beer and Malt Strategic Unit, Cesar Menendez, to recommend future actions aimed at maintaining the company´s leadership position. What action plan would you recommend at the strategic planning meeting?

In 2015, Burger King, one of America's oldest fast-food chains, continues to face fierce competition from McDonald's, Wendy's and the emerging fast-casual restaurant chains. As a result, Burger King needs to develop a marketing mix that will distance it from its competitors and narrow the gap with McDonald's, the industry leader. The marketing mix will also influence Burger King's allocation of resources between domestic and international markets.