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Planet Abled is a woman-led, for-profit social venture based in New Delhi, India, offering customized tours around India and South Asia for people of all disabilities. Planet Abled was formed in 2016 by its chief executive officer, Neha Arora-herself a daughter of two disabled parents. Planet Abled's start-up story explains how social ventures can repurpose traditional travel to reveal and reverse multiple types of stigmas (public, cultural, social, and structural) as well as defy and defend against the self-stigmatization of the one billion disabled people in the world (15 per cent of the global population).<br><br>Part A of the case presents the real-time conundrum of continuity of mission in the time of COVID-19 given the complete cessation of travel following the declaration of the pandemic and the lack of economic assistance from the Indian government. Part B describes real-time experiments Planet Abled undertook in a concerted and creative team effort to survive against all odds in the first year of the global pandemic-a period of unprecedented hardship for the global tourism industry. Part C jumps forward to discuss how Arora's mid-2022 epiphany culminated in an early 2023 tipping point for Planet Abled and the global tourism industry. The three-part Planet Abled case series invites learners to drive system change by engaging them in real-time dilemmas about diversity and inclusion in the specific context of disability rights.

Scuderia Ferrari SPA, the racing division of the auto manufacturer Ferrari, was the oldest and most successful team in Formula One. Since the inception of the sport of Formula One in 1950, Ferrari had never missed a season. Having navigated many technological changes over the past seven decades, Ferrari faced the latest innovations in sports and beyond: data and digitalization. What were the opportunities and roadblocks ahead? The Maranello-based company founded by Enzo Ferrari needed to make some strategic decisions about its use of data and technology.

This case narrates Bestore's initial success as a regional snack food brand and goes on to introduce its multiple channel innovations, i.e. from running 100% self-operated stores in central China to opening franchise stores all over the country, then to striking online-offline balance in revenue, and finally to finding ways to increase its presence in a rising channel, Douyin, also known as the Chinese version of TikTok, a globally popular short-video-themed social software on smart phones. As Bestore's founder, Yang Hongchun, observed that Douyin was attracting increasing user traffic, he decisively assembled a team to build business there. However, it seemed that the underlying logic between traditional e-commerce platforms and Douyin's e-commerce model was largely different. He needed to push for constant iterations on the part of the Douyin business team based on the data service and with the tools provided by the Douyin platform. In addition, the team also needed to grow its capabilities in many aspects to adapt to business on Douyin, such as having a familiar understanding of the new fads and creating contents that could resonate with Bestore's target customer groups. Bestore was just a small firm compared to western food conglomerates. As Bestore already had a complex online and offline channel system, was it worth the sweat to further invest in creating and running more Douyin accounts?

The "Moral Complexity in Leadership" series of cases and teaching notes help business instructors harness the power of fiction to prepare students for the moral and ethical dilemmas they will face throughout their careers. Meaningful fiction challenges students intellectually and emotionally; it reveals the inner worlds of human players and enables learning that can be difficult to access through case studies, commentary, or reporting. Through literature, students will wrestle with the kinds of problems they will face as leaders looking to make courageous decisions aligned with their moral codes. The works in this series represent a wide range of settings, viewpoints, and cultural frameworks; the characters are complex and contradictory, and the systems within which they operate (whether family, organizational, or cultural) influence them in varied ways. They have been taught to executive, full- and part-time MBA student audiences for many years. The series aims to increase students' understanding of moral frameworks and enhance their skills in facilitating and participating in healthy and productive dialogue about complex and provocative issues. This installment of the series, "Loyalty and the Cost of Excellence," focuses on the story told in Kazuo Ishiguro's prize-winning novel The Remains of the Day: that of Stevens, a butler in an English country house in the leadup to World War II, who exerts his emotional energy exclusively on his work duties while sublimating not only knowledge of his employer's Nazi sympathies but also personal relationships. The tale shines a light on several moral issues: what can happen when one gives complete loyalty to an individual or a possible undeserving organization or cause; the potential costs of sacrificing a well-rounded life to the pursuit of professional excellence; the limitations of having a "moral code" that is not accompanied by moral awareness, moral intention, and moral action.

Harley-Davidson Inc. (Harley-Davidson), the storied maker of iconic American motorcycles, was on the cusp of issuing its first bond not denominated in US or Canadian dollars-a so-called Reverse Yankee bond issue denominated in euros. Macroeconomic factors suggested that a euro issue could take advantage of the extremely low real rates of return in European markets that resulted from government monetary policies and a weak economy. On the other hand, there were reasons to believe a Harley-Davidson offer might encounter weak demand: the company was struggling with the effects of a trade war between the United States and Europe, its bonds had recently been downgraded, and it had no track record with European offerings. A key question in the case is how to calculate a dollar-equivalent yield on the euro issue so its economic benefit can be determined and compared to a US dollar issue. Using expected spot exchange rates based on inflation (an expected cost of funds) generates a cost of funds lower than the dollar issue, whereas using forward exchange rates based on interest rates (a hedged cost of funds) generates a rate somewhat higher. An analysis of peer company bond offerings suggests that Harley-Davidson is faced with a slightly higher credit spread in Europe, though the spread is not large enough to offset the lower real rate of return associated with a Reverse Yankee bond offering. As is often the case, therefore, the real rate differences across markets cannot be monetized if one hedges borrowing-related currency risk. This may not be a concern for Harley-Davidson, however, as it has substantial sales in Europe. This case can be used in a variety of ways, depending on which elements are emphasized. It has been used successfully at Darden in an MBA-level "International Corporate Finance" class to introduce interest-rate arbitrage and the hedged cost of funds. It could easily be used in a more general course to illustrate parity conditions with some of the

This case is a set of five vignettes describing career shocks experienced by managers. The stories behind the vignettes were presented by respective protagonists to an executive coach immediately after experiencing a career shock. They can be used for discussion of the topic of career shocks or as exercises in executive coaching or career counseling.

It was June 2021 and the international tourism industry was beginning to show signs of revival after the COVID-19 global pandemic. Small business owner Tony Byarugaba was surveying the scenic grounds surrounding his tourist lodge in Uganda. Byarugaba had built his enterprise by offering international clients a superior African vacation that included Uganda and the neighbouring countries of Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. From his beginnings as a self-taught tour operator, Byarugaba had diversified into the hotel business. His two early-stage companies, Mamaland Safaris and Woodland Lodges, had already survived very tough times-a global recession, the outbreak of Ebola, and, most recently, the pandemic. Byarugaba now had to weigh the potential risks and rewards of a number of options for ensuring the growth and stability of his businesses. As a small entrepreneur with limited access to capital and labour, he could only afford to choose one direction to pursue. The future of his company depended on making the right choice. This case was the first prize winner of the 2022 John Molson Business Ownership Case Writing Competition.

In early 2018, WhatsApp-the cross-platform messaging and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service-began testing its WhatsApp Payments (Payments) service, designed to enable digital payment transactions in India. By late 2020, the platform had rolled out the initial launch of its Payments feature within India, with the National Payments Corporation of India agreeing to a staggered launch. However, despite the number of Payments users increasing from twenty million to forty million between November 2021 and April 2022, the platform witnessed stagnation in customer retention due to faulty transactions and inefficient processes that resulted in driving customers away. WhatsApp's challenge was to review its customer value proposition to gain new customers and retain existing ones. How should it communicate this customer value proposition to its target customer base to attract new users? Would it be more appropriate to launch Payments as a standalone app?

This social network data analysis case presents the scenario of the launch of a new version of a popular video game called 'Thrive in Space' by a gaming company. The company's Chief Marketing Officer Tina Lohn wants to run an influencer marketing campaign on social platform Twitch to reach its live streaming audience and promote the game. However, before running the campaign, Lohn and her team must select the right influencers for the campaign. Lohn has asked her team to conduct a social network analysis (SNA) to better understand the network of Twitch users and shortlist potential influencers based on various social network metrics. The case is accompanied by two datasets that contain a sample of real data of Twitch users, and allows students to conduct a social network analysis on this data to select the appropriate influencers. The case revolves around Lohn's dilemma of how to choose the right influencers. How can she use SNA to select the influencers? What social network metrics can help her identify the right influencers? What other strategies can she use for selecting influencers that can complement SNA? And, finally, how can she calculate the ROIs of working with the selected influencers?

By early November 2022, Elon Musk, the new owner of the social media platform Twitter, had fired approximately 75 per cent of the company's workforce. The decision regarding which employees to dismiss was based both on low performance criteria and unwillingness to commit to a new demanding corporate culture. Twitter had mainly incurred losses since its launch in 2006. Musk acquired the company after several glitches in the purchase agreement regarding the accuracy of verified versus fake (spam) Twitter accounts. Musk's new corporate vision, which he termed "Twitter 2.0," would require employees to work long hours at Twitter's offices. This plan was in stark contrast to the work-from-home policy that had been established by the company's previous leaders. Musk also fired large numbers of employees without appropriate notice. Understandably, these actions generated negative responses from fired employees. But there were also concerns from observers regarding the damaged brand image of Twitter under Musk's leadership. Could Musk lead a positive change in Twitter's culture? Could he improve the company's employer brand value? What traits and strategies should he consider to become a more responsible leader?

Fresh Routes, a not-for-profit social enterprise with the mission of advancing local food security, was focused on creating new and innovative ways of providing healthy and affordable food to as many people as possible in the Canadian cities of Calgary and Edmonton. As the global COVID-19 pandemic raged in 2020-21, Fresh Routes found itself questioning if it could still provide its much-needed services. Demand was exponentially increasing as more and more people experienced food insecurity due to the pandemic's impact on their employment status, mobility, and health. Would Fresh Routes be able to find a new way to operate, or would the company need to shut down its operations?

Regulated utilities are required to file an integrated resource plan (IRP) with their state regulators for power plants they want to operate, shut down, or build. Traditionally, the focus of electricity providers' IRPs has been to ensure adequacy of supply at the lowest cost of delivered power. In the United States, coal and gas plants have historically dominated the generation mix. Nuclear, which is a non-carbon alternative, has been only moderately successful due to frequent cost overruns and safety issues (i.e., Three Mile Island and Fukushima). Almost all utility plant decisions are long term in nature (at least 30 years), so picking the right set of options is very important. Renewables-solar, wind, storage, etc.-have not been deployed widely in the generation mix until now because (1) they typically don't run 24/7 and thus cannot guarantee power to be available when needed, and (2) their installation costs have been higher than alternatives, although have decreased over time. This case examines how one regulated utility, Duke Energy, deals with these challenges in North Carolina. Company leadership has committed to exiting coal plants by 2030 and achieving net zero-carbon by 2050. The specifics of which coal plants should be shut down and when, what types of plants replace these coal plants, how much these new plants cost to build, and who pays for the transition are all questions students must address in this case.

Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Limited defaulted on repayment of its financial obligations in June 2019, and in December 2019, shortly after the Reserve Bank of India superseded its board, it was subjected to the Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process of India's Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code. Because it was the first financial services provider to be subjected to the resolution process, the lenders-known as the committee of creditors-of the troubled company had to select the most appropriate resolution plan among the multiple bids they received. The poor financial position and high level of risk owing to exposure to the wholesales/corporate sector made the lenders' prospects of recovery bleak and rendered the company less valuable for any prospective takeover or merger. The resolution of the first financial services provider subjected to the resolution process provided a test case for how a committee of creditors could deal with complex issues and still salvage the interests of the different stakeholders, including the secured and unsecured lenders and retail deposit holders.

The case is about the Hoshi Ryokan, a hot springs hotel in Japan established more than 1,300 years ago, that is among the world's oldest family enterprises. Owned and managed by a descendant (or adopted son) of the founder for 46 generations, it is a popular with domestic and international tourists alike. The current owner will almost certainly pass the baton to his daughter, thus making her the first female to own the legendary inn. This gender re-balancing act, coming after 1,305 years of male ownership, coincides with efforts by the prime minister of Japan to create a more balanced and diverse business climate. The case also covers the intangible assets that have ensured the longevity of this unique family-owned hotel.

The HH.ru case series tracks the development of a respected NASDAQ-listed Russian technology company as it struggles with the fallout of the Russian invasion ("Strategic Military Operation") of the Ukraine. While the senior leadership team at HH did not welcome the invasion, they face the nearly insurmountable challenges of maintaining the company's values while defending their business in the highly stressed environment of post-invasion Russia. The case series includes five separate linked cases. The HH (A) case is the most comprehensive and covers the company's history and reviews its values. It ends just before the start of the Russian invasion. The (A) case helps students appreciate that HH is a well-run, Western-oriented technology company with values fully consistent with those in the West. The (B) case captures the events in the company immediately after the invasion and raises important questions for how leaders should engage employees on potentially contentious issues. The (C) case jumps forward four months and reviews the company's efforts to bring order and calm to employees who are in trauma. It also captures the actions of an HH leader who has seemingly broken with company protocol and brought the company into potentially direct conflict with State security forces. The (D) case focuses on the impact of Putin's partial mobilization order of September 21, 2022, with the consequence that many of HH's more talented employees are now fleeing the country. The (E) case provides an epilogue and update and reviews some of the lessons learned by HH leaders.

This case describes the challenges faced by Thoughtworks China (hereinafter ""Thoughtworks"") and Yuelong Automobile (hereinafter ""Yuelong"") while working together on the development of a digital tool for Yuelong car owners: What did they aim to achieve through innovation-beat the competition or meet consumer needs? Was this digital transformation project beyond the purview of Yuelong's New Retail Department, with General Manager Wang Jie championing it directly? Was market research needed to explore innovation opportunities? Should they consider all users' pain points and needs or focus solely on key issues? What issues should be prioritized-high-value or high-risk ones? Should the company adapt to market change after the launch of Minimum Viable Products (MVPs)? Which department should manage this innovative digital product? How should they transcend temporal and spatial boundaries to replicate such an innovation product?Clues can be found in Thoughtworks' agile innovation process. As described in the case, only one month after release, the app co-developed by Thoughtworks and Yuelong, the result of intense debate between the pair, was well-received by the market. In January 2021, Zhang Min, Chairperson of Tengfei Group, Yuelong's parent company, invited Wang Jie, Yuelong's General Manager, Li Chuang, Yuelong's Director of New Retail Department, and Zhao Xin, Thoughtworks' Chief Project Manager, to discuss how to replicate the app's development process and apply it to other Tengfei subsidiaries. While the digital age continuously demanded innovation from carmakers, Zhao knew these subsidiaries needed to understand their market position and priorities before introducing new tools rather than simply following the latest digital trends. This case may spark further discussions about the difficulties with product innovation, helping students understand the characteristics and applications of Thoughtworks' agile innovation methodology.

This case introduces Schneider Electric's 15-year-long exploration of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), aimed at providing "equal opportunities to everyone everywhere and to ensure all employees feel uniquely valued and safe to contribute their best." Through various approaches to initiate DEI, Schneider Electric has seen a shift from employees questioning DEI to accepting it and asking how to implement it. This case ends with a tough decision for Charise Le, Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) at Schneider Electric. As a Chinese woman leader, Charise appreciated the Group's DEI strategy and culture, allowing her to assume a global role in mainland China. Early in 2022, she had to make her own choice and lead the recruiting panel on a final decision between two candidates (John Carney and Lucy Chiang) for a country president position at Schneider Electric. Both John and Lucy were outstanding from a business perspective. Lucy's expertise seemed to meet the business strategy needs better, but she had issues with managing people. Comparatively, John had a weaker impact on leading newly formed decarbonization initiatives but acted as a more inclusive leader who enjoyed wide acceptance among all his prior subordinates. This decision kept Charise up at night. Appointing Lucy will make the Group's country presidents more diversified but Charise worries whether it is a "fair play" to John. That is, does focusing on diversity lead to sacrificing "equity" in this case? How should Charise and the recruiting panel practice the Group's DEI principles in this decision?

This case explores the leadership change and corporate revitalization of legendary Silicon Valley corporation Intel, as incoming CEO Pat Gelsinger seeks to rebuild the company's leading edge capabilities, revise its product strategy, and embark upon an ambitious capital plan.

Manuel Hernandez, mill manager at Duoro Mine (Duoro), located near Arequipa, Peru, was considering options for increasing output to take advantage of a recent spike in commodity prices. It was Wednesday, January 25, 2023, and prices for copper and gold, the main products of Duoro, were trading at historical highs compared to their five-year average. The mine manager had asked Hernandez to make recommendations about increasing production, and Hernandez had identified three options. Students are expected to evaluate each option and decide which, if any, would address Diaz's objectives of increasing output and minimizing financial risks.

Tyler Smith, the founder and CEO of the enterprise software firm Puck.io, is facing a hard decision. Just three months earlier the company laid off 20% of its employees to reduce its burn rate amid growing economic uncertainty and a suddenly unattractive funding environment. The company's lead investor and its board think more cost cuts are necessary, and they're pushing Tyler to execute a second, 10% reduction in force. Worried about employee morale if they do back-to-back layoffs, Tyler and two other members of the C-suite are looking for alternatives.