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This case analysis traces the establishment and subsequent operation of FIJI Water LLC and its bottling subsidiary, Natural Waters of Viti Limited, the first company in Fiji extracting, bottling and marketing, both domestically and internationally, artesian water coming from a virgin ecosystem found on Fiji's main island of Viti Levu. The case reviews the growth and market expansion of this highly successful company with the brand name FIJI Natural Artesian Water (FIJI Water). The company has grown rapidly over the past decade and a half, and now exports bottled water into many countries in the world from its production plant located in the Fiji Islands. In 2008, FIJI Water was the leading imported bottled water brand in the United States. In the context of great marketing success of the FIJI brand, particularly in the U.S. market, the case focuses on how the company has responded to a number of corporate social responsibility (CSR) issues, including measuring and reducing its carbon footprint, responsibilities to key stakeholders, and concerns of the Fiji government with regard to taxation and transfer pricing issues. The case provides a compelling illustration of how CSR challenges may jeopardize the sustainability of a clever marketing strategy.

The Dell story is well-known in the business world: a young Michael Dell, while attending the University of Texas in Austin, founds a computer sales company that eventually revolutionizes the industry. The case puts students in the position of a senior executive at Dell who is preparing for an investor relations meeting. As the senior executive reviews information on his company, he wonders how best to convey to skeptical investors that Dell's strategy will return the company to growth. In examining the Dell story, students learn about how Dell built up a set of competitive advantages that seemed unassailable until the early 2000s. The second part of the case illustrates the impermanence of competitive advantages - it describes how Dell is attempting to remake itself after falling behind its competitors.

In 2007, an analyst in the derivatives group of investment bank Grenfeld & Co. was asked to devise a hedging strategy for Providence Equity Partners (Providence) in Bell Canada Enterprises (BCE Inc.). Providence was based in the United States and any strategy would involve significant foreign exchange rate risk due to the conversion of returns into U.S. dollars. The analyst needed to consider several long-term hedging strategies that Grenfeld & Co. could recommend to Providence. Her vice-president had asked that she create a hedging strategy by initially assuming a 25 per cent IRR for the investment and its performance, based on two outcomes at the end of the investment (investment horizon = five years): a zero per cent IRR and a 25 per cent IRR.

The president of Vancouver-based CFM Attachments Ltd. (CFM) is putting together a management buyout of his company. The president, who has had experience creating and selling a company in a related industry, is trying to determine how to value a potential purchase of CFM from the company's founder. As CFM is a privately-owned company, the president is trying to place a value on the company based on historical financials, a group of comparative firms, and a profit and cash flow forecast by the management team.

In September 2003, British Petroleum (BP) formed a 50/50 international joint venture (JV) company, TNK-BP, with a group of Russian investors: Alfa Group, Access Industries and Renova (AAR). This JV was established as a result of the merger of Russian oil companies TNK and Sidanko, owned by AAR, with the majority of BP's Russian oil assets. On May 26, 2008, TNK-BP's chief executive officer, Robert Dudley, told Vedomosti, Russia's leading business daily, about a conflict between British and Russian shareholders. During this dispute, AAR declared that BP treated TNK-BP as its subsidiary and not as a JV. Also, the Russian shareholders criticized the JV's leadership of the company's expansion strategy and climate. As the conflict escalated, BP's leadership needed to decide whether to walk away or continue its participation in the JV.

Callmate Telips Telecom Limited (Callmate) was in the telecommunications business, an industry in which the regulatory controls were gradually being undone by the government of Pakistan as part of an economic deregulation program. Callmate was the pioneer in the payphones and prepaid calling card industries in Pakistan. The events in the case demonstrate that the company strategy, as well as aggressive share price management, could be dangerous if there were no checks on the directors. All the directors of Callmate were close family members and the audit committee consisted of three of the directors. The external audit firm that audited Callmate was A.F. Ferguson & Co. (Ferguson), an affiliate of Price Waterhouse Coopers International. As Callmate was listed on the Karachi Stock Exchange, it was required to publish its financials quarterly after these had been reviewed by Ferguson. The company had received permission during early 1995 to enter into the long distance international market. A disagreement arose between the auditors and the company on the accounting policy related to revenue recognition. This dispute, along with the company trying to manage its share price, led to a number of problems that became public knowledge as the company tried to malign the auditors. The case examines corporate governance by examining the role of the external auditor, the conduct of the board of directors and the regulator of publicly listed companies.

The chief security officer of TJX Companies Inc. (TJX) faces a dilemma on his first day on the job. The company has discovered in December 2006, a computer intrusion dating back to 2005. There is an ongoing investigation, involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) into the attacks. The company is also in the middle of several class action law suits over losses suffered by financial institutions due to breaches of customer privacy. The chief security officer has to focus on plugging the loopholes in the company's information technology (IT)security, in the short term, and taking steps to ensure in the long term that the attack does not recur. He also had to get the management of TJX to start looking at IT security not as a technology issue but as a business issue.

After 20 years of rapid expansion, the last six months of 2007 saw Starbucks jolted by a decline in share price of 50 per cent and a decrease in customer visits. Its share price was hovering around $19 to $20. By mid-2008, it had declined to $18. Its fiscal first-quarter profit in 2007 rose by less than two per cent, and in January 2008, it announced the closing of 100 U.S. stores. In July, the number was increased to 600. The case was written to encourage classroom discussion and research into the company policy and marketing practices in order to discover the means for a possible turnaround of the company.

Samsung Electronics (Samsung) managing director had presented the new management philosophy for achieving leadership in a global market. The three-part strategy would prioritize quality, globalization, and multifaceted integration, in that order. After a restructuring effort, Samsung had emerged as a leader in the global electronics industry. Now, considering the new management philosophy and several other factors, the managing director faced the decision of whether Samsung should enter the Indian market.

The case illustrates the opportunities, challenges and trade-offs involved in the design, prototyping, and marketing of the Nano - the People's Car - by Tata Motors Ltd (TML), a Tata Group Company. The case is set nine months after the January 2008 unveiling of the Nano concept car in New Delhi, India. The company's managing director faces multiple dilemmas in rolling the Nano off the production lines at the manufacturing plant in Singur, including growing local and global competition in the emerging low-cost, low-emission market, rising manufacturing costs, and stakeholder pressures. The decision reviews critical developments in global automotive markets from the point of view of TML's and Tata Group's deeply ingrained values for sustainable economic development and Indian-grown competitive advantage. It plots the promise of a rampant market growth and the emergence of an India-based small car cluster against international outcry about the proliferation of urban transportation, congestion, and pollution in emerging markets (particularly India and China). Students are asked whether Nano is a disruptive or sustainable innovation for the company and the group, and respectively for the Indian and global automotive industry. Smaller and cleaner than its well-established rival in the west, the Toyota Prius, the Nano promises reliable, safe transportation to India's emergent middle class as a fraction of the cost; the Nano is also 1.5-4 times cheaper than its Indian based rivals. However, production bottlenecks threaten Nano's launch in the last quarter of 2008. Speculating that first mover advantage may sway customer perception and breed loyalty, several competitors are quickly setting up India-based manufacturing of competing models. Market projections estimate over one million adoptions, mostly by prior two-wheeler motorists, and limited switches from higher emission options for fuel and emission conscious consumers. The case addresses the issue of carbon neutrality, and more broadly the role of emerging market companies in addressing global climate change issues.

This case describes Molson's experiment with social media for creating brand awareness. In November 2007, Molson, part of the Molson Coors Brewing Company, ended a social media promotion after facing criticism that it promoted binge drinking. Molson was faced with the difficulty of how quickly the contents of social media could spread to various audiences. The case encourages readers to ponder whether Molson's action was the only option available and to consider what its next steps might be.

The Crescent Standard Investment Bank Limited (CSIBL) was the largest investment bank quoted on all the stock exchanges in Pakistan, so when it declared a huge loss of Rs2.1 billion (US$35.5 million) for the year December 31, 2005, the market was taken by surprise. There had been some rumours that all was not well and that the investment banking regulator, Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), had sent a team to investigate the affairs of the bank. Since the main shareholders were individuals or companies of the well-known business group known as the Crescent Group, there was enormous interest in the CSIBL affairs by financial and political circles.The case describes the various types of entities that were merged to form the CSIBL, principally to protect the stakeholders by creating an entity with a large capitalization. The bank had reported in its annual reports that all the internal control mechanisms for good governance stipulated by the SECP were in place and the auditors (internal and external) had reported that these were satisfactory. Yet, when subjected to an investigation, it was revealed that the internal management was involved in a variety of acts of misrepresentation and concealment. The case focuses on the weaknesses in the structure of the corporate governance regime in Pakistan. The fact remains that no amount of internal or external checks can stop internal management from colluding to perpetrate fraud.

The founders of BarKar, an investment company, are considering whether to invest in Harley-Davidson Inc. BarKar is a value-oriented investment company in Vancouver, B.C., Canada that specializes in identifying and investing in companies trading at more than a one-third discount to their intrinsic value. In order to reach a decision, the founders have to look at the financials and carry out a strategic analysis to determine the intrinsic value of this stock.

In December 1997, an audit partner at Deloitte was required to render an opinion on five separate but related issues arising out of an on-going working relationship with Livent, a Canadian live entertainment firm. Each issue could be treated in multiple ways, and there seemed to be no immediate clear-cut resolution to each. Issues included: assessing impacts of side agreements between Livent and a real-estate development firm; appropriateness of booking revenues for theatre-naming rights in a particular fiscal quarter; auditing of pre-production costs; accounting for proceeds of sale of receivables to related party; and evaluating the audit of accounts payable. It was crucial to resolve each of the issues within a few days in order to complete the file to meet filing requirements. The auditor must determine the best advice for each issue while understanding that Deloitte had to protect its reputation, yet still grow its revenues in the face of aggressive competition for its business.

The goal of the Royal Dutch/Shell in Nigeria Stakeholder Simulation is to illustrate the challenges in anticipating points of common interest, and the difficulties of overcoming initial antagonistic conditions in order to work together to develop better positions. The simulation illustrates the tensions, trade-offs, and challenges involved in mapping and addressing competing stakeholder demands in a long-standing conflict where players' positions are highly polarized. The students are organized in six teams and are asked to take on the position of six different organizations, map the interactions between these six players by taking a specific point of view, and publicly state their position before they begin the engagement exercise. The engagement exercise asks students to develop and execute a stakeholder engagement strategy by stepping into one of the six roles. Beyond understanding the specific challenges faced by each of the key players, students are asked to highlight their key strategic priorities, map stakeholders' interests, and anticipate their changes in position. They are asked to revive or break specific relationships as their own interests evolve in ways that best further their own engagement priorities and short- or long-term goals. The simulation also opens up a broader platform for exploring the complex dynamics of stakeholder engagement; the delicate balance of stakeholders' power, urgency, and legitimacy; the influence chains that help alter the positions of specific groups; and the logics that enable or hinder constructive collaboration with diverse and/or emerging stakeholders.

The goal of the Royal Dutch/Shell in Nigeria Stakeholder Simulation is to illustrate the challenges in anticipating points of common interest, and the difficulties of overcoming initial antagonistic conditions in order to work together to develop better positions. The simulation illustrates the tensions, trade-offs, and challenges involved in mapping and addressing competing stakeholder demands in a long-standing conflict where players' positions are highly polarized. The students are organized in six teams and are asked to take on the position of six different organizations, map the interactions between these six players by taking a specific point of view, and publicly state their position before they begin the engagement exercise. The engagement exercise asks students to develop and execute a stakeholder engagement strategy by stepping into one of the six roles. Beyond understanding the specific challenges faced by each of the key players, students are asked to highlight their key strategic priorities, map stakeholders' interests, and anticipate their changes in position. They are asked to revive or break specific relationships as their own interests evolve in ways that best further their own engagement priorities and short- or long-term goals. The simulation also opens up a broader platform for exploring the complex dynamics of stakeholder engagement; the delicate balance of stakeholders' power, urgency, and legitimacy; the influence chains that help alter the positions of specific groups; and the logics that enable or hinder constructive collaboration with diverse and/or emerging stakeholders.

The goal of the Royal Dutch/Shell in Nigeria Stakeholder Simulation is to illustrate the challenges in anticipating points of common interest, and the difficulties of overcoming initial antagonistic conditions in order to work together to develop better positions. The simulation illustrates the tensions, trade-offs, and challenges involved in mapping and addressing competing stakeholder demands in a long-standing conflict where players’ positions are highly polarized. The students are organized in six teams and are asked to take on the position of six different organizations, map the interactions between these six players by taking a specific point of view, and publicly state their position before they begin the engagement exercise. The engagement exercise asks students to develop and execute a stakeholder engagement strategy by stepping into one of the six roles. Beyond understanding the specific challenges faced by each of the key players, students are asked to highlight their key strategic priorities, map stakeholders’ interests, and anticipate their changes in position. They are asked to revive or break specific relationships as their own interests evolve in ways that best further their own engagement priorities and short- or long-term goals. The simulation also opens up a broader platform for exploring the complex dynamics of stakeholder engagement; the delicate balance of stakeholders’ power, urgency, and legitimacy; the influence chains that help alter the positions of specific groups; and the logics that enable or hinder constructive collaboration with diverse and/or emerging stakeholders.

The goal of the Royal Dutch/Shell in Nigeria Stakeholder Simulation is to illustrate the challenges in anticipating points of common interest, and the difficulties of overcoming initial antagonistic conditions in order to work together to develop better positions. The simulation illustrates the tensions, trade-offs, and challenges involved in mapping and addressing competing stakeholder demands in a long-standing conflict where players' positions are highly polarized. The students are organized in six teams and are asked to take on the position of six different organizations, map the interactions between these six players by taking a specific point of view, and publicly state their position before they begin the engagement exercise. The engagement exercise asks students to develop and execute a stakeholder engagement strategy by stepping into one of the six roles. Beyond understanding the specific challenges faced by each of the key players, students are asked to highlight their key strategic priorities, map stakeholders' interests, and anticipate their changes in position. They are asked to revive or break specific relationships as their own interests evolve in ways that best further their own engagement priorities and short- or long-term goals. The simulation also opens up a broader platform for exploring the complex dynamics of stakeholder engagement; the delicate balance of stakeholders' power, urgency, and legitimacy; the influence chains that help alter the positions of specific groups; and the logics that enable or hinder constructive collaboration with diverse and/or emerging stakeholders.

The goal of the Royal Dutch/Shell in Nigeria Stakeholder Simulation is to illustrate the challenges in anticipating points of common interest, and the difficulties of overcoming initial antagonistic conditions in order to work together to develop better positions. The simulation illustrates the tensions, trade-offs, and challenges involved in mapping and addressing competing stakeholder demands in a long-standing conflict where players' positions are highly polarized. The students are organized in six teams and are asked to take on the position of six different organizations, map the interactions between these six players by taking a specific point of view, and publicly state their position before they begin the engagement exercise. The engagement exercise asks students to develop and execute a stakeholder engagement strategy by stepping into one of the six roles. Beyond understanding the specific challenges faced by each of the key players, students are asked to highlight their key strategic priorities, map stakeholders' interests, and anticipate their changes in position. They are asked to revive or break specific relationships as their own interests evolve in ways that best further their own engagement priorities and short- or long-term goals. The simulation also opens up a broader platform for exploring the complex dynamics of stakeholder engagement; the delicate balance of stakeholders' power, urgency, and legitimacy; the influence chains that help alter the positions of specific groups; and the logics that enable or hinder constructive collaboration with diverse and/or emerging stakeholders.

The goal of the Royal Dutch/Shell in Nigeria Stakeholder Simulation is to illustrate the challenges in anticipating points of common interest, and the difficulties of overcoming initial antagonistic conditions in order to work together to develop better positions. The simulation illustrates the tensions, trade-offs, and challenges involved in mapping and addressing competing stakeholder demands in a long-standing conflict where players' positions are highly polarized. The students are organized in six teams and are asked to take on the position of six different organizations, map the interactions between these six players by taking a specific point of view, and publicly state their position before they begin the engagement exercise. The engagement exercise asks students to develop and execute a stakeholder engagement strategy by stepping into one of the six roles. Beyond understanding the specific challenges faced by each of the key players, students are asked to highlight their key strategic priorities, map stakeholders' interests, and anticipate their changes in position. They are asked to revive or break specific relationships as their own interests evolve in ways that best further their own engagement priorities and short- or long-term goals. The simulation also opens up a broader platform for exploring the complex dynamics of stakeholder engagement; the delicate balance of stakeholders' power, urgency, and legitimacy; the influence chains that help alter the positions of specific groups; and the logics that enable or hinder constructive collaboration with diverse and/or emerging stakeholders.