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Georgie Yam arrived in Shanghai in the heat of summer in 2001. He was there on a mission: to develop the market and establish a distribution network for a German hair-care products manufacturer. Soon after he arrived in Shanghai, he discovered that this city, which had been described by an international guidebook as "a playground for foreign adventurers and socialites", fell short of hopes in meeting the demand for a modern indulgence: spa and massage services. Pondering a market that seemed chaotic but thriving, Yam wondered what would be his best bet to capture the opportunity.

When Jonathan Bush and his partner, Todd Park, realized that their revolutionary approach to delivering clinical care was being stymied by the inefficiencies in the healthcare system and insurance red tape, they turned their proprietary technology, athenaNet, to a new business, athenaHealth, that would help physicians manage their practice, billing and revenue cycles and maintain electronic patient records more efficiently and cost effectively using the service delivered via the Internet. Despite the success of his innovative venture, Bush faced several challenges: the company's brand awareness among physicians was still low; the company had launched a new product, athenaClinicals, while its core flagship product, athenaCollector, was still growing -- and was planning a pricing innovation, athenaCommunity, over and above that. The HITECH Act passed by the Obama administration was giving a boost to the entire industry, including athenaHealth's much larger competitors, which heightened Bush's strategic dilemma: should he focus on the core and capture greater share and enhance brand awareness or should he branch out into new innovative directions?

Dr. Cameron Powell and his partner, Trey Moore, co-founders of the innovative company, AirStrip Technologies, have developed a series of apps for the iPhone and other smartphones that can help doctors monitor the vital signs of their patients anytime, anywhere. They have presented their technology at one of the highest profile tech conferences and now face a choice of focusing on the first -- and only FDA approved -- product targeted at obstetricians and driving its penetration or following through on the promise of their presentation and spreading their resources to build out the entire platform aimed at multiple specialties. As one of the early pioneers in delivering medical applications over the iPhone, AirStrip Technologies must contend with a major dilemma: the fast-cycle tech world's expectations must inevitably collide with the more deliberate and slower pace of product development and approval that is typical in healthcare.

After booming for more than five years, the global shipping (maritime) industry experienced a dramatic crash in late 2008 as the global financial system froze and the global economy slid into recession. Ship charter rates (revenue) fell by as much as 90% causing prices of used ships to fall by as much as 80%. As ship prices (values?) fell, ship owners began to default on loans and new purchase contracts while banks holding loans secured by ships faced the possibility of increasing defaults (violations of loan-to-value covenants), foreclosures, and write-offs. In the midst of this crisis, VHSS, the German Shipbroker's Association, introduced a proposal to value ships using discounted cash flow analysis (to determine a long-term asset value, LTAV) rather than market prices from comparable transactions. Thomas Rehder, the Chairman of VHSS, argued this approach was necessary because market prices did not reflect fundamental values in the current environment. After announcing the alternative valuation methodology in September 2009, he must convince industry participants--ship owners, appraisers, and bankers--to adopt the new valuation methodology and bank regulators and auditing firms to approve its use.

Established in 1857, the Birla Group has developed into one of the largest conglomerates in India. The firm has invested in a wide range of industries, including textiles, cement, tea, sponge iron and aluminum, and in dozens of small companies. The death of Birla's president in 1995 shook the company. His son, Kumar Mangalam Birla, took over at the age of 28 and, through the period of India's economic reforms, redirected the focus of the group's investments. Along with increased investment in holdover industries such as cement, sponge iron and carbon black, the group has pursued investment in new industries, including viscose staple fibre, non-ferrous metals, branded apparel and financial services. The reformed Birlafiber Group could be seen as following the model of General Electric circa mid-1980s, with a mixture of the old and the new, unsure of its future direction. Rival Indian conglomerates such as Tata and Reliance have also changed since the beginning of the economic reform period. They have shed moribund low-margin firms and industries and have concentrated on new high-margin, high-growth investments. Still claiming to be "Birla #1"-its rallying cry for several generations-is the group actually still number one, or is it being left behind by its more aggressive rivals?

Atlantis Paradise Island adopted a new vision and mission to provide its guests and employees an enhanced brand experience. The dilemma Atlantis faced was how to integrate the new vision and mission into all the brand touch points in order to improve customer satisfaction and employee engagement.

In 2008, Blue Man Group's three co-founders are facing the prospect of losing not just a business but a way of life they have built together. The case follows the story of Chris Wink, Matt Goldman and Phil Stanton as they pursue their creative passion, and build the Blue Man Group from street performers to a performance arts empire with a global brand. The story has a personal as well as professional dimension to it, including the launch of the Blue School, to provide their and other people's children with the kind of education they wish they'd had. The immediate challenge is to find a way to survive a major economic downturn. The case is complemented by a video (HBS. No. 810-704) with co-founder commentary, and extensive live footage of Blue Man performances and the Blue School.

Chinese home electronics manufacturer TCL has identified the need to internationalize. However, because the global home electronics industry is a rapidly changing industry and the key to success lies in product innovation, TCL must now evaluate its innovation strategies to remain competitive. Traditionally, TCL's product development strategy has focused on modular innovation. By looking at the different product innovation strategies pursued by such global market leaders as Samsung and Sony, TCL has an opportunity to evaluate the differences between modular innovation and architectural innovation strategies and assess the risks involved.

This note is an updated synopsis of the more detailed PEL-056: A Problem-Solving Approach to Designing and Implementing a Strategy to Improve Performance. This synopsis helps teams work through a problem-solving process of designing and implementing a strategy for continuous improvement.

Classic Knitwear manufactures and distributes casual apparel, either unbranded or under a private-label brand name. Partly because Classic has no brand recognition with consumers, gross margins are low. To improve margins, the company considers partnering via a licensing agreement with Guardian, a manufacturer of insect repellent that has developed superior repellent technology for clothing. Unlike Classic Knitwear, Guardian is a well-known and well-respected brand in its target market of outdoor enthusiasts, and Classic Knitwear wants to take advantage of this by selling the new clothing line under the Guardian brand. The partnership presents many new opportunities for Classic Knitwear along with many risks. The CEO wants a quick decision in time for the company's upcoming investor call. The case explores challenges in product development, brand management, and consumer marketing. Students are required to complete a breakeven analysis and estimate product demand based on data presented in the case.

Demand for folding and stackable chairs and tables at FoldRite Furniture Co. is unexpectedly strong. The company spent the previous two years improving manufacturing quality and efficiency, dropping poor-performing product lines, developing new products that are stylish and environmentally friendly, and instituting a program that allows customers to customize their orders and still get delivery within two weeks. As a result, sales interest in the new products is higher than forecast, in the U.S. and in Europe, where favorable exchange rates make American products highly competitive. In response to the surge in demand, Martin Kelsey, the production manager, must create a manufacturing plan that controls manufacturing and inventory costs, mitigates risk, and aligns with the strategic goals of the company. Students must complete a quantitative assignment as part of case analysis.

For more than a decade, the government of China had sought to develop an automotive industry. The government's initial steps involved the creation of joint ventures in which government-owned firms became partners of foreign privately owned corporations. Most of these joint ventures were extremely successful financially. However, ongoing differences in management preferences created a continual tension within the joint ventures. Of particular concern was a desire of the government of China to ensure that its new automotive industry would adopt the latest advances in technologies. This subject of technology transfer, and how the government of China could best support it, became a central issue in China's automotive industry. From the perspective of the government of China, Geely's acquisition of Volvo would be a major step in achieving technology transfer on an ongoing basis. Geely's China operations would be able to quickly and easily adopt Volvo's cutting-edge safety features and production operations. From Geely's perspective, the Volvo acquisition would provide it with a new set of luxury vehicles for sale in China that would fill a gap in Geely's automotive lineup. Nevertheless, Geely faced the challenge that Ford had continually lost money in Volvo. How to reverse these losses would become a major challenge for Geely.

The case describes the growth of Guggenheim Brothers as one of the largest mining companies in the world in the early twentieth century. Global expansion led the firm to Chile, first in copper and later in natural nitrates. Chile's economic growth was driven by the profits from mining, especially its world monopoly of nitrates. The Guggenheims invested in Chilean nitrates after synthetics were developed by German chemists. Their strategies to modernize the industry collapsed with the outbreak of the Great Depression, during which Chile experienced the greatest fall of incomes of any country. The case serves as a vehicle to explore the devastating economic and political impact of the Great Depression on the countries of the South, such as Chile, which had specialized in primary commodities, and on mining and financial capitalists such as the Guggenheims.

Indian financial intermediary matching international capital to local infrastructure decides how to balance range of services, risk-adjusted return, margin pressure, and nation building. IDFC was chartered with partial ownership from the Indian government to help evaluate policy and be a model for how private finance could be attracted to public infrastructure. As the nation and company grow, the firm also grows and embarks on a strategy of rapid expansion, offering a wide new range of financial products and participating in many aspects of the supply chain. Teaching questions include revisiting the original mission, contemplating the reduced margins and increased risks that come with entering a number of domains that already have established incumbents, and the trade-offs between maximizing shareholder return (for example through investments in full tariff power projects in rich cities) and maximizing the benefit to the nation (for example through subsidized tariff water projects in poor states).

The newly appointed general manager at the Scarborough YMCA was discussing her plan of action with the YMCA senior leadership team of the Greater Toronto Area. The Scarborough YMCA had been a perennial underperformer from a membership, member satisfaction and financial perspective, but the general manager vowed to turn the facility around. Four prior general managers had given their best effort; yet the facility continued to lag behind the average YMCA in Canada. She sensed a complacent organization. The general manager had practically grown up in the Scarborough YMCA, and although she had assumed several leadership responsibilities in the center, she sensed that it would be challenging to advocate change now that she was a formal leader.

Anand Piramal and his team sought to "democratize healthcare" in India through the development of a new service delivery model. If Henry Ford could build and deliver cars to everyone in the United States, Piramal thought, then why can't India deliver healthcare to the 70% of its citizens who lack access to it? They began pilots in 2008 but soon ran into unexpected difficulties. After a second round of pilots in early 2010, they had to decide whether to proceed and if so how.

Jess Smith, the recently hired director for the magazine division of a small contract publishing company in Manhattan, faces a dilemma when a client wants her company to produce images that go against Smith's personal beliefs. A project she inherited features pictures of a heavy metal band posing with anti-Christian and Satanic/devil worship images. A Christian, Smith finds these images blasphemous and also believes they promote behavior that is both pernicious to society and incongruent with her firm's mission. As the deadline for publishing the project fast approaches, Smith has to decide what to do.

Dr. Curley is an obstetrician that deals with a very difficult birth of the new Santorini child. The Santorinis have been through a stillbirth, and upon getting pregnant again, extreme cautions are taken to ensure the safety and health of their new child. This case takes the reader through the difficult decisions that must be made by the doctor and family as "a perfect storm" of birthing complications ensues. The Santorini's son is born with down syndrome and heart problems that require difficult surgeries. To add on to the strain, the family is tied down by significant financial problems. The doctor must decide how to tell the family their options before they expose their newborn to highly risky surgeries, with the added financial difficulties.

Dystonia is a disease that most of the Marvis family suffered from. Not only this, but mother Stephanie Marvis also was a single mother working hard to finance her four person family. Stephanie and her son David especially had symptoms of dystonia, which forced Stephanie to frequently take her son to the hospital. After much research, Stephanie found the Stanford Hospital's Dr. Fields, who helped implant a device that would halt some of the dystonia symptoms. When the device breaks, David suffers for many months because Stephanie doesn't feel it is necessary to go to the Stanford Hospital. However, when they finally reach the hospital, Stephanie becomes very combative of her situation, defending her choice to not uproot David earlier. The doctors and hospital staff must determine how to communicate with her, while arguing amongst themselves about the appropriate way to address the situation.

In 2003, Rob Carter, CIO of international express courier FedEx, launched the 'Six by Six' (6 × 6) IT transformation program: a major rationalization and centralization effort to improve FedEx's IT service delivery to its business partners. This teaching case deals with the 6 × 6 efforts made by the IT department for Europe, Middle East, Indian sub-continent and Africa (EMEA). The case focuses on two objectives of the 6 × 6 program: (a) creating a consistent IT environment and (b) increasing delivery bandwidth to the business. Historically, FedEx Express in EMEA had granted high levels of empowerment to local business and IT people. Moreover, FedEx had always supported a 'can-do' mentality in both business and IT people. Consequently, the IT department was expected to keep the enterprise systems architecture resilient and supportive of longer-term enterprise growth, while keeping the IT development pipeline aligned with the often unpredictable stream of requests from empowered business constituents. The story begins in 2007, when a new Vice President for IT was appointed for the region. Part A deals with the IT department's efforts to set up a central systems architecture and IT resource estimation review process. Part B deals with demand-side prioritization issues. The suggested teaching plan assumes that Part A is discussed before the students receive Part B. Instructors can use this case to introduce their students to a realistic view on the complex puzzle of establishing enterprise-wide business-IT engagement patterns through IT governance in an empowered and operations-focused business environment.