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Morgan Wallen: Tough Decisions at the William Morris Endeavor Agency (B)
Jay Williams, cohead of the Nashville office of the William Morris Endeavor (WME), must decide how to respond to an incident involving Morgan Wallen, one of the talent agency's fastest-rising country music stars. Wallen, a white singer, was caught on home security footage using an ethnic slur with a group of white friends after a night of drinking. The following day, the footage was released to the public, and Wallen was swiftly disavowed by his record company, the two largest country music institutions, and hundreds of country radio stations. Williams faces pressure from executives in WME's Beverly Hills corporate office, because Black A-list clients are lobbying the agency to drop the enormously popular Wallen from the WME client roster. In this A case, Williams considers several complicating factors: (1) Dropping Wallen would hurt WME's bottom line, which was already damaged by the COVID-19 pandemic, and Williams does not want to be responsible for more layoffs. (2) The social justice movement from the summer of 2020 is still fresh in Williams's mind, and he knows that companies like WME need to take swift action after a racially charged incident or risk public backlash. (3) Wallen's agent is Austin Neal, the son of a WME partner, and forcing Neal to drop Wallen could permanently damage the company's relationship with this rapidly rising agent. (4) WME's parent company is preparing for an IPO, so there is extra pressure for the Nashville office's finances to look good, as well as to avoid controversy. This case set can be applied to a range of relevant topics: ethical decision-making, corporate responsibility, cancel culture, business and political polarization, employee (talent) representation, public relations and scandal management, and leadership. -
Morgan Wallen: Tough Decisions at the William Morris Endeavor Agency (C)
Jay Williams, cohead of the Nashville office of the William Morris Endeavor (WME), must decide how to respond to an incident involving Morgan Wallen, one of the talent agency's fastest-rising country music stars. Wallen, a white singer, was caught on home security footage using an ethnic slur with a group of white friends after a night of drinking. The following day, the footage was released to the public, and Wallen was swiftly disavowed by his record company, the two largest country music institutions, and hundreds of country radio stations. Williams faces pressure from executives in WME's Beverly Hills corporate office, because Black A-list clients are lobbying the agency to drop the enormously popular Wallen from the WME client roster. In this A case, Williams considers several complicating factors: (1) Dropping Wallen would hurt WME's bottom line, which was already damaged by the COVID-19 pandemic, and Williams does not want to be responsible for more layoffs. (2) The social justice movement from the summer of 2020 is still fresh in Williams's mind, and he knows that companies like WME need to take swift action after a racially charged incident or risk public backlash. (3) Wallen's agent is Austin Neal, the son of a WME partner, and forcing Neal to drop Wallen could permanently damage the company's relationship with this rapidly rising agent. (4) WME's parent company is preparing for an IPO, so there is extra pressure for the Nashville office's finances to look good, as well as to avoid controversy. This case set can be applied to a range of relevant topics: ethical decision-making, corporate responsibility, cancel culture, business and political polarization, employee (talent) representation, public relations and scandal management, and leadership. -
Graphic Packaging: Project Cowboy (D)
Analyzes the company's decision on Project Cowboy following the events described in the C Case -
Grundfos (B): "Solved in a better way"
Without much family discussion, PDJ put majority ownership of Grundfos into the Poul Due Jensen Foundation in 1975. His family would receive a 15% stake in the company. This ownership stake was important, since by Danish law, the company could be sold if family ownership fell below 10%. The 8-member foundation board would oversee the company's long-term strategy and apply its Grundfos dividends to philanthropic pursuits - water, research and social inclusion. The Due Jensen family held 4 seats; the remaining board members were chosen for their expertise. Day-to-day operations at Grundfos lay with its corporate board. PDJ died soon after this, and Niels became CEO of Grundfos. He focused on innovation, technical excellence and new product development. In 2012 Danish law changed its governance approach. The foundation board expanded to 12 members to accommodate 4 employee representatives, and the family's voting block fell from one-half to one-third. After 2nd generation Niels retired as CEO in 2003, three non-family CEOs held the role. Niels' son, Poul, was chosen as CEO in 2020. Grundfos had become the world leader in water pump technology, with a large workforce, a presence in 59 countries and significant revenues. Increasingly, the company leveraged the life-saving impact of its products, and its humanitarian efforts were widely recognized. Over time, family members seeking liquidity sold shares to the foundation, bringing the family's ownership stake in Grundfos to under 10% and raising the possibility of a sale. Individual stakes now ranged from 0.15% to 3.96%. The 4th generation of this small family had fewer interactions with Grundfos than previous generations. There were internships, special projects and participation in company events, but no pressure to work there. Grundfos has grown beyond what many may consider a family business and ownership is mainly with the foundation. But its focus on building a healthy and sustainable business is still rooted in its -
Top Glaciers Inc.: A New Ice Age? (Part B)
Top Glaciers Inc. (TG) is a Montreal-based company that emerged in early 2017 from the merger of four Quebec-based ice cream and sorbet companies - Bilboquet, Solo Fruit, Hudson, and Lambert. TG operates in the high-end "artisanal" ice cream and frozen dessert segment. Part A of the case is decisional: it asks students to conduct a business assessment of the company in June 2020 to determine TG's strategy and priorities. Part B is short. It looks at the company's evolution since the end of Part A. -
Tata Nano in Singur: An (IN)Fertile Landscape for Industrialisation? (B)
In 2008, amidst widespread farmers' agitation over land acquisition issues, Ratan Tata, despite investing ₹300 crores, was compelled to abandon the Tata Nano project in Singur. Using Kingdon's multiple agenda setting model, this case examines why despite the huge victory of West Bengal's Left Front government in 2006 on the motto of "development" and a strong political will the setting up of the Nano plant of Tata Motors Limited (TML) failed. Is the large package of financial incentives offered by the West Bengal government to the TML a good strategy to attract private investment into the state? What other tools can policymakers use to bring investment to the state? Should the government invoke provision of eminent domain to acquire land for private enterprises? -
King's Flair International: A Bright Future in the Nanofiber Opportunity? (B)
This case series describes the decision of King's Flair International (KFI) on whether to venture into the nanofiber business. KFI grew from an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) in the kitchenware and household products market to a successful pioneer in developing and implementing a "virtual manufacturing system" led by the company founder, Alex Wong, with his adventurous and entrepreneurial personality. KFI's innovative product design and engineering, along with its celebrated virtual manufacturing (VM) system, enabled it to enjoy steady growth over three decades starting in 1989, and it was listed in 2015 on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. As Wong constantly challenged the company's status quo, he became aware of nanofiber material and its potential. However, he also knew that the nature of the nanofiber business was very different compared to KFI's existing business-a dilemma emerged. In case (A), students will assume the role of the Founder and CEO of KFI and decide whether the company should venture into the nanofiber business. During the process, students will gain insights into how the founder grew KFI by developing and managing its core competencies, and in particular how the virtual manufacturing system played a pivotal role in realizing KFI's core competencies. In case (B), students will take the role of Gigi Wong, Executive Director of the company and the Founder's daughter, to decide how the nanofiber business could be implemented in KFI. -
Kandou Bus, From start-up to IPO? (B): The Scale-Up
Dr Amin Shokrollahi, a mathematician who loves research, becomes an entrepreneur by accident. He discovers a software solution to decelerate Moore's Law, and his friend, entrepreneur Steve Papa, pushes him to create a company and bring the solution to market. For five years they "wander in the woods" building the team, raising money, developing the technology, fruitlessly talking with potential customers and working with some of the world's most important technology companies... but without commercial success. -
Theranos Inc.: A Fall from Grace (B)
This case series focuses on Theranos Inc. (Theranos), a health care technology start-up founded by Elizabeth Holmes in 2003. Theranos focused on developing a revolutionary blood-testing technology that was supposed to be able to detect diseases using only a few drops of blood. Once valued at US$10 billion, the company never demonstrated its alleged technological breakthrough, and Holmes was eventually charged by the Securities and Exchange Commission for fraud and deceit. In 2018, Theranos was forced to shut down its operations, and in January 2022, Holmes was found guilty of three counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The case series explores Theranos’s history, as well as the role of overconfidence bias in Theranos’s downfall. -
Theranos Inc.: Hitting Rock Bottom (C)
This case series focuses on Theranos Inc. (Theranos), a health care technology start-up founded by Elizabeth Holmes in 2003. Theranos focused on developing a revolutionary blood-testing technology that was supposed to be able to detect diseases using only a few drops of blood. Once valued at US$10 billion, the company never demonstrated its alleged technological breakthrough, and Holmes was eventually charged by the Securities and Exchange Commission for fraud and deceit. In 2018, Theranos was forced to shut down its operations, and in January 2022, Holmes was found guilty of three counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The case series explores Theranos’s history, as well as the role of overconfidence bias in Theranos’s downfall. -
Theranos Inc.: Hitting Rock Bottom (C)
This case series focuses on Theranos Inc. (Theranos), a health care technology start-up founded by Elizabeth Holmes in 2003. Theranos focused on developing a revolutionary blood-testing technology that was supposed to be able to detect diseases using only a few drops of blood. Once valued at US$10 billion, the company never demonstrated its alleged technological breakthrough, and Holmes was eventually charged by the Securities and Exchange Commission for fraud and deceit. In 2018, Theranos was forced to shut down its operations, and in January 2022, Holmes was found guilty of three counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The case series explores Theranos's history, as well as the role of overconfidence bias in Theranos's downfall. -
Spectacled Caiman Breeding and Slaughtering Flowchart
Supplement to IS0007 -
Upli: Financial Health Appiness (B)
This field-based case set uses qualitative and quantitative research during the early stages of app development to unfold circumstances that allow for an analysis of the problems people have around financial health, consumer insights, and the largest market opportunity. The material provides the opportunity to explore data gathered through focus groups, quantitative survey research, and factor analysis for segment inputs. This further enables exploration of experimentation, practice in using and interpreting qualitative data, and discussion of using qualitative data as a stimulus for generating quantitative data. Key takeaways include when and where a focus group approach is appropriate, risks, and other research techniques that might be considered, as well as learning around segmentation, targeting, positioning, and new product development. In the A case, the founders of Upli, Michael Krause and Christof Meyer, use focus groups to generate insights into who would use a financial wellness app. This B case follows them as they use qualitative data from the focus groups to write survey questions to test quantitatively. The quantitative survey data allows exploration of several different segments, and they use factor analysis to identify which variables appear to be most potent for segmentation inputs. Meyer and his team then construct a framework to compare segments to one another. The C case reveals their design and funding efforts. This case set can be used in a first-year MBA or executive MBA program in a core marketing course, in a second-year elective on consumer behavior or marketing research, or in a strategy course on design thinking. It would also fit in courses on entrepreneurship and new product development. The material works well in a module on understanding consumers and consumer insights with focus groups. -
Upli: Financial Health Appiness (C)
This field-based case set uses qualitative and quantitative research during the early stages of app development to unfold circumstances that allow for an analysis of the problems people have around financial health, consumer insights, and the largest market opportunity. The material provides the opportunity to explore data gathered through focus groups, quantitative survey research, and factor analysis for segment inputs. This further enables exploration of experimentation, practice in using and interpreting qualitative data, and discussion of using qualitative data as a stimulus for generating quantitative data. Key takeaways include when and where a focus group approach is appropriate, risks, and other research techniques that might be considered, as well as learning around segmentation, targeting, positioning, and new product development. In the A and B cases, the founders of Upli, Michael Krause and Christof Meyer, use focus groups to generate insights into who would use a financial wellness app, then use qualitative data from the focus groups to write survey questions to test quantitatively and create segments, and finally use factor analysis to identify which variables appear to be most potent for segmentation inputs and construct a framework to compare segments. This C case reveals the steps they took to design the Upli MVP and push it out to a small group of people. It also offers insight into entrepreneurial motivations to keep moving forward and allows discussion of different ways to finance entrepreneurial ventures. This case set can be used in a first-year MBA or executive MBA program in a core marketing course, in a second-year elective on consumer behavior or marketing research, or in a strategy course on design thinking. It would also fit in courses on entrepreneurship and new product development. The material works well in a module on understanding consumers and consumer insights with focus groups. -
Goldman Sachs (B): Building Capabilities to Enter Consumer Finance
Case A explores Goldman's corporate strategy and growth, charting its history from when Marcus Goldman moved to the US and launched a commercial paper business in 1869. It follows the firm's expansion in terms of its products/services, and its growth via acquisitions and alliances. Throughout the 20th century it built a reputation for innovation as a leader in M&A advisory, but remained firmly focused on investment and wholesale banking (the B2B side). Subsequently, in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis and a period of underperforming on the stock market, Goldman pivoted to retail banking in search of new growth and more stable sources of income. How effective its strategy would be remained to be seen. Case B explores how Goldman Sachs built the capabilities to enter consumer finance - a whole new market. Whereas others entered the market through acquisitions, alliances, or internal development, Goldman began by recruiting talent and gradually building a consumer business internally, then adding a combination of bolt-on acquisitions, partnerships, and further internal initiatives. The case ends in 2022 with the question: Did Goldman Sachs choose the right strategy? -
ZUIG's Tender Offer Takeover of Zhenxing Biochem (B): Barbarians Enter the Gate
Supplement to ZUIG's Tender Offer Takeover of Zhenxing Biochem (A): Barbarians at the Gate. In Case (B), a fierce battle broke out between ZUIG and KAISA for control of Zhenxing Biochem after the successful tender offer. Eventually, an agreement was reached, and ZUIG gained control of the company. Under ZUIG's governance, Zhenxing Biochem embarked on a new phase of development through strategic partnerships, asset restructuring, and other initiatives. This case study provides a comprehensive overview of the target company's development before the tender offer, the complex tender offer and anti-takeover measures, and the challenging integration process that followed. The entire process was characterized by ups and downs, making it a classic example of a hostile takeover that provides valuable lessons for all market participants. -
Novartis (B): Reimagining Medicine
This case unfolds around the first-ever approved personalized cancer treatment, how Novartis wrapped it into a new business model design, and how Novartis scaled it. Novartis - one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world - is, among other ventures, discovering, developing, and marketing patent-protected prescription medicines, as well as addressing unmet medical needs and diseases for which no effective treatments or cures exist. In late 2011, Novartis executives became aware of a revolutionary treatment technology developed by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn). This technology was designed as a one-time, personalized drug to cure certain types of cancers such as lymphomas and leukemia. Section Chief of Cellular Therapy and Transplant at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Stephan A. Grupp, MD, Ph.D. commented on the innovation as follows: "I've been an oncologist for 20 years, and I have never, ever seen anything like this." After approaching UPenn scientists, Novartis decided to develop and commercialize this technology as the company possessed the relevant capabilities. This case series then explores the introduction and scaling of this new treatment over three parts. Case A describes the various challenges Joe Jimenez, the then CEO of Novartis, faced during the launch of the new treatment in 2016. Case B (separate) focuses on the persistent problems with drug manufacturing and scaling this part of the business model design after its launch in 2017. Lastly, case C (separate) examines how Novartis solved the persistent problems and envisioned the future in this new, inspiring area of medicine. -
Novartis (C): Reimagining Medicine
This case unfolds around the first-ever approved personalized cancer treatment, how Novartis wrapped it into a new business model design, and how Novartis scaled it. Novartis - one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world - is, among other ventures, discovering, developing, and marketing patent-protected prescription medicines, as well as addressing unmet medical needs and diseases for which no effective treatments or cures exist. In late 2011, Novartis executives became aware of a revolutionary treatment technology developed by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn). This technology was designed as a one-time, personalized drug to cure certain types of cancers such as lymphomas and leukemia. Section Chief of Cellular Therapy and Transplant at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Stephan A. Grupp, MD, Ph.D. commented on the innovation as follows: "I've been an oncologist for 20 years, and I have never, ever seen anything like this." After approaching UPenn scientists, Novartis decided to develop and commercialize this technology as the company possessed the relevant capabilities. This case series then explores the introduction and scaling of this new treatment over three parts. Case A describes the various challenges Joe Jimenez, the then CEO of Novartis, faced during the launch of the new treatment in 2016. Case B (separate) focuses on the persistent problems with drug manufacturing and scaling this part of the business model design after its launch in 2017. Lastly, case C (separate) examines how Novartis solved the persistent problems and envisioned the future in this new, inspiring area of medicine. -
VCayr: Managing Sexual Harassment (Graphic Novel Version) - Extended Teaching Note
Extended teaching note for product W32395. -
VCayr: Managing Sexual Harassment - Extended Teaching Note
Extended Teaching Note for product 9B21C019.