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• Case | HBS Case Collection | September 2020

  Hitachi Rail Limited (A)

  David J. Collis, Akiko Kanno and Nobuo Sato

  Hitachi must decide whether to make a British executive, who has successfully built its European rail business from scratch, head of its global rail division even though the bulk of revenues for the unit still come from Japan. The case describes, the history of Hitachi Rail as the provider of trains for the Japanese Shinkansen, its struggles to build a European business with expatriates before the success of an outside hire, Alistair Dormer, in winning major contracts in the UK. By 2014, Hitachi is wondering whether to make Dormer CEO of the global rail business in order to further globalise the unit. Will an outsider and a foreigner be the correct choice for a Japanese company? How can the values of the Japanese company be preserved as it globalises? what changes are necessary to further globalise the business?

  Keywords: Global Strategy; Leadership; Values and Beliefs; Rail Industry; Japan;

  Citation:

  Collis, David J., Akiko Kanno, and Nobuo Sato. "Hitachi Rail Limited (A)." Harvard Business School Case 721-364, September 2020.  View Details

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• Supplement | HBS Case Collection | September 2020

  Hitachi Rail Limited (B)

  David J. Collis, Akiko Kanno and Nobuo Sato

  Describes the strategy and organisation changes made by British executive, Alistair Domer, after he is made head of Hitachi Rail's global business. The company acquires an Italian company, continues to win contracts in the UK, but struggles to bring its greenfield manufacturing facility up to speed as knowledge transfer from Japan proves difficult. Dormer creates a new global organisation structure with executives based in different geographies and tries to maintain the traditional Hitachi values in the new organisation.

  Keywords: strategy; global strategy; organization structure; leader selection; Mergers ＆ Acquisitions; Global Strategy; Organizational Structure; Leadership; Mergers and Acquisitions; Rail Industry; Japan;

  Citation:

  Collis, David J., Akiko Kanno, and Nobuo Sato. "Hitachi Rail Limited (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 721-365, September 2020.  View Details

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• Case | HBS Case Collection | September 2020

  Minerva 2004: Discovery

  John R. Wells and Benjamin Weinstock

  After nearly five years in operation, Doctor Cynthia Bamdad, founder and CEO of Minerva Biotechnologies Corporation (Minerva), was reflecting on the company’s next steps. In a few short years, she and her small team had managed to develop a nanoparticle process for testing new drugs that was orders of magnitude faster than traditional approaches. Using this process, they had discovered the mechanism that caused 96% of all breast cancers and identified families of small molecule therapeutics that were effective in blocking this mechanism in live cells in the laboratory. Moreover, Bamdad did not think it would be long before the company could offer an early warning diagnostic for breast cancer, which would allow less invasive treatment of the condition. The company had filed several families of patent applications in support of these claims, but the challenge was funding. To date, Bamdad had relied on Federal Government grants and angel investors to fund the research, but the next steps would require much larger investment. Should Minerva seek to commercialize its drug development technology to help fund the riskier steps of drug development? Should it focus on a diagnostic which would make current treatments more effective? Should it license its small molecule therapeutics to one of the many well-funded companies seeking cures for cancer? Or should Bamdad raise capital to support tests in mice in order to reach the Federal Drug Administration IND (Investigational New Drug) application stage of drug discovery? This would allow clinical trials in humans, which would require more capital, but an IND would increase the value of Minerva’s intellectual capital substantially. What should Bamdad do?

  Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Financing and Loans; Strategy; Decision Choices and Conditions; Biotechnology Industry;

  Citation:

  Wells, John R., and Benjamin Weinstock. "Minerva 2004: Discovery." Harvard Business School Case 721-389, September 2020.  View Details

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