Yum! China

David E. Bell; Mary  Shelman

Case | HBS Case Collection | December 2010 (Revised February 2012)

Yum! China

by David E. Bell and Mary Shelman

Abstract

Since the first KFC opened in China in 1987, Yum--under Sam Su's leadership--had built the largest restaurant company by far in mainland China. Averaging one new restaurant opening a day for the past five years, in 2010 Yum ran over 3,600 restaurants in 650 cities and employed over 250,000 people, many of them college students in their first jobs. In the third quarter of 2010, Yum China's revenues surpassed U.S. revenues for the first time and many analysts expected that Yum's China business--driven by a rapidly growing middle class--would be twice as large as its U.S. business within five years. But before rushing out to open thousands more stores, Su wondered what the company should do to forestall some of the problems plaguing the fast food industry in the West.

Keywords: Business Processes; Business or Company Management; Growth and Development Strategy; Strategy; Business Strategy; Food and Beverage Industry; Beijing Shi;

Format: Print

37 pages

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Citation:

Bell, David E., and Mary Shelman. "Yum! China." Harvard Business School Case 511-040, December 2010. (Revised February 2012.)

In the fall of 2019, Sprint’s Chief Digital Officer Rob Roy reflected on the telecom’s efforts to improve the effectiveness of its digital marketing campaigns. Digital media buying had long been handled by an outside agency, but in 2017, Sprint brought those functions in-house to enhance the company’s ability to respond to the market in real-time. Early results suggested the plan was working, but Sprint continued to face fierce competition from its rivals. Sprint’s subscriber losses mounted as it attempted to merge with T-Mobile. Could digital marketing stem the losses and win consumers’ hearts?

Teaching Note | HBS Case Collection | May 2020

Danone: Changing the Food System

David E. Bell, Federica Gabrieli, Daniela Beyersdorfer, Amy Klopfenstein and Aldo Sesia

Teaching Note for HBS No. 520-053.
This is a teaching note for the case “Danone: Changing the Food System?” The case examines the efforts of one of the world’s largest food and beverage companies to resolve the social, environmental, and economic issues within its supply chain. Chairman and CEO Emmanuel Faber and One Planet and Water Cycle Vice President Eric Soubeiran believe that the global food system is broken, and needs radical transformation to save the planet. The case provides an overview of Danone’s efforts to change the food system, including Cost Performance Model (CPM) contracts with dairy farmers and encouraging suppliers to prioritize regenerative agriculture and the ethical treatment of animals. However, it remains unclear whether consumers are willing to pay a premium for sustainably-produced products. At the conclusion of the case, Faber and Soubeiran wonder what Danone should do next to repair the food system. The note contains suggested assignment questions, a sample board plan, and a suggested discussion plan.

Keywords: Food; Goods and Commodities; Agribusiness; Animal-Based Agribusiness; Plant-Based Agribusiness; Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Environmental Management; Environmental Sustainability; Climate Change; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Europe; France; Paris;

Citation:

Bell, David E., Federica Gabrieli, Daniela Beyersdorfer, Amy Klopfenstein, and Aldo Sesia. "Danone: Changing the Food System." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 520-066, May 2020. View Details

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