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- November 2021
- Article
Corporate Strategy and the Theory of the Firm in the Digital Age
By: Markus Menz, Sven Kunisch, Julian Birkinshaw, David J. Collis, Nicolai J. Foss, Robert E. Hoskisson and John Prescott
The purpose of this article is to reinvigorate research in the intersection of corporate strategy and the theory of the firm in light of the rapid advancement of digital technologies. Using the theory of the firm as an interpretive lens, we focus our analysis on the...
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- 2021
- Working Paper
How to Fix ESG Reporting
By: Robert S. Kaplan and Karthik Ramanna
Investors, advocacy groups, academics, and the 200 CEOs of the US Business Roundtable have asked corporations to take on an added purpose beyond a narrow pursuit of shareholder value. In response, many companies now issue ESG (Environmental, Societal, and Governance)...
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Keywords:
ESG Reporting;
Sustainability;
Corporate Purpose;
Greenhouse Gas;
Activity-Based Costing;
Environmental Sustainability;
Environmental Management;
Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact;
Measurement and Metrics;
Goals and Objectives;
Agreements and Arrangements;
Corporate Accountability
- May 2021
- Case
André Hoffmann: Beyond Philanthropy
By: Lauren Cohen, Hao Gao, Jiawei Ye and Spencer C.N. Hagist
André Hoffmann is a leader of one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies. His exceptional tenure in philanthropy over the past several decades, including being president of the WWF and the vice-president of the MAVA Foundation, has allowed him access to a far...
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- March 2021
- Case
Astralis Group: Determining a Brand Strategy
By: Benjamin C. Esty, Mette Fuglsang Hjortshoej and Emilie Billaud
After launching a Danish esports company in July 2019, and going public in December 2019 with multiple brands associated with different games, the Astralis leadership team was contemplating a shift to a single, corporate brand. While the original arguments for...
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Keywords:
Brand Strategy;
Esports;
Video Games;
Corporate Scope;
Positioning;
Ecosystem;
Brands and Branding;
Strategy;
Business Ventures;
Business Startups;
Entrepreneurship;
Ethics;
Sports;
Competitive Strategy;
Value Creation;
Diversification;
Games, Gaming, and Gambling;
Sports Industry;
Entertainment and Recreation Industry;
Denmark;
Europe
- March 2021
- Case
Founders Factory
By: Jeffrey F. Rayport and James Barnett
In January 2020, Founders Factory (FF) Executive Chairman Brent Hoberman and CEO Henry Lane Fox were considering FF’s expansion strategy. FF operated as a venture capital (VC) fund built around an accelerator and incubator, and organized around sectors within...
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Keywords:
Entrepreneurship;
Markets;
Planning;
Expansion;
Global Range;
Business Model;
Talent and Talent Management;
Experience and Expertise;
Corporate Entrepreneurship;
Global Strategy;
Innovation Strategy;
Growth and Development Strategy;
Management Teams;
Organizational Change and Adaptation;
Partners and Partnerships;
Online Technology;
Mobile Technology;
Technology Industry;
Africa;
South Africa;
Johannesburg;
Europe;
France;
Paris;
United Kingdom;
England;
London;
United States;
New York (city, NY)
- January 2021 (Revised March 2021)
- Case
Jumia's Path to Profitability
By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell, Pippa Tubman Armerding and Gamze Yucaoglu
The case opens in September 2019 as Sacha Poignonnec and Jeremy Hodara, co-founders and co-CEOs of Jumia, the leading Pan-African e-commerce platform, are contemplating the company’s path to profitability in the aftermath of a fragile investor sentiment, as the company...
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Keywords:
Retail;
Business Models;
Business Model;
Business Startups;
Emerging Markets;
For-Profit Firms;
Strategy;
Technology Platform;
Information Technology;
Technology Adoption;
Value Creation;
Globalization;
Entrepreneurship;
Competition;
Expansion;
Logistics;
Profit;
Resource Allocation;
Diversification;
Corporate Strategy;
Retail Industry;
Technology Industry;
Africa
- December 2020
- Article
Unwanted Attention: Swiss Multinationals and the Creation of International Corporate Guidelines in the 1970s
By: Sabine Pitteloud
During the last decade, we have seen an increased opposition to globalization. Within this wave of criticism, firms and more specifically multinational corporations have been major targets, accused of multiple wrongdoings, such as social dumping, fiscal evasion, job...
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- October 2020
- Case
HOPE and Transformational Lending: Netflix Invests in Black Led Banks
By: John D. Macomber and Janice Broome Brooks
Following the killing of George Floyd on Memorial Day in 2020, the large US corporation Netflix elected to make a "transformational deposit" of $10 million into Hope Credit Union (HCU), a small Black led community development finance institution (CDFI) based in...
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- August 2020
- Article
Improving Working Conditions in Global Supply Chains: The Role of Institutional Environments and Monitoring Program Design
By: Jodi L. Short, Michael W. Toffel and Andrea R. Hugill
Activism seeking to improve labor conditions in global supply chains has led many transnational corporations to adopt codes of conduct and monitor suppliers for compliance. Drawing on thousands of audits conducted by a major social auditor, we identify structural...
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- March 2020 (Revised February 2021)
- Module Note
Corporate Strategy
By: Ashish Nanda
As a strategist, you must decide for your firm what products to produce, what customers to serve, what geographies to operate in, and what activities to perform. This note on Corporate Strategy, which introduces the fifth module of the RC Strategy course, offers a...
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- January 16, 2020
- Article
How Global Leaders Should Think About Solving Our Biggest Problems
By: Mark R. Kramer, Marc W. Pfitzer and Helge Mahne
The corporate social conscience will soon be on full display in Davos, Switzerland, where global leaders from business, government, and civil society will assemble on January 21 for the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum. Hundreds of millions of dollars will be...
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- August 2019 (Revised February 2020)
- Case
New Hope Liuhe: Building an Integrated Agri-Food Business
By: Forest L. Reinhardt, Shu Lin, Natalie Kindred and Nancy Hua Dai
In October 2018, LIU Chang (Angela), chairman of Beijing-based New Hope Liuhe (NHL), was considering the strategy of the firm. With $9 billion in sales and a presence in nearly 20 countries, NHL was China’s largest animal feed producer and a major pork and poultry...
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Keywords:
Strategy;
Corporate Strategy;
Food;
Agribusiness;
Expansion;
Diversification;
Growth Management;
Consumer Behavior;
Change Management;
Entrepreneurship;
Organizational Structure;
Organizational Change and Adaptation;
Government and Politics;
Animal-Based Agribusiness;
Transformation;
Volatility;
Business Cycles;
Goods and Commodities;
Supply Chain;
Product;
Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry;
Food and Beverage Industry;
China;
Asia
- April 2019
- Case
Walmart Update, 2019
By: David B. Yoffie and Daniel Fisher
In 2019 Walmart was still the world's largest company, with over $500 billion in annual revenue and operations around the world. Although it had mostly vanquished its rival discount retailers in the U.S., it was struggling to find the right growth strategy. Facing a...
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- April 2019
- Teaching Note
The a2 Milk Company
By: Benjamin C. Esty and Daniel Fisher
The a2 Milk Company (a2MC) became the most valuable company listed on the New Zealand stock exchange in 2018 by capitalizing on a biochemical discovery related to the protein composition of cow's milk. Because many people find the A1 protein difficult to digest, and...
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Keywords:
Judo Economics;
Market Entry;
Innovation;
Barriers To Response;
Industry Attractiveness;
Advantage Horizon;
Sustainability;
First-mover Advantage;
Scope;
Strategy Execution;
Strategic Evolution;
Biochemistry;
Genetics;
Branding;
Commodity;
Milk;
Dairy;
Infant Formula;
Farming;
Porter's Five Forces;
Market Entry and Exit;
Disruption;
Innovation and Invention;
Competitive Advantage;
Corporate Strategy;
Value Creation;
Competition;
Brands and Branding;
Five Forces Framework;
Consumer Products Industry;
New Zealand;
Australia;
China
- March 2019 (Revised June 2019)
- Case
Global Sourcing at Nike
By: Nien-hê Hsieh, Michael W. Toffel and Olivia Hull
This case explores the evolution of Nike’s global product sourcing strategy, in particular ongoing efforts to improve working conditions at its suppliers’ factories. When the case opens in July 2018, Vice President of Sourcing Amanda Tucker and her colleagues in Nike’s...
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Keywords:
Sourcing;
Factory Conditions;
Trade;
Geography;
Geographic Scope;
Globalized Firms and Management;
Corporate Accountability;
Corporate Governance;
Governance Compliance;
Collaborative Innovation and Invention;
Innovation Strategy;
Labor;
Human Capital;
Working Conditions;
Supply Chain Management;
Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact;
Organizational Change and Adaptation;
Labor and Management Relations;
Complexity;
Sports Industry;
Fashion Industry;
Oregon;
Portland;
Asia;
North and Central America
- February 2019 (Revised September 2021)
- Case
The a2 Milk Company
By: Benjamin C. Esty and Daniel Fisher
The a2 Milk Company (a2MC) became the most valuable company listed on the New Zealand stock exchange in 2018 by capitalizing on a biochemical discovery related to the protein composition of cow's milk. Because many people find the A1 protein difficult to digest, and...
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Keywords:
Judo Economics;
Market Entry;
Innovation;
Barriers To Response;
Industry Attractiveness;
Advantage Horizon;
Sustainability;
First-mover Advantage;
Scope;
Strategy Execution;
Strategic Evolution;
Biochemistry;
Genetics;
Branding;
Commodity;
Milk;
Dairy;
Infant Formula;
Farming;
Porter's Five Forces;
Competitive Advantage;
Corporate Strategy;
Value Creation;
Competition;
Disruption;
Innovation and Invention;
Five Forces Framework;
Market Entry and Exit
- January 2019 (Revised February 2019)
- Supplement
The a2 Milk Company
By: Benjamin C. Esty, Daniel Fisher and Greg Saldutte
The a2 Milk Company (a2MC) became the most valuable company listed on the New Zealand stock exchange in 2018 by capitalizing on a biochemical discovery related to the protein composition of cow's milk. Because many people find the A1 protein difficult to digest, and...
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Keywords:
Judo Economics;
Market Entry;
Innovation;
Barriers To Response;
Industry Attractiveness;
Advantage Horizon;
Sustainability;
First-mover Advantage;
Scope;
Strategy Execution;
Strategic Evolution;
Biochemistry;
Genetics;
Branding;
Commodity;
Milk;
Dairy;
Infant Formula;
Farming;
Porter's Five Forces;
Competitive Advantage;
Corporate Strategy;
Value Creation;
Competition;
Market Entry and Exit;
Disruption;
Innovation and Invention;
Five Forces Framework;
Consumer Products Industry;
New Zealand;
Australia;
China
- January 2019
- Supplement
The De Beers Group: Launching GemFair for Artisanal Diamonds
By: Benjamin C. Esty and Daniel Fisher
In April 2018, the De Beers Group launched a pilot project called GemFair to create a new supply of ethically and environmentally sourced diamonds from artisanal and small-scale mines (ASM) in Sierra Leone. Whether this project would yield a meaningful supply of rough...
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- January 2019 (Revised October 2019)
- Case
Rural Taobao: Alibaba's Expansion into Rural E-Commerce
By: Tarun Khanna, Ryan Allen, Adam Frost and Wesley Koo
Alibaba's Rural Taobao initiative had been launched in 2014 as a public service initiative to increase e-commerce adoption in China’s remote rural areas. In the first two iterations of the initiative, dubbed “1.0” and “2.0,” Alibaba had partnered with local businesses...
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Keywords:
Strategy;
Business Growth;
Ecommerce;
Corporate Social Responsibility;
Business And Government;
Emerging Market;
Market Platforms;
Online Technology;
Emerging Markets;
Rural Scope;
Growth and Development Strategy;
Competitive Strategy;
Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact;
Business and Government Relations;
Decision Making;
China
- December 2018 (Revised May 2019)
- Case
Bord Bia: Strategically Growing Irish Exports
By: Jose B. Alvarez, Forest L. Reinhardt and Emer Moloney
Agriculture was Ireland’s largest indigenous industry. Its agri-food sector was export driven, with almost 90% of production exported. Bord Bia was the Irish government agency charged with the promotion, trade development, and marketing of the Irish food, drink, and...
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Keywords:
Agribusiness;
Trends;
Disruption;
Communication Strategy;
Experience and Expertise;
Talent and Talent Management;
Public Sector;
Trade;
Education;
Food;
Geography;
Geographic Location;
Rural Scope;
Corporate Governance;
Government Administration;
Information;
Knowledge Dissemination;
Marketing Channels;
Brands and Branding;
Marketing Communications;
Marketing Strategy;
Planning;
Business and Government Relations;
Environmental Sustainability;
Public Opinion;
Business Strategy;
Diversification;
Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry;
Food and Beverage Industry;
Public Administration Industry;
Retail Industry;
Republic of Ireland;
United Kingdom;
Europe