Ivey Business School (Canada)
-
Uber Technologies: Wrongdoing and Corporate Reputations
Gwyneth Edwards; Andrea Kim; Michael CarneyCase IVEY-9B20M221-EStrategyIn September 2017, Uber Technologies Inc. hired a new chief executive officer with instructions to prepare the company for an initial public offering and repair its internal culture and reputation. By the end of 2019, however, the company’s past wrongdoinStarting at €8.20
-
Elon Musk: Saving the Fate of Tesla
Arpita Agnihotri; Saurabh BhattacharyaCase IVEY-9B19C009-ELeadership and People ManagementIn 2018, Tesla Inc. was one of the highest-valued automobile companies in the United States—despite never reporting profits. Although Elon Musk, the founder and chief executive officer of Tesla Inc., was appreciated for his vision, learning capabilities, active presence on social media, and dedication, he was also criticized for his leadership style and controversial tweets regarding the privatization of the company. Analysts and short sellers be...Starting at €8.20
-
Primark Stores Limited: Low-cost Strategy and Sustainability Initiatives
Arpita Agnihotri; Saurabh BhattacharyaCase IVEY-9B20M059-EStrategyPrimark was a low-cost, fast-fashion clothing retailer headquartered in the United Kingdom. The company’s low-priced clothing enticed consumers, but it also attracted criticism for exploitative labor practices in the low-cost economies where Primark’s manufacturing was outsourced. However, Primark believed that it created jobs in low-cost economies, and its low prices were the result of efficient initiatives such as no online presence and limited...Starting at €8.20
-
General Electric: Turnaround Management Under Three Different CEOs
Arpita Agnihotri; Saurabh BhattacharyaCase IVEY-9B20M150-EStrategyIn 2019, after one year in the position, H. Lawrence Culp Jr., the first outsider chief executive officer (CEO) of General Electric Company (GE) was faced with the task of gaining the stock market’s faith in his ability to turn GE around. During the tenurStarting at €8.20
-
Corona Beer: Ambiguous Brand Association during the Coronavirus Pandemic
Arpita Agnihotri; Saurabh BhattacharyaCase IVEY-9B20A063-EMarketingIn early 2020, during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, Google Trends data revealed a surge in the use of the search terms “Corona beer virus” and “beer virus” by users of the Google search engine. A survey conducted around that time also seemed to suggest that consumers were less likely to buy Corona beer, which led various major media outlets to misrepresent the accuracy of the findings regarding consumer beliefs about the association between ...Starting at €8.20
-
Boeing 737 MAX: Dethroned by Competitive Rivalry
Saurabh Bhattacharya; Arpita AgnihotriCase IVEY-9B20M035-EStrategyIn March 2019, Boeing’s 737 MAX aircraft were grounded worldwide. This was a consequence of two deadly plane crashes within five months in late 2018 and early 2019. In both the crashes, the flawed design of the aircraft led to an erroneous reading of the onboard sensors. This, in turn, activated the stall prevention software of the aircraft, which kept pushing the nose of the aircraft down. Boeing was alleged to have hastily developed the 737 MAX...Starting at €8.20
-
Kanopy LLC: Growth Challenges of an Educational Video Streaming Company
Arpita Agnihotri; Saurabh BhattacharyaCase IVEY-9B20A078-EEntrepreneurship, MarketingKanopy LLC (Kanopy) was a video streaming platform that hosted independent and documentary films for educative purposes. Founded in 2008, Kanopy had rapidly expanded to several countries. By 2017, it had more than 3,000 college libraries and several publiStarting at €8.20
-
Nike: Ethics Versus Reputation in the #MeToo Era
Arpita Agnihotri; Saurabh BhattacharyaCase IVEY-9B18C040-ELeadership and People ManagementIn March 2018, a report on workplace harassment issues was brought to the chief executive officer of Nike Inc. (Nike), Mark Parker. The report was a result of a covert survey conducted by the female employees at Nike headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon, after the company’s human resources (HR) department failed to respond to the women's repeated complaints. Soon, several senior executives left Nike. Although Parker took several steps to strengthen ...Starting at €8.20
-
Hallmark Cards, Inc.: In Search of Turnaround
Saurabh Bhattacharya; Arpita AgnihotriCase IVEY-W29725-EStrategyIn June 2021, the chief executive officer of Hallmark Cards Inc., a leading US greeting cards and gifts company, faced challenges as the digitalization of cards was gaining pace. This growing trend forced the company to overhaul its operations. Although it tried to cope with the changing business environment, the company suffered both in revenue and profit marking. The chief executive officer took efficiency-increasing measures and laid off emplo...Starting at €8.20
-
Fastenal: Losing its Fast Growth to Amazon Business
Arpita Agnihotri; Saurabh BhattacharyaCase IVEY-9B17M170-EStrategyFastenal was one of the largest U.S. industrial supply companies, with the highest operating margin among its competitors. It was known and awarded for its innovative industrial vending solutions. With the launch of Amazon Business in the industrial distribution space in 2012, Fastenal’s performance began to decline. In 2017, Amazon Business obtained patents for a drone-based delivery system. This, combined with Amazon’s power of low cost, raised...Starting at €8.20