In May 2018, Samsonite appeared to be doing well - it was the world''s largest luggage maker, it had just acquired a well-regarded luxury brand, and its stock traded at record highs. However, short seller Blue Orca Capital saw warning signs, including flawed accounting, hidden conflicts, and shaky governance. This case explores Samsonite''s history, business and operations, and accounting policies. The story continues in Samsonite: The Short Seller''s .....more

In May 2018, short seller Blue Orca Capital released a scathing report targeting Samsonite, the world''s largest luggage maker. Blue Orca believed it had uncovered flawed accounting, hidden conflicts, shaky governance, and perhaps outright fraud at Samsonite. This case outlines Blue Orca''s thesis. It follows Samsonite: Accounting Baggage? (A) (126-005), which outlines details about Samsonite in a neutral way, and is followed by Samsonite: The Rebuttal .....more

After short seller Blue Orca Capital released a report alleging flawed accounting, hidden conflicts, and shaky governance at Samsonite, the world''s largest luggage maker, Samsonite CEO Ramesh Tainwala resigned amid accusations that he had faked a doctorate degree. However, the company pushed back against Blue Orca''s other allegations. This case follows Samsonite: Accounting Baggage? (A) (126-005), which outlines details about Samsonite in a neutral .....more

In 2024, Maxime Aucoin, Executive Vice President and CFO of Hydro-Quebec, faced a series of compounding challenges as the utility confronted rapidly rising electricity demand, public pricing constraints, and strained stakeholder relationships. As the steward of Quebec''s state-owned utility, Aucoin was under pressure to expand capacity by 10 GW-nearly 30%-over the next decade, without compromising affordability, political mandates, or public trust. .....more

This case reviews Keroche Breweries from 2019-2025, a period defined by tax disputes with the Kenya Revenue Authority, a legal case with EABL, the operational effects of COVID-19, new product launches, and its co-founder''s entry into politics. After settling its tax dispute, Keroche initiated a brand relaunch in 2025 to secure its operational future, proceeding with a smaller market share and workforce.

Founded in 2008, GiveDirectly was a nonprofit organization that used direct cash transfers-giving people cash via mobile money-to combat poverty worldwide. By August 2024, the organization had transferred over $800 million to poor people in targeted communities and generated evidence illustrating the impact of its giving. As the cofounders considered the organization''s future, they wondered whether direct cash transfers could eradicate extreme poverty .....more

To what extent are AI "government agents", or AI agents broadly, simply extensions from the past, or do they represent something novel? And to what ends? This exercise invites the building of AI government agents, in order to contemplate them and AI agents at all.

In this article, Michael Porter, the C. Christensen Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School, explains how clusters foster high levels of productivity and innovation and lays out the implications for competitive strategy and economic policy. Economic geography in an era of global competition poses a paradox. In theory, location should no longer be a source of competitive advantage. Open global markets, rapid transportation, .....more

Two years after Intuition Robotics opted to pursue a business-to-government contract with the New York State Office of the Aging, and put direct-to-consumer efforts on the back burner, it was at a crossroads. The partnership had been successful, and the company had amassed promising data on the impact of ElliQ, the AI companion they had created to alleviate loneliness and social isolation among older adults. Now Intuition Robotics leadership had to .....more

What would happen if CEOs began writing employee communications using gen AI? Would anyone notice? Probably not, according to a new study. But that doesn''t mean CEOs should use it to write everything. Here''s what they can do to effectively and transparently write with gen AI.

Becoming "the boss" is a significant career transition, and is often accompanied by shifting relationship dynamics at work, including leading direct reports. If managers don''t put their mental health first, burnout could easily rub off onto their teams. Here are some ways to take care of yourself as you start to lead. Find your identity anchor. These are markers that help you gain a sense of purpose at work and give you a sense of belonging in the .....more

Not all disabilities or impairments are visible. Food intolerances are like any other impairment or disability in terms of their constraining effects, but can be even more insidious when hidden. While the prevalence of food allergies is rising, many workplaces need to do more to accommodate employees. Make your workplace policies more flexible around food. While some companies like to keep their desks and cubicles as food-free zones, for workers with .....more

This case features Beverly Walker, director of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), as she evaluates whether or not to continue using a predictive analytics tool for improving child welfare and protection services. In the hope of reducing disastrous occurrences, Walker''s predecessor had launched a $366,000 pilot program that used analytics to identify children with a prior DCFS investigation who were at risk for serious .....more

This case study examines Dr. Anthony Fauci''s shifting guidance on face masks during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting controversy over whether he misled the public for a perceived greater good-a so-called "noble lie." In early 2020, Fauci and other public health officials advised against mask use by the general public, citing both doubts about efficacy and a need to preserve limited supplies for healthcare workers. As scientific .....more

VDart Inc. (VDart) was founded by Sidd Ahmed in December 2007 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, as a digital talent management and recruitment firm, growing steadily to reach US$160 million in annual revenue by 2019. That same year, VDart was recognized as the 138th largest and 56th fastest-growing staffing firm in the United States. The company''s global servicing hub, located in Tiruchirappalli (Trichy), India, employed about 380 people and served .....more

Many sensational ideas have faded away into obscurity because they failed to reach the right people. A strong personal network, however, can launch a burgeoning plan into the limelight by delivering private information, access to diverse skill sets, and power. Most executives know that they need to learn about the best ideas and that, in turn, their best ideas must be heard by the rest of the world. But strong personal networks don''t just happen .....more

Information technology is revolutionizing products, from appliances to cars to mining equipment. Products once composed solely of mechanical and electrical parts have become complex systems combining hardware, sensors, electronics, and software that connect through the internet in myriad ways. These "smart, connected products" offer exponentially expanding opportunities for new functionality, far greater reliability, and capabilities that cut across .....more

Hated by bosses and subordinates alike, traditional performance appraisals have been abandoned by more than a third of U.S. companies. The annual review''s biggest limitation, the authors argue, is its emphasis on holding employees accountable for what they did last year, at the expense of improving performance now and in the future. That''s why many organizations are moving to more-frequent, development-focused conversations between managers and .....more

Whether you make cars or mattresses, operate a hospital or a grocery store, or are in some other business, successful innovation depends on understanding what''s driving the technological changes in your industry and anticipating what product and service features consumers will value in the future. In this article, the author describes her proven system for gaining those vital insights. The first step is to look back at the evolution of your business''s .....more

The void beyond Earth has become an exciting frontier for entrepreneurial ventures. SpaceX, Blue Origin, and scads of other companies are pursuing commercial activities in outer space-launching rockets to send tourists to new heights, deploying satellites to collect data and improve terrestrial telecommunications and logistics, and developing novel space-driven products and services. This article reviews three new books that will captivate readers .....more