Traditionally, the most reliable way for a firm to find its next wave of growth was to apply the capabilities of its core business in an adjacent market. But recently a new pattern has begun to emerge. More firms are learning the art of building large second cores--what Bain''s Zook and Allen call "engine twos." Given that in the past five years, 60% of big public companies have seen their growth stall out or stagnate--often because .....more

Gender Equality in Business: 100 Years of Progress?" traces the history of women in management from the early 20th to early 21st century through analysis of Harvard Business Review''s coverage of women and gender. The case identifies six distinct phases in the evolution of women''s opportunities and barriers as well as attitudes toward professional women. It explores when and how concepts like equal pay for equal work, sexual .....more

In 2010, 3G Capital acquired Burger King, the second largest burger chain globally. 3G expanded Burger King''s operations via acquisitions into a multi-brand business, renamed Restaurant Brands International. The acquisition had been a financial success story for 3G. However, in recent years RBI had faced its share of challenges including competition in its home markets, the rollout of a digital strategy, and increased employee turnover. In .....more

Spreadsheet supplement to case 222064.

In 2017, Sahrudaya Healthcare Pvt. Ltd. (SHPL), a successful chain of corporate hospitals based out of Hyderabad, India, approached private equity (PE) firm Samara Capital for a capital infusion. After conducting a thorough due diligence and evaluation of the company, Samara Capital brought its major limited partner (LP) Medicover, a European multinational healthcare and diagnostics company, into the decision-making process. In a surprise turn of .....more

Spreadsheet supplement for case ISB311.

The case follows Ashraf Abu Issa, CEO and chairman of Abu Issa Holding (AIH), as he contemplated the fate of his company''s regional expansion. AIH was a Qatari diversified holding company, whose primary business was luxury retailing and distribution. Abu Issa had set his company on a path of aggressive regional expansion since 2012, rapidly opening new stores in neighboring countries, most notably Saudi Arabia and the UAE. In July 2017, .....more

Companies across all industries are putting personalization at the center of their enterprise strategies. For example, Home Depot, JPMorgan Chase, Starbucks, and Nike have publicly announced that personalized and seamless omnichannel experiences are at the core of their corporate strategy. We are now at the point where competitive advantage will be based on the ability to capture, analyze, and utilize personalized customer data at scale and on how .....more