Twelve years ago, in 2010, the private equity firm New Mountain Capital acquired a little-known Wisconsin software company, RedPrairie, for $565 million. In September 2021 it sold that same company, now named Blue Yonder, for $8.5 billion to Panasonic. About $5.7 billion of the gain had come from organic growth, not acquisitions. That success wasn''t driven by any specific lucky break, technology breakthrough, or new product. Rather, .....more

When Ajaypal (Ajay) Banga became the CEO of Mastercard in 2010, digital technologies were on the rise, and innovation needed to become a strategic imperative at the company. Banga tasked Garry Lyons, who had joined Mastercard through the 2009 acquisition of Orbiscom, with infusing innovation into Mastercard''s culture. With a significant incremental investment, and free reign to spend it as he pleased, Lyons created Mastercard Labs-a global .....more

In late 2021, Mastercard CEO Michael Miebach and Chairman and former CEO Ajaypal "Ajay" Banga considered how Mastercard could best position itself for continued success in the years to come. Since Mastercard''s initial public offering in 2006, the company had grown and transformed, driven in part by a core strategy of "Grow-Diversify-Build" and vision of a "World Beyond Cash." During Banga''s recent tenure .....more

When Ajaypal (Ajay) Banga became the CEO of Mastercard in 2010, he shifted the company''s competitive focus from card networks to cash itself. Mastercard''s new vision of a "World Beyond Cash" distilled into a three-pronged framework: Grow the core business, Diversify customers and employees, and Build new businesses that reinforce Mastercard''s core capabilities. With digital technologies on the rise, Banga knew .....more

When Ajaypal (Ajay) Banga became the CEO of Mastercard in 2010, he shifted the company''s competitive focus from card networks to cash itself. Mastercard''s new vision of a "World Beyond Cash" distilled into a three-pronged framework: Grow the core business, Diversify customers and employees, and Build new businesses that reinforce Mastercard''s core capabilities. With digital technologies on the rise, Banga knew .....more

The Miami metropolitan area is a global epicenter of climate risk from heat and sea level rise, but leaders have only recently mobilized for action to respond to this systemic challenge. Resilient 305 began a collaboration across officials in the cities of Miami and Miami Beach and Miami-Dade County, with some community leaders, but action has been slow. The case identifies the actions and concerns of (a) public sector officials (Mayors and new Chief .....more

This background Note introduces the implications of climate change (global warming) for American cities. In the U.S., partisan political divides and unaddressed economic and racial disparities in climate vulnerabilities can inhibit action. The two main fronts for action are mitigation (reducing emissions) and adaptation (preparing for change by building resilience). The Note reviews main sources of emissions - energy, buildings, transportation, waste .....more

In December 2021, more than a decade after its founding, Goldman Sachs''s 10,000 Small Businesses program was still going strong - and the firm now needed to evaluate potential program modifications to reach a wider group of small business owners. Launched in the aftermath of the Global Financial Crisis, 10,000 Small Businesses provided business education, a wide network, and access to capital to U.S. small business owners through more than .....more

The South Korean K-pop band, BTS, is shattering linguistic boundaries and reshaping the global music industry. BTS became the first band in Billboard history to simultaneously top the Billboard Artist 100, Billboard Hot 100, and Billboard 200; and the sixth act to have four Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 singles in less than a year. A critical component of BTS''s success has been the efforts of a vast network of very dedicated fans called the ARMY. .....more