In 2013, the edible bird''s nest industry outfaced chaotic market competition, poor customer awareness, a lack of trust, and a lack of strong branding during its infancy, thereby resulting in development opportunities for new categories and brands. Xiaoxiandun Freshly Stewed Edible Bird''s Nest ("XXD") foresaw the strategic direction and emerged into prominence in the industry within less than six years. Moreover, XXD solved .....more

Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter said "hell freezing over" was more likely than him upgrading the "sell" rating he had maintained on movie and television streaming giant Netflix since 2011, despite meteoric subscriber and share price growth. In 2022, however, Pachter raised his rating - twice. The case explores the sell-side equity analyst industry, Netflix from the perspective of an equity analyst, Pachter''s .....more

In 2015, David Crane was the CEO of NRG, the second-largest energy producer in the United States. NRG got most of its power from fossil fuels, but Crane - hired as CEO in 2003 as NRG emerged from bankruptcy - had invested heavily in alternative energy, loudly proclaiming the business benefits of being a leader on climate change. But by 2015, facing investor and board pressure, Crane was forced to spin off NRG''s renewable assets, marking the .....more

In the midst of increasing press scrutiny of the bottled water industry''s environmentally harmful practices, FIJI Water made a series of sustainability promises. The boldest of these was a pledge to go "carbon negative." The company said that not only would they offset or mitigate all of their carbon emissions, but would go further, making every purchase of their hip, luxury bottles a net benefit for the environment. The unusual .....more

Located in southwest China, Bosai Minerals Group Co., Ltd. (Bosai) has been engaged mainly in the bauxite and manganese business since 1997, and by 2010, it had successfully completed acquisitions of three large overseas mining companies. By incorporating the traditionally mild and inclusive neo-Confucianism into its management philosophy, Bosai''s overseas branches had successfully integrated themselves into local communities and cultures. .....more

Ample Hills Creamery started in 2010 as a temporary ice cream pushcart in Brooklyn, New York City. On the strength of inventive flavors and clever marketing, husband-and-wife founders Brian Smith and Jackie Cuscuna built a premium, artisanal dessert empire of 16 retail locations in four states. However, some decisions that fueled their rapid growth were double-edged swords. Licensed partnerships with Disney raised the brand''s profile, but .....more

This case features the same protagonists as Ample Hills Creamery (HBS No. 822-073), and can be used as a continuation of that story. Ample Hills Creamery started in 2010 as a temporary ice cream pushcart in Brooklyn, New York City. On the strength of inventive flavors and clever marketing, husband-and-wife founders Brian Smith and Jackie Cuscuna built a premium, artisanal dessert empire of 16 retail locations in four states. However, some decisions .....more