Early Warning or False Sense of Security?
Concussion Risk and the Case of the Impact-Sensing Football Chinstrap 5-1 (Contributors: Clifton D. Petty, and Michael R. Shirley) In 2009, Battle Sports Science, headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, was built with a focus on “enhancing safety for athletes.” Specifically, the company wanted to protect young athletes who might have suffered a concussion. Battle Sports Science attempted to gain market attention for its US$149.99 impact indicator (chin strap) through endorsements, and had enlisted a number of NFL players. The company hoped to sell the device to sports programs (schools) as well as to individual players.
CASE 6 The Storm of Governance Reform at the American Red Cross 6-1 (Contributors: Jill A. Brown and Anne Anderson) In early 2006, a U.S. Senate Finance Committee began investigating the American Red Cross following substantial concerns over the governance effectiveness of the organization and its Board of Governors. This investigation was prompted by concerns over Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, as well as governance concerns regarding the structure and processes of the ARC Board. Consequently, the Finance Committee appointed an Independent Governance Advisory Panel to provide recommendations regarding how to overhaul the American Red Cross Board of Governors.
CASE 7 Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.: Conscious Capitalism by Serving “Food With Integrity” 7-1 (Contributor: Alan N. Hoffman) People loved Chipotle Mexican Grill because of the tasty and healthy food as well as its edgy, trendy, cool brand image. Chipotle established itself as a successful company practicing “conscious capitalism” by serving “food with integrity”—its supply chain and corporate culture were closely integrated from the time that ingredients were farmed, raised, harvested, and shipped to stores to the time the final product was placed on a customer’s serving tray. By 2014, the fast
new
new
14 CONTENTS
A01_WHEE5488_15_GE_FM.indd 14 7/13/17 4:01 PM
casual food market in the US became increasingly competitive and crowded with many new entrants. Being a public listed company, Chipotle had to meet Wall Street’s high expectations of growth and earnings. Living up to analysts’ expectations was becoming increasingly difficult for Chiptole.
S E C T I O N D Privacy
CASE 8 Google and the Right to Be Forgotten 8-1 (Contributor: Cynthia E. Clark) In 2009, Mario Costeja Gonzalez, a self-employed attorney casually “googled” himself and was startled by what came up on his computer screen. Prominently displayed in the search results was a brief legal notice that had appeared more than a decade earlier in a local newspaper, which listed property seized and being auctioned by a government agency for nonpayments of debts. Costeja immediately realized that this information could damage his reputation as an attorney and decided to fight Google to request deletion of that data.
S E C T I O N E International Issues in Strategic Management
CASE 9 Harley Davidson: An Overreliance on Aging Baby Boomers 9-1 (Contributors: Alan N. Hoffman and Natalia Gold) At Harley Davidson, customers not only purchased a motorcycle, they bought the “rebel” lifestyle Harley signified. This rebel image took a long time to develop and constituted a major competitive advantage for Harley. Nothing promised the same excitement as being on the open road on a Harley, its engine roaring, the wind whipping, the great open spaces of America just down the road. Harley Davidson specifically targeted a narrowly defined market of middle-aged males with disposable income. However, as US baby boomers got older, the company recognized that it had to look to new markets and demographics to expand sales.
CASE 10 Uber: Feeling the Heat from Competitors and Regulators Worldwide 10-1 (Contributors: Alan N. Hoffman and Natalia Gold) Uber, originally known as “UberCab,” was started by Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp in San Francisco, California, in 2009. The company grew rapidly and by 2015 it was providing carpooling services in 300 major cities in 58 countries around the world. As Uber moved forward into new territories, however, it got entangled in many regulatory and legal hassles. The company had to figure out how to sustain its lead in the heavily regulated, controversial, competitive, and ever-changing taxi industry. Moreover, despite a landslide market share Uber was operating at a loss. How to lower costs and become profitable was another challenge for this young and aggressive company.