Maliks, a major stationery retailer and provider of photocopy and printing services, had operated in Beirut, Lebanon, for over 25 years. The company’s founder was considering the most suitable strategy for his goal of 100 branches by 2020. He was assessing the advantages and disadvantages of adopting the franchising business model as an expansion strategy and wondered what operational problems he would encounter. The Maliks management team was also .....more

The chief executive officer (CEO) of Middle East Airlines (MEA) had to decide whether the airline should fly over Syria during the armed conflict. All other airlines in the Middle East had decided not to fly over Syria either because they did not want to show their support for the Syrian government or because they believed it was too dangerous. Yet, these airlines did not have as much to lose as MEA because, unlike them, 50 per cent of this airline’s .....more

On May 12, 2016, the founder and development manager of Democrata, was considering the future of his clothing store, in light of an increase in visitors to the area from different regions of Lebanon. Democrata was a clothing and apparel store founded in 1974, providing the latest fashion trends to both women and men. It offered major brands and basic casual and formal wear at competitive prices for customers in all income ranges. With success and .....more

On July 3, 2018, the president of AIESEC in Lebanon was pacing around the lobby of the conference venue before the morning plenary session. As one of the world’s largest youth-run organizations, AIESEC developed the youth of the world by sending them on cross-cultural exchange programs. The Lebanon chapter of AIESEC was established in 2011 and grew steadily in its early stages, until it began struggling with commitment and motivation problems at the .....more

In 2018, Al Baba Sweets was a major player in the Arabic sweets and confectionery industry in Lebanon. However, in the midst of a rough patch in the country’s economy, the company was suffering from decreasing revenues. Any major decision concerning the future of the third-generation family business would have to be made carefully. New, smaller competitors were entering the market alongside the industry’s large, long-time players. The company had .....more

Profico Trading and Contracting Company WLL, an aluminum and glazing contracting company in Lebanon, assembled and installed aluminum and glazing doors and windows and aluminum composite panels for local construction projects. The company's revenues had increased over the years, but over the previous four years, revenues had declined, largely as a result of regional political turmoil that affected the construction industry. The management team .....more

In 2015, the director of the Lebanese non-governmental organization Arcenciel felt a surge of pride knowing that his organization's bottle caps project had created grassroots awareness of the importance of recycling. In recent years, Arcenciel had grown from an organization that supported people who were disabled and disenfranchised to become the largest recycler in the region. The organization had managed to create a synergy between its engagement .....more

Teach For Lebanon (TFL) was a non-profit organization (NFP) founded in response to the national problem of low quality public education. The case examines the sustainability challenges that TFL faced in a developing country, covering the financial, legal, and social dilemmas that NFPs struggled with. The case tracks TFL’s innovative solutions to enhance the organization’s financial sustainability and considers scaling-up and initiating a new business .....more

In early 2017, the chief executive officer of Empowerment through Integration, a not-for-profit organization based in the United States and also operating in Lebanon, wanted to scale up the organization’s social impacts and improve its financial sustainability. Empowerment through Integration was committed to breaking social stigmas against people with visual impairments and empowering them to reach their full potential; however, it faced financial, .....more

The Diet Center (DC) was Lebanon’s first nutritional company to offer food consultancy services and meal catering to the public. The company faced numerous challenges competing in an unstable local market. Despite her company’s growth in sales and product development, DC’s general manager was extremely frustrated with the operating results and the bottom line. In November 2014, she decided to consider migrating to an enterprise resource planning system .....more