In February 2021, following Myanmar’s military coup, Total SE (Total)'s chief executive officer faced a critical decision regarding the company’s long-standing operations in the country. The Yadana gas project, providing 50 per cent of Bangkok’s electricity needs and representing a profitable venture for Total (renamed TotalEnergies in 2022), suddenly became an ethical dilemma as military rule returned to Myanmar. The coup overthrew the democratically .....more

Since its founding in 1996, the Research Center for Alpine Ecosystems (CREA Mont-Blanc), based in Chamonix, France, had been a beacon of scientific research and advocacy for alpine ecosystems, blending passion and rigorous science. In July 2024, CREA Mont-Blanc faced a critical challenge: how to sustain and expand its mission in an era of growing ecological threats and limited resources. Funding was a constant concern, with the majority coming from .....more

Supplemental product to support product W34857.

LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE (LVMH), formed in 1987 through the merger of Louis Vuitton and Moet Hennessy, established itself as a global leader in luxury goods. However, the proliferation of counterfeit products in both the primary and resale markets posed a significant threat to the brand’s integrity. These counterfeit goods undermined consumer trust and eroded the exclusivity that defined luxury brands. Blockchain technology, with its ability .....more

The founder and CEO of a medium-scale European business dealing in hemp, a low-carbon-footprint textile fibre, was examining ways to restructure and rejuvenate the business in light of growth opportunities provided by local and global environmental regulations. Having successfully built and leveraged the firm’s upstream capabilities, the founder CEO was at a crossroads in late 2024 in building and leveraging its downstream capabilities, even as the .....more

<div style="font-size: 0.95em; line-height: 1.4;"><p align="justify">Robertet Group was established in 1850 and headquartered in Grasse, France, the world’s perfume capital, specializing in crafting premium natural ingredients for flavours and fragrances. By early 2022, Robertet Group was facing a unique strategic and survival threat from intensifying competition between the industry’s leading Swiss company, Givaudan, .....more

Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. had been, up until 2024, growing at an accelerated pace while achieving industry-leading profit margins and related cash flow in the fuel convenience store industry globally. Its growth had been fuelled by acquisition, which in its case meant paying a premium to purchase large groups of stations in current and new markets, primarily in Europe, the United States, and Canada—a global success story. However, the company's .....more

Cofounders of the Berlin-based startup Bone Brox developed a traditional bone broth made from organic, pasture-fed cattle and free-range chickens. Although they had a polarizing product, the founders tapped into the health and awareness trend and managed to gain market attention and secure government funding. The startup defined itself with a flat hierarchy, open communication, and shared decision-making. However, the company faced challenges, such .....more

Susan DeLuca, the chief executive officer of Eurostar Pictures (Eurostar), was under pressure from her board to define a new direct-to-consumer strategy for the company’s video properties. Complicating this decision was the uncertain state of the streaming video on demand (SVOD) industry in 2023. DeLuca charged her team to consider two questions: (1) What was the future of the video streaming business, including new services (potentially spearheaded .....more

In July 2022, upon his return from vacation, Lamar Gilbert, the head of the French subsidiary of successful Swedish unicorn Virtual AB (Virtual), found himself abruptly grappling with an unsettling reality. Leo Svennson, his closest direct report, had been accused of sexually harassing two female colleagues. As he pursued an investigation into the allegations, Gilbert also realized Svennson had blatantly disparaged his authority behind his back. The .....more