Carlsberg Breweries A/S, a global brewing leader based in Denmark, aimed to reduce the environmental impact of traditional draught beer systems, which contributed to carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions through the use of CO2 tanks and the transportation of heavy steel kegs. Carlsberg developed the DraughtMaster system, which replaced CO2 tanks with recyclable plastic kegs, reducing emissions but raising concerns about plastic waste. In late 2021, Carlsberg’s .....more

Chiara Ferragni, a globally recognized Italian influencer, faced a significant reputational crisis following the Pandoro Pink Christmas campaign. The campaign claimed to support a children’s hospital, but this claim was deemed misleading by the Italian Competition Authority. This decision led to substantial fines, public backlash, and the withdrawal of key commercial partnerships. The case explores Ferragni’s challenges as she navigated legal scrutiny, .....more

CZM Foundation Equipment (CZM) was a manufacturer of foundation drilling rigs founded in Brazil in 1976. The company set up a subsidiary in the USA in 2012, which was so successful that it turned into the headquarters. Twelve years later, CZM’s executives were considering expansion in Europe, which could provide CZM with opportunities to enhance the design and development of its machines, improve the efficiency of its global supply chain, and open .....more

This experiential exercise is designed to teach students how joint ventures can entail inherent tensions that resemble a real-world prisoner’s dilemma. In the context of a (hypothetical) international collaboration in the global bicycle industry, students are put in the position of the parent firms’ decision-makers and must decide between accessing the other’s knowledge versus wanting to acquire (i.e., own) it. Students are thereby incentivized to .....more

This disguised case set in April 2016, based on true events, describes an existential crisis faced by an English law firm operating in Italy. English law firms entered Italy in the 1990s through alliances with reputed Italian firms. The intention was to gain access to the lucrative Italian legal market. When they started operations, these firms aimed to achieve a leading position in the Italian market (top three strategy). Hence, their Italian operations .....more

A young paralegal joined the London, UK law firm Darby & Fox LLP in August 2020. The position was a one-year contract during the COVID-19 pandemic. The paralegal was subjected to employee discrimination and harassment, starting with a requirement to be in the office, unlike other workers, because she was a newly-hired contract-based employee. She endured overwork, job threats, and simultaneous work assignments from an associate partner, as well .....more

Luigi Lavazza SpA (Lavazza) was the largest coffee maker in Italy and the seventh-largest coffee roaster in the world. Despite its success in global markets, Lavazza was finding it difficult to make its mark in the United States. After establishing its North American subsidiary in 1989, Lavazza entered the US market in the 1990s with strategic partnerships with restaurants and hotels to cater to US consumers. But even as a strong global brand with .....more

In early 2018, Modena, Italy’s Pagani Automobili S.p.A (Pagani Automobili), a boutique designer and manufacturer of high-performance internal combustion engine powered supercars, was struggling to develop a response to the emergence of electric vehicle technology. This technology appeared to be interesting and potentially useful. It outperformed internal combustion technology in terms of speed and power. In 2018, relatively inexpensive electric cars .....more

In 2014, Guccio Gucci SpA (Gucci), a flagship brand of the Kering group, was struggling with its operating profit and human resources. By December 2014, the company had experienced three consecutive quarters of declining profits. In addition to the company’s financial issues, its president and chief executive officer (CEO) and its creative director had abruptly left the company. On January 15, 2015, a new CEO took over and faced several decisions. .....more

The chief operating officer at Cambridge Cooling Systems (CCS), based in Cambridge, Ontario, was helping his senior team prepare for two conference calls, with Italy and India, where CCS had foreign subsidiaries. At first glance, the chief issue with Italy seemed to be a lack of response from the managing director for Europe to detailed questions posed by project management for CCS. The issue with India seemed to be an inability to issue and stick .....more