Contrary to the typical practice of cutting operating expenses by compromising on employees’ benefits, the chairman of Zentaku Kogyo Company Ltd. (Zentaku), David Wu Chongrang, aimed to improve the standard of living of his staff by steadily raising their salaries and benefits. In fact, the key performance indicator David had set for himself was to raise his employees’ salaries regularly to a preset target benchmark. Contrary to conventional approaches, .....more

Contrary to the typical practice of cutting operating expenses by compromising on employees’ benefits, the chairman of Zentaku Kogyo Company Ltd. (Zentaku), David Wu Chongrang, aimed to improve the standard of living of his staff by steadily raising their salaries and benefits. In fact, the key performance indicator David had set for himself was to raise his employees’ salaries regularly to a preset target benchmark. Contrary to conventional approaches, .....more

In May 2022, the founder and chief executive officer of Just Kitchen Holdings Corporation (Just Kitchen), a Canada-based and publicly listed operator of ghost kitchens in Taiwan, met with the company’s management team to deliberate on the company’s plan to expand into new markets, specifically, the Philippines. Their optimism for the Philippine market stemmed from the country’s growing online food delivery industry, favourable demographics, and supportive .....more

In April 2022, the founder and chief executive officer of Just Kitchen Holdings Corporation (Just Kitchen)—a Canada-based and publicly listed operator of ghost kitchens in Taiwan—was sitting with part of his team to discuss the marketing plans for the year. The company reported revenues of CA$4.6 million for the second quarter of 2022. In the second quarter 2022, total revenues increased by 127 per cent and retail order volume grew by 151 per cent. .....more

In the quarter ending March 2022, Apple Inc. (Apple)’s share in the Chinese smartphone market fell to 17.9 per cent from 21.7 per cent in the previous quarter. Business analysts attributed the falling share to weak consumer sentiments; a lack of innovations; and major supply-side headwinds, including frequent COVID-related lockdowns in China, power shortages, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and the trade and technology war between the United States .....more

Until 2022, Peloton Interactive, Inc. had been focussed on keeping up with unprecedented demand. However, by early 2022, the company’s fortunes had turned. Despite layoffs, cuts to capital spending, and price reductions, more dramatic changes were required. The company appointed a new chief executive officer in February 2022, who wrote a letter to shareholders three months later outlining the steps taken to stabilize cash flow, get the right people .....more

On May 24, 2021, Peloton Interactive, Inc. (Peloton) announced its intention to build a new US factory to produce its stationary bicycles and treadmills. The new factory, which would be located in Ohio, was an addition to the company’s investments in its manufacturing facility in Taiwan and its purchase of fitness equipment manufacturer Precor Incorporated. In deciding to invest in its own production facilities to supply exercise equipment, Peloton .....more

A dramatic dispute between two partners was about to push their long-time, successful international alliance to the verge of collapse. FamilyMart Co. Ltd. (FamilyMart) Japan and Taipei-based Ting Hsin International Group (Ting Hsin) had collaborated through a brand licensing arrangement to develop and operate FamilyMart convenience stores in mainland China for nearly 20 years. With FamilyMart stores topping the ranking of foreign convenience store .....more

This supplement to Hopax (A), product number 9B10M004, recounts the events that followed until 2008 and explains how the company applied principles of judo strategy to become the second largest supplier of repositionable notes in the world.

Students were provided with the financial data for 10 major companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2019. They were also given a list of 10 major industries. As an exercise, students were then asked to identify which company operated within which industry. The exercise would test the students' understanding of how a company’s financial data can be specific to a particular industry. Using only financial figures, could the student identify .....more