By December 2024, a key product manager at Gestrava Technology Corporation, a leading US-based technology company, had developed a reputation for delivering high-impact results on complex initiatives, often going beyond his core responsibilities. The company’s performance management process included a stacked ranking system, which required managers to distribute employee ratings across predetermined bands. The highest rating of “5—Exceptional” was .....more

In 2015, a Vietnamese entrepreneur formulated a business idea to create a digital window into children’s classrooms that would not only inform parents but also engage and reassure them throughout the day. By late 2016, KidsOnline One Member Company Limited (KidsOnline) had been launched and the company had created an app. However, the founder and her team still had many critical strategic questions to answer: How could KidsOnline go about adapting .....more

Huy Vu, CEO of TEKCOM Corp. (TEKCOM), faced a critical decision regarding the future of the company’s kitchen cabinet business. TEKCOM, a leading plywood manufacturer in Vietnam, had diversified into the kitchen cabinet industry and targeted the US market amid disruption from the COVID-19 pandemic. The case provided insights into TEKCOM’s plywood and kitchen cabinets operations, highlighting growth challenges, market uncertainties, and operational .....more

On December 1, 2022, Apple Inc.’s chief executive officer Tim Cook was facing a hearing in U.S. Congress and media scrutiny about Apple’s involvement in China. For years, Apple had manufactured many of its products in China, and Cook faced questions about his views regarding protests and human rights in China, Apple’s role in it, and its relationship with the Chinese Communist Party. Significant shifts were taking place in U.S.–China trade relations, .....more

Founded in 2018 in Hanoi, Vietnam, Selex Motors emerged with a vision to propel Vietnam toward sustainable development through electric motorbikes and renewable energy. The company’s founder and co-founders aimed to overcome the challenges of electric vehicle (EV) ownership—mainly charging inconvenience and high costs—by introducing an innovative ecosystem comprising electric motorbikes, compatible battery packs, battery swapping stations, and an .....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

NutriNest, founded by Le Danh Hoang, was the first company to introduce farmed bird's nest products in Vietnam. In January 2018, the company launched a sustainable product line under a new brand called the Green Bird. The Green Bird product line was positioned to meet consumers’ sustainability and health concerns, and quickly became the company’s best-selling products. To continue to grow NutriNest, Hoang was facing a crucial decision. Should .....more

In 2021, SunSource Energy was evaluating its growth strategy options. An entrepreneurial venture in the renewable energy sector, it was about to receive a second round of large funding. SunSource Energy had to decide whether it should exploit its expertise in India and other known locales, or whether it should explore new possibilities. It needed to apply organizational ambidexterity and a fresh approach to design thinking, especially during uncertain .....more

In May 2019, a Vietnam-based entrepreneur was wondering which strategy would work best to sell nipa honey, the first product launched by his nipa palm products company, Viet Nam Nipa Development Company Limited (Viet Nipa). The product was launched in February 2019 and the entrepreneur had been selling the nipa honey at trade fairs, through partnerships with three popular resorts in his home district, and on a sales platform on Viet Nipa’s Facebook .....more

Ethos - Spirit of the Community (Ethos), a sustainable tourism company in Sa Pa, Vietnam, existed to support a wide variety of environmental and social initiatives that benefited members of local, ethnic minority groups. In early 2019, the organization’s founders were working with 22 female tour guides and 260 ethnic minority host families to offer sustainable and socially responsible treks in the region. However, their ability to continue was in .....more