Abstract

This case deals with a Chinese startup, Testin, forging partnerships with multiple large multinational corporations (“MNCs” in short, e.g., Microsoft, IBM, ARM, Intel). In order to help developers economize the time spent on quality assurance (QA), Testin was founded by Jun Wang with six of his former colleagues working at Pica Corporation in June 2011. In the past years, Testin had served over 800,000 app developers by conducting more than 150 million quality and security tests on over 2.5 million mobile apps through its automated Cloud Testin (云测) service supported by its testing labs and its Crowd Testin service for solving further problems by part-time qualified testers. It had received several rounds of financing totaling over USD 80 million. Many Chinese Internet companies tried to acquire Testin, and a well-known multinational company asked Testin to sign an exclusive service contract. Wang and his partners resisted such offers and were determined that Testin should maintain neutrality. Thinking about the five-year old enterprise, Wang wondered how to ensure Testin could “stay hungry and stay foolish”. A striking feature of these relationships discussed in this case is that the venture is based in an emerging market context (China) whereas several of the key large corporate partners are headquartered in advanced markets. Thus the partnerships being forged are arguably between non-traditional allies.

Keyword

New Startup ;  multinational corporations (MNCs) ;  partnership ;  Technology-Based Entrepreneurship ;  Emerging/Developing Market ;  China

Abstract

In the 2000s, disadvantages in the traditional proactive sales model used by China's fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) market began to appear. These disadvantages stemmed from the rise of both labor and logistics costs. Brand owners are suffering from over-extended distribution hierarchies and the high cost and inefficiency of distribution personnel. In addition, distributors' capital chains face significant pressure stemming from the high costs of warehousing and logistics. For retailers, insufficient supply and a limited variety of products are major issues. Launched in 2015, Jinhuobao is a business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce sales platform that specializes in serving small and midsize convenience store owners. Jinhuobao has launched a series of products to address each of the issues that the FMCG market is currently facing: (a) Jinhuotuan, a product that solves the human resource problem by using crowdsourcing and the Witkey model to help brand owners recruit part-time sales teams, thereby reducing channel costs; (b) Jinhuobao, a product that solves the goods problem by using the B2B e-commerce platform model to reduce intermediate distribution links and help terminal retailers purchase goods from more brands at more affordable prices; and (c) Jindou Cloud Warehouse, a product that solves the warehousing problem by using time-share leases, shared warehousing, and three-dimensional management to help distributors cut supply chain costs through an integrated storage and distribution system. Having accumulated a significant amount of big data and warehouse management capacity after two years of development, Jinhuobao began to target a new pain point in the FMCG market — financing difficulties faced by distributors due to their lack of credit — and ventured into the field of supply chain financial services. Jinhuobao works with new retail, a market that many big players have begun pouring into over the past two years (2015, 2016): new entrants include Internet giants such as JD.com and Alibaba. Moving forward, how can Jinhuobao work to develop better supply chain financial products? What capabilities does it still lack? How should Jinhuobao set itself apart from its competitors?

Keyword

Platform ;  Fast moving consumer goods ;  New Retail ;  Supply Chain Finance ;  B2B e-commerce

Abstract

The primary purpose of this case is to teach and/or integrate key strategic planning frameworks used during the strategic management process, including those used in external analysis (i.e., industry, suppliers, customers, and competitors) and internal analysis (i.e., resources, capabilities, and firm value chain). It also introduces a framework for strategy formulation at the business-level (i.e., cost-leadership, differentiation, and focused strategies). This case is applied for teaching strategic planning and business-level strategy formulation. It is particularly useful to illustrate strategic planning in the Chinese context. The case introduces the formation of Branded Lifestyle Holdings Ltd. (Braded Lifestyle), an Asian apparel retail company that emerged from Fung Retailing Limited’s acquisition of Hong Kong–listed Hang Ten Group. With five apparel brands (i.e., Hang Ten, H:Connect, Arnold Palmer, LEO, and Roots), Branded Lifestyle had been profitable in most of its markets in Asia (e.g., Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Malaysia, and Singapore). However, it had struggled in China, reporting annual loses until its acquisition in 2011. Ramanathan Dilip Shivkumar (Dilip) was appointed as the new Managing Director of Global Brands of Branded Lifestyle in 2014. Looking at the evolving apparel industry in China and reviewing the company’s weak performance over the past years, Dilip needed to develop a strategic plan to turnaround the company’s operations and build a strong and sustainable business in the Chinese market.

Keyword

Strategic Planning ;  internal analysis ;  external analysis ;  turnaround ;  Strategy Transformation ;  business-level strategy

Abstract

With the development of Shenzhen mobile phone industry and its foreign trade, more and more supply chain management service companies provide small and medium-sized mobile phone designers (which refer to “project managers” in this case) with supply chain financial services as their core integrated supply chain management services. This case research is based on the Shenzhen SJET supply chain co., LTD. (hereinafter referred to SJET), which is the most outstanding supply chain management service company in Shenzhen. Two associated cases are explored in this study. In the first case, we explore the original intention, the whole picture and the operation logic of SJET’s business model innovation, and analyze how SJET can help the small and medium-sized enterprises to reduce the transaction cost and improve the response speed through the supply chain integration, thus ultimately improving their competitiveness. In the second case, we provide a deeper, systematic exposition of how SJET is able to realize the integration of processes and systems and facilitate the multiple supply chain party coordination, thus ultimately making its innovative business model a big success. In this paper, we attempt to develop an essential understanding of how SJET makes its supply chain financial services and its ecosystem (business model) a big success.

Keyword

Supply Chain Integration ;  Supply Chain Finance ;  Risk Management ;  Information Technology（IT）

Abstract

This case describes the process of entering the Chinese market undertaken by Zotter Chocolate, an Austrian chocolate producer. There are several things that make this company stand out: it is a small, family-run entrepreneurial firm from Austria which makes a wide range of unconventional flavours of chocolate. It prides itself on being organic and fair trade, and has attracted a number of loyal customers and visitors to its “chocolate factory” in its headquarters located in Bergl, Austria. After successfully entering the German market, an “obvious” target for a firm from Austria, the founder, Josef Zotter, and his family considered where to go next in 2010. After comparing the US and Chinese chocolate markets, Zotter Chocolate selected China as its first major non-European market. The case introduces how Zotter sought out a local partner in Shanghai, and decided to enter the market with an “experience” offering in its first chocolate factory outside its home market, overseen by the founder's daughter Julia. Their innovations and learning process are also presented in this case. The case ends with Julia's key concerns about Zotter China's next step when she had to leave China for the headquarters of Zotter Chocolate in Austria in August 2017.

Keyword

Market Access ;  China Market ;  Innovation ;  Globalization ;  Family Business ;  International Entrepreneurship

Abstract

中国快消品传统的积极销售模式随着人工、物流仓储成本的攀升，诸多弊端开始出现，对品牌商而言，分销层级过多，铺货人力成本大，效率低下；对分销商而言，库存、物流成本大，资金链压力大；对终端零售店而言，货源不足，商品种类有限。进货宝是一个专门服务于中小便利店主的快消品B2B电商采购平台，针对上述痛点，进货宝分别推出了解决人力问题的进货团——用众包、威客模式帮助品牌商招募兼职销售团队，降低渠道成本；解决货的问题的进货宝——用B2B电商平台模式，减少中间分销环节，帮助终端零售店批发更多品牌、更物美价廉的货物；解决仓的问题的筋斗云仓——用分时租赁、共享仓储和立体化管理等方式帮助经销商统仓统配，降低供应链成本。经过2年多的发展，进货宝积累了海量大数据和仓储管理能力，开始瞄准快消品行业新的痛点——经销商缺乏资信记录，贷款难的问题，尝试进入供应链金融服务领域。进货宝的模式是当今最为火热的新零售模式，近两年大量参与者涌入，不乏京东、阿里巴巴等巨型互联网公司，进货宝下一步应该如何开发更完善的供应链金融产品？当前还欠缺哪些能力？如何和其他竞争对手竞争呢？

Keyword

平台 ;  快消品 ;  新零售 ;  供应链金融 ;  B2B电商

Abstract

本案例讲述了广西柳工机械股份有限公司在跨国并购之后的整合过程中面临一系列挑战的故事。柳工是一家从事工程机械研发、生产、销售的大型国企，并且被认为是国际化程度最高的中国企业之一，是中国工程机械行业的出海样本。本案例为系列案例，分为（A）和（B）两个部分。案例（A）介绍了柳工实施全球化战略的背景，以及收购波兰国企HSW旗下民用工程机械事业部及其全资子公司锐斯塔的过程，并着重叙述了2013年柳工人力资源总监吴荫登临危受命，出任柳工波兰公司总经理，带着总部的使命前往波兰完成进一步整合的故事。在波兰国企HSW被柳工收购之后，其原来的下属公司锐斯塔还像过去一样独立运作，但是业绩一直不佳，并且还与柳工波兰之间存在许多相互重叠的职能。吴荫登遇到的一项巨大挑战是，要不要把锐斯塔合并到柳工波兰中来。而案例（B）讲述了吴荫登带领公司团队把锐斯塔合并到柳工波兰，并克服了重重阻力，完成了组织结构的重组工作。然而，紧接着吴荫登又面临一个新的棘手问题：如何处理原锐斯塔公司总裁的去留问题。

Keyword

跨国并购 ;  整合 ;  文化融合 ;  组织结构重组 ;  人才管理

Abstract

本案例以李瑞琴带领全家共同创业为背景，阐述了仪尔乡都“一代种葡萄，二代酿好酒，三代做品牌”的传承故事，旨在讨论家族企业中创业精神和控制权的传承问题，以及仪尔乡都的未来发展问题。1998年，李瑞琴带领全家人在茫茫戈壁滩上开荒种葡萄，2002年成立乡都，带领企业从种葡萄，转向酿制葡萄酒，再升级向葡萄深加工产业链布局。2016年6月，65岁的李瑞琴在公司高层的会议上提出了企业面临的几个挑战：面对未来，当李瑞琴退居幕后，企业能否走得更好、更远？“做世界级的葡萄酒品牌”的梦想何时能够成真？是否应该完成丈夫的遗愿，让企业上市呢？

Keyword

家族企业 ;  创业者精神 ;  传承 ;  企业转型 ;  创业者特质 ;  创业导向

Abstract

1999年，伴随着语音识别浪潮，科大讯飞从语音合成技术提供商起家。经过近10年的探索和发展，2008年，科大讯飞成为中国智能语音市场的领头羊并在A股成功上市。伴随底层算法的变革和移动互联网的发展，2010年，科大讯飞推出讯飞语音云，转型做语音生态平台并获得新的发展，其市值也超过了400亿元人民币。近年来，人工智能快速兴起，科大讯飞推出了“讯飞超脑”计划，开始了二次创业的征途。在新的机遇面前，科大讯飞将面临哪些挑战？又该如何进一步创新呢？

Keyword

人工智能 ;  技术创新 ;  平台 ;  创业 ;  转型 ;  智能语音

Abstract

本案例以一家老字号的国营餐饮酒店为背景，描述了在酒店营收不断增长的背后，集团总裁对于该酒店总经理的领导方式和人力资源问题的担忧。本案例通过五件事体现了酒店林经理的管理风格。这几件事分别反映了林经理在遇到桌布、健身房主管迟到和保安部门工作态度等问题的高压手段，也反映了林经理如何亲力亲为促进销售和企业新产品推出。通过本案例的讨论，学生能够描绘不同的领导风格、讨论领导风格背后的动机因素。案例也为课堂提供了一个有关领导风格及其适用环境的讨论空间。

Keyword

权利 ;  工作积极性 ;  绩效管理 ;  领导力