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When it comes to performance metrics, one size definitely does not fit ail—the right metric applied at the wrong time can stunt corporate growth.

As Stack was finishing up this column, Merrill Lynch made the stunning announcement it will offer low‐priced, un‐brokered, on‐line trading by the end of the year (it had previously delivered limited on‐line access only to selected highest net worth clients).

An established company's primary performance measures may revolve around operational excellence: squeezing out ever‐greater volume, quality, and service at declining cost, say. New staircases [new product/ business line development efforts], by contrast, must create revenue where none yet exists. Profitability may be years away. Holding the leaders of a new staircase accountable for goals they cannot achieve is a sure way to kill the business, and misses the point: if a new staircase is growing well, it should be a net cash consumer. Its goal is not making a profit but meeting project milestones, and ultimately generating high revenue growth. By exempting such a staircase from standard performance measures and giving it a different target, managers can foster growth.

Against the backdrop of a competitive hiring market and historically high rates of quitting, the current research examines a factor that could support talent retention in organizations: employees’ feelings of connectedness to their top executives. The authors examined the relationship between workers’ feelings of executive connectedness and job attitudes relative to other antecedents and its predictive power for quitting over and above manager and team connectedness.

In Study 1, the authors measured the relative predictive power of executive connectedness, along with 14 other antecedents, for the outcome of job attitudes in ten samples totaling over 70,000 observations, including two longitudinal samples. In Study 2, the authors used path analysis to test the relationship between executive connectedness and actual quitting, controlling for workers’ feelings of connectedness to their manager and teammates, in two (related) longitudinal samples.

Executive connectedness was robustly related to concurrent and future job attitudes, and it outranked manager variables in all samples. Executive connectedness predicted quitting, even when controlling for manager and team connectedness; this effect was mediated by job attitudes in one of two samples.

Executive connectedness could be an underutilized resource for understanding and possibly improving employee attitudes and retention. Executives should not delegate all responsibility for employee attitudes and retention to managers.

This research is to the authors' knowledge the first to systematically test the unique predictive validity of employees’ feelings of connectedness to executives for important outcomes. The results suggest that executive connectedness may be an important factor in employees’ workplace experience.

A major barrier for growth of large multi-business unit firms is the inability to resource the critical initiatives to win—both in terms of dollars and people. The underpinning of the challenge involves the conflict between resourcing current cash-generating legacy businesses vs. new initiatives which may not, in the short term, produce positive financial results. Most companies do not have a formal portfolio process to deal with this fundamental issue. Danaka is a fictional company based on real business experiences. The company has strong growth markets as well as markets that are commoditizing. Unfortunately, the latter represent a sizable portion of the company's business. A framework is given that establishes a matrix to analyze the Danaka businesses using their critical financial criteria—cash generation and top-line growth. Projects are divided into four categories based on how they fit into the matrix, and resource allocations are then analyzed. Students discover that the current allocation does not enable Danaka to meet its aggressive growth goals. The case incorporates an interactive spreadsheet model in which students can dynamically change the various resource allocations and see the impact on future top-line growth. The essence of the case is how to manage the resource allocation for a multi-business unit firm when present allocations will not meet future growth goals.

The key learning of this case is that when business leaders set financial goals, they must understand how they are expending their resources. More often than not, significant changes must occur that could be wrenching to the organization. The key learning objectives are: (1) realize the importance of performing a portfolio analysis; (2) discuss the issues involved in making the changes; and (3) understand how to put the decision process in place.

The case study will provide an opportunity for students to identify the challenges a business-to-business (B2B) organization in a commodity product category faces in a growing environment. The students will learn to analyze and evaluate different strategies for growth and profitability. The students will be equipped to make decisions based on financial and nonfinancial data and the trade-offs therein. The case study will enable students to understand the application of the concept of operating leverage in different business conditions.

The leadership team at Mangalam Organics Limited (MOL) was worried about the company’s future in December 2021. The chief strategy officer (CSO), Akshay Dujodwala; the chairman, Kamal Dujodwala and the managing director, Pankaj Dujodwala had watched MOL go through many ups and downs. MOL manufactured camphor powder and supplied it to tableters [1], who would convert it into tablets, essentially used for Puja [2] purposes in India. Camphor was a white, waxy terpenoid with a strong aroma. It was mainly a commodity business with no pricing power when MOL supplied it in bulk to tableters. They had ventured into the business-to-customer (B2C) [3] space with their consumer brand “Mangalam” camphor tablets, positioned for religious uses in homes. However, this formed a very small percentage of their turnover. With thin margins and a low growth rate, it was difficult for MOL to sustain and grow, especially in the B2B [4] business. To make matters worse, their manufacturing unit caught fire in 2015, causing a major blow to their business. Under the leadership of their CSO, Akshay, they implemented strategies that helped the company bring down costs and wastage. Akshay helped MOL diversify further into the B2C market through their brands, “CamPure” for home care products and “Cam+” for health-care products. Huge expenditures on marketing and advertising were incurred to promote these brands. The COVID-19 pandemic watched the world go through a terrible phase with lockdown and rising health issues (both physical and mental). Camphor found an interesting place in immunity and religious purposes due to its aromatherapy properties and evoking feelings of relaxation. The newfound use helped MOL achieve an unexpectedly higher turnover. But Akshay knew that camphor, by itself, was fickle in providing profitability. To sustain growth post-COVID-19, MOL would urgently need to look for growth options. After giving it a lot of thought, he was faced with three options – he could either focus on CamPure as a B2C option, or concentrate completely on camphor powder and aroma as an existing B2B option or take the third option to go in for a first of its kind exclusive stores for all types of puja items called Pooja Sangam. While all these options had their own pros and cons, he had to now decide which was the best financially viable option for MOL as a way forward.

The case study is designed at the postgraduate level in an Master of Business Administration and executive education programs. Given the nature of the issues in the case study, it can be included in courses such as business strategy and strategic marketing.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 8: Marketing.

Chris Morrison and two partners introduced the first Fairtrade bananas in New Zealand in a bid to improve the social and environmental impacts of banana consumption. The trio started All Good Bananas in 2010. Using social media as a key marketing tool, the startup had grown to take a 5 percent market share in a fiercely competitive industry dominated by big players. In 2012, the entrepreneurs needed to decide the best way to increase sales of ethically sourced products under the All Good brand. Should they expand their share of the banana market or diversify into drinks?

The case is primarily based on tape-recorded interviews by the authors with the founding entrepreneur and three employees of All Good from May to July 2012 and an analysis of the company’s website and social media activities. Other publicly available information sources were drawn upon, and a discussion held with a New Zealand national grocery chain CEO.

This case has been written for use in classes in undergraduate and graduate level entrepreneurship, strategic management and sustainability. The case can be used to illustrate how very small resource-constrained startups can compete in an industry dominated by large multinational corporations, and how Fairtrade might provide a worthy differentiation focus. It is open to a consideration of judo economics. While several of the questions ask students to consider the New Zealand context in which this case is set, knowledge of New Zealand and the various industries beyond what is offered in the case is not necessary.

At a broad level the case illustrates how a small, resource-constrained startup can compete against much, much larger players through a niche Fairtrade product focus and the use of alternative marketing strategies such as guerrilla marketing and social media. In relation to the competitive dynamics within an industry, this case can be used to illustrate the concept of judo economics (also referred to as judo strategy). Both the utility and potential limits of judo economics can be demonstrated through the case by considering current activities and potential future dynamics.

The chapter discussed the comprehensive integration of whole life cycle (WLC) principles in construction, mainly focusing on its application in stealth construction. It outlined the challenges of implementing WLC practices, emphasising the need for proactive planning and meticulous execution. The study highlighted key aspects of the WLC in stealth construction, including considerations for building design, energy transmission, visibility management, and security countermeasures. Additionally, it underscores the importance of addressing environmental protection, health and safety, project delivery duration, economy, and aesthetics throughout the construction process to ensure the development of resilient, sustainable, and visually appealing structures that meet the needs of present and future generations.

Sustainable development goal 2 (SDG2) is about creating a world free of hunger by 2030. Southern Africa faces a myriad of challenges affecting food and nutrition security, from population expansion, old and emerging pandemics, increased frequency of climate-induced natural disasters, ageing infrastructure, and challenging service delivery. The increased shocks and hazards and inadequate social safety nets have changed the dimensions of food and nutrition insecurity, giving rise to new roles for higher and tertiary education. Higher education (HE) institutions are expected to play a more active role in capacity building and producing goods and services that can contribute to the achievement of SDG2. This chapter assesses the role of HE towards the attainment of SDG2 which seeks to eliminate hunger and all forms of malnutrition. The chapter will highlight an insect-based value chain project as an example of HE contribution to reducing food insecurity. Through the case study, the chapter will explore the role of HE in community engagement, human capital development, and conducting research that informs policy and programming decisions. Furthermore, the chapter explores the role of North–South Collaborative research, interdisciplinary collaborations, and innovation hubs in developing innovations that can transform food systems and help build resilience in the face of the increasing climate and health shocks. Within these spaces, the contribution of HE to the achievement of food and nutrition security in Africa can be realised, and this approach replicated in other African institutions seeking to engage in such work.