Take a look at marketing-related case studies from the Fowler Center for Business as an Agent of World Benefit at Case Western Reserve University
Deja Shoe (A): Creating the Environmental Footwear Company
Company: Deja Shoe
Publisher: World Resources Institute
Call Number: N/A
Year Published: 1996
Deja Shoe’s founder and new management team wanted to develop a business strategy based on pro-environment principles that would enable the firm to out-compete established industry players Nike and Timberland.
What is the dilemma or tough decisions?
How does a small start up company create environmental footwear?
Website where case study can be found
https://acquia-prd.case.edu/fowler/sites/case.edu.fowler/files/2022-08/DEJA%20S…
Sustainability Amidst Uncertainty: Columbia Forest Products' Pursuit of Sustainability in a Changing Market
Company: Columbia Forest Products
Publisher: Oikos
Call Number: N/A
Year Published: 2022
From its humble beginnings as a small shuttered plywood mill, Columbia Forest Products has grown to be one of the largest players in the U.S. hardwood plywood products market. This case follows the company’s introduction of a new sustainable plywood product in an extremely competitive and economically challenging marketplace.
What is the dilemma or tough decisions?
Should Columbia go ahead with its sustainability theme? Will introduction of PureBond be a feasible option?
Website where case study can be found
https://oikos-international.org/publications/columbia-forest/
Cisco's Vision: A Smart+Connected World
Company: Cisco
Publisher: Ivey
Call Number: 9B13M116
Year Published: 2013
Having been called upon by global leaders to use its technology to address the global crises of climate change and poverty, Cisco opts to pursue sustainability for corporate social responsibility and as a driver of differentiation and competitive advantage. The case discussion explores how the company answered this call to action and how the resulting strategies have proven effective in protecting its competitive advantage in an increasingly hostile business environment. With the introduction of its new and ground-breaking technology, Cisco seeks to drive sustainability and future profits. The question becomes: will it work? The CEO ponders how he could use his company’s core business of information technology (IT) to drive global environmental and economic sustainability. Can he fulfill his dual responsibility of doing the right thing for his shareholders while, at the same time, doing the right thing for the world at large?
What is the dilemma or tough decisions?
How can solving global problems can create advantages for companies and become a source of innovation? Is Cisco is actually helping the world address issues such as climate change and poverty reduction or is it just trying to sell product? Will smart cities and ICT technologies deliver on their promise to both shareholders and stakeholders?
Website where case study can be found
https://www.iveypublishing.ca/s/product/ciscos-vision-a-smartconnected-world/01…
Burt's Bees: Leaving the hive
Company: Burt's Bees
Publisher: Harvard
Call Number: 9-507-017
Year Published: 2007
Rapid growth is pushing Burt's Bees' natural personal care products into mass distribution channels, with products and brand elements that are less quirky, more commercial than they used to be. Can Burt's Bees become the "Starbucks of personal care" without distancing itself too much from the people, values, and narratives that have made the brand successful thus far?
What is the dilemma or tough decisions?
Can Burt's Bees become the “Starbucks of personal care” without distancing itself too much from the people, values, and narratives that have made the brand successful thus far?
Website where case study can be found
http://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cb/web/product_detail.seam?E=31390&R=507017-PDF-ENG&…
Business Model Innovation by Better Place: A Green Ecosystem for the Mass Adoptions of Electric Cars
Company: Better Place
Publisher: Oikos
Call Number: N/A
Year Published: 2010
Shai Agassi started Better Place with the ambition of setting up an ecosystem – including a ‘smart grid’ of charging stations and battery swapping facilities – for electric vehicles. This ecosystem was expected to eliminate the barriers to the mass adoption of electric cars for personal transportation. This case discusses the innovative business model of Better Place, which proposed to offer transportation services to consumers through miles per month subscription plans, with the cost of the electric car being subsidized based on the tenure of the plan.
What is the dilemma or tough decisions?
How does Better Place make the electric car more relevant and viable?
Website where case study can be found
https://oikos-international.org/publications/business-model-innovation-by-bette…
Amanco: Developing the Sustainability Scorecard
Company: Amanco
Publisher: Harvard
Call Number: Harvard
Year Published: 2008
The case describes the challenges of using the Balanced Scorecard to implement a triple-bottom-line strategy for delivering excellent economic, environmental, and social performance. The owners and senior executive team of Amanco, a producer of plastic pipe and complete water treatment systems, want strong financial returns but are also deeply committed to improving the environment and making a difference in people's lives. Robert Salas, CEO, wants a management system that communicates and motivates Amanco's three high-level goals.
What is the dilemma or tough decisions?
How can Amanco develop and implement an effective measuring stick for its sustainability that will lead to effective managerial strategies?
Website where case study can be found
http://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cb/web/product_detail.seam?E=1596&R=107038-PDF-ENG&c…
Impact Makers
Company: Impact Makers
Publisher: Darden (UVA)
Call Number: UV1042
Year Published: 2009
Michael Pirron was a healthcare services consultant who had always dreamed of starting a "Nonprofit Competitive Business" with a social mission. In 2006, he launched Impact Makers, a new hybrid entity that crossed the nonprofit/for-profit lines. Impact Makers had several unique components: It would contribute strategic consulting, and all profits, to charitable community organizations; there was no stock and equity ownership; it had a volunteer board of directors and its financial information was open to the public. How would Impact Makers raise investment capital with its unique organizational structure? And how would the company survive?
What is the dilemma or tough decisions?
How would Impact Makers get more customers, revenue, business, etc.?
Website where case study can be found
http://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cb/web/product_detail.seam?E=1044154&R=UV1042-PDF-EN…