Take a look at strategy-related case studies from the Fowler Center for Business as an Agent of World Benefit at Case Western Reserve University.
Fairmount Minerals
Company: Fairmount Minerals
Publisher: Ivey
Call Number: 9B11M059
Year Published: 2011
Fairmount Minerals, a producer of industrial sand, is an excellent example of a company that adopted a holistic approach to sustainable development. In 2005, CEO and sustainability champion, Chuck Fowler challenged the mining industry’s undesirable reputation by bringing together both shareholders and stakeholders around the three broad themes of people, planet and prosperity. Innovative practices were then embedded into every step along the value chain, from mine acquisition to end product to land restoration. Doing so did not only bring great benefit to the people and to the planet, but it also brought with it a competitive advantage to the company itself.
What is the dilemma or tough decisions?
How can a company maintain its competitive advantage and personal growth as well as continue to meet to stakeholders’ needs while upholding its mission of best standards and collaborative efforts with other companies in the field?
Website where case study can be found
https://www.iveypublishing.ca/s/product/fairmount-minerals/01t5c00000CwhXTAAZ
Ecovative Design LLC: A Biological Materials Startup
Company: Ecovative Design LLC
Publisher: Ivey
Call Number: 9B13M125
Year Published: 2013
Ecovative Designs (Ecovative), a start-up company in upstate New York, uses an innovative process to combine agricultural waste and mycelium (mushroom “roots”) to grow forms for use in a wide variety of applications, especially a protective packaging material. Not only does this new product replace the need for the environmentally harmful alternative, extruded polystyrene, but the production process is less energy intensive. It exemplifies the cradle-to-cradle design indicative of a sustainably embedded product and attractive to companies looking to reduce their carbon footprint. In 2013, the partners are considering whether to sign a contract with Sealed Air, one of the largest distributors of packaging materials in the world, but the deal would mean relinquishing control over the only profitable segment of their company. They are considering alternative growth strategies to find the one that fits best with their goal: to have the largest impact on the planet while remaining profitable.
What is the dilemma or tough decisions?
How can a start-up’s radical sustainability innovation be scaled up (and with who) to meet both the founders’ needs for financial viability and to achieve significant environmental impact?
Website where case study can be found
https://www.iveypublishing.ca/s/product/ecovative-design-llc-a-biological-mater…
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/
Clarke: Transformation for Environmental Sustainability
Company: Clarke
Publisher: Ivey
Call Number: 9B12C012
Year Published: 2012
Clarke, a pesticide-selling company, has a core business that is environmentally harmful by its very nature. Its journey to sustainability faced unique challenges even when innovation led to new green products, processes, technologies and business models. As such, its leadership had to cope with the overwhelming task of engaging both its employees and customers in the idea that sustainability can be effective and profitable.
What is the dilemma or tough decisions?
How does a company overcome the challenges involved in acquiring the necessary buy-in from employees and customers who are skeptical about environmental sustainability as a potential driver of business strategy?
Website where case study can be found
https://www.iveypublishing.ca/s/product/clarke-transformation-for-environmental…
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…
Mobility Innovation for a Better Place (A)
Company: Better Place
Publisher: INSEAD
Call Number: 809-040-1
Year Published: 2009
In 2007, Shai Agassi raised $200 million to launch Better Place. By deploying a network of charge spots, switch stations and systems that optimised the use of electric vehicles, the company had the potential to become a major player in the transport industry. To succeed, however, it had to overcome major implementation challenges, among them the need to achieve a minimum level of standardisation for the interface between vehicles and the recharging grid, and the continuous need to finance its market expansion. The case allows students to explore: (1) how an innovative business model has the potential to create new market space and reduce environmental impacts; (2) the emergence of cross-industry reconfigurations for a low-carbon economy; and (3) the commercial risks of sustainability-driven business in the realm of transportation.
What is the dilemma or tough decisions?
the commercial risks of sustainability-driven business in the realm of transportation.
Website where case study can be found
https://publishing.insead.edu/case/mobility-innovation-a-better-place
Applied Sustainability LLC: Making a Business Case for By-Product Synergy
Company: Applied Sustainability LLC
Publisher: Stanford
Call Number: E-118
Year Published: 2006
Environmental entrepreneur Andrew Mangan promoted by-product synergy (BPS) programs as a means to achieve sustainable development goals. BPS is a process that helps companies discover new ways to convert their wastes into saleable commodities. Mangan's goals were twofold: to promote wider adoption of BPS programs and to create a business out of helping companies adopt such programs.
What is the dilemma or tough decisions?
Is it a good time for Mangan to reinvest in Applied Sustainability?
Website where case study can be found
https://hbsp.harvard.edu/product/E118-PDF-ENG?E=65262&R=E118-PDF-ENG&conversati…
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…