Yamato Transport: Replicating Japanese Success in Singapore by Mr Abhishek Aggarwal (MBA graduated student), Mr Rohit Kadam (MBA student) and Assoc Prof Lawrence Loh

Publication Date: 09/05/2013

Yamato Transport, Japan’s leading parcel delivery company, experienced internationalization and geographical diversification issues. When it launched its operations in Singapore in 2010 with a view to further branching out into Southeast Asia, the company faced challenges owing to different cultural and social landscapes, difficulties penetrating a small and saturated market, and problems hiring manpower aligned with the company’s business model. The key success factors for Yamato Transport in Japan and their applicability in Singapore are analyzed. What will it take for Yamato Transport to succeed in Singapore when pitted against the mighty SingPost?

Healthway Medical by Mr Noel Yeo (participant, Asia-Pacific EMBA Intake 21) and Assoc Prof Singfat Chu

Publication Date: 09/04/2013

A small publicly listed company is entertaining the idea of adding nursing home management to its medical value chain, which is currently focused on consultation. Management must rely on simulation in order to determine the feasibility of operating a nursing home according to admissions protocol and subsidies granted by a governmental agency.

EU Holidays by Mr Yew Hoong Wong (participant, Asia-Pacific EMBA Intake 21) and Assoc Prof Singfat Chu

Publication Date: 18/03/2013

An up-and-coming travel agency faces the dilemma of offering maximum customer satisfaction while keeping its operating cost (e.g., fees for its tour guides) low. This case requires the development of an optimization template, which will advise management on the optimal assignment of tour leaders (within constraints of their availability and required rest periods) and generate maximum satisfaction among the customers.

Goran Kapicic at Actavis China by Mr Joo Yong Lowe

Publication Date: 22/02/2013

The managing director of a multinational company turns a loss-making business into a profit-making venture by using his unique brand of leadership to change the organizational culture and develop a responsible proactive attitude in his employees. Throughout this process, many difficult personnel decisions must be made, including the decision to remove some senior employees who resist the necessary changes. Once under the new leadership team, recruitment and talent development become essential to the future growth of the company. The managing director wonders how to manage this challenge.

Food for Thought: The 2008 China Milk Scandal by Assoc Prof Vivien K.G. Lim, Ms Rashimah Rajah (PhD student) and Ms Smrithi Prasad (MSc graduated student) 

Publication Date: 08/02/2013

In 2008, a scandal in China involving milk products tainted with melamine (a chemical used in plastic production) brought regional and global attention to the country. More than 290,000 infants were affected and several died. At a time when international trade was important for China’s economic development, the tainted milk scandal raised concerns about the safety of products and food made in China. The case illustrates how the pressure of rapid economic development resulted in measures to cut costs at the expense of consumer safety and health, bringing into question the ethics underlying business practices in the country. The lack of quality control and corporate governance processes on the part of the company and government facilitated the ease with which the milk was tampered. The case also documents remedial efforts that followed the scandal, including recall of the tainted milk products, putting new government policies and regulations in place, arrest of top executives and the companies’ public apology in the unique form of a New Year text message.

Shanghai Baolong Automotive Corporation by Assoc Prof Brian Hwarng and Mr Xuchuan Yuan (PhD student) 

Publication Date: 25/10/2012

The president of a Chinese auto parts manufacturer is facing a crisis. For nearly 10 years the company’s production lines have not been able to keep up with the orders. Deliveries are due, but the in-house stock is in short supply despite the production lines operating under extended hours. Quality issues have resulted in recent recalls in the United States, making the company’s prospects worrisome. Faced with worsening international trade conditions and mounting problems, the chair and president decide to expedite the initiative of transforming their company into a lean manufacturer based on the Toyota Production System. However, the company has no in-house expertise or experience in lean production. The case presents a challenging situation faced by many companies as they move up the ladder of production competence and operational excellence. The major learning focuses on the adoption of Japanese production practices in an emerging Chinese company as it implements lean production.

Filling Institutional Voids in Indonesia: Jababeka's Foray into Infrastructure by Dr Marleen Dieleman

Publication Date: 17/08/2012

Led by CEO S.D. Darmono, Jababeka was a publicly listed real estate firm in Indonesia specializing in industrial estates. Due to infrastructure and logistics bottlenecks in Indonesia, the company had moved into various infrastructure projects, including a power plant and a port. Even though the company had identified substantial business opportunities in the form of a captive market of industrial estate tenants, both projects suffered from delays due to regulatory complexity. Darmono skillfully aligned the interests of private and public-sector partners, but was still unable to get quick returns on his considerable investments, necessitating an allocation of more funds. The case illustrates the opportunities and risks of emerging market infrastructure projects. Students are asked to evaluate the viability of Jababeka’s new infrastructure strategy and formulate an action plan.

Purchasing Consortium for the BMS Industry in Singapore by Dr Mei Qi and Dr Siew Hwa Ong

Publication Date: 17/07/2012

Since November 2011, the director and chief scientist for Acumen Research Laboratories (ARL) had been conferring with Spring Singapore on ways to improve the current procurement practices of the biomedical science (BMS) industry in Singapore. As a senior chief scientist and the founder of ARL, she saw and experienced tremendous purchasing inefficiency as well as quality issues in the existing procurement practice in sourcing needed supplies and equipment. She believed that a centralized procurement structure and process among all members of the BMS industry in Singapore would be a more efficient practice and was finalizing a proposal, in April 2012, to Spring Singapore for initial funding to set up such a purchasing consortium. This consortium would be a new line of business for ARL.

Australian Miners and the Resource Super Profit Tax by Prof Andrew Karl Delios, Ms Donna Jimenez (BBA Hons student) and Ms Clarissa Turner (MBA student) 

Publication Date: 09/05/2012

This case presents a means by which students can explore how government policy can be influenced by the actions of stakeholders in an economy: firms, taxpayers and voters, unions and other such organizations. It highlights the point that policy-making can be a process endogenous to the interests and influence of private sector influence, and not an exogenous one, even in domains that are the power reserve of public policy makers. In 2010, the ruling party in Australia had devised a new tax, which they designated as the Resource Super Profit Tax (RSPT). This tax was devised to enable national and state governments to benefit from the boom in the mining industry by expropriating a greater portion of the earnings of the industry, via the imposition of a new tax. The RSPT was devised without any input from major mining companies in Australia, and if implemented it represented a substantial increase in their tax payable. The case is presented from the perspective of the CEO of BHP Billiton, one of the largest mining companies in Australia. The situation considers what, if any, action can be taken to combat a tax that has already been devised by the government, and is about to be implemented. Successful analysis of the case involves an evaluation of all interested stakeholders in the Australian economy that will be influenced by the imposition of the RSPT. After this is done, a strategy needs to be devised that will successfully influence a government to withdraw a tax to which it has already demonstrated a firm commitment.

Compassion Web by Dr Wee Yong Yeo

Lan-Ray Global Payment Services by Dr Yeo Wee Yong

Publication Date: 20/04/2012

Lan-Ray in Singapore attempted to break into the prepaid cash card (PCC) business in China. Equity funds were sourced to acquire Protection Communications Network (PCN), a payment intermediary in Quanzhou, China, with a vast payment network, which could be instrumental to the success of the PCC business. However, PCN would need to demonstrate profitability before they could obtain the licence to run the PCC business.

Together, Lan-Ray and PCN ventured into the mobile phone campus e-card business, which was initially assessed to be able to help PCN achieve profitability in the short run. However, the campus e-card business did not prove to be as profitable as expected. At the same time, the acquisition of PCN by Lan-Ray hit a road block as PCN was unwilling to transfer shares to Lan-Ray.

DHL Supply Chain by Assoc Prof Chu-Chun-Lin Singfat and Mr David Ringrose (participant, Asia-Pacific EMBA Intake 20) 

Publication Date: 19/04/2012

Family Business Succession in Asia by Dr Marleen Dieleman and Mr Jonathan Ho Wye Kit (BBA graduated student)

Publication Date: 05/04/2012

IEC in Sports by Assoc Prof Chu-Chun-Lin Singfat and Mr Josh Burack (participant, Asia-Pacific EMBA Intake 20) 

Publication Date: 03/02/2012

A sports broadcasting firm, which is facing uncertain contract renewals by its current clients from several geographic territories, has to figure out the likelihood of making money if it goes ahead and purchases the global broadcasting rights of the Portuguese Soccer League (“Liga Zon Sagres”) for the upcoming 2011/12 season.

The Beer Cases (C): Tsingtao Brewery by Prof Andrew Karl Delios and Ms Donna Jimenez (BBA Hons student)

Publication Date: 24/01/2012

The Beer Cases present a means to explore industry evolution in a rapidly globalizing industry. In 2011, the beer industry had elements of sub-national, national and global competition. Giants, such as AB Inbev, as well as national champions, such as Tiger Breweries and Tsingtao, which were aspiring to become major regional and global players, populated the industry. Further, industry players used alternative models (strategic approaches) to meet their objectives for national, regional and global expansion.

By focusing on presentations of the strategies of five major beer companies (AB InBev, Groupo Modelo, Tiger Breweries, Tsingtao and San Miguel), this set of cases helps to illustrate these points. The format used for the cases involves in-class presentations of each case, alongside rigorous questioning from the instructor to not only explore the logic of the analysis and strategy proposed in the presentation for each company, but to also nudge the class toward an understanding of the major trends in the growth of the beer industry and key success factors for companies that operate in the beer industry. The class can be pushed further to connect the implications of one’s assumptions about what drives success in beer sales, alongside their understanding of industry growth trends and drivers, to understand models of global competition in this industry, and forecast anticipated outcomes and strategies for the major beer companies considered in this set of presentations.

Ultimately, the observations from the beer industry, which is a fairly easy product and industry to understand, can be extrapolated to other industries, to see how closely they fit the development of the beer industry. Further, lessons can also be drawn about how industry pressures influence the four key components of an international expansion strategy: product choice for expansion, market choice for geographic expansion, timing of entry and mode of entry.

The Beer Cases (B): Groupo Modelo by Prof Andrew Karl Delios and Ms Donna Jimenez (BBA Hons student)

Publication Date: 24/01/2012

The Beer Cases present a means to explore industry evolution in a rapidly globalizing industry. In 2011, the beer industry had elements of sub-national, national and global competition. Giants, such as AB Inbev, as well as national champions, such as Tiger Breweries and Tsingtao, which were aspiring to become major regional and global players, populated the industry. Further, industry players used alternative models (strategic approaches) to meet their objectives for national, regional and global expansion.

By focusing on presentations of the strategies of five major beer companies (AB InBev, Groupo Modelo, Tiger Breweries, Tsingtao and San Miguel), this set of cases helps to illustrate these points. The format used for the cases involves in-class presentations of each case, alongside rigorous questioning from the instructor to not only explore the logic of the analysis and strategy proposed in the presentation for each company, but to also nudge the class toward an understanding of the major trends in the growth of the beer industry and key success factors for companies that operate in the beer industry. The class can be pushed further to connect the implications of one’s assumptions about what drives success in beer sales, alongside their understanding of industry growth trends and drivers, to understand models of global competition in this industry, and forecast anticipated outcomes and strategies for the major beer companies considered in this set of presentations.

Ultimately, the observations from the beer industry, which is a fairly easy product and industry to understand, can be extrapolated to other industries, to see how closely they fit the development of the beer industry. Further, lessons can also be drawn about how industry pressures influence the four key components of an international expansion strategy: product choice for expansion, market choice for geographic expansion, timing of entry and mode of entry.

The Beer Cases (A): A-B InBev by Prof Andrew Karl Delios and Ms Donna Jimenez (BBA Hons student)

Publication Date: 24/01/2012

The Beer Cases present a means to explore industry evolution in a rapidly globalizing industry. In 2011, the beer industry had elements of sub-national, national and global competition. Giants, such as AB Inbev, as well as national champions, such as Tiger Breweries and Tsingtao, which were aspiring to become major regional and global players, populated the industry. Further, industry players used alternative models (strategic approaches) to meet their objectives for national, regional and global expansion.

By focusing on presentations of the strategies of five major beer companies (AB InBev, Groupo Modelo, Tiger Breweries, Tsingtao and San Miguel), this set of cases helps to illustrate these points. The format used for the cases involves in-class presentations of each case, alongside rigorous questioning from the instructor to not only explore the logic of the analysis and strategy proposed in the presentation for each company, but to also nudge the class toward an understanding of the major trends in the growth of the beer industry and key success factors for companies that operate in the beer industry. The class can be pushed further to connect the implications of one’s assumptions about what drives success in beer sales, alongside their understanding of industry growth trends and drivers, to understand models of global competition in this industry, and forecast anticipated outcomes and strategies for the major beer companies considered in this set of presentations.

Ultimately, the observations from the beer industry, which is a fairly easy product and industry to understand, can be extrapolated to other industries, to see how closely they fit the development of the beer industry. Further, lessons can also be drawn about how industry pressures influence the four key components of an international expansion strategy: product choice for expansion, market choice for geographic expansion, timing of entry and mode of entry.

Strategic Entrepreneurship in Emerging Market Multinationals: Marco Polo Marine by Dr Marleen Dieleman and Mr Yue-Jer Lee (BBA graduated student)

Publication Date:  7/7/2011

Marco Polo Marine (MPM) Ltd is a medium-sized Singaporean shipping company listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange, involved in regional shipping and shipbuilding. The company was part of a larger Indonesian family business group, and had been built from scratch by the CEO, the heir to the group. MPM had started off providing barges to transport mining products and sand, initially for the group’s mining operations, but increasingly for third parties. It subsequently entered the shipbuilding industry by establishing a shipyard in Batam, Indonesia, an island near Singapore. As a next step to grow the company, the CEO intended to become an international player in the much more sophisticated offshore marine services sector, but he had yet to decide what strategy to take to achieve it. The case study allows students to analyze a global industry and present recommendations to the CEO for positioning the company within this industry. As a company from an emerging market, MPM is an example of an aspiring “emerging market multinational” and the case discusses the challenges such companies face in catching up with more advanced incumbents in global industries. In order to penetrate this market, decisions are required as to what types of vessels to build or buy, which countries to target and how to enter this market given financial constraints and limited technical expertise.

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NKF Case: Good Intentions Gone Awry at the National Kidney Foundation by Assoc Prof Audrey Chia, Assoc Prof Vivien K.G. Lim and Ms Hwee Sing Khoo (PhD student)

Publication Date:  21/04/2010

This case illustrates the rise and fall of the former chief executive officer (CEO) of the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) Singapore, T.T. Durai. In June 2007, Durai was charged with corruption and sentenced to three months in jail. Just less than two years prior, he had been the prolific CEO who had transformed the NKF from a small foundation into Singapore's largest charity, with 21 dialysis centres. Durai spent 37 years of his life volunteering and working with the NKF, and initiated research, marketing and fund-raising strategies for the charity. Under Durai's helm, the charity's revenue grew from $17 million to $116 million. Dialysis centres in other parts of the world sought Durai's expertise to improve their dialysis programs. This case documents the unfolding events that led to surprising revelations in court. These include Durai's leadership style, controversial decisions, bountiful entitlements and debatable actions taken to achieve his aims. In all, the case provides a perceptive insight into how differing perceptions of responsible leadership affected the stakeholders of the NKF, and encourages readers to analyze and propose how things could be improved, or could have turned out differently.

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The Ciputra Group: Shaping the City in Asia by Dr Marleen Dieleman

Published: 08/12/2009

The Ciputra Group was set up by Mr. Ciputra in the 1980s, after a long entrepreneurial career with a vision to provide a business for his children. The case describes the development of this group, which evolved into a prominent and innovative player in the Indonesian property sector. Under Mr. Ciputra’s guidance, the company became known for its satellite cities, in which the group combined technical, construction, and urban planning qualities, along with the ability to understand and manoeuvre in the difficult Indonesian environment. This model was later exported to other emerging markets. The case ends with the company facing two sets of interlinked problems. One set is strategic, as the company’s business model has proven to be vulnerable, and it is undergoing various changes. The question is what strategic option the company should choose. The second set of issues concerns the leadership and corporate structure of the group. Since Mr. Ciputra is in his late 70s, a generational change in leadership is imminent, and students are asked to reflect on the most appropriate path towards further development of the business from one led by a charismatic entrepreneur towards a professional family business. The two sets of issues are interlinked with each other and pose opportunities and constraints.