Ivey Decision Point

In this episode, we speak with Jury Gualandris, an associate professor of operations management and sustainability at Ivey Business School. Jury serves as the associate director of Ivey’s Centre for Building Sustainable Value, and leads the Network for Business Sustainability, a global network of over 35,000 business leaders and researchers that aim to mobilize more sustainable business strategies and practices worldwide.Jury shares his definition of sustainability, discusses the importance of teaching sustainability in business schools, and explains how Ivey is uniquely equipped to meet the demand for sustainability education. Additionally, Jury talks about the new partnership between Ivey’s Centre for Building Sustainable Value and Ivey publishing, Ivey’s curated sustainability case collection, and the future of sustainability in business education. Enjoy!Resources featured in this episode:New Ivey initiative integrating SDGs into management educationHP Canada Co.: A Circular Supply Chain for Recycled PlasticA&W Canada: Serving Great Taste with Minimal WasteHuawei: Struggling to Develop a More Sustainable Supply NetworkCradle-to-Cradle Design at Herman Miller: Moving Toward Environmental SustainabilityPolyface: The Farm of Many FacesIvey, City of Guelph to unlock value of food ‘waste’

Nadine De Gannes, Assistant Professor, Managerial Accounting and Control & Sustainability at Ivey Business School, shares with us her experiences as an early-career academic and case author, the elements of a compelling case, linking research and practice, and using the teaching note to create a safe space for difficult conversations by sharing “promising practices.” We wrap up our discussion with the advice that Nadine wished she had received at the beginning of her case writing journey. View Nadine’s cases below: Barrick Gold: Integrating ESG into the (Post-Merger) Executive Performance Scorecard Viet Nipa: A Young Entrepreneur’s Sweet Endeavour Magna International and Dual Share Unification

Marilyn Anthony and Neha Mittal, professors at the Fox School of Business at Temple University discuss their case Tender Greens: Can They Keep the ‘Green’ Promise in Beef Sourcing?  Marilyn and Neha share their approach to writing Tender Greens, an operations case that deals not only with supply chain issues, but sustainability, strategy, ethics, and managing stakeholder interests. In our conversation, we discuss the importance of storytelling, how to build trust with case subject organizations, and writing cases with online delivery in mind. We conclude our discussion with Marilyn and Neha’s experience as an Ivey Publishing co-brand partner and how Fox’s case writing initiatives support Temple’s overall strategy. Review the case here

We speak with Robert D. Austin, Professor, Information Systems at Ivey Business School, and an affiliated faculty member at Harvard Medical School about his best-selling case, Digital Transformation at GE: What Went Wrong? This case examines the digital transformation that GE had been attempting and the challenges it encountered, and is especially timely as many organizations accelerate their digital transformation efforts as a result of COVID-19. Our conversation also touches on such topics as: strategy disruption, looking for – and following – compelling case stories, translating and scaling complex issues into a readable and easily understandable case, and teaching cases in tandem. We conclude our discussion with Rob’s thoughts on the evolution of the case method and Rob’s advice for new case authors. Review the case here  Robert D. Austin is a professor of Information Systems at Ivey Business School, and an affiliated faculty member at Harvard Medical School. Before his appointment at Ivey, he was a professor of Innovation and Digital Transformation at Copenhagen Business School, and, before that, a professor of Technology and Operations Management at the Harvard Business School. At Harvard, he chaired the executive program for Chief Information Officers (CIOs) for more than ten years. Professor Austin has published widely, in both academic and professional venues, such as Harvard Business Review, Information Systems Research, MIT Sloan Management Review, Organization Science, Organization Studies, and the Wall Street Journal. He also is the author of nine books, more than 50 published cases and notes, three Harvard online products, and two popular Massively Open Online Courses (MOOCs) running on the Coursera platform. His “Cyberattack!" Simulation won the 2020 International Serious Play Gold Medal. His research on neurodiversity employment programs is funded by SSHRC.

Traeger Pellet Grills: Cooking up the Competition Simon Greathead, Associate Professor, Global Business at Brigham Young University’s Marriott School of Business discusses his award-winning Traeger Pellet Grills case. The case addresses the complexities associated with managing an international supply chain, cross-culture negotiation, meeting the needs of various stakeholders in a supply chain, and how to respond to unethical business partner behaviour. Additionally, Simon shares insights on the three elements contained in a great case, writing cases with multiple themes, allowing students to drive case discussion, building trusted relationships, and his approach to influencing students. Review the case here Traeger Pellet Grills: Cooking up the Competition won the 2020 EFMD case competition award in the supply chain management category. Professor Simon P. Greathead is an international business and global supply chain professor at BYU’s Marriott School of Business. Simon earned an MBA from Henley Business School at the University of Reading in the UK and a BS in Business Management from Brigham Young University in Provo, UT. Simon’s current interests focus on process optimization, ERP implementation, change management, global negotiations, international business, supply chain innovation, and the global supply chain as a strategic concern. Simon began teaching at BYU in 2008 as an international business instructor and currently teaches global supply chain, operations, negotiations, and international business courses. Simon has published in Harvard Business Review as well as Ivey Publishing and other notable journals.

Authored by a team of five Ivey professors, “Michael McCain: Tweeting on the Maple Leaf Foods Account” is one of the shortest case in Ivey Publishing’s case collection, but also one of the most innovative. Uniquely written in the form of just seven tweets, this case addresses the potential repercussions within Maple Leaf Foods Inc. following CEO Michael McCain’s decision to tweet his personal political views from the company’s Twitter account – all from a cross-enterprise perspective. In this episode, we’re joined by two of the case’s authors, Steve Foerster and Gerard Seijts to explore the genesis of the case, the innovative ways it can be taught, teaching from a cross-enterprise perspective, and disruption and innovation in the case writing process. Gerard Seijts is a professor of organizational behaviour at Ivey Business School and is the executive director of the Ian O. Ihnatowycz Institute for Leadership. Steve Foerster is a finance professor at Ivey Business School. For more information on the case, please visit How I teach it: Michael McCain: Tweeting on the Maple Leaf Foods Account.

In this episode we talk to Cheryl Gladu, Researcher-in-Residence, Thompson Rivers University, and author of Dessa: Growing a Diverse and Inclusive Artificial Intelligence Company. This case follows Dessa’s founder and chief operating officer, Vince Wong, as he develops hiring practices to create a diverse workforce while fostering a culture supportive of diversity. Cheryl discusses the importance of having uncomfortable conversations in the classroom, co-creating ground rules with students to approach these difficult conversations, the difference between dialogue and debate, defining implicit bias, and the value of workshopping a case before submission.   Review the case here 

Alison Konrad, Professor, Organizational Behaviour, at Ivey Business School shares her approach to case writing and what she’s learned from publishing more than 50 research articles on topics such as inclusivity initiatives in organizations, employment equity programs, work-life balance initiatives, and more. Konrad reflects on her history as a case author, examines how the case method has evolved, and offers advice for educators looking to respectfully and effectively cover EDI issues in their own classes and cases. Review Professor Konrad’s cases here 

Frank Li, an associate professor of finance at Ivey Business School, walks us through his case, 5 Fortune: One of Many Chinese Restaurants . The case highlights just how crucial it is that we bring real world scenarios and narratives into the classroom – especially for a finance case. Li explains how diverse protagonists, added cultural context, and multimedia, have been key to crafting a top-notch classroom experience. Review the case here 

Kanina Blanchard, Assistant Professor of Management Communications and General Management at the Ivey Business School, discusses her Sophia Tannis case series. The case series offers students real world prompts to learn about women in leadership, gender, and cultural issues related to leadership, decision making during change and transition, and more. Professor Blanchard has extensive experience working with international business, the public service, non-profit, and consulting. Having lived and worked in four continents, she is recognized for her ability to adapt, lead teams and projects, and navigate complexities across various sectors, geographies, and cultures.   Review the case here Kanina Blanchard is an Assistant Professor, Management Communications and General Management at the Ivey Business School.

Reckoning with Jemima: Can the Brand Be Remade for Good? Authored by professors Joseph Miller and Michael Stanko, Reckoning with Jemima: Can the Brand Be Remade for Good follows Quaker Oats’ decision to re-brand their popular Aunt Jemima brand and how the brand can be a force for good. In this episode, Miller and Stamko discuss how this case fosters difficult but productive discussions regarding race, brands, and corporate social responsibility within business schools. During this conversation, we explore their tips on how to have conversations about race in a case class, unpack some of the “why” behind decades of inertia on Jemima and similar brands, and – most importantly – how we look forward.   Review the case here Dr. Joseph Miller is a professor and chair of the marketing and sales departments at St. Ambrose University. Michael Stanko is an associate professor of innovation and marketing at North Carolina State University’s Poole College of Management.

Professor Charles Dhanaraj explains how he modified a heavily tested and adjusted teaching plan once again, this time for the virtual classroom. How do we connect synchronous and asynchronous approaches, design breakout groups, and wrap-up a case method class successfully in what is a new environment for many instructors? Dhanaraj is Evelyn & Jay G. Piccinati Endowed Chair in Teaching Excellence, professor and chair of the Department of Management at the Daniels College of Business, University of Denver.   Eli Lilly in India: Rethinking the Joint Venture Strategy Charles Dhanaraj, Paul W. Beamish, Nikhil Celly Eli Lilly in India documents the evolution of an international joint venture (IJV) over a 10-year period (1991 to 2001) between • Eli Lilly, a leading U.S. pharmaceutical company and • Ranbaxy, the Indian partner that marked Lilly’s entry into an emerging market, India. The case highlights three distinct phases of the evolution of the IJV and raises relevant management issues at different phases of the IJV's growth. Review the case here. 

Professor Torben Pedersen, a prominent scholar in international management at Bocconi University, joins host Matt Quin to explore what went into his best-selling case study, Lego Group: An Outsourcing Journey. In order to survive the large st internal financial crisis in its roughly 70 years of existence, management had, among many initiatives, decided to offshore and outsource a major chunk of its production to Flextronics. Only three years into a ten-year contract, the two companies decided to part ways. Quin and Pedersen discuss how LEGO was able to not only weather this crisis but come out stronger.   Consider reviewing Professor Pedersen's latest case:   TELENOR GROUP: DEVELOPING A NEW BUSINESS MODEL Frank Elter, Marcus M. Larsen, Torben Pedersen 10/04/2019   View all cases authored by Torben Pedersen

Fraser Johnson, professor of operations management at the Ivey Business School, joins host Matt Quin to take another look at his award-winning case, Apple Inc.: Managing a Global Supply Chain (2014), as well as the recently published update, Apple Inc.: Global Supply Chain Management (2020). In this episode, Johnson and Quin discuss Apple's business model, how Johnson has brought the company into the classroom over the years, and why junior faculty ought to consider writing cases. Professor Johnson is the Leenders Supply Chain Management Association Chair at the Ivey Business School, Western University, where he teaches courses in supply chain management and operations. Johnson is also the Director of the Ivey Purchasing Managers Index, one of the most widely watched and utilized indicators of future economic activity in Canada.

Authors John Gray and Michael Leiblein join host Matt Quin to speak about their best-selling case study, Scotts Miracle-Gro: The Spreader Sourcing Decision . We revisit the debate over offshoring in today's context and discuss how a student project evolved into a best-selling case.   Professor Gray is an expert on outsourcing, offshoring and reshoring; he teaches data analysis and global sourcing at The Ohio State University's Fisher College of Business.   Professor Leiblein, also an expert on outsourcing decisions, teaches courses on competitive strategy, innovation strategy and innovation management at the Fisher College of Business.

Karen MacMillan, assistant professor of Organizational Behaviour and Human Resource Management at the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics at Wilfrid Laurier University, explains her case writing process through the lens of her best-selling Ivey Publishing case, "A Zero Wage Increase Again? " Together with host Matt Quin, they explore the evergreen case in today's context and provide actionable tips for your own case writing and case method journey.  The owner of a large hardware, furniture, and building centre faced a dilemma regarding how to manage the upcoming wage review process. After two consecutive years of frozen wages, employees were impatient for financial progress, but there was no extra money in the budget... read the full case abstract here .

Founded in Trieste, Italy, Illy marketed a unique blend of coffee drinks in over 140 countries and in more than 50,000 of the world’s best restaurants and coffeehouses. The company wanted to expand the reach of its own franchised coffee bar, Espressamente, through international expansion. Ilan Alon, Professor of Strategy and International Marketing at the School of Business and Law at the University of Agder, breaks down how he translated his international consulting and field work to the classroom for his best-selling case, The Espresso Lane to Global Markets. Resources mentioned in this podcast: -Stephen King's nonfiction work, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft.  -Alon's related case, Ruth's Chris: The High Stakes of International Expansion. 

Decision Point unpacks the thinking behind business case studies that get students talking. Are you new to the case method or looking to hone your craft? Join host Matt Quin for key insights on case writing and teaching from authors at the Ivey Business School and institutions around the world. We’ll explore the decisions faced by leaders featured in new and best-selling cases, as well as the challenges in bringing these to life in the classroom.