Teaching Cases
Teaching Cases
Tupuca is an Angolan startup founded in 2015 initially as a food delivery service company, which diversified into delivering a wide range of products, including groceries, pharmaceutical products, and live animals such as goats. It more recently ventured into ride-hailing, digital payment, and microlending. With so many opportunities to leverage the digital platform, what strategy should the company pursue? Which geographic markets should Tupuca target for expansion? And how fast can it diversify into different vertical markets without straining its project management capability?
The case can be used for MBA and executive programmes to teach about (a) scaling entrepreneurial ventures, (b) operating in institutionally uncertain environments, and (c) international expansion of digital startups.
Governments outsource their services to private sector companies. But what are the reputational challenges for these private sector companies, and how can they manage and mitigate reputational risks? This case describes the case of private sector companies providing immigration detention services in the UK, with a focus on Mitie. What is (and should be) the proper role of business in government outsourcing? And what options are available to business corporations in managing the non-market environment of delivering public services?
The case can be used for MBA and executive programmes to teach about (a) government-industry relations, (b) corporate reputation and mitigating reputational risks, and (c) stakeholder engagement.
The legal services sector, just like consulting, is said to be on the cusp of disruption. But what strategies can new entrants pursue to disrupt a professional service sector marked by a high degree of conservatism? This teaching case describes the opportunities and challenges of digital transformation – a type of disruption – from the point of view of UnitedLex, a relatively new law company with in-house corporate legal departments and law firms as clients. The case spells out the history of changes in the global legal sector, from the rise of legal process outsourcing (LPO) providers in the 1990s to today’s alternative legal service providers (ALSPs) including law companies and the Big Four audit firms; the types of services that UnitedLex provides; and the alliances it forged with various ecosystem partners including technology providers. How can UnitedLex create value for clients? Can it capture value better by being a modular provider or an integrated solutions provider? How can it best ally with providers of legal technology involving Artificial Intelligence? What options are available to scale substantially?
The case can be used for MBA and executive programmes for professional service firms to teach about (a) the impact of digital technology on industry structure, and (b) strategies for creating and capturing value in global value chains from a supplier perspective.
The case can be used for MBA and executive programmes to teach about (a) government-industry relations, (b) corporate reputation and mitigating reputational risks, and (c) stakeholder engagement.
Case A describes Evalueserve’s approach to managing growth by expanding its service offerings and global presence. The case starts with the establishment and development of the company, before laying out how the company has moved up the value chain in investment banking and other professional services. The case also describes the nature of relationship with clients and implications for talent management. Case B provides an update, with an increasing emphasis on technology as a driver for growth. The cases can be used for MBA and executive programmes on global strategy and professional services.
Please contact Mari Sako if you wish to use any of the cases for teaching.