Consumer goods
July 2020
Haierâs (2019) ecosystem revolution: From Rendanheyi 2.0 to Rendanheyi 3.0
By Michael Jacobides, Lisa Duke
2019 was an important year for Haier. Its new version of its radically decentralised structure, dubbed Rendanheyi 2.0, based on many independent âEcosystem Micro-enterprise Communitiesâ (EMCs) had been devised to help it respond to the shifting ways of adding value in the digital, internet-based...
July 2020
Haierâs Rendanheyi 2.0: An ecosystem revolution
By Michael Jacobides, Lisa Duke
Haier in 1984 was a small, local firm on the verge of collapse, with poor-quality products and low morale. Within 30 years, it was transformed by Zhang Ruimin, who took over as CEO, into one of the worldsâ leading white-goods manufacturers, with a reputation for quality and innovation and an incre...
November 2019
BanaPads: To grow or not to grow? That is the question
By Luisa Alemany, Nicholas Andreou, Alma Gutierrez
In the summer of 2018, Richard Bbaale sat in a rural village in Uganda, looking over a banana plantation. He recalled the inspiration behind BanaPads as he contemplated what to do next. It had been 10 years since he had founded the non-governmental organisation (NGO) to help women and girls in rural...
January 2005
Brahma versus Antarctica: Reversal of Fortune in Brazilâs Beer Market
By Donald Sull
The case is set in June 1999 as Marcel Telles, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Companhia Cervejaria Brahma (Brahma) â the largest brewer in Brazil â considers a possible merger with the Antarctica Group (Antarctica), the second-largest Brazilian brewer. If the merger were to be completed...
January 2016
Unilever Foundry
By Julian Birkinshaw, Shahnoor Meghani
This case focuses on the Unilever Foundry, a platform for Unilever to engage with start-ups and entrepreneurs, providing them with access to Unileverâs brands as a means of enabling their growth while bringing innovative technology back to the company. The case provides a brief description of Unil...