Sustainability

May 2024

Avon International: Imagining a Refill Program in Turkey

By Ioannis Ioannou, Ken Mark, Lisa Duke

The case explores the role of sustainability initiatives in Avon's business strategy and how they align with its mission of empowering women. It also discusses the potential financial and operational implications of the yet-to-be implemented idea of a refill program, including changes to supply chai...

May 2024

The HASSLACHER Group: The Capital Equipment Decision

By Ioannis Ioannou, Ken Mark

A visitor to Sachsenburg, a quiet village nestled in the Austrian Alps, might not know that it was the headquarters of the Hasslacher Group, Europe’s largest producer of glued laminated timber. It was early May 2022 and Christoph Kulterer, CEO of the Hasslacher Group, wanted to decide what to do w...

February 2024

Flakk Group Case A. Hexagon Purus: Fuelling the future

By Ioannis Ioannou, Nick Mickshik

In May 2018 the Norwegian Government introduced new requirements for emissions-free entry into the Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord fjords, a UNESCO World Heritage site, making them the world’s first zero-emission zones at sea. For Knut Flakk, CEO and owner of Norway’s Flakk Group, it was a water...

February 2024

Flakk Group Case B: Norwegian Hydrogen

By Ioannis Ioannou, Nick Mickshik

In May 2018 the Norwegian Government introduced new requirements for emissions-free entry into the Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord fjords, a UNESCO World Heritage site, making them the world’s first zero-emission zones at sea. For Knut Flakk, CEO and owner of Norway’s Flakk Group, it was a water...

November 2023

Lark & Berry: The diamond disruptors

By Ioannis Ioannou, Nick Mickshik

Laura Chavez was delighted beyond words when the Atelier Asymmetric Bow suite, designed by her luxury jewellery company Lark & Berry, won the 2019 Goldsmiths’ Craft and Design Council Graff jewellery award. The Graff Award was the jewellery industry’s equivalent of the Oscars award for Best ...

September 2023

Desso (B): Going Forward (Portuguese language)

By Ioannis Ioannou, Amandine Ody-Brasier

This is part of a case series. This case describes the strategic transformation of DESSO, a Dutch manufacturer of carpet tiles and flooring solutions. The first part of the case describes the difficult situation in which the company found itself in the early 2000s, following a series of changes in o...

September 2023

Desso (A): Taking on the Sustainability Challenge (Portuguese language)

By Ioannis Ioannou, Amandine Ody-Brasier

This is part of a case series. This case describes the strategic transformation of DESSO, a Dutch manufacturer of carpet tiles and flooring solutions. The first part of the case describes the difficult situation in which the company found itself in the early 2000s, following a series of changes in o...

February 2023

Cree (C)

By John Mullins, Elizabeth Philp

Another four years had passed, and it was now April 2018. After two attempts to shut down the venture totally, Hubert Rhomberg’s father Walter-Heinz presented Hubert with an opportunity to buy their cash-burning company, CREE, for €1. CREE had been “his baby” for the better part of a decade,...

February 2023

Cree (B)

By John Mullins, Elizabeth Philp

After having been spun out of the family business, CREE’s progress had been disappointing, to say the least. Despite the fact that two towers had been built using CREE’s innovative approach, and to considerable acclaim, it was proving difficult to sell additional projects. The result was that CR...

February 2023

Cree (A)

By John Mullins, Elizabeth Philp

Hubert Rhomberg was contemplating the wall of photographs at the entrance to the headquarters of his family business, Rhomberg. They showed the history of the company and his forefathers. With such rich heritage, should he really be pushing for innovation so strongly? But if he didn’t, he would be...