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Case Study

FIBA eSports: The value capture challenge (Restricted)

The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) had long recognized that the game of basketball was evolving beyond physical participation. That shift became impossible to ignore in 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic shut down live events and left fans stuck at home. With no traditional products to deliver, FIBA saw esports as a timely strategic ex…

Value Creation Digital Strategy

1st place in the 2026 John Molson MBA Case Writing Competition

By Amit M. Joshi, Ivy Buche and Aundria Elahe Mirabrishami

FIBA eSports: The value capture challenge (Restricted)

By Amit M. Joshi Ivy Buche and Aundria Elahe Mirabrishami
Case reference: IMD-2705 ©2025

Summary

The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) had long recognized that the game of basketball was evolving beyond physical participation. That shift became impossible to ignore in 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic shut down live events and left fans stuck at home. With no traditional products to deliver, FIBA saw esports as a timely strategic extension to complement traditional basketball with a digital-first discipline that could engage younger audiences. Governed under FIBA’s statutes and structured as a national team competition, eFIBA was created to establish a new basketball discipline – enhancing the sport and advancing FIBA’s vision to unite the global basketball community. Between mid-2020 and the end of 2021, the eFIBA team launched three fully virtual tournaments – FIBA Esports Open I, II and III – with the objective to “learn by doing.” This set the foundation to deliver more ambitious eFIBA Seasons 1, 2 and 3. A key evolution in the tournament format from Season 2 onwards was that the World Finals were held in person in a host country. This created an X factor for the tournament. Each successive season witnessed increasing engagement from National Federations, dedicated eBasketball players, enthusiastic fans, sponsors, content creators and influencers. However, a key partner pulled out after Season 2 in early 2024 and eFIBA had to deliver Season 3 and future seasons with diminished resources. This marked a turning point for eFIBA. In 2025, as the eFIBA team set out to develop a five-year strategy to 2029, several questions came to the fore: What value had eFIBA created for different stakeholders to allow it to stand on its own as a brand? What different B2B and/or B2C business models could eFIBA explore to capture higher value? How should eFIBA go about developing a three-year roadmap to enhance value creation for different stakeholders and sustain value capture going forward?

1st place in the 2026 John Molson MBA Case Writing Competition

Reference IMD-2705

Copyright owner IMD Copyright

Organization International Basketball Federation

Industry Travel and Leisure, Sports

Available Languages English

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Digital

Strategy

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Case Study

Building an IT ecosystem at Intertech

In April 2021, Sava oban, the newly appointed EVP of Intertech, faces a perfect storm of Turkey’s economic crisis and the global scramble for tech talent. This forces him to confront an operational meltdown at Intertech, the IT subsidiary of DenizBank. The massive talent exodus results in a 60 turnover rate, which threatens to derail critical pr…

Strategy Innovation Digital Talent Management

By Murat Tarakci

Case Study

Absa’s Cybersecurity Academy: Combining digital transformation with doing good

Absa faced a critical rise in cyberattacks, and with the cybersecurity talent gap widening, the company urgently needed a long-term solution. To address this, former CISO Sandro Bucchianeri launched the Cybersecurity Academy in 2019, an initiative to reskill employees. It eventually partnered with the Maharishi Invincibility Institute MII and th…

Diversity and Equity and Inclusion Cybersecurity Digital

By Öykü Işık, Valerie Keller-Birrer, Poornima Urs, Barbara Vettorel and Amaru Amiya

Case Study

Has Nike lost its stride?

Set in 2024, the case describes the trajectory of Nike’s success and how it had recently lost its way. The company was experiencing its worst slump in more than 10 years. Since 2020, CEO Donahoe oversaw a significant shift away from wholesale, with a focus on direct channels and a suite of apps. However, direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales failed to …

Marketing Digital Strategy

Selection in the 2025 John Molson MBA Case Writing Competition. Outstanding Case Writer category in The Case Centre Awards and Competitions 2026.

By Ivy Buche and Goutam Challagalla

Case Study

Your company (and your life) in the hands of an AI agent?

The case study introduces an original way of exploring the many questions and concerns around AI adoption in business. Based on a true story, it discusses the dilemma of AI implementation through Joe, the CIO of ParcelFlow. Joe is getting ready to present his AI strategy to the company’s executive committee. Joe is also diabetic and on the morni…

Artificial Intelligence Digital Strategy

By José Parra Moyano and Alix Rey

Case Study

AstraPay in Indonesia: Playing the digital payments platform vs. ecosystem game

This case study explores AstraPay’s journey to become a significant player, despite its latecomer status, in Indonesia’s burgeoning digital payments landscape. Launched in 2018, AstraPay had grown to serve over one million customers, but it faced intense competition from tech-first digital super-apps like GoTo and OVO. Led by Rina Apriana, who b…

Digital General Management Strategy

By Marleen Dieleman, Aarthi Thyagarajan, Pranesh Mahadeo, Maxence Nobels and Guillaume Clement

Case Study

TBC Group: Future proofing a history of success

The case explores TBC Bank Group’s remarkable journey from a small Georgian bank to a regional leader in digital financial services across Central Asia. Founded in 1992 with just US$500 in initial capital, TBC evolved into Georgia’s largest financial institution and pioneered into digital banking. The case highlights TBC’s strategic expansion in…

Strategy Digital Growth

By Goutam Challagalla, Francis D. Kim and Philip Charles Zerrillo

Case Study

Boosting and sustaining operational excellence

The case explores the principles and challenges of operational excellence through the experience of Magdi Batato, former EVP of Operations at Nestlé. It examines how he implemented Mission-Directed Work Teams (MDWTs) to empower front-line workers, align goals and drive accountability within a collaborative culture. MDWTs, introduced in South Afr…

Change Management Digital Operations

By Luis Vivanco, Carlos Cordon and Magdi Batato

Case Study

ABN AMRO (A): When culture drives transformation

The case describes two transformation journeys for ABN AMRO bank. The first transformation is cultural and the second is digital. It explores the interplay between these two journeys from the perspective of the head of the Personal Banking. The case goes into detail regarding how the bank rebuilt its internal operating model. The hierarchy was d…

Digital

By Michael R. Wade and Lisa Simone Duke

ABN AMRO (A): When culture drives transformation

By Michael R. Wade and Lisa Simone Duke
Case reference: IMD-7-2192 ©2025

Summary

The case describes two transformation journeys for ABN AMRO bank. The first transformation is cultural and the second is digital. It explores the interplay between these two journeys from the perspective of the head of the Personal Banking. The case goes into detail regarding how the bank rebuilt its internal operating model. The hierarchy was de-layered and replaced with agile ways of working, employee empowerment and a new performance management approach. At first, there was a lot of chaos, but, after some time for adjustment, benefits started to appear, such as higher NPS scores and improved financial results. The new approach also helped the bank cope with the Covid-19 pandemic as many of the changes were linked to remote working for employees and technology-mediated service provision for customers. The case also explores new challenges that appeared. While some teams embraced the new ways of working, others had trouble letting go of legacy approaches. There were inconsistencies and confusion around performance measurement. Despite improving performance in some areas, multifunctional teams were not necessarily delivering the best customer experiences. Sick leave was increasing, and there were signs that employee engagement was falling. The reader is placed in the shoes of the head of Personal Banking who must come up with solutions to these challenges.

Reference IMD-7-2192

Copyright owner IMD Copyright

Organization ABN AMRO

Industry Finance and Insurance, Banking

Available Languages English

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Digital

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Case Study

ABN AMRO (B): The challenge of scaling self-organization

The B case picks up at the end of Case A. It’s now autumn 2022. Klaas Ariaans and Eric Jones, leaders within ABN AMRO’s Personal and Business Banking Division had been reflecting on the success of self-organization in their divisions. This new working method gave branches and banking teams more autonomy over how, when and where they worked, as w…

Digital

By Michael R. Wade and Lisa Simone Duke

Case Study

China Resources Beer: Becoming future ready

The China Resources Beer (CR Beer) case study is a compelling narrative of the world’s largest beer producer by volume under the leadership of CEO Hou Xiaohai. In 2016 CR Beer embarked on a pivotal transformation journey. This case study offers critical insights that particularly resonate with Chinese corporations navigating similar challenges i…

China Digital Human Resources Strategy Diversity and Equity and Inclusion

By Mark J. Greeven and Wei Wei

Case Study

DIDA: Becoming a world leader in IT infrastructure

Five friends created DIDA in 1983 and turned it into a global provider of IT infrastructure and services. Riding the wave of rapid growth of communication networks and increasingly global business relationships of corporations, DIDA established its brand through its strong alignment with dominant infrastructure companies such as Cisco and Micros…

Strategy General Management Digital Disruption

By Patrick Reinmoeller

DIDA: Becoming a world leader in IT infrastructure

By Patrick Reinmoeller
Case reference: IMD-7-2547 ©2024

Summary

Five friends created DIDA in 1983 and turned it into a global provider of IT infrastructure and services. Riding the wave of rapid growth of communication networks and increasingly global business relationships of corporations, DIDA established its brand through its strong alignment with dominant infrastructure companies such as Cisco and Microsoft. Navigating the end of the internet bubble, DIDA served as a major reseller of these companies’ products, adding value with its integration services by increasing its clients’ efficiency and enabling collaboration within corporate networks. By 2005 DIDA had resumed rapid growth through partnerships, equity-based alliances and, most prominently, acquisitions, which led to a network of subsidiaries in more than 50 countries and six continents. By the end of 2009, DIDA had shown its critics that it could grow and integrate. However, its revenue was growing faster than its profits and it was not poised to help corporations move to the next generation of internet technology which would require new capabilities for installing and managing large data centers for computing as a service (CaaS) and cloud computing. The case ends with DIDA’s CEO reviewing the prospects of shrinking core markets and displacement by technological disruption. He acknowledges the need to make choices and get ahead of technological trends again in a changing IT infrastructure landscape. DIDA could seek to further grow its core business or internalize new capabilities to get ready for a CaaS future. Should DIDA seek more profitable growth organically or through acquisitions?

Reference IMD-7-2547

Copyright owner IMD Copyright

Organization DIDA (Disguised)

Industry Services, Telecommunications

Available Languages English

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Strategy

General Management

Digital

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Case Study

Cocoacrafters: AI in the supply chain

In June 2024, at the CocoaCrafters Operating Centre, Elena Fever faced a crucial meeting with the board of directors. The discussion surrounded how to integrate Generative AI (GenAI) into the company’s supply chain strategy to enhance forecasting and simulation while maintaining ethical standards. CocoaCrafters (CC), a global confectionery leade…

Digital Disruption Artificial Intelligence

By Carlos Cordon, Arsen Sargasyn, Roberta Duarte, Siqi Chen and Yuvraj Mohite

Cocoacrafters: AI in the supply chain

By Carlos Cordon Arsen Sargasyn Roberta Duarte Siqi Chen and Yuvraj Mohite
Case reference: IMD-7-2593 ©2024

Summary

In June 2024, at the CocoaCrafters Operating Centre, Elena Fever faced a crucial meeting with the board of directors. The discussion surrounded how to integrate Generative AI (GenAI) into the company’s supply chain strategy to enhance forecasting and simulation while maintaining ethical standards. CocoaCrafters (CC), a global confectionery leader, was renowned for its commitment to sustainable cocoa sourcing. Despite the board’s strong business acumen, they lagged on the digital agenda and for them the only success criterion was a convincing ROI. Elena’s challenges were amplified by the unknowns surrounding GenAI. Since ChatGPT’s debut, she had been urging her team to identify use cases that aligned with CC’s strategic priorities and met its ethical commitments. CC’s digital transformation had begun in 2010 and was marked by phases of awareness, strategic adoption, advanced technology integration and a digital-first culture by 2020. CC’s unsuccessful blockchain project underscored the need for careful planning and ethical considerations in adopting new technologies. CC aimed to use GenAI to optimize its supply chain by forecasting cocoa yields, predicting market trends and simulating environmental impacts. However, ethical concerns about labor conditions and data manipulation persisted. Elena considered the HITL-HOTL-HOL framework for human involvement in AI decisions, reflecting on input from FMCG executives and consulting experts. Despite a lack of specific GenAI decision-making frameworks, traditional strategic basic frameworks were emphasized. Elena presented the board with strategic choices: waiting, focused phased use cases, full integration, or strategic partnerships.

Reference IMD-7-2593

Copyright owner IMD Copyright

Organization CocoaCrafters (Fictionalized)

Industry Consumer Goods, Food and Beverage

Available Languages English

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Digital

Disruption

Artificial Intelligence

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Case Study

CVTrust and the Smart Certificate

When the dotcom bubble burst in March 2000, this did not stop the world from going digital, but it did poke holes in the concept of trust, especially in the digital world. David Goldenberg, a Belgian entrepreneur with extensive experience in management consulting, was confronted daily with the hassles of recruiting when information about candida…

Entrepreneurship Digital Venture Capital

By Benoit F. Leleux, Baldvin Kovacs, Sayat Kurmanbayev and Luigi Mirri

Case Study

NTT at a crossroads (B): Mapping growth options

Building on NTT (A), the case starts with NTT’s CEO having narrowed down strategic growth options with the board to prepare NTT for the future. Past international investments in AT&T Wireless and KPN to tap into foreign markets had resulted in billion $ write offs and stopped international acquisitions. However, after reviewing the disruptive ch…

Strategy General Management Digital Disruption

By Patrick Reinmoeller

NTT at a crossroads (B): Mapping growth options

By Patrick Reinmoeller
Case reference: IMD-7-2352 ©2024

Summary

Building on NTT (A), the case starts with NTT’s CEO having narrowed down strategic growth options with the board to prepare NTT for the future. Past international investments in AT&T Wireless and KPN to tap into foreign markets had resulted in billion $ write offs and stopped international acquisitions. However, after reviewing the disruptive changes facing the ICT industry and considering the shareholders’ views, CEO Miura committed to internationalization. The B case details NTT’s growth strategy focused on internationalization, while considering the need for new capabilities and technologies. It provides more insights into NTT, its opportunities and the Japanese experience with M&As and ends with Miura’s determination to quickly grow through international expansion to prepare NTT for the future.

Reference IMD-7-2352

Copyright owner IMD Copyright

Organization Nippon Telegraph and Telephone

Industry Services, Telecommunications;Information Technology

Available Languages English

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Strategy

General Management

Digital

Disruption

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