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Case Study Of Coca-Cola: What Led To Its Success?

Aashita Singh

Updated on: May 2, 2024

In a world brimming with countless beverages, one name stands tall – Coca-Cola. Also it is among the remarkable case study of success.

Coca-Cola’s Profile:

The year was 1886, and the place was Atlanta, Georgia, where the Coca-Cola saga begins with Dr. John S. Pemberton , a pharmacist. In his laboratory, he mixed together a curious blend of coca leaf extract and kola nut, creating a syrupy concoction that he believed had medicinal properties. This brew, initially intended as a patent medicine to soothe headaches and fatigue. But, later on it was mixed with carbonated water to create a fizzy drink. It was first sold at Jacob’s Pharmacy on May 8, 1886. 

It was Frank M. Robinson , Dr. Pemberton’s bookkeeper, who gave the concoction its iconic name. He played a pivotal role in the brand’s early history by suggesting the name Coca-Cola and designing the now-famous logo. 

• He believed that “Coca-Cola” conveyed a sense of euphony and captured the drink’s two main ingredients. 
• He even penned the flowing script of the Coca-Cola logo that remains an indelible part of the brand’s identity. 

Coca-Cola Case Study to Rise to Prominence: 

Despite Pemberton’s vision, financial difficulties led to the sale of Coca-Cola formula in 1887 for a mere $2,300.  

Its key points:

• Asa Griggs Candler, a visionary businessman, acquired the rights to Coca-Cola and embarked on a mission to make it a national sensation.
• His aggressive marketing tactics and bold advertising campaigns set the stage for Coca-Cola’s expansion. 
• In 1894, Candler incorporated The Coca-Cola Company and pushed it for widespread distribution. 
• Soon, the beverage was available in every U.S state, solidifying its position as an American favorite. 
• Its sales increased by a phenomenal percentage because of Candler efforts. 
• The evolution of Coca-Cola would not be complete without mentioning the groundbreaking contour bottle, introduced in 1915. 
• It is said to be the stroke of genius – the contour bottle. 
• Designed to be distinctively recognizable even in the dark or shattered into pieces.
• This bottle not only protected the secret formula but also became a symbol of Coca-Cola’s commitment to quality.

• This curvaceous bottle not only protected the secret formula of the brand itself.
• This distinctive packaging contributed to Coca-Cola’s worldwide recognition. 

NOTE: We have detailed article about various functions of packaging ! Do check that out!!

In 1919, Ernest Woodruff bought up the company. Thereafter, Ernest’s sons continued to run the company until they transformed it into an international brand. The company was officially listed on the New York stock exchange in 1919 under the symbol KO. 

Coca-Cola’s study to International Expansion:

• With success at home, Coca-Cola set its sights on global domination. During World War II, the company provided American troops with Coca-Cola, using slogans like “The pause that refreshes” to boost morale.
• After the war, international expansion continued, with bottling plants established worldwide. 
• The introduction of Coca-Cola during the war created its demand in the international market. 
• After that, Coca-Cola began establishing its partnerships with distributors and bottling companies all around the world.  
• At present, the company operates and works in more than 200 countries and territories. 
• Coca-Cola was launched in India in 1956, with the slogan “Refresh Yourself”. 

Some key points of Coca-Cola Case Study:

• The company brand value was estimated at $97.9 billion in 2022.
• The brand logo can be recognized by 93% of the global population.
• For advertisement the company has used $ 4 billion annually for advertising, between the years 2015 to 2021, except for the year 2020 (due to pandemic). 
• The company is recorded to have 225 bottling partners and 900 bottling plants globally. 
• The brand employs around 700,000 employees.
• The company is recorded to have the same price between the years 1856-1959, at 5 cents.  
• Offers beverage options of beverage to more than 200 brands to consumers worldwide. 
• Partners with 24 million retail customer outlets. 
• Company has a profile that includes $ 21 million brands. 
•  In 2022, Coca-Cola was the most valuable brand in the non-alcoholic area globally at $ 35.4 billion

Who Owns Coca-Cola?

There are various shareholders holding shares in the company. Coco-Cola is a public listed company.

But the topmost are – Berkshire Hathaway, The Vanguard Group, BlackRock. However, the largest share of the brand company is said to be of Warren Buffett. 

• Vanguard holding 8.16%
• Berkshire holding 9.25%
• BlackRock holding 4.58%
• Warren Buffett holding 9.30% 

NOTE: You can our other success stories of business like Ola Case Study !

Coca-Cola’s Growth Strategy:

In the competitive landscape of the global beverage industry, Coca-Cola has managed to maintain its position as a market leader for over a century. 

Growth Strategy of Coca-Cola:

• Product Diversification: One of Coca-Cola’s core strategies for growth is product diversification. While Coca-Cola classic remains the top product, the company has expanded its portfolio to cater to changing consumer preferences. This includes offerings like Diet Coke, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, and an array of flavored and non-carbonated beverages such as water, juices, and teas. 
• Developed market focus: Coca-Cola has identified the importance of growing developing markets. Coco-Cola’s 70% of all beverages which are commercialized are being consumed in the developed world as compared to the developing world which is 30%.

• Global Expansion: With operations in over 200 countries, the company has successfully expanded its footprint worldwide. It supplies its product to local tastes and preferences, ensuring relevance in diverse markets. Local partnerships and distribution networks are key components of this strategy, allowing Coca-Cola to penetrate even the most remote corners of the globe.
• Innovation and New markets: The company continually invests in research and development to create new beverages and packaging solutions. An example of this is the introduction of smaller-sized cans and bottles to address consumer health concerns about portion control and health. 
• Branding and Marketing: The company consistently runs high-impact advertising campaigns, often featuring celebrities and memorable slogans. Its marketing goes beyond mere product promotion, it aims to create emotional connections with consumers. For example, Share Coke Campaign. 
• Sustainability and Corporate responsibility: The company realized the importance of environmental and social responsibility. Started taking Initiatives such as reducing water usage, recycling programs, and commitments. Which contributes to their sustainable sourcing of ingredients to its long-term growth plans. 

7. Strategic Partnerships: Coca-Cola strategically partners with various organizations and events to enhance its visibility and association with positive experiences. Sponsorships of major sports leagues, music festivals, and cultural events create opportunities for brand exposure and engagement with consumers. 

Some memorable marketing campaigns of Coca-Cola that led to its success: 

Some of them are:

• Share a Coke (2011) : It was a stroke of genius. Personalization of packaging was a popular marketing tactic of Coca Cola. It personalized its bottles and cans by printing the common names of individuals.  The company encouraged people to find their names on the bottles. Also, it asked people to share the bottle or can of coke with their friends or family members.
• Taste the Feeling (2016) : It featured simple, relatable moments of people enjoying Coca-Cola and emphasized that the drink was for everyone, for every feeling, and for every day. The campaign included coke, diet coke and zero sugar coke. 
• Thanda matlab Coca-Cola (2003): Aiming at the idea of refreshing drinks or Thanda, the campaign focuses its attention to local markets to win the people’s trust in the country. They made Coca-Cola and Thanda synonyms of each other.
• Open Happiness: In 2009, Coca-Cola introduced the “Open Happiness” campaign, this optimistic and cheerful message encouraged people to find happiness in the little moments and share them with others. The campaign included a variety of feel-good ads, catchy jingles, and interactive marketing initiatives, inviting consumers to be part of the happiness movement. 

Case Study of Coca-Cola : How Coca-Cola makes money?

Coca-Cola, the world’s most iconic beverage, has a recipe for success that extends far beyond its secret formula. Its ability to generate substantial revenue is a testament to its diverse income streams and strategic business model. 

Some of them are :

Core product sales: At its heart, Coca-Cola generates a significant portion of its revenue from the sales of its core products, including Coca-Cola zero sugar, and various flavored variants.

Diversified beverage portfolio: Coca-Cola isn’t just about cola anymore. The company has diversified its product portfolio to include a wide range of beverages, catering to diverse consumer tastes. 

Non-Alcoholic ready-to-drink coffee: Coca-Cola has also ventured into the thriving market of non-alcoholic ready-to-drink coffee. With acquisitions like Costa Coffee and brands like Georgia Coffee, it has tapped into the caffeine cravings of consumers worldwide. 

Partnerships and Licensing: Coca-Cola earns revenue through partnerships and licensing agreements. For example, it collaborates with other companies to produce co-branded products, like Coca-Cola with coffee, and it licenses its brand for use in various merchandise, from apparel to collectibles

Sponsorships and Marketing Campaigns: Coca-Cola invests heavily in sponsorships of major events, sports leagues, and cultural activities. These partnerships provide brand exposure and promotional opportunities, driving consumer engagement and sales. The company’s marketing campaigns, often featuring celebrities and memorable commercials, also contributes to its revenue.

Conclusion : 

This case study of Coca-Cola is a story of its power of innovation, branding, and adaptability. By staying true to its core values while embracing change, Coca-Cola continues to fizz its way to the top. 

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Top 40 Most Popular Case Studies of 2018

Cases about food and agriculture took center stage in 2018. A case on the coffee supply chain remained the top case and cases on burgers, chocolate, and palm oil all made the top ten.

Cases about food and agriculture took center stage in 2018. A case on the coffee supply chain remained the top case and cases on burgers, chocolate, and palm oil all made the top ten, according to data compiled by Yale School of Management Case Research and Development Team (SOM CRDT).

Other topics in the top ten included corporate social responsibility, healthcare, solar energy, and financial inclusion.

The annual ranking of the 40 most popular Yale School of Management case studies combines data from publishers, Google analytics, SOM class syllabi, and other measures of interest and adoption. This is the second year that SOM CRDT has published its Top 40 list.

Cases published in 2018 on the top 40 list included Marina Bay Sands Hotel (#13), AgBiome (#18), Canary Wharf (#20), Mastercard (#21), and Peabody Museum (#35). Both the Marina Bay Sands and Peabody cases were featured in major student competitions in 2018.

The cases on the Top 40 list represent a variety of different business disciplines, as Yale SOM cases tend to combine a variety of perspectives. For example, the top coffee case can be taught in marketing, operations, and strategy classes. The number two case on Shake Shack covers finance, strategy, and even innovation and design. The list features a number of cases related to the interplay of state and commerce and social enterprise, traditional strengths of the Yale SOM curriculum.

While there are many US-based cases among the top 40, a range of locales are highlighted among the top 40 entries. Cases set in France (AXA), Great Britain (Cadbury, Canary Wharf, George Hudson), Indonesia (Palm Oil, Golden Agri), China (Ant Financial, Alibaba), India (SELCO, Project Sammaan), Singapore (Marina Bay Sands), Canada (Air Canada, Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan), and South Africa (Project Masiluleke) made the top 40 list.

SOM CRDT has been working to increase the number of women featured as case protagonists. The 2018 list boasts 13 cases where women play prominent roles in the narrative.

The top 40 list also demonstrates a wide range of SOM faculty involvement. Thirty different faculty members worked as case supervisors on the top 40 cases.

Read on to learn more about the top 10 most popular cases followed by a complete list of the top 40 cases of 2018. A selection of the top 40 cases are available for purchase through our online store . 

#1 - Coffee 2016

Faculty Supervision: Todd Cort

Coffee 2016 asks students to consider the coffee supply chain and generate ideas for what can be done to equalize returns across various stakeholders. The case draws a parallel between coffee and wine. Both beverages encourage connoisseurship, but only wine growers reap a premium for their efforts to ensure quality.  The case describes the history of coffee production across the world, the rise of the “third wave” of coffee consumption in the developed world, the efforts of the Illy Company to help coffee growers, and the differences between “fair” trade and direct trade. Faculty have found the case provides a wide canvas to discuss supply chain issues, examine marketing practices, and encourage creative solutions to business problems. 

#2 - Shake Shack IPO

Faculty Supervision: Jake Thomas and Geert Rouwenhorst

From an art project in a New York City park, Shake Shack developed a devoted fan base that greeted new Shake Shack locations with cheers and long lines. When Shake Shack went public on January 30, 2015, investors displayed a similar enthusiasm. Opening day investors bid up the $21 per share offering price by 118% to reach $45.90 at closing bell. By the end of May, investors were paying $92.86 per share. Students are asked if this price represented a realistic valuation of the enterprise and if not, what was Shake Shack truly worth? The case provides extensive information on Shake Shack’s marketing, competitors, operations and financials, allowing instructors to weave a wide variety of factors into a valuation of the company.

#3 - IBM Corporate Service Corps

Faculty Supervision: David Bach in cooperation with University of Ghana Business School and EGADE

The case considers IBM’s Corporate Service Corps (CSC), a program that had become the largest pro bono consulting program in the world. The case describes the program’s triple-benefit: leadership training to the brightest young IBMers, brand recognition for IBM in emerging markets, and community improvement in the areas served by IBM’s host organizations. As the program entered its second decade in 2016, students are asked to consider how the program can be improved. The case allows faculty to lead a discussion about training, marketing in emerging economies, and various ways of providing social benefit. The case highlights the synergies as well as trade-offs between pursuing these triple benefits.

#4 - Children’s Premier

Faculty Supervision: Edieal Pinker

The case describes Children’s Premier, a popular group practice in Greenwich, Connecticut which, due to a change in the state’s vaccination law, decides to dramatically change its business model. Did the group make the right adjustments in order to stay competitive and cover their increasing costs? Should the new practices cause a newcomer to the practice to look elsewhere for his children?

#5 - Design at Mayo

Faculty Supervision: Rodrigo Canales and William Drentell

The case describes how the Mayo Clinic, one of the most prominent hospitals in the world, engaged designers and built a research institute, the Center for Innovation (CFI), to study the processes of healthcare provision. The case documents the many incremental innovations the designers were able to implement and the way designers learned to interact with physicians and vice-versa.

In 2010 there were questions about how the CFI would achieve its stated aspiration of “transformational change” in the healthcare field. Students are asked what would a major change in health care delivery look like? How should the CFI's impact be measured? Were the center's structure and processes appropriate for transformational change? Faculty have found this a great case to discuss institutional obstacles to innovation, the importance of culture in organizational change efforts, and the differences in types of innovation.

This case is freely available to the public.

#6 - AXA: Creating New Corporate Responsibility Metrics

Faculty Supervision: Todd Cort and David Bach

The case describes AXA’s corporate responsibility (CR) function. The company, a global leader in insurance and asset management, had distinguished itself in CR since formally establishing a CR unit in 2008. As the case opens, AXA’s CR unit is being moved from the marketing function to the strategy group occasioning a thorough review as to how CR should fit into AXA’s operations and strategy. Students are asked to identify CR issues of particular concern to the company, examine how addressing these issues would add value to the company, and then create metrics that would capture a business unit’s success or failure in addressing the concerns.

#7 - Cadbury: An Ethical Company Struggles to Insure the Integrity of Its Supply Chain

Faculty Supervision: Ira Millstein

The case describes revelations that the production of cocoa in the Côte d’Ivoire involved child slave labor. These stories hit Cadbury especially hard. Cadbury's culture had been deeply rooted in the religious traditions of the company's founders, and the organization had paid close attention to the welfare of its workers and its sourcing practices. The US Congress was considering legislation that would allow chocolate grown on certified plantations to be labeled “slave labor free,” painting the rest of the industry in a bad light. Chocolate producers had asked for time to rectify the situation, but the extension they negotiated was running out. Students are asked whether Cadbury should join with the industry to lobby for more time?  What else could Cadbury do to ensure its supply chain was ethically managed?

#8 - Palm Oil 2016

Faculty Supervision: Kenneth Richards in cooperation with National University of Singapore Business School and David Bach

The case looks at the palm oil industry in Indonesia and how the industry effects deforestation and native rights. The case focuses on a proposal forwarded by leading palm oil traders and environmental NGOs that would ban the sale of palm oil from deforested land. The proposal is opposed by elements of the government, and smaller palm oil companies. Some voices in the Indonesian government are suggesting an agreement to end deforestation needs to be scrapped. What should companies and NGOs do?

#9 - Ant Financial

Faculty Supervision: K. Sudhir in cooperation with Renmin University of China School of Business

In 2015, Ant Financial’s MYbank (an offshoot of Jack Ma’s Alibaba company) was looking to extend services to rural areas in China by providing small loans to farmers. Microloans have always been costly for financial institutions to offer to the unbanked (though important in development) but MYbank believed that fintech innovations such as using the internet to communicate with loan applicants and judge their credit worthiness would make the program sustainable. Students are asked whether MYbank could operate the program at scale? Would its big data and technical analysis provide an accurate measure of credit risk for loans to small customers? Could MYbank rely on its new credit-scoring system to reduce operating costs to make the program sustainable?

#10 - SELCO

Faculty Supervision: Tony Sheldon

The case looks at SELCO, an Indian company that specialized in bringing solar electric products to the poor. In 2009, the company needed a new growth strategy. As students consider the company’s dilemma, the raw case allows them to view video interviews with company leaders and customers, inspect maps of SELCO’s service areas, see videos describing how SELCO’s products were being used, consider articles on India’s electricity grid and socio-economic conditions, read about the company’s founding, consult the company’s organization charts, income statements and balance sheets, inspect the company’s innovative products, review the company’s business models, read news articles about the company’s success, etc.

SELCO, India's innovative solar electric company, was at a strategic crossroads. Should it go “deeper” and serve even poorer people or go “wider” and expand beyond its current geographical areas?

40 Most Popular Case Studies of 2018

Click on the case title to learn more about the dilemma. A selection of our most popular cases are available for purchase via our online store .

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Case Study: Should a Family Business Accept a Returning Daughter’s Radical Proposal?

• John D. Macomber

The founders of an Ivorian conglomerate take stock—with succession in mind.

Two brothers who founded a successful company in Côte d’Ivoire must make a decision about how to bring their daughter and niece—educated in Paris and currently working there—into the family business, a company founded in 1988 and now one of West Africa’s most successful conglomerates. She has surprised them with an ultimatum: She will come back, but only as COO, in charge of some grand expansion plans.

Two experts—both with deep expertise in African family businesses—offer their advice in accompanying commentaries.

Koffi and Yao Assoua and their driver stood together in the back of the arrivals hall at Félix-Houphouët-Boigny International Airport. Though trying to maintain their dignity, the two brothers occasionally rose on their toes to see over the heads of the crowd. Koffi’s daughter, Aminata—or “Amina,” as they affectionately called her—was coming back home to Côte d’Ivoire, and they were hoping to offer her a role in the family business.

• JM John D. Macomber is a senior lecturer in finance at Harvard Business School. He is also the coauthor of Healthy Buildings: How Indoor Spaces Drive Performance and Productivity (Harvard University Press), with Joseph G. Allen.

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6 Brilliant Small Business Case Study Examples For Marketers

Explore case study examples for small businesses. Additionally, find strategies for handling common challenges and solutions for growing your business.

Every business starts small.

The success of a business lies in its strategy to overcome any challenge during its journey.

If you are trying to take your business to new heights, start identifying challenges and create solutions.

The best way is to learn from sundry success stories.

There are several case studies of different businesses that can teach you which strategy to take for selling your product and attracting the target audience.

In this article, we will discuss some of the top case study examples that can assist in upscaling small businesses.

Let’s begin.

Challenges Faced by Small Businesses

As far as businesses go, there are always hurdles that need to be defeated. Starting a business is itself a big achievement for entrepreneurs, but the main challenge is maintaining one.

There are three common challenges businesses need to overcome. These include managing the expenses, hiring people, and following new trends to develop a customer base.

1. Increased Expenses

Every business revolves around money. There are different areas where businesses have to spend their money. But the issue is handling the financial hurdles. With an unplanned budget and financial advice, businesses will be spending more than they need to.

Keeping an eye on expenses is important because the expenses determine the profit the business will make.

However, it is not easy to reduce the expense. It’s affected by demand and supply. If businesses need to keep up with the market’s demands, then the chance of increasing expenses is 100%.

2. More and Skilled Manpower Required

Businesses don’t run themselves. They need manpower with skills to handle different departments. Generally, the number of employees in a small business ranges from 1 to 500 people. Getting this manpower is easy but getting a skilled one is difficult and time-consuming.

Whenever looking for manpower, businesses need to decide what skills they want in their candidate. The problem is candidates can’t always fulfill all the requirements. Besides, hiring manpower also increases the expenses.

3. Keeping Up With the Latest Trends

The market is fluid. It changes and introduces new trends. Small businesses need to keep up with changing trends to keep their business growing. But this is where many businesses start to fall apart.

The thing about new trends is that businesses need to sell their products at the right time. It means they have to keep on studying the market to speculate their next products. If a small business fails to deliver during the peak of the trend, then it will suffer a heavy loss.

Solutions to Grow a Small Business

The best thing about businesses is that there is an attempt to find a solution for every challenge. It brings out the competition in the market, which is huge for surfacing different kinds of solutions a business can adopt.

1. Reduce the Expenses

When it comes to expenses, businesses are focused on spending huge sums on communication because communication is the key element of increasing customers and revenue. It’s not a big problem for big companies, but it is expensive for small businesses. Thus, finding innovative and cost-effective marketing strategies becomes essential for maximizing outreach and impact without straining financial resources.

Fortunately, the cloud telephony system has removed the dilemma while making business budgets because cloud phone services are cheaper than plain old telephone services.

It reduces the initial cost of new businesses up to 90%. Recent surveys suggest that over 74% of businesses prioritize cloud phone systems as their urgent investment.

The same goes for marketing which is necessary to attract potential customers. Small businesses don’t have enough budget to advertise their products.

The best solution for this is using social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, etc. to promote and sell their products.

Case Study: Coffman Engineers

Coffman Engineers clearly states that although the cost of using a virtual phone number adhered to cloud phone is 50% more per employee, it still provides overall 25% more savings than plain old telephone service (POTS).

Coffman Engineers have been relying on cloud phones ever since their one office location faced a disaster. Now they have a disaster recovery feature built into their cloud phone system. It helped them to be ready for any disasters without losing communication with employees.

Not just that, they found all the necessary features bundled into one subscription package in a VoIP phone system. Such a facility enabled them to handle all their business communication using only one platform.

Key Takeaways

• Small businesses must invest in cloud telephony for business communication.
• Extensive use of social media to promote and sell your products/service.

2. Improve Employee Productivity

As we discussed earlier, manpower is a big challenge for small businesses. Hiring more employees doesn’t mean higher productivity. It’s about smart task allocation through a streamlined workload management strategy . Businesses also need to hire the right candidates to keep their expenses in check and improve productivity.

There are different tools available that can monitor what the employees are doing. Time tracking tools and workforce management tools are key components every business needs.

Especially in remote working scenarios, these tools are crucial to getting the full effort for the employees. Companies have seen a 35%-40% rise in productivity in employees working remotely with the use of tracking tools.

Case study: On The Map Marketing

On The Map Marketing , a digital marketing agency, used time tracking tools that showed that remote working employees tend to work more hours since they can work at flexible hours.

On The Map Marketing first started using the time tracking tool when they were opening their office in Riga, Latvia. The CTO of the company wanted the time spent on different tasks on his computer as well as managing the remote working employees.

Using a time tracking tool, they were able to track their productivity with a detailed report of their daily activities during office hours. It helped them calculate salary bonuses. They also found the productivity level of each employee to determine their value for the company.

• Small businesses should use a time tracking tool to make sure employees focus on their office work.
• Small businesses can track the performance of each employee at office locations or remote working locations.

3. Reward Your Customers

A business becomes successful when it can keep its customers happy. In efforts to upscale a small business quickly, the marketplace has seen a decline in the quality of products and services. It is a primary reason for customer dissatisfaction.

About 45% of business professionals rate customer experience as their top priority for growing a business.

Survey says more than 85% of buyers are willing to spend more for a better customer experience . Therefore, small businesses need to focus on improving their quality of products and services, which is a powerful indicator of customer experience.

Case study: Starbucks

Starbucks introduced a Reward Loyalty Program in which customers collect stars to get exciting rewards. This program drives 40% of Starbucks’s total sales .

By adapting the gamification method, Starbucks added a reward loyalty program to their already established app. This move drastically increased sales and digital traffic. They brought mobile payment, customer loyalty, and content partnership in one powerful app.

Customers started registering for My Reward via their app. They are given stars(points) in exchange for their interaction in the app or purchase made. The higher the number of stars a customer gets, the better rewards they get.

• Small businesses can give different forms of rewards for more customer engagement.
• Improvement in customer service can drive more sales and attract more customers.

4. Build Your Brand

Small businesses should learn to build their brand image on social media. While marketing any product or service, the brand image is a key factor for understanding how people view your business.

A brand image must first include mission, vision, and values. It also requires a brand positioning statement that can set your business apart from the competitors.

It’s important to create a unique brand personality. For this, businesses need to design a good logo because customers are most likely to recognize a business looking at a logo. They will have to identify their target audience to craft a good brand image.

According to a study, around 89% of users stay loyal to a business with a good brand image .

Case study: Apple

Apple logo is a well-recognized design that reflects the brand value. Over the years, the Apple logo has gone through several design changes.

The most important rebranding of the company came when Steve Jobs changed the logo which impacted the overall personality of the company. Now, this logo is the most recognized logo in the world.

Looking at the Apple logo, customers can feel a sense of trust, reliability, and innovation . It is the main reason for the huge sales of all Apple products across the globe.

• Branding helps a business build strong relationships with prospects and attract them to be loyal customers.
• Small businesses need to create a strong brand image to sell their products efficiently.

5. Prioritize on Partnerships

Partnerships and collaboration can lift the businesses to maximize their cost savings. It allows businesses to strengthen their programs using available resources and tools.

This has a direct effect on improving the efficiency of their operations. It improves the credibility of the business in the marketplace.

Case study: RENAULT & NISSAN

Renault and Nissan have a strong partnership in automobiles. Their partnership made a remarkable achievement of making up 10% of new car sales worldwide .

Renault and Nissan chose to make an alliance rather than a merger because an alliance has many stronger benefits than a merger would give.

With an alliance, they can access more geographical areas where foreign investments are restricted. These companies got better chances to enter each other’s territory where they were already established companies because of the alliance.

Although they faced numerous challenges including fluctuation in price share, they managed to resolve issues and succeed.

• Small businesses can collaborate with other businesses to increase their chances of higher product sales and profit for everyone.
• Partnership with other businesses allows all parties to benefit from each other’s strong areas.

6. The Right Marketing Strategy

Every business requires to sell its product and services to the market. Without the right social media marketing strategy , a business cannot compete in the marketplace. The first thing about marketing is knowing your target audience and competitors.

When small businesses know who they are competing against, it will help them to see how the competitors are executing their business and attracting their customers.

One such way is to grow your website traffic which can bring you more leads and eventually customers. And how do you increase your website traffic? SEO. If done right, Search Engine Optimization can drive huge traffic to your website to reach your marketing goals.

Case study: Zapier

Zapier used an SEO strategy revolving around long-tail keywords for generating organic traffic to their website. They created 25,000 unique landing pages for unique keywords.

Zapier had a structure and layout for each page including well-optimized human written content. They outsourced SEO content and focused on a playbook for the onboarding process and launched new apps so that they can get partners to write content for them.

On top of that, they also outsourced link building to their partners. These partners wrote valuable guest post content of Zapier on their site and gave a backlink to Zapier. It helped Zapier to get new users as well as drive their website traffic.

• Small Businesses should improve their website traffic by adding more landing pages with relevant content.
• Backlinks through guest posts on other websites can drive more website traffic and attract more prospects.

Now that we have discussed these examples, let’s see how you can create these studies.

Now that you have a fair idea of the business challenges and solutions, there is a good chance of delivering a good strategy for growing your small business.

On top of that, the case study examples above will help you view how other businesses overcome their situation to take their business to new heights.

The most important aspect of upscaling a small business is understanding the customer’s needs. Therefore, you should design a persuasive marketing strategy to attract customers and compete with other businesses in the market.

And a good marketing strategy for any business must include social media. And to make the most of your social media marketing efforts try SocialPilot for free today.

Frequently Asked Questions

🌟 How do you upscale a small business?

Upscaling a small business is a very challenging process. Whether it's making a budget or hiring employees, you have to focus on things that are best for your business. Planning, targeting prospects, marketing strategy, etc. are crucial steps for upscaling businesses and competing with big companies.

🌟 What is a small scale business?

Small scale businesses or Small scale industries (SSI) provide products and services on a small level. Normally in the US, a small business consists of less than 250 employees. Also, it has small capital investments and less office space.

🌟 Why do entrepreneurs find it difficult to scale up?

New entrepreneurs find difficulty in scaling up their businesses because they don’t know what to do. Even if they know, they have to face many challenges like market research, finding loans, allocating space, etc. Also, legal matters are always a major concern for making changes.

🌟 Why is scalability important in business?

Scalability is important because it directly impacts business competition, profitability, brand image, and product quality. Since small businesses have huge growth potential and high return on investment (ROI), they have to properly focus on scalability.

🌟 When should you scale a business?

A small business should look for upscaling its business if it has achieved a minimum annual growth of 20% over 2-3 years with only 10 or more active employees.

About the Author

Anwesha Ghatak

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Successful Startups Case Studies: Lessons from High-Profile Companies and Founders

Introduction.

Successful startups are the lifeblood of the modern economy. They are the companies that create jobs, drive innovation, and bring new products and services to the market. But what makes a startup successful? What lessons can be learned from the most successful startups and their founders? This article will explore the case studies of some of the most successful startups and the lessons that can be learned from them. We will examine the strategies, tactics, and mindsets that have enabled these companies to succeed. By reviewing these case studies, we can gain insight into creating a successful startup and how to apply these lessons to our businesses.

Table of Contents

Examining the early days of successful startups: what can we learn from their experiences, how to create a winning business model: insights from successful startups, the role of leadership in building a successful startup: what can we learn from high-profile founders, the power of networking: how connections helped launch successful startups, the impact of technology on startups: what can we learn from high-profile companies.

A combination of hard work, risk-taking, and a bit of luck often characterizes the early days of successful startups. Examining the experiences of these startups can provide valuable insights into the strategies and tactics that can lead to success. This paper will explore the early days of some of the most successful startups, examining the strategies and tactics they employed to achieve success.

One of the essential strategies successful startups employ is the ability to identify and capitalize on opportunities. Many of the most successful startups have placed and capitalized on emerging trends and technologies, allowing them to gain a competitive advantage. For example, Amazon was able to capitalize on the rise of e-commerce and the Internet. At the same time, Uber was able to capitalize on the bank of mobile technology and the sharing economy.

Another important strategy employed by successful startups is the ability to pivot quickly. Many startups have swiftly adapted to changing market conditions and customer needs, allowing them to stay ahead of the competition. For example, Airbnb promptly pivoted from a website for renting out spare rooms to a platform for booking entire homes and apartments.

Finally, successful startups often have a strong focus on customer experience. Many of the most successful startups have been able to create products and services that are tailored to the needs of their customers. For example, Apple has developed intuitive and accessible products, while Netflix has created a streaming service tailored to its customers’ needs.

In conclusion, examining the early days of successful startups can provide valuable insights into the strategies and tactics that can lead to success. Successful startups can often identify and capitalize on opportunities, pivot quickly, and focus on customer experience. By understanding and applying these strategies, entrepreneurs can increase their chances of success.

Creating a successful business model is essential for any startup to succeed. A business model is a plan for how a company will generate revenue and profit. It outlines the products or services the company will offer, how it will market and distribute them, and how it will finance its operations. A well-crafted business model can help a startup attract investors, secure customers, and achieve long-term success.

This article will explore how successful startups have created winning business models. It will discuss the critical elements of a successful business model, the importance of customer feedback, and the role of technology in creating a competitive advantage.

The Key Elements of a Successful Business Model

Creating a successful business model requires clearly understanding the company’s goals and objectives. A successful business model should include a detailed description of the company’s products or services, target market, pricing strategy, and distribution channels. It should also have a plan for how the company finances its operations and generates revenue.

In addition, a successful business model should include a competitive analysis. This analysis should identify the company’s competitors and their strengths and weaknesses. It should also identify potential opportunities for the company to differentiate itself from its competitors.

The Importance of Customer Feedback

Customer feedback is essential for creating a successful business model. Startups should use customer feedback to identify customer needs and preferences and to develop products and services that meet those needs. Customer feedback can also help startups identify potential opportunities for growth and expansion.

The Role of Technology

Technology can be a powerful tool for creating a competitive advantage. Startups should use technology to develop innovative products and services that are difficult for competitors to replicate. Technology can also be used to streamline operations and reduce costs.

Creating a successful business model is essential for any startup to succeed. A well-crafted business model should include a detailed description of the company’s products or services, target market, pricing strategy, and distribution channels. It should also have a competitive analysis and a plan for how the company will finance its operations and generate revenue. Customer feedback is essential for creating a successful business model, and technology can be used to develop innovative products and services and streamline processes. By following these insights, startups can create winning business models that will help them achieve long-term success.

Leadership is a critical factor in the success of any startup. High-profile founders have demonstrated the importance of strong leadership in building a successful startup. By examining the leadership styles of these founders, we can gain valuable insights into how to create a successful startup.

The most successful startups are often led by founders with a clear vision and a solid commitment to their mission. These founders can inspire their teams to work together to achieve their goals. They are also able to make difficult decisions and take risks when necessary. High-profile founders such as Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jeff Bezos have all demonstrated these qualities.

High-profile founders also understand the importance of creating a culture of innovation and collaboration. They recognize that their teams need to be able to work together to solve problems and come up with creative solutions. They also understand the importance of creating an environment where employees feel valued and respected.

Finally, high-profile founders understand the importance of staying focused on the company’s long-term goals. The incisions in the company’s best interest are unpopular in the short term. They also understand the importance of staying flexible and adapting to changing market conditions.

By examining the leadership styles of high-profile founders, we can gain valuable insights into how to create a successful startup. These founders have demonstrated the importance of having a clear vision, creating a culture of innovation and collaboration, and staying focused on the company’s long-term goals. By following their example, entrepreneurs can increase their chances of success.

Networking is a powerful tool for entrepreneurs looking to launch successful startups. By leveraging their connections, entrepreneurs can access resources, advice, and support that can help them get their businesses off the ground. This article will explore how networking has helped launch successful startups and the strategies entrepreneurs can use to maximize the power of their connections.

First, it is essential to understand the value of networking. By connecting with other entrepreneurs, investors, and industry professionals, entrepreneurs can access valuable resources and advice. This can include access to capital, mentorship, and industry knowledge. Additionally, networking can help entrepreneurs build relationships with potential customers, partners, and suppliers. These relationships can be invaluable in assisting entrepreneurs in launching their businesses.

Second, entrepreneurs should focus on building solid relationships with their network. This means getting to know the people in their network and understanding their needs and interests. It also means being willing to help others in their network when they need it. By building solid relationships, entrepreneurs can create a network of people ready to help them launch their businesses.

Third, entrepreneurs should take advantage of networking events. These events provide an excellent opportunity to meet new people and build relationships. Additionally, they can be a great source of information and advice. By attending networking events, entrepreneurs can learn from the experiences of other entrepreneurs and gain valuable insights into the startup process.

Finally, entrepreneurs should be willing to give back to their network. This can include offering advice, mentorship, or even financial support. By giving back to their network, entrepreneurs can create a strong network of people willing to help them launch their businesses.

In conclusion, networking is a powerful tool for entrepreneurs looking to launch successful startups. By leveraging their connections, entrepreneurs can access resources, advice, and support that can help them get their businesses off the ground. By building solid relationships, attending networking events, and giving back to their network, entrepreneurs can maximize the power of their connections and increase their chances of success.

Startups are increasingly leveraging technology to gain a competitive edge in the marketplace. High-profile companies such as Uber, Airbnb, and Amazon have all used technology to revolutionize their respective industries. By examining the impact of technology on these companies, we can gain valuable insights into how startups can use technology to their advantage.

First, technology can create a more efficient and streamlined customer experience. Uber, for example, has used technology to create a seamless ride-hailing experience. By leveraging mobile technology, Uber has provided customers with an easy-to-use app to quickly and conveniently book a ride. Similarly, Airbnb has used technology to create an efficient platform for booking short-term rentals. By leveraging technology, both companies have created a more efficient customer experience.

Second, technology can be used to create a more personalized customer experience. Amazon, for example, has used technology to create a customized shopping experience for its customers. By leveraging data and analytics, Amazon has created a personalized shopping experience tailored to customers’ needs and preferences. This has allowed Amazon to create a more engaging and enjoyable shopping experience for its customers.

Finally, technology can be used to create a more cost-effective business model. Uber, for example, has used technology to create a more cost-effective business model by eliminating the need for drivers and vehicles. By leveraging technology, Uber has created a more cost-effective business model that has allowed it to become one of the most successful companies in the world.

In conclusion, technology can be a powerful tool for startups seeking a competitive edge. By examining the impact of technology on high-profile companies such as Uber, Airbnb, and Amazon, we can gain valuable insights into how startups can use technology to their advantage. By leveraging technology, startups can create a more efficient and personalized customer experience and a more cost-effective business model.

In conclusion, successful startup case studies provide valuable lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs. By studying high-profile companies’ and founders’ successes and failures, entrepreneurs can gain insight into the strategies and tactics used to achieve success. By understanding the critical elements of successful startups, entrepreneurs can develop their systems and plan to increase their chances of success. Ultimately, successful startup case studies provide valuable lessons for entrepreneurs to learn from and apply to their businesses.

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5 Amazing Small Business Case Study Examples for Marketers

In the competitive landscape of small businesses, standing out requires more than just great products or services. It demands compelling stories that resonate with your target audience. Case studies, real-world examples of marketing your product or service, are powerful tools to build trust. Let’s explore nine inspiring small business case study examples that have harnessed the power of storytelling to achieve remarkable results.

Power of Case Studies

Before exploring these inspiring examples, understand the profound impact that well-crafted case studies can have:

• A compelling case study does more than showcase your product or service. It tells a story that resonates with your audience.
• It transforms abstract benefits into tangible results, helping potential customers visualize themselves achieving similar success.
• Case studies build trust and credibility by highlighting specific challenges, solutions, and outcomes.

When a small business shares how it successfully navigated a problem, it positions itself as an expert in the industry. This expertise is backed by real-world results, which makes your brand more trustworthy in the eyes of potential customers.

Small business case study examples are powerful social proof that your offerings deliver real value. According to a survey by the Content Marketing Institute:

“73% of marketers say that case studies are one of the most effective forms of content for influencing purchasing decisions.”

This is because they provide potential customers with evidence that your solution works and can help them achieve similar results.

Small Business Case Study Examples

Here are a few small business case study examples you can not miss to analyze:

Zapier is a prime example of how strategic SEO and content marketing can drive massive organic traffic and user growth. It faced the challenge of increasing its visibility in a crowded market to establish itself as a go-to platform for automation.

Through a meticulously planned SEO strategy, they set a precedent for how small businesses can leverage content and partnerships to fuel growth.

In its early days, Zapier faced a significant challenge. It was how to stand out in a rapidly growing market of productivity and automation tools. With numerous competitors offering similar services, it needed to find a way to differentiate itself and drive organic traffic.

The company recognized the importance of online presence and visibility to attract new users and grow its platform.

The challenge was clear. Zapier needed to boost its SEO efforts and increase website traffic to sustain growth and stay competitive.

To tackle this challenge, the company implemented an ambitious SEO strategy focused on long-tail keywords. These are often less competitive and more targeted.

The company created 25,000 unique landing pages, each optimized for specific long-tail keywords related to their services.

These pages were not just automated templates. They featured well-structured, human-written content that addressed the specific needs of potential users searching for those keywords.

Zapier also developed a comprehensive playbook for onboarding new apps and partners.

By involving their partners, the company generated a vast amount of content without overwhelming their in-house team. These partners wrote high-quality guest posts for their sites, including backlinks to Zapier, further strengthening Zapier’s SEO and increasing referral traffic.

This boosted its domain authority and helped attract new users by increasing the company’s visibility across various online platforms.

Zapier’s strategic SEO and content marketing efforts paid off tremendously. The creation of 25,000 optimized landing pages significantly increased organic traffic, making it easier for potential users to discover Zapier through search engines.

Collaborating with partners for content creation and link building further amplified their online presence, driving even more traffic to the website.

Today, Zapier is recognized as a leader in the automation industry, with a robust user base and a solid online presence, largely thanks to its strategic use of SEO and content partnerships.

Key Takeaways

• Leverage long-tail keywords to create targeted, relevant content that drives organic traffic.
• Create multiple landing pages with well-optimized, human-written content to improve search engine visibility.
• Collaborate with partners to scale content creation and build valuable backlinks.
• Outsource link-building efforts to trusted partners to increase domain authority and attract more users.
• Focus on SEO as a long-term strategy to establish and maintain a solid online presence.

“One more thing…”—a phrase famously used by Steve Jobs during Apple keynotes, signaling the introduction of a groundbreaking product or idea. This phrase perfectly encapsulates Apple’s approach to innovation and branding: consistently delivering something unexpected and transformative.

It’s a testament to Apple’s commitment to pushing boundaries and setting new standards in the industry. This philosophy is reflected in their products and their approach to overcoming challenges and driving success.

Apple’s journey from a struggling tech company to a global powerhouse is a powerful case study of how strategic innovation and branding can redefine an entire industry.

In its early years, Apple faced a series of significant challenges. The company was battling financial difficulties, lagging behind competitors like IBM and Microsoft, and struggling to establish a strong foothold in the highly competitive technology market.

One of the most pressing challenges was Apple’s inability to define its brand identity clearly and differentiate itself from other players in the industry. The company’s products, while innovative, were not achieving the desired market penetration, and Apple was at risk of becoming irrelevant in a rapidly evolving market.

Additionally, Apple faced the challenge of creating products that were not only innovative but also accessible and appealing to a broader consumer base. The company needed to balance its focus on design and technology with the need for mass-market appeal.

Apple also had to overcome internal challenges, including management instability and a lack of cohesive vision, hindering its ability to execute a unified strategy.

To address these challenges, Apple, under the leadership of Steve Jobs, implemented a multi-faceted strategy that focused on innovation, design, and brand reinvention.

Apple doubled down on its commitment to innovation, focusing on creating products that were not only technologically advanced but also user-friendly and beautifully designed.

The launch of the Macintosh in 1984, for instance, was a turning point that showcased Apple’s ability to combine cutting-edge technology with an intuitive user experience. The focus on innovation continued with the development of iconic products like the iPod, iPhone, and iPad, each revolutionizing its respective industry.

Recognizing the need for a solid and consistent brand identity, Apple undertook a significant rebranding effort. This included simplifying its logo, as previously mentioned. It involved redefining Apple’s image as a brand synonymous with innovation, creativity, and premium quality.

The “Think Different” campaign was instrumental in positioning Apple as a brand that stood for innovation and rebellion against the status quo. It resonated deeply with consumers and differentiated Apple from its competitors.

Apple strongly emphasized design and user experience, ensuring that every product performed well and looked and felt exceptional. This strategy extended to the Apple ecosystem, where seamless integration between devices created a unique and compelling user experience that competitors struggled to match.

Apple’s strategic decisions paid off handsomely, transforming the company from a struggling business into the most valuable company in the world. The focus on innovation and design resulted in products that captured market share and created entirely new markets.

The iPod revolutionized the music industry, the iPhone redefined mobile communication, and the iPad opened up new possibilities in personal computing.

The rebranding efforts and the “Think Different” campaign helped establish Apple as a premium brand with a loyal customer base. Apple’s products became status symbols, and the company cultivated a reputation for quality, reliability, and cutting-edge technology.

The Apple Stores further solidified this brand image, providing customers with an immersive, personalized experience that drove sales and brand loyalty.

Under Jobs’ leadership, Apple’s stock price soared, and the company’s market capitalization grew exponentially. Apple’s ability to consistently innovate and reinvent itself has ensured its continued success, making it a dominant force in the technology industry.

• Innovation is vital to staying ahead in a competitive market; consistently developing groundbreaking products can redefine entire industries.
• A strong, cohesive brand identity is essential for differentiating a company from its competitors and building customer loyalty.
• User experience and design are critical factors in product success; functional and aesthetically pleasing products create lasting consumer appeal.
• Retail strategy and direct customer engagement can enhance brand perception and drive sales.
• Leadership and vision are crucial for maintaining focus and executing a successful long-term strategy.

In 2009, Uber emerged with a bold vision: to transform the transportation industry by offering a convenient, reliable, and tech-driven alternative to traditional taxi services.

What began as a simple idea—connecting riders with drivers through a smartphone app—quickly became a global phenomenon that disrupted how people move in cities worldwide.

Uber’s journey from a small startup to a multi-billion-dollar company is a powerful example of how technology, innovative business models, and strategic execution can revolutionize an entire industry.

Uber’s rise from a startup to a multi-billion-dollar company is a compelling case study in leveraging technology, innovative business models, and strategic marketing to disrupt an entire industry.

When Uber was founded in 2009, the transportation industry was dominated by traditional taxi services, often criticized for being inefficient, expensive, and difficult to access. Customers frequently faced challenges such as long wait times, unclear pricing, and poor service.

Uber identified these pain points and recognized an opportunity to disrupt the market by providing a more convenient, reliable, and cost-effective solution.

However, the challenge was not just about creating a better service. It was about convincing both consumers and regulators to accept a completely new model of transportation that relied on private drivers and mobile technology.

To overcome these challenges, Uber implemented a multi-pronged strategy that combined technology, aggressive marketing, and strategic partnerships. Uber’s core innovation was its mobile app, which allowed users to book a ride with just a few taps on their smartphone.

The app provided real-time tracking of drivers, transparent pricing, and the convenience of cashless payments, addressing many issues plaguing traditional taxi services.

Uber also introduced dynamic pricing, known as “surge pricing,” which adjusted fares based on demand, ensuring that riders could always find a ride, even during peak times.

Uber’s business model was disruptive in that it didn’t own any vehicles or employ drivers in the traditional sense. Instead, Uber acted as a platform that connected independent drivers with passengers.

This allowed Uber to scale rapidly without the overhead costs associated with maintaining a fleet of vehicles.

The company offered incentives to drivers, such as flexible working hours and the potential to earn more than traditional taxi drivers, which helped attract many drivers to the platform.

In some regions, Uber introduced services like UberMOTO (motorcycle taxis) and UberAUTO (auto-rickshaws) to cater to local transportation preferences.

This flexibility allowed Uber to penetrate diverse markets and meet the unique demands of different customer segments.

Uber’s strategic approach to technology, business model innovation, and aggressive expansion paid off, making it one of the fastest-growing companies in history.

Within a few years, Uber had disrupted the global transportation industry, challenging the traditional taxi model and inspiring a wave of similar startups.

The company’s success was not without controversy, as it faced legal challenges, protests from taxi unions, and regulatory hurdles in many cities. However, Uber’s ability to adapt and navigate these challenges allowed it to continue growing.

By 2019, Uber had completed over 10 billion rides globally, and the company went public with a valuation of over $80 billion.

Today, Uber operates in more than 900 metropolitan areas worldwide and has expanded its offerings to include services like Uber Eats, Uber Freight, and autonomous vehicle research.

Uber’s journey from a small startup to a global leader is a testament to the power of innovation, technology, and bold business strategies.

• Leveraging technology can transform traditional industries by offering innovative, user-friendly solutions.
• A disruptive business model can enable rapid scaling and global expansion without the constraints of traditional operations.
• Aggressive marketing and strategic expansion are essential for establishing a solid presence in new markets.
• Adapting to local markets is crucial for success in diverse regions, allowing a company to meet specific customer needs and regulatory requirements.
• Navigating regulatory challenges is critical to sustaining growth and maintaining market leadership in a disruptive industry.

“Customer obsession over competitor focus”—this principle has driven Amazon’s growth from a small online bookstore into one of the most influential companies in the world.

Founded by Jeff Bezos in 1994, Amazon was born out of the simple yet ambitious vision to revolutionize the retail industry by harnessing the power of the internet.

Amazon has transformed how people shop and redefined what it means to be a global retailer. This case study explores how Amazon tackled its early challenges, developed game-changing strategies, and achieved remarkable outcomes to become a dominant force in the global economy.

When Amazon launched, the company faced significant challenges. The internet was still infancy, and online shopping was not a common practice. Consumers were wary of buying products online, concerned about security, and unfamiliar with the process.

Moreover, Amazon had to compete with established brick-and-mortar stores with solid brand loyalty and consumer trust. The challenge for Amazon was to convince people to buy books online and shift the entire shopping paradigm towards e-commerce.

As Amazon began to expand beyond books, the company needed to develop a robust logistics network capable of delivering a vast array of products quickly and efficiently, all while keeping costs low.

Amazon’s strategy to overcome these challenges was multi-faceted and centered around three core principles: customer obsession, innovation, and scalability. Jeff Bezos has always emphasized that Amazon primarily focuses on the customer.

From the outset, Amazon prioritized creating a seamless shopping experience by offering a vast selection of products, competitive pricing, and unparalleled convenience.

This customer-centric approach extended to innovations like customer reviews, personalized recommendations, and an easy-to-use interface, which built trust and encouraged repeat business.

Amazon invested heavily in technology to improve the shopping experience and streamline operations. The creation of the “1-Click” purchasing system and Amazon Prime, which offered fast and free shipping, were technological innovations that set Amazon apart from competitors.

Additionally, Amazon Web Services (AWS) was launched as a cloud computing platform, which became a significant revenue stream and powered the company’s vast operations.

Amazon’s strategy involved expanding beyond books into every retail category, from electronics to clothing to groceries.

Amazon also diversified its business by launching products like Kindle, Echo, and Fire TV and expanding into services such as Amazon Prime Video, further embedding itself into consumers’ lives.

Amazon’s strategic focus has yielded extraordinary results, making it a prime example in any collection of small business case study examples. The company rapidly evolved from a startup into one of the largest retailers in the world.

Amazon’s ability to scale operations efficiently has enabled it to dominate the e-commerce space, capturing nearly 40% of the U.S. online retail market as of 2021.

The success of Amazon Web Services (AWS) further exemplifies the company’s innovative spirit, positioning Amazon as a leader in cloud computing. AWS has become a cornerstone of Amazon’s profitability, generating billions in revenue and supporting countless businesses worldwide.

This success story is crucial when discussing small business case study examples, demonstrating how diversification and innovation can drive substantial growth.

The introduction of Amazon Prime has cultivated a loyal customer base, with over 200 million subscribers globally who depend on the service for everything from daily essentials to entertainment.

Amazon achieved a market capitalization that surpassed $1 trillion in 2018.

• Customer obsession is crucial for building a loyal customer base and driving long-term success.
• Continuous innovation in technology and services can differentiate a company from its competitors and create new revenue streams.
• Scalability and efficient logistics are vital in managing rapid growth and maintaining a competitive edge in the market.
• Market expansion and diversification allow businesses to reduce risk and capitalize on new opportunities.
• Strategic acquisitions and investments can accelerate growth and enable entry into new markets and industries.

5. Snapchat

“Embrace the moment”—this mantra encapsulates Snapchat’s unique social media and communication approach. Snapchat emerged as a groundbreaking platform founded in 2011 by Evan Spiegel, Bobby Murphy, and Reggie Brown.

Unlike other social media platforms that focused on permanence, Snapchat introduced the concept of ephemeral messaging, allowing users to send photos and videos that would disappear after being viewed.

This innovative approach resonated with younger audiences and quickly set Snapchat apart in a crowded social media landscape.

This case study explores Snapchat’s journey, its challenges, strategies, and outcomes that solidified its place as a leader in the social media industry.

When Snapchat first launched, it faced significant challenges in a social media environment dominated by giants like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

The critical challenge was differentiating itself in a market where social media platforms competed for user attention through features emphasizing permanence, likes, and public sharing.

Snapchat must convince users, especially younger ones, to embrace a new communication method focused on fleeting moments rather than lasting memories.

Another major challenge was monetization. While Snapchat rapidly gained popularity, especially among millennials and Gen Z, turning that user base into a profitable business was not straightforward.

The platform needed to find innovative ways to generate revenue without compromising the user experience centered around privacy and the temporary nature of its content.

Furthermore, Snapchat had to continually innovate to stay relevant as competitors began to imitate its core features. Maintaining its distinct identity and user base in the face of increasing competition was a constant challenge.

Snapchat implemented vital strategies focused on innovation, user engagement, and monetization to overcome these challenges. Snapchat’s primary innovation was its focus on ephemeral content—photos and videos that disappeared after being viewed.

This concept was a significant departure from other social media platforms, where content was designed to be permanent.

Snapchat also introduced other unique features, such as Stories (a 24-hour timeline of photos and videos), Lenses (augmented reality filters), and Discover (a platform for branded content and news). These features helped differentiate Snapchat and attract a younger demographic that valued privacy and spontaneity.

Snapchat prioritized user engagement by constantly introducing new and playful features that kept the platform fresh and exciting. The app’s interface encouraged users to interact with friends more personally and creatively, fostering a strong sense of community and belonging.

The introduction of Snapstreaks, which tracked how many consecutive days two users communicated, further boosted user retention and engagement.

To address the challenge of monetization, Snapchat developed innovative advertising solutions that were integrated seamlessly into the user experience. The company introduced Snap Ads, full-screen vertical video ads between Stories, Sponsored Lenses, and Geofilters, allowing brands to create interactive user experiences.

Snapchat also leveraged its Discover platform to partner with media companies and offer premium content, generating additional revenue streams. These strategies allowed Snapchat to monetize its user base effectively while maintaining its core appeal.

Snapchat used a strategic approach to innovation, user engagement, and monetization. This paid off, making Snapchat one of the most popular social media platforms among younger audiences.

By 2023, Snapchat had over 375 million daily active users.

The majority of its user base comprises millennials and Gen Z, who are often elusive for other platforms to capture. Snapchat successfully turned its unique approach to content sharing into a lucrative business.

The company’s innovative advertising solutions and partnerships with brands and media outlets allowed it to generate substantial revenue. This helped to achieve profitability after several years of operating at a loss.

As of 2023, Snapchat’s parent company, Snap Inc., had a market capitalization of over $15 billion.

Features like AR Lenses and Snap Maps kept existing users engaged and attracted new ones, helping Snapchat maintain its competitive edge.

Despite the challenges posed by larger competitors, Snapchat has carved out a distinct niche in the social media landscape.

• Innovation in user experience can set a platform apart in a crowded market, especially by offering unique features that address specific user needs.
• Focusing on user engagement and updating the platform can help maintain a loyal user base.
• Creative monetization strategies that align with the platform’s core values can drive revenue without alienating users.
• Staying ahead of competitors through constant innovation is essential in fast-moving industries like social media.
• Understanding and targeting a specific demographic can lead to strong brand loyalty and long-term success.

Small business case study examples are about illustrating the transformative impact your business can have. These case studies not only showcase your expertise but also build trust and inspire action.

Let these examples guide you as you develop your case studies. Turn your client successes into compelling narratives that set you apart in the marketplace.

By following these small business case study examples, you can create compelling narratives that resonate with your target audience. Use SocialBu’s analytics to track the performance of your case study campaign and identify areas for improvement.

How do you write a case study for a small business?

What is a case study in business example, what are good examples of case studies, how do you write a business case for a study.

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5 Case Studies of Successful Digital Marketing Campaigns

Hold onto your hats, marketers!

Did you know digital marketing spending is set to explode, reaching a mind-boggling $ 786 billion by 2026 ? And with social media ad spend hitting over $70 billion in the US alone , there’s no denying the power of a killer online campaign.

But here’s the thing: it’s not just about throwing money at ads. Successful campaigns in 2024 are a strategic dance – they blend social media with a whole symphony of channels for a knockout customer experience.

Think of it like this: Personalizing your message? That’s the move that turns casual shoppers into loyal fans.

Ready to see how top brands are doing a successful digital marketing campaign? I’m dissecting 5 real-world campaigns that nailed this formula and reaped the rewards. Get ready for digital marketing strategies – inspiration and a blueprint for your own marketing success await.

• Beyond the Love Fest: Slack's Winning Formula

Ideas to Adapt This Digital Advertising Strategy

Tips to steal for your business, ideas for your business, lessons for your business, case study #1. slack.

Slack’s meteoric rise in the competitive business communication space can be largely attributed to their genius understanding of a simple concept: customers love to talk about products they adore. Here’s how they turned this digital marketing campaign into marketing gold:

• The “Wall of Love” Campaign: This brilliant tactic involved a dedicated Twitter account (@SlackLoveTweets) that amplified positive user testimonials. This effortless social proof machine did wonders for brand reputation and encouraged even more glowing commentary.
• Easy Sharing = Participation: Using X (formerly Twitter), a platform already beloved by users, removed any participation hurdles.
• Feedback Loop: Praise wasn’t just for show – the team used those rave reviews to refine their product and deliver what users really needed.
• The Power of Visuals: Tweets with included images got more traction and showcased how Slack integrates into people’s work lives.

Beyond the Love Fest: Slack’s Winning Formula

Slack’s success goes beyond a single campaign. Here’s why they continue to compete with giants like Microsoft Teams:

• Relentless Focus on User Experience: From its inception, Slack was built with the user in mind. Easy setup, intuitive design…it removes the tech friction that bogs down other platforms.
• Real-Time = Real Connection: In a world demanding instant communication, Slack delivers. This keeps teams on the same page and fosters a sense of camaraderie.
• Customizable and Integrations-Friendly: Slack’s open approach lets it play nicely with countless other tools, creating a tailored work hub. This flexibility is invaluable to businesses.

The Bottom Line: Slack proved that listening to customers and showing that they matter is the recipe for building not just a loyal user base, but passionate brand advocates.

Want to implement aspects of this for your own business? Here are some ideas:

• Run a testimonial campaign: It doesn’t need to be as fancy as “The Wall of Love.” A simple social media hashtag or even a dedicated landing page can get people talking.
• Turn glowing testimonials into visuals: Tweets, infographics…make that praise eye-catching.
• Pay attention to even the smallest bits of feedback. That’s where your next big feature idea might be hiding.

Case Study #2. UNIQLO

UNIQLO knew that to get people excited about their HEATTECH line, they needed to go beyond standard ads. Hence, an ingenious omnichannel experience was born:

• The Hook: Eye-catching digital billboards across Australia, plus videos online, dared people to snap photos of unique codes. This gamified the promotion, making it fun.
• The Reward: Codes unlocked either free t-shirts (who doesn’t love free stuff?) or tempting e-commerce discounts. Plus, a gentle push toward signing up for the newsletter for future deals.
• The Viral Touch: The experience was shareable on social media, letting satisfied customers spread the word and get their friends involved.

Why This Was Marketing Magic

• The Power of “Free”: Giveaways always pique interest, and those t-shirts were a brilliant way to get people to try the product.
• Bridging Online and Offline: The billboards drove people to the digital campaign, and the campaign funneled real-world shoppers into their online ecosystem.
• Beyond Just a Sale: While the initial goal was sales, UNIQLO also used this to build their email list, ensuring those new customers could be nurtured later.

The Impressive Results: 1.3 million video views, 25K new email subscribers, and a whopping 35K new customers speak for themselves.

• Gamifying the experience: Can you add a code-finding element, or a contest, to your campaigns?
• Freebies are your friend: It doesn’t have to be t-shirts; a free sample or exclusive content could work just as well.
• Think about the share factor: How can you encourage participants to organically spread the word?

Case Study #3. Airbnb

Airbnb understood that to stand out, they couldn’t just offer rooms – they had to sell the feeling of travel. Here’s how they did it:

“Made Possible By Hosts” Campaign: This heartwarming video used real guest photos and a nostalgic soundtrack to evoke that “remember that epic trip?” sensation. It subtly showcased great properties while focusing on the emotional benefits of those getaways. ( Watch Here )

“Belong Anywhere” Campaign: This was about ditching the cookie-cutter hotel experience and immersing yourself in a destination. Airbnb positioned itself as the key to local adventures, belonging, and transformation through travel. ( Watch Here )

Key Takeaways

• Video is KING: They invested in both short, shareable how-to videos and longer, emotionally impactful ones.
• UGC is Your Goldmine: User photos and stories provided powerful, free content while also building that vital trust factor.
• Sentiment Sells: Airbnb didn’t bog down ads with facts; they used music, imagery, and storytelling to tap into that wanderlust in viewers.

The Success: These campaigns weren’t just pretty to look at; those 17M views for “Made Possible by Hosts” and the global reach of “Belong Anywhere” translated into real bookings.

Why It Matters: Airbnb disrupted an entire industry by understanding that:

• Experience Matters More Than Specs: They sell adventures, memories, and that feeling of connection, not just a place to crash.
• Authenticity Wins: User-generated content is relatable and trustworthy, which is key in the travel industry.
• Don’t just show the product, show the FEELING: How will your product or service transform a customer’s life?
• Run Contests for UGC: Get those customer photos rolling in. Offer a prize for the most “adventurous” or “heartwarming” shot.
• Showcase Your Brand Personality: Was Airbnb’s tone all serious? Nope. They were fun, sentimental, and a little cheeky, which fit their brand image.

Could You Partner with Airbnb? This case study also begs the question: for businesses in the travel or hospitality space, an Airbnb collaboration could be marketing magic.

Case Study #4. Lyft

Lyft realized they already had a killer product – their challenge was getting MORE people to try it. Enter the power of referrals:

• The Hook: Simple referral codes were sharable via the app, email, or even text. This made it a snap for riders to spread the word.
• The Reward: Free or discounted rides. This wasn’t a measly $5 off; it was significant enough to make riders really want to tell their friends.
• The Viral Loop: Refer a friend, get a discount. Friend uses Lyft, they get a discount…you see where this is going.

Why This Was Smart

• Low-Cost, High-Yield: Traditional advertising is pricey. Referrals are fueled by happy customers, which is way cheaper.
• The Trust Factor: People trust recommendations from people they know infinitely more than some billboard.
• Scalability: This successful digital marketing strategy grows with their user base – the more satisfied riders, the more potential advocates.

The Bottom Line: Lyft didn’t just make a clever campaign; they built a referral system into the core of their app, ensuring growth wouldn’t be a one-time thing.

• What’s Your Incentive?: Freebies, discounts, exclusive content – what will actually make your customers want to share?
• Make It EASY: Don’t make them jump through hoops. One-click sharing options are essential.
• Track and Reward: Who are your top referrers? They deserve some extra love (maybe even a tiered rewards program).

Case Study #5. Sephora

Sephora understood a key weakness of e-commerce: you can’t try on a lipstick through a screen. That’s why they went all-in on innovative tech:

• The App as a Virtual Dressing Room: AI and AR are game-changers. Their app lets customers try on makeup from anywhere, boosting confidence in online purchases.
• Closing the Loop: Smart, eh? The app connects right to their e-store; a few taps and that virtual lipstick is in your real-world cart.
• Personalized to the Max: Using shopper data, the app tailors the experience, offering tailored recommendations that increase the chance of buying.

Why This Isn’t Just Cool, It’s Genius

• Overcoming Obstacles: They addressed a key pain point of buying cosmetics online. Less hesitation = more sales.
• Omnichannel FTW: They don’t just exist online; there’s an in-store connection too. That app? It helps you there as well.
• It’s about the EXPERIENCE: Sephora knows beauty is fun, and their digital strategy reflects that with virtual try-ons, quizzes, etc.
• Solve a problem: Don’t just add tech for the sake of it. Find a pain point in your customer journey and see if there’s a tech solution.
• The “Experience” Factor: Can you add interactive elements, gamification, or a personalized touch to your digital presence?
• Data Is Your Friend: If you’re collecting it, USE it. Tailored offers, recommendations…these keep customers coming back for more.

Final Thought on These Successful Digital Marketing Campaigns

These case studies showcase the importance of being adaptable, customer-focused, and not afraid to try new things. The digital marketing landscape is constantly evolving, but by understanding the core principles of what makes people tick, your business can craft truly impactful online marketing campaigns.

The Power of Emotion & Experience

• Best marketing campaigns aren’t just about features; they tap into feelings . Airbnb evokes the thrill of travel, Slack reminds us of the joy of smooth team communication, and Sephora makes buying makeup playful.
• Ask yourself: What does my product/service let customers feel and how can my content marketing capture that?

User-Generated Content is Marketing Gold

• The campaign featured like Slack’s “Wall of Love” and Airbnb’s focus on guest photos prove that real-world stories beat slick ads every time.
• This builds trust and provides endless free content.
• How to get started? Contests, easy-to-use “review” features on your site, and incentivizing social media platforms’ shares.

Omnichannel is the Future

• Both Sephora and UNIQLO masterfully blurred the lines between online and offline experiences.
• The target audience wants to engage with brands on their terms . Be present on social, have a mobile-friendly site, and if possible, find ways to integrate the in-store experience.

Word-of-Mouth Still Reigns Supreme

• Lyft’s referral program is a reminder that happy customers are your best salespeople.
• Don’t focus solely on gaining new customers; ensure your current ones feel so valued they can’t help but spread the word.
• Tips: Loyalty programs, excellent customer service that goes the extra mile, referral incentives

Tech is Your Tool, Not Your Master

• Sephora’s AI and AR try-ons are impressive, but the core goal is solving a problem for customers.
• Avoid using tech just to be trendy. Focus on how it can truly enhance your customer’s journey.

Related Content:

• Niche Website Builder: Your Profitable Niche Site From Scratch
• The Dark Side of Digital: 6 Worst Social Media Platforms In 2024 [Exposed]
• 10 Best Digital Marketing Niches in 2024 & 100 Profitable Sub-Niche Ideas
• How to Grow Your Business Online in 2024 (Entrepreneur Guide)
• 10 Best Facebook Niches: Goldmines for Unmatched ROI and Growth

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Brent Barnhart | B2B Content Writer

7 Superb SaaS Case Study Examples (and Why They’re So Effective)

It’s no secret that the SaaS space is crowded.

Heck, the average business is juggling hundreds of apps at any given time.

And so anything software companies can do to prove their value is a plus.

That’s why SaaS case studies are so important.

Fact: case studies are cited as the most effective type of content for influencing B2B buying decisions. Case studies are crucial for not only helping SaaS companies stand out from the crowd but also answer their potential customers’ most pressing questions.

Want to see what compelling customer stories look like in the wild? Check out the seven SaaS case study examples below.

“What does this case study do well?”

• Immediately highlights the client’s key challenge and how Gong’s product managed to solve it. The specific, positive outcomes (“more closed deals,” “increased sales productivity” and “more cross-department collaboration”) speak for themselves.
• The format is scannable and flows seamlessly, broken up by colorful visuals, client quotes and a product screenshot.
• The case study reads like an actual narrative, brimming with conversational copy and client quotes to keep the report from feeling too “matter of fact.”

Much like SaaS blog writing doesn’t have to be boring, case studies shouldn’t be a total snooze-fest. This report proves exactly that.

• Incorporates a brief video to summarize the study’s key points and provide real-world context to the client’s challenges. This is especially important for more “technical” or complicated SaaS products.
• It’s brief! In addition to the provided video, the tried-and-tested “Challenge, Solution, Results” format helps keep this study short and sweet.
• The study’s headline is compelling. From its title alone, the study highlights how a specific feature (Zylo’s SaaS renewal calendar) addressed a specific pain point (unwanted auto-renewals) and resulted in a major benefit ($50,000+ saved) for the client.

Clocking in at under 500 words, this is among the shortest of our SaaS study examples. That said, the study’s brevity is one of its key strengths.

• The study’s format gives you pretty much everything you need above-the-fold, including the client’s results and a well-produced video.
• Highlights impressive data points and outcomes immediately (“5xd conversion” and “90% retention rate”).
• Includes quotes from multiple employees to showcase how Heap’s service helps clients organization-wide (rather than just a single department).

• The case study’s title is striking, putting a massively positive client outcome (saving 40 hours per week) front-and-center.
• It feels human! The fact that the study comes from a back-and-forth client conversation not only humanizes Databox as a brand but also makes their product seem more tangible.
• The study’s unique format (a blog post that provides both a video and transcript) is fair game for prospects whether they prefer to consume content via viewing or reading. This likewise highlights how you might integrate case studies into your SaaS content strategy.

5. FunnelCake

• The study’s headline does double-duty of showcasing awesome results (1.5x conversion rates) and how quickly those results came (“Within a quarter of launching”).
• Provides multiple hard-hitting client quotes to drive home the product’s effectiveness (“finding value in the first week”).
• Couples its bold claims with specific data points (“100% adoption in the first 30 days”).

6. Chili Piper

• Major outcomes are highlighted throughout the case study (including a “5x increase in inbound meeting booked” and the “300% revenue increase” referenced in the title).
• The study uses the numbers above to hook the reader and then provide a brief breakdown of how those results came to be, moving us from Point A to Point B.
• Candid client video and quotes provide additional context and a personal touch to Chili Piper’s product.

7. Typeform

• The study is presented as a hybrid between a customer success story and a how-to blog post for new users and existing clients. Again, case studies are a valuable part of your SaaS content marketing strategy.
• Incorporates actual client screenshots and highlights the specific steps to replicate their positive results, making Typeform’s product seem super actionable.
• Integrates glowing quotes from the client to showcase benefits.

“What do the best SaaS case study examples have in common?”

As proven by the examples above, there is no “right” or singular way to put together a SaaS case study.

That said, there are a few common threads between the reports above that companies should strive to stick to.

If you’re trying to figure out how to write a SaaS case study yourself, keep the principles below in mind.

Grab readers’ attention with specific numbers, figures and data points

Sure, phrases like “increased revenue” or “saved time” are enticing.

But coupling those phrases with actual numbers can help your case study pack a much-needed punch.

For example, “increased revenue” versus “increased MRR by $10,000” or “saved time” versus “saved 15 hours per week.”

See how that works? Using actual client numbers does double duty of grabbing your target audience’s attention while also proving to prospects that your service produces meaningful results.

Integrate visuals to illustrate your points and keep readers engaged

Fact: recent visual content statistics note that both videos and graphics help push people toward making purchasing decisions.

It’s telling that five of our seven SaaS case study examples include video, right?

From stylized quotes to product screenshots and client headshots, it’s crucial that your reports are more than just walls of text. Written case studies can definitely be effective, granted you stick to the principle of “show, don’t tell.”

Let your clients do the talking

Again, most SaaS case studies are basically client stories.

So don’t be shy about letting your clients sing your praises. You’d be surprised at what gems of social proof they’ll say totally unprompted.

The correlation between customer testimonials and higher conversions is well-documented. Note that many of the SaaS case study examples below draw heavily on direct client quotes or interview segments.

If nothing else, making your case studies client-centric makes sense and likewise means less work on your part.

Make your case study shareable

Fact: the typical B2B buying process involves between six and ten people.

And so anything you can do to make your case study shareable to multiple stakeholders is a smart move.

This again speaks to why so many SaaS case studies incorporate video or are formatted as succinct, scroll-friendly PDFs.

Beyond that, conversational language and a summary of key points can also make a report more shareable. In short, your case study should be accessible even to people who don’t have a deep knowledge of your product.

Which SaaS case study examples stand out to you?

SaaS providers have a ton of freedom when it comes to how they put together their case studies.

Want to keep it brief? Looking to take a deep dive into your product and its specific features? Go for it.

Hopefully these examples and best practices provided some insight into what makes a “good” case study in the software space.

Got any other SaaS case study examples I should totally check out? Let me know on  Twitter , comment below or  shoot me an email .

This post was last updated on 1/5/2021.

January 6, 2021 at 8:26 am

Great piece for me as a marketing analyst who is looking to learn more about the SaaS industry

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Case Studies: Successful Translations of Corporate Strategy into Sales Success

• September 1, 2024

When we think about corporate Strategy, we often imagine complex plans and high-level meetings. But what happens when these strategies hit the ground running? 

How do well-devised corporate strategies translate into tangible sales success? 

To uncover this, let's delve into some captivating case studies highlighting the art and science of aligning corporate Strategy with sales strategy to achieve outstanding results.

Understanding Corporate Strategy and Sales Strategy

Before diving into the case studies, it's crucial to grasp the concepts at play.

Corporate Strategy is the overarching plan that defines a company's long-term objectives, direction, and scope. It encompasses decisions about which markets to enter, how to compete, and what resources to allocate. Common types of corporate Strategy include growth, stability, and retrenchment strategies. Each type of Strategy reflects different goals and approaches to managing a company's future.

Sales Strategy , on the other hand, is more focused. It involves a company's specific tactics and actions to achieve its sales goals. This includes market segmentation, sales channels, pricing strategies, and sales force management. While corporate Strategy provides the big picture, sales strategy focuses on the details that drive revenue.

Case Study 1: Apple Inc. – Innovation as a Corporate Strategy

Corporate Strategy : Apple's corporate Strategy has always been about innovation. Apple has aimed to differentiate itself from its inception through cutting-edge technology and design. The company's focus on creating high-quality, user-friendly products has been central to its corporate Strategy.

Sales Strategy : Apple employs a multifaceted sales strategy to translate this corporate Strategy into sales success. This includes a premium pricing model, exclusive retail stores, and a strong brand ecosystem. Apple's retail stores are both sales points and brand ambassadors, showcasing the latest innovations and providing a unique customer experience.

Success Story : Apple's launch of the iPhone is a prime example. The iPhone wasn't just a new product; it was a revolution in mobile technology. By aligning its sales strategy with its corporate innovation strategy, Apple created a new product category and established itself as a market leader. The iPhone's success boosted Apple's revenue and market share, illustrating how a strong corporate strategy can drive sales success.

Case Study 2: Tesla Inc. – Disruption and Sustainability

Corporate Strategy : Tesla's corporate Strategy revolves around disruption and sustainability. The company aims to accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy. Tesla's focus on electric vehicles and renewable energy solutions is a testament to its commitment to innovation and sustainability.

Sales Strategy : Tesla's sales strategy is closely tied to its corporate Strategy. The company uses a direct-to-consumer sales model, bypassing traditional dealerships. This approach allows Tesla to control the customer experience and gather valuable data. Tesla's referral programs and online sales platforms make purchasing convenient and align with its digital-first approach.

Success Story : The success of Tesla's Model S is a clear example of how aligning corporate and sales strategies can lead to significant success. By focusing on high-performance electric vehicles and creating a unique buying experience, Tesla disrupted the automotive industry. The Model S not only received critical acclaim but also drove impressive sales figures, reinforcing Tesla's position as a leader in sustainable transportation.

Case Study 3: Starbucks – Customer Experience and Brand Loyalty

Corporate Strategy : Starbucks' Corporate Strategy is to deliver a superior customer experience. The company aims to be in third place between work and home, creating an environment where customers can relax and enjoy premium coffee.

Sales Strategy : Starbucks translates this Strategy into sales success through various methods. The company uses a loyalty program to encourage repeat business and gather customer data. Additionally, Starbucks focuses on premium pricing and a strong store ambiance, creating a unique customer experience that fosters brand loyalty.

Success Story : The success of Starbucks' loyalty program, Starbucks Rewards, showcases the effectiveness of aligning corporate and sales strategies. By offering rewards, personalized offers, and a seamless mobile app experience, Starbucks has built a loyal customer base. This approach has increased sales and solidified Starbucks' position as a leading coffee retailer.

Case Study 4 : Google's Triumph: Cultivating a Creative Culture

Corporate Strategy : Google's corporate Strategy fosters a culture of creativity and innovation. This strategic focus has enabled the company to develop groundbreaking products that have transformed the digital landscape continuously.

Sales Strategy : Google's sales strategy benefits from this innovative culture by offering products integral to everyday digital experiences. By maintaining a creative environment, Google ensures that its products like Gmail, Google Maps, and Google Docs stand out in a competitive market, driving widespread adoption and revenue.

Success Story : A prime example of this alignment is Google's '20% time' policy, which allows employees to spend 20% of their work hours on personal projects. This approach has led to major successes, such as Gmail and AdSense. By blending creativity with a strong corporate and sales strategy, Google has solidified its leadership in technological innovation.

Case Study 5: Netflix's Evolution: Embracing Change

Corporate Strategy : Netflix's corporate Strategy emphasizes adaptability and innovation. The company's ability to pivot from a DVD rental service to a leading streaming platform illustrates its strategic foresight and willingness to embrace change.

Sales Strategy : Netflix's sales strategy aligns with its corporate Strategy by focusing on the burgeoning market for streaming content. By shifting its focus from DVD rentals to digital streaming, Netflix capitalized on emerging consumer preferences, enhancing its market presence and revenue streams.

Success Story : The transition from DVD rentals to streaming highlights Netflix's strategic adaptability. Recognizing the potential of streaming technology early on, Netflix's bold move has allowed it to dominate the streaming industry. This success underscores the power of well-aligned corporate and sales strategies in achieving long-term growth and competitiveness.

Lessons Learned from Successful Translations

These case studies offer valuable insights into how corporate strategies can effectively translate into sales success. 

Here are some key takeaways:

• Alignment is Key : The alignment between corporate Strategy and sales strategy is crucial. Companies can create a cohesive approach that drives success when both strategies are in sync. For instance, Apple's focus on innovation and premium pricing directly contributed to the success of its products.
• Customer Experience Matters : A strong corporate strategy emphasizing customer experience can be a powerful sales driver. Starbucks' focus on creating a unique customer experience has fostered loyalty and repeat business.
• Innovation and Disruption : Companies that embrace innovation and disruption can achieve remarkable sales success. Tesla's focus on sustainable energy and a direct-to-consumer model demonstrates how innovation can drive sales and market leadership.
• Brand Power and Engagement : Building a strong brand and engaging customers through effective sales strategies can lead to significant success. The use of endorsements and market penetration showcases the impact of a powerful brand on sales performance.

Best Practices for Translating Marketing and Sales Communications

To ensure precision and cultural relevance, collaborate with professional translators who are native speakers and have expertise in marketing and sales. Their deep understanding of linguistic subtleties and cultural contexts will help convey your message effectively.

Before translation, invest in comprehensive market research to grasp local cultures, preferences, and market dynamics. This insight will guide you in tailoring translations to make them more engaging and impactful for your target audience.

Ensure that translators capture your brand's unique voice and tone in every language. Consistency in style and messaging helps maintain brand integrity and ensures that customers can recognize and connect with your brand globally.

To enhance efficiency and accuracy, utilize translation technologies, such as computer-assisted translation (CAT) tools and machine translation. However, remember that human oversight and editing are essential for achieving the highest quality translated content.

The Final Words

The successful translation of corporate Strategy into sales success is a complex but achievable goal. By examining these case studies, we see that aligning corporate Strategy with a well-executed sales strategy can lead to outstanding results. 

Whether it's through innovation, customer experience, or brand power, the key is to ensure that every aspect of the sales strategy supports and amplifies the overarching corporate Strategy.

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Case Studies: Success Stories of Businesses That Have Used Coaching for Growth

Numerous businesses have leveraged coaching to drive their growth and achieve exceptional results. Here are two success stories that highlight the transformative power of coaching:

Case Study 1: Company XYZ

Company XYZ, a technology startup, was experiencing challenges in scaling their operations and managing their rapidly growing team. They hired an executive coach who worked closely with the CEO and other key leaders to develop their leadership skills and implement effective management strategies.

Through coaching, the CEO gained valuable insights into his leadership style and learned how to delegate effectively, empower his team, and foster a culture of innovation. This resulted in improved team performance, increased productivity, and a more streamlined organizational structure. As a result, Company XYZ experienced exponential growth, expanded into new markets, and became a leader in their industry.

Case Study 2: Company ABC

Company ABC, a well-established manufacturing company, was facing stiff competition and struggling to adapt to changing market dynamics. They enlisted the help of a corporate coach to align their organizational goals, enhance teamwork, and drive innovation.

The coach worked closely with the leadership team to develop a clear vision and mission for the organization. They also partnered for team-building exercises and supported planning workshops to improve communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills among employees. As a result, Company ABC experienced a significant increase in productivity, a boost in employee morale, and a competitive edge in the market.

These case studies demonstrate how coaching can transform businesses, unlock their full potential, and drive sustainable growth.

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3 Business Sustainability Case Studies And Why They Worked

Here’s how big industry players like Lyft, Patagonia and Danone took up sustainable initiatives to elevate their businesses while helping the planet.

Founded in 2012, Lyft is now an $11 billion ride-hailing company, second in the industry to Uber alone. Lyft along with Uber has been criticized for contributing to emissions and increasing congestion , however, the company is taking steps to work towards better solutions. In 2017, the ride-sharing service shared its 2025 climate impact goals which also includes a switch to autonomous electric vehicles powered by renewable energy and reducing overall CO2 emissions in the transportation sector.

Riding Carbon Neutral

“Paul Hawken’s Ecology of Commerce demonstrates how industry and the environment do not have to be at odds, and if we work to find the right solutions, the two can (and must) work together.” This excerpt from the Lyft co-founders’ carbon neutral announcement communicates the drive behind the company’s sustainable initiative.

To take their concern for the environment and communities one step further, Lyft also took on a multi-million dollar investment to make all their rides carbon neutral. Their carbon-neutral pledge directly funds emission mitigation efforts, including the reduction of emissions in the automotive manufacturing process, renewable energy programs, forestry projects, and the capture of emissions from landfills. By 2019, Lyft spent well over $2 million on carbon credits . This is equivalent to 2,062,500 metric tons of carbon – the amount Lyft estimates it emits across its entire operations.

Takeaway – Brand Image Harmony Earns Customers

The effort to go carbon neutral falls in line with Lyft’s larger marketing strategy. The ride-sharing app has consistently focused on friendly, easy-going community-based messaging. This marketing angle has largely contributed to its success. In 2017, Lyft was in control of a third of the US ride-sharing market while Uber was losing part of its own.

This initiative creates a strong association in the minds of the consumer – Lyft cares about offering its riders the best possible option. In turn, this large scale perception snowballs into greater customer retention and acquisition rates.

2. Patagonia

The founder of Patagonia, Yvon Chouinard, built the outdoor clothing brand with the clear vision to protect nature. Since the company’s advent, this steadfast mission has translated into cuts of their profits being donated to worthy environmental causes, switches to organic cotton, LEED Certified buildings, FSC Certification, 1% for the Planet Organization, and Common Threads Garment Recycling Program to name a few.

Buy Less, Use More

Patagonia’s Common Threads Recycling Program took back 45 tons of clothes for recycling from their customers and made 34 tons into new clothes. To build on this bold initiative to make all their clothes recyclable in 5 years, Patagonia launched their The Common Threads Initiative (2011) that encouraged consumers to repair and reuse their clothing rather than disposing of it, returning them for recycling or replacing them once worn out. The bold initiative sprouted from the insight that recycling is not the solution – reducing it. Marketing efforts for the initiative were geared towards encouraging higher quality products with longer shelf lives over those that might wear out quicker. For those that do wear out, Patagonia offered a free customer repair service that keeps their products in the loop for longer.

The brand put out “Don’t Buy This Jacket” ads that actively discouraged their audience from purchasing their products. The risky but refreshing angle earned them a massive PR splash. The marketing community expected the initiative to cause a steep decline in Patagonia’s sales.

Takeaway: Genuinity Earns Goodwill

Contrary to these predictions, the campaign was at the core of the greatest success the brand had seen in 2 years . The initiative repaired more than 30,000 items in 18 months . Sales increased by 30% to $540 million in the following year.

When questioned on the forces behind this success, Rob BonDurant (Vice President on Global Marketing) said “The discerning consumer targeted by Patagonia will be more likely to buy one of the company’s (relatively pricey) fleeces rather than those of its (mostly cheaper) rivals. And that fleece will last for years, so avoiding the need to buy replacements every other season or so. Patagonia even offers a free repair service to discourage you from chucking it in the bin liner as soon as it gets frayed or torn. Hence, while Patagonia itself sells more stuff, the argument goes, the overall volume of stuff sold goes down.”

Danone is a leader in a global food and beverage industry, offering product lines ranging from dairy and plant-based products to water. Danone also happens to be a brand with one of the largest plastic footprints , which has been heavily criticized. However, through meticulous efforts and conscious initiatives, the company has built a strong brand on sustainable food values. Given their wide product range, their sustainability policies are also varied enough to complement their widespread impact. “It is increasingly vital for companies and brands to realize that the path ahead is one of technological investment, sustainable development, and high quality in all aspects of product production, packaging included”, says the CEO Andreas Ostermayr.

Finding Sustainability Strategies That Work For You

According to Danone’s CEO, Emmanuel Faber, “Consumers are craving change. They expect large organisations like Danone to bring our scale of impact to change the world for the better.”  Danone took multiple strides in the sustainable direction in 2018. They introduced new plant-based products, made drastic changes to their packaging and announced their 2030 sustainable goals to green their products even further.

As of 2018, 87% of Danone’s total packaging (and 77% of its plastic packaging) was reusable, recyclable, or compostable. At Least 50% of its water volumes are sold in reusable jugs. The F&B giant is taking greater strides toward the circular packaging model with the following goals

Launch 100% recycled PET bottles in all our major water markets (by 2021)

Reach 25% of recycled material on average in plastic packaging by 2025, 50% on average for water and beverage bottles, and 100% for Evian bottle (by 2025)

Offer consumers bottles made from 100% bioplastic.

Beyond the packaging phase of implementing a circular economy, Danone has also emphasized the importance of investing in the infrastructure of waste management systems. Danone and the Danone Ecosystem Fund have launched projects to support waste pickers in 7 countries. Through this project, they have ensured safe working conditions, appropriate wages, and social protection. By 2018, close to 6,000 waste pickers were professionally empowered, and more than 45,000 tons of waste were recycled yearly. To further express their support for the circular economy model, they invested $5 million dollars in the Closed Loop Fund to finance the recycling and circular economy infrastructure across North America.

Danone’s annual progress report proves that their efforts to make sustainable improvements did not go unnoticed.

Takeaway: Environmental Impact Reporting is Key

The transparency with which Danone regears their supply chain and takes on new environmental commitments shows their dedication to delivering the best customer experience possible. Their effort to make their products and processes sustainable is driven home through their consistent communications. The in-depth reports and PR announcements on initiatives taken to help their consumers lead more sustainable lives help build the association of customer consideration. By keeping their consumers in the loop, the brand has established a deeper connection with them. The consumer has every reason to believe that the company really does want what is best for their own health.

The more Danone experiments with environmentally beneficial innovations and communicates the same with their consumers, the more appealing the brand grows. They have made commitments related to carbon emission reduction, sustainable product packaging, food security, sustainable agriculture, and more. The increasing number of commitments to newer environmental innovations serves as a testament to their higher vision of providing consumers with the best possible product and consumer experience.

It’s not just these huge companies that can incorporate sustainability into their practices. If you’re a small company but are passionate about the world’s sustainability progress check out our blog on Ways Small Businesses Can Win Big With Sustainability CSR here .

We have developed a solution to turn your business’s waste practices sustainable through our Plastic Neutral platform . For every kg of plastic you use in operations and packaging, we recover and recycle an equivalent amount with our verified impact partners. We also help you market your Plastic Neutral Certification so that you realize all the benefits of investing in sustainability as soon as you join us. Sign up for a 30-minute free consultation at www.business.repurpose.global/contactus and start your company’s journey towards Plastic Neutrality today.

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Employee Engagement » Employee Engagement Case Study

25 Most Impactful Employee Engagement Case Studies for 2024

Introduction to employee engagement.

In today's highly competitive business environment, employee engagement has emerged as a critical driver of business success. It represents the level of commitment, passion, and investment employees have in their work and their organization. More than just job satisfaction, employee engagement is about employees feeling valued, involved, and connected to their work and workplace.

Engaged employees are not merely satisfied with their jobs; they are enthusiastic, motivated, and committed. They are the ones who are willing to go the extra mile, contribute their best ideas, and stay with their organizations in the long run. They are the backbone of any successful business, and their engagement is the key to unlocking a company's full potential.

Defining Employee Engagement

Employee engagement is a complex concept that encompasses a range of factors, from the emotional connection an employee feels towards their organization, to their level of satisfaction with their role and their motivation to perform to their best ability. It's about creating an environment where employees feel empowered, respected, and part of something bigger than themselves.

Why Employee Engagement Matters

Research has consistently shown that organizations with high levels of employee engagement are more profitable, have higher productivity levels, and experience lower turnover rates. Engaged employees are more likely to stay with their organization, reducing the costs associated with staff turnover. They are also more likely to be productive and deliver high-quality work, which can drive business growth and success.

Moreover, engaged employees are more likely to be advocates for their organizations, promoting their company's products and services to others and enhancing the company's reputation.

At its core, employee engagement is about creating a positive, inclusive, and inspiring workplace culture where employees feel valued, heard, and motivated to contribute their best. It's a win-win situation: employees are happier and more fulfilled, and businesses are more successful.

In this blog post, we will delve into 35 impactful case studies that illustrate the power of employee engagement in driving business success. From leveraging technology to fostering a culture of engagement in diverse workforces, these case studies will provide valuable insights and practical strategies for boosting employee engagement in your organization.

The Importance of Employee Engagement

Employee engagement is more than just a buzzword in the corporate world. It is a vital element that drives productivity, fosters innovation, and ultimately, contributes to a company's bottom line. In this section, we will delve into the significance of employee engagement and why it should be a priority in every organization.

1. Driving Productivity

Engaged employees are not just working. They are passionate, enthusiastic, and committed to their work. They strive to exceed expectations and continuously seek ways to improve their performance. As a result, their productivity levels are significantly higher than those of their disengaged counterparts. According to a study by Gallup, businesses with high employee engagement levels have 21% higher productivity.

2. Enhancing Employee Retention

Employee engagement is intrinsically linked to employee retention. When employees feel engaged, they are more likely to stay with the company. A sense of belonging, feeling valued, and being part of a purposeful mission can significantly reduce turnover rates. This not only saves costs associated with hiring and training new employees but also preserves the valuable knowledge and experience within the company.

3. Fostering Innovation

Innovation is the lifeblood of a company's growth and sustainability. Engaged employees, with their high levels of commitment and enthusiasm, are often the source of innovative ideas. They are more likely to take the initiative, think outside the box, and contribute to the company's innovation efforts.

4. Improving Customer Satisfaction

Engaged employees are more likely to provide exceptional customer service. They understand that their role is crucial in shaping the customer's experience and perception of the company. Hence, they invest more effort in serving customers, leading to higher customer satisfaction and loyalty.

5. Boosting Profitability

All of the above factors - increased productivity, improved retention, enhanced innovation, and better customer service - contribute to boosting a company's profitability. A study by Towers Perrin found that companies with engaged employees had a 19% increase in operating income over a 12-month period.

In conclusion, the importance of employee engagement cannot be overstated. It is a critical factor that influences a wide range of business outcomes. By prioritizing employee engagement, companies can reap substantial benefits, from increased productivity and innovation to improved customer satisfaction and profitability.

6 Case Studies on Boosting Employee Engagement with Technology

In this digital age, technology has become an integral part of our lives, influencing how we work, communicate, and engage with our surroundings. The same holds true for the corporate world, where technology has emerged as a powerful tool to boost employee engagement. Here, we present six compelling case studies that shed light on how various organizations have leveraged technology to enhance employee engagement.

1. Tech Titan: A Gamified Approach

Tech Titan, a leading technology company, used gamification to boost employee engagement. They developed an internal mobile app that transformed mundane tasks into exciting challenges. Employees could earn points, badges, and rewards for completing tasks, sparking competition and fostering a sense of achievement. This innovative approach led to a 25% increase in employee engagement within a year.

2. HealthCare Plus: Virtual Reality Training

HealthCare Plus, a renowned healthcare provider, introduced virtual reality (VR) for employee training. The VR simulations provided a realistic, immersive experience, allowing employees to practice procedures and protocols in a risk-free environment. This training method not only improved employee skills but also boosted engagement levels by making learning more interactive and enjoyable.

3. FinServ Corp: Harnessing AI for Personalized Learning

FinServ Corp, a financial services firm, used artificial intelligence (AI) to create personalized learning paths for its employees. The AI system analyzed each employee's skills, strengths, and areas for improvement to develop tailored training programs. This personalized approach made learning more relevant and engaging for employees, leading to increased participation in training programs.

4. EcoEnergy: IoT-Driven Employee Wellness Program

EcoEnergy, a sustainable energy company, launched an Internet of Things (IoT)-driven wellness program. They provided employees with wearable devices to monitor their health metrics, encouraging them to adopt healthier habits. The program created a sense of camaraderie among employees as they collectively worked towards their wellness goals, leading to higher engagement levels.

5. GlobalComm: Collaborative Tools for Remote Work

GlobalComm, a multinational communications company, implemented collaborative tools to engage its remote workforce. Tools like Slack and Microsoft Teams facilitated seamless communication and collaboration, making remote employees feel more connected to their teams. This initiative resulted in a significant increase in engagement among remote workers.

6. Retail Giant: Augmented Reality for Employee Onboarding

A leading retail company used augmented reality (AR) for its employee onboarding process. New hires could use AR glasses to virtually explore the company's facilities and learn about its processes. This innovative onboarding experience made new employees feel welcomed and engaged from day one.

These case studies demonstrate the transformative power of technology in boosting employee engagement. By embracing digital tools and solutions, companies can create more engaging, rewarding, and meaningful work experiences for their employees.

8 Case Studies on Employee Engagement in Diverse Workforces

Diversity and inclusion have become a crucial part of organizational culture. A diverse workforce brings a variety of perspectives and approaches to the table, fostering innovation and creativity. However, managing a diverse workforce and ensuring high levels of employee engagement can be a challenge. Here, we present eight case studies that illustrate successful strategies for engaging diverse workforces.

1. IBM's Diversity Networking Groups

IBM, a multinational technology company, has implemented Diversity Networking Groups (DNGs), which are employee-led groups formed around common interests, backgrounds, or demographics. These groups have played a significant role in promoting diversity and inclusion, leading to higher employee engagement levels.

2. Johnson & Johnson's Employee Resource Groups

Johnson & Johnson, a multinational corporation, has leveraged Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) to engage their diverse workforce. These ERGs, which include groups for women, veterans, and the LGBTQ+ community, have fostered a sense of belonging, thereby enhancing employee engagement.

3. Coca Cola's Global Office of Diversity

Coca Cola established a Global Office of Diversity, which focuses on fostering an inclusive culture and promoting diversity. This initiative has led to increased engagement as employees feel valued and recognized for their unique contributions.

4. Accenture's Inclusion and Diversity Strategy

Accenture, a leading global professional services company, has implemented an inclusion and diversity strategy that focuses on creating a culture of equality. This strategy has resulted in increased employee engagement and a more innovative work environment.

5. Microsoft's Autism Hiring Program

Microsoft has introduced an Autism Hiring Program, which offers inclusive interview experiences for candidates with autism. This initiative has not only diversified their workforce but also increased engagement among these employees who feel valued and included.

6. Starbucks's Inclusion Academy

Starbucks has created an Inclusion Academy, a training program focused on providing people with disabilities with the skills they need for logistics roles within the company. This initiative has resulted in increased engagement among these employees.

7. Deloitte's ALL IN Diversity Strategy

Deloitte, a multinational professional services network, has implemented an ALL IN diversity strategy. This strategy focuses on fostering an inclusive culture where everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed, leading to higher levels of employee engagement.

8. Google's Employee Resource Groups

Google has leveraged Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) to engage their diverse workforce. These ERGs, which include groups for women, veterans, and the LGBTQ+ community, have fostered a sense of belonging, thereby enhancing employee engagement.

In conclusion, these case studies demonstrate that fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment can significantly boost employee engagement. By implementing appropriate strategies, organizations can ensure that every employee feels valued and included, leading to higher levels of productivity and innovation.

6 Case Studies on Employee Engagement through Team Building Activities

Employee engagement is not just about work; it's also about fostering a sense of camaraderie, trust, and mutual respect among team members. Team building activities are a tried-and-true method of achieving this. Here are six case studies that showcase the power of team building activities in boosting employee engagement.

1. A Tech Giant's Approach to Team Building: Google

Google, one of the world's leading technology companies, is renowned for its unique approach to team building. They've implemented a program called "gPause," which encourages employees to take part in mindfulness exercises together. This initiative has led to enhanced team cohesion, reduced stress levels, and improved productivity, proving that team building activities don't always have to be grandiose or expensive to be effective.

2. Building Trust through Adventure: Johnson & Johnson

Healthcare conglomerate Johnson & Johnson turned to adventure-based team building activities to foster trust and collaboration. They organized a series of outdoor challenges, including rock climbing and rafting. These activities required employees to rely on each other for success, thus strengthening their trust and rapport. The result? Improved team performance and higher employee engagement levels.

3. Creative Engagement: Pixar

Pixar, the renowned animation studio, uses creative exercises as team building activities. By encouraging their employees to take part in sketching sessions and storytelling workshops, Pixar fosters a culture of creativity and collaboration. This approach has not only resulted in some of the most successful animated movies of all time but also in a highly engaged workforce.

4. Team Building through Social Responsibility: Salesforce

Salesforce, a global leader in CRM, has integrated social responsibility into their team building initiatives. They offer their employees seven paid days off each year to volunteer for a cause of their choice. This unique approach to team building has fostered a sense of unity and purpose among employees, leading to increased engagement and job satisfaction.

5. Virtual Team Building: Scavify

In the era of remote work, Scavify has taken team building to the digital realm. Our interactive scavenger hunts not only foster team collaboration but also inject fun into the workday. These virtual activities have proven effective in maintaining high levels of employee engagement, even when teams are physically apart.

6. Physical Fitness as Team Building: Reebok

Reebok, a global athletic footwear and apparel company, uses fitness challenges as a team building activity. They offer CrossFit classes to their employees, promoting both physical health and team spirit. This approach has resulted in a more engaged, healthier, and more productive workforce.

These case studies illustrate the significant impact of team building activities on employee engagement. Whether it's through mindfulness exercises, adventure activities, creative workshops, social responsibility initiatives, virtual games, or fitness challenges, team building can effectively foster a sense of unity and engagement among employees.

8 Case Studies on Employee Engagement Initiatives in Large Corporations

As we delve deeper into the subject of employee engagement, it's essential to consider the unique challenges and opportunities presented by large corporations. These behemoths of the business world often have thousands, if not tens of thousands, of employees spread across multiple locations, sometimes even spanning continents. Given this, fostering a sense of engagement and connection amongst employees can be a daunting task. However, numerous large corporations have successfully implemented innovative engagement initiatives. Let's look at eight such case studies.

1. Google's '20% Time' Policy

Google, known for its innovative work culture, introduced a '20% Time' policy. This initiative allows engineers to spend 20% of their working hours on any project they choose. This policy has not only boosted engagement but also led to the creation of some of Google's most popular products, including Gmail and Google News.

2. Microsoft's 'Hackathon'

Microsoft hosts an annual Hackathon, where employees from all over the world come together to work on passion projects. This event fosters a sense of camaraderie and engagement amongst employees, while also promoting innovation and creativity.

3. Ford's 'Employee Resource Groups'

Ford has established multiple Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) to promote diversity and inclusion. These groups, which include Women at Ford and Ford Employees Dealing with Disabilities, provide support, encourage engagement, and foster a sense of belonging amongst employees.

4. Apple's 'Blue Sky'

Apple introduced the 'Blue Sky' program, which allows a select group of employees to spend a few weeks on a project outside their usual work scope. This initiative boosts engagement by allowing employees to explore new areas and bring fresh ideas to the table.

5. Amazon's 'Peculiar Culture'

Amazon has created a 'peculiar culture' that encourages employees to be innovative and think outside the box. This culture, which includes practices like writing six-page memos and banning PowerPoints, keeps employees engaged and invested in the company's success.

6. Starbucks' 'Bean Stock'

Starbucks offers a program called 'Bean Stock', which gives eligible employees company shares. By making employees part-owners, Starbucks not only boosts engagement but also ensures that employees have a vested interest in the company's performance.

7. Salesforce's '1-1-1 Model'

Salesforce follows a unique '1-1-1 model', where it contributes 1% of its equity, 1% of its employee's time, and 1% of its products to philanthropic efforts. This initiative fosters a sense of purpose and engagement amongst employees, who take pride in their company's commitment to social responsibility.

8. Unilever's 'Sustainable Living Plan'

Unilever has implemented the 'Sustainable Living Plan', which aims to halve the environmental impact of its products by 2030. This initiative has boosted employee engagement by aligning the company's goals with the personal values of its employees.

In conclusion, these case studies highlight the innovative strategies large corporations are using to boost employee engagement. While the specifics vary, the underlying theme remains the same: when employees feel valued, supported, and part of something bigger, they are more likely to be engaged.

Conclusion on Employee Engagement Case Studies

In a rapidly evolving business landscape, these employee engagement case studies serve as a testament to the power of effective engagement strategies. They highlight how various organizations, regardless of their size or industry, have successfully harnessed the potential of their workforce by fostering a culture of engagement.

It's clear that employee engagement is no longer a luxury, but a necessity for businesses aiming for long-term success and sustainability. From leveraging technology to facilitating remote work, fostering diversity, and implementing team-building activities, businesses are exploring innovative ways to keep their employees engaged and motivated.

The case studies we've explored have demonstrated that employee engagement is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Each organization has to consider its unique circumstances, workforce dynamics, and strategic objectives to shape its engagement initiatives. However, the common thread running through all these case studies is the positive impact of genuine and consistent employee engagement on overall organizational performance.

As we move into 2024, the importance of employee engagement is only set to increase. With the rise of remote work and the increasing emphasis on diversity and inclusion, businesses will need to continue innovating and adapting their engagement strategies to meet the changing expectations of their workforce.

In conclusion, these case studies underscore the transformative power of employee engagement. They serve as a powerful reminder that when employees feel valued, heard, and engaged, they are more likely to contribute their best work, leading to increased productivity, improved employee satisfaction, and ultimately, heightened business success. As such, employee engagement should be at the forefront of every business leader's strategy moving forward.

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How Wells Fargo Built An Award-Winning Veterans Hiring Program

Wells Fargo wanted to create a unified talent landscape, with cutting-edge Human Resource technologies that improve the candidate and employee experience. See how Beamery helped.

A leading financial institution with assets just under $2 trillion and a global workforce of 238,000 employees, Wells Fargo wanted to create a unified talent landscape, with cutting-edge Human Resource technologies that improve the candidate and employee experience. 

In a presentation at Workday Rising North America, Art Lokerson – the product director overseeing Talent Acquisition, Onboarding, and Contingent Labor at Wells Fargo – delved into the financial institution’s innovative approach to talent. Art talked about a talent ecosystem where they could identify skills, early talent, and underrepresented talent, in order to develop the “next wave” of Wells Fargo employees.

“Our candidates are expecting a customer grade experience every time we have an interaction. They expect our ATS to be as dynamic as our ATMs.” – Art Lokerson  

Wells Fargo has 4 programs supporting its veteran hiring efforts, from 8-week internships and 2-year placements, to partnerships and initiatives that get veterans and military spouses into full-time roles.

They had been struggling from a data perspective: talent data was spread out across multiple systems and locations. Wells Fargo needed a way to gain new operational efficiencies, create a unified data ecosystem to better manage talent data, and ensure that they could engage and support veterans as they transitioned to the next phase of their lives.

Wells Fargo Military Talent Programs: An Overview

In 2024, Wells Fargo won the Beamie Award for Workplace DE&I, in recognition of its highly successful commitment to its veterans program – which is a shining example of how Beamery can be used to power innovative talent attraction programs that boost diversity.   

“Traditional talent pools are not as robust as historically we would go after. And so the opportunity for underrepresented populations to come into the Wells Fargo company is astounding.” – Art Lokerson  

Wells Fargo’s commitment to veterans translates into four comprehensive programs:

The Veterans Employment Transition (VET) program, an 8-week internship designed to facilitate a seamless transition into the corporate world, often leading to full-time roles. 

The Homefront Heroes Hiring (HHH) program, designed to addresses military spouse un/under employment in this underserved segment of the U.S. population. It is focused on attracting and directly hiring spouses of actively serving military personnel into mid to high-level remote, hybrid/portable, and in-office career opportunities. Spouses get to learn about the different lines of business at Wells Fargo and ultimately land a job in one of their supporting lines of business.

The Julie Scammahorn National Military Apprenticeship Program, a registered Department of Labor apprentice program that results in skills certification for applicants who do not initially meet required qualifications for the non-apprentice equivalent for professional level roles. It’s a 1- or 2-year placement where people typically start in branch roles, and can work up to branch managers.

Boots to Banking, a one-of-a-kind program designed to attract and hire military talent into both hourly and salary opportunities through military-specific, localized hiring events.

Empowering Veteran Hiring Through Technology

One of the core pillars of the Wells Fargo veteran programs is the use of advanced technology.

Thanks to an integrated talent marketing and nurturing activity across landing pages, talent communities, campaigns and events, Wells Fargo is able to reach, advise, and support transitioning veterans to the next phase of their lives, with relative ease, for all of these programs.

The combined power of Beamery and Workday has revolutionized how Wells Fargo identifies and engages with veterans and military spouses, as well as more broadly improving the experience for candidates, TA teams and Hiring Managers. 

Efficient Talent Data Gathering

Beamery significantly streamlines the (often cumbersome) process of collecting accurate and timely information from job seekers and applicants.

With Beamery, Wells Fargo has been able to identify tens of thousands of veterans and military spouses from external partnerships. 

To achieve this, the Military Talent Strategic Sourcing Team (MTSS) first created “Custom Fields” within the system, in order to accurately capture the relevant information from potential candidates. Wells Fargo can now easily and quickly see what a candidate is interested in, what their professional experience is, where they are located, their military status, and more. 

They then created custom Convert Flows, a Beamery feature which puts candidates automatically into relevant Talent Pools. These bespoke forms are integrated in the Wells Fargo company websites, and all events and external communications.  

This has led to an increase in military job seeker flow by 700% from 2020 (pre-Beamery) to 2024 (after adoption).  

Smarter Candidate Sourcing

The use of Convert Flows has also increased the quality of the Beamery Profiles, and allows Wells Fargo recruiters to easily find and communicate with top talent. They can use Beamery as a sourcing tool: as part of their methodology for finding ideal candidates. 

With candidate profiles that are so robust and full of (self-reported) information about an individual, the Sourcing team can quickly and accurately determine a candidate’s interest, their skill level, and their years of experience – and that can really help cut down on the time it takes to find and source great talent.

“We’ve seen such great return on investment for this product. These tools have been a game changer really for helping our military folk find roles at Wells Fargo that best fit them.” – Cameron Crossley, Data Analyst, Military Talent & Strategic Sourcing, Wells Fargo

Tracking Impact and Ensuring Consistency

Wells Fargo’s military recruiting team partners with 65+ external organizations annually and uses Beamery to support hundreds of virtual and in-person military-related events: from webinars, to direct meetings with different veteran service organizations. 

The ability to track Return on Investment (ROI) for these events and monitor each step of the application process – from initial application to successful hiring – has been a game-changer.  

The team creates a unique “Event” in Beamery for each activity they do, utilizes the Event check-in Flow to capture attendee information, and creates a QR code that is displayed for job seekers to scan and join the Talent Community at in-person events.  

This has increased the ROI from in-person events by 300% year over year.  

They also designed a process that provides each external organization with a referral link that is used to track ROI for their events. Multiple organizations have shared that Wells Fargo is their only partner that is able to provide this type of granular data with accuracy.

“We can track how many people sign up for an event, how many people attended an event, how many people applied to jobs after going to an event. So it’s given us a really dynamic way to see return on investment for any of our candidate focused events.” – Cameron Crossley

Personalized Candidate Nurturing

The team at Wells Fargo is using Recipes (automations) within Beamery to ensure relevant content is shared with people who enter the Talent Pool, for example – and they have set up automated Campaigns to nurture leads and keep them warm. 

“We’re seeing a great return on investment from our candidates’ perspectives,” said Cameron Crossley. “Beforehand, we had really long queue times to respond to candidates, because our responses were very manual. Now we can use Recipes and automations to respond to candidates really quickly; to get them the information that they need about coming roles, opportunities, webinars.” 

“This has really helped us in keeping the candidates interested, keeping the leads warm, and ultimately finding military talent a seat at Wells Fargo.” 

Efficiency across Wells Fargo Talent teams

The team’s approach to creating and managing Campaigns for the military team, and the way they can identify and put unique groups of job seekers into Pools effortlessly, has now also been adopted by the wider enterprise.  

Using Beamery Convert Flows, Recipes, Campaigns and Pools, another Wells Fargo recruiting team was able to transform their communication workflows. 

Before, the team would get around 1700 direct communications from candidates – from webinars and events – to an email inbox every month. 20 hours per month were spent on responding to candidates.

Now, talent goes directly into specific Pools based on their interests, and the team is able to triage candidates and send them relevant content, events or opportunities. 

The result has been a reduction in Outlook mailbox process time of 60%, and a reduction of 80% in the number of redundant emails sent back and forth with job seekers. 

They have seen an improved job seeker experience, and 100% profile completion and consent rate for all new profiles added to Beamery.

Enhanced Collaboration with Workday

Integration with Workday has eliminated duplicative work, enabling the team to focus more on engaging with candidates and less on administrative tasks.

Deploying automated messaging after events has allowed Wells Fargo to communicate with over 10,000 job seekers effortlessly, resulting in improved candidate experience.  

“I'm able to use Beamery in conjunction with Workday to really put both of those pieces together to get an accurate understanding of where the military talent is, how can we seek that out better by using our Beamery profiles, and providing results back to our organizations of how our efforts are actually ending up.” – Cameron Crossley 

Hear more from Wells Fargo’s Art Lokerson in this Talent Blueprint podcast episode.

Watch their  Beamie Award video , and read the short Customer Success Story here .

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12 Case Studies of Companies that Revised How They Compensate Employees

S HRM has partnered with ChiefExecutive.net to bring you relevant articles on key HR topics and strategies.

Higher compensation is part of the ransom for dealing with the pandemic for most American companies and industries. So salaries, wages, benefits and perks will cost them more—perhaps a lot more—in the year ahead.

The way CEOs and CHROs can make sure the Great Raise works to their companies' advantage is to be proactive, creative and equitable about it. Yet they also must weigh strategically the demands of the moment with their long-term compensation strategy.

"This is a time for real balance when it comes to how you deal with retention and attraction," said Paul Knopp, chair and CEO of KPMG US. "We all have to make sure we meet the market when it comes to base compensation, but the market has changed in a way that you also have to look at those benefits that are most attractive to employees for their careers."

While median full-time earnings of $1,001 per week in the third quarter of 2021 were nearly 9% higher than two years earlier, according to the Labor Department, expectations for 2022 remain frothy given the tight market for talent, the free-agent ethos encouraged by remote work, the geographic reshuffling of workers and decades-high inflation. U.S. wages will increase by 3.9 percent in 2022, according to the Conference Board, the highest rate since 2008.

The compensation surge is occurring at the high end, at a low end that's getting higher and everywhere in between. Goldman Sachs, for example, is offering paid leave for pregnancy loss and expanding the amount of time employees can take for bereavement leave while also boosting its retirement-fund matching contributions for U.S. employees to 6% of total compensation, or 8% for those making $125,000 a year or less.

Meanwhile, at Tyson Foods' chicken-processing plant in New Holland, Pa., the company has started offering a three-day workweek, plus pay for a fourth day that retains employees' status as full-time workers. Just for good measure, Tyson has created a $3,000 sign-on bonus for new hires.

"We're in a bidding war for talent that will go on for a long time," said Alan Beaulieu, president of ITR Economics.

For CEOs and CHROs, several new factors demand their attention along with the overall spike in compensation. They include:

• The end of retention. The "idea of a long-term commitment to one employer has been dead for a while, but it's really dead now," said Dave Roberson, CEO of the RoseRyan financial consulting firm. "You must have a stream of people. Assume you're going to be replacing people. So how do you keep the people you have, if you can, but also bring the next group in?"
• High-balling. A deal to recruit someone may not really be a deal these days. "You've made an offer and you think you've got a hire, and then they're asking for $5,000 or $10,000 more," said David Lewis, CEO of OperationsInc, an HR consulting firm. "Now you have to ask yourself what makes more sense strategically: say no and hold the line and lose the candidate and restart the process, not knowing how that will work out? Blow up your compensation structure? Or as a Band-Aid, give that person a sign-on bonus in hopes that the package will get them in the door?"
• Need for equalization. Recruiting with higher compensation also requires boosting pay and benefits for retention. "You need to be mindful of what you're paying others in the organization and understand the detrimental impact it will have when you bring someone in alongside a tenured employee," Lewis said. "Operate on the idea that everyone's salary is basically posted on the pantry door in your office."
• A focus on mental health. The pandemic, anti-contagion measures and the takeover of remote work has left many Americans isolated, confused, lonely—or at least disjointed. And they expect their employers to help them cope and adjust.

"Mental health is a real thing, regardless of how [a previous generation of leaders] feel and what we did," said Jeffrey Immelt, former CEO of General Electric. "Particularly post-Covid, it's something worth your time to try to understand."

Many Fortune 500 companies already offered mental-health benefits, but by now "mental health is just a place setter: You've got to have it in place to be competitive in the market today, across the board," said Richard Chaifetz, founder and CEO of ComPsych, a large provider of employee-assistance programs. "Companies understand the importance of keeping their people functioning at the highest level."

Codility, for example, has begun supplying all employees with 27 days of paid time off per year plus four mental-health days, which don't have to be approved. "We're offering these days in addition to personal-time-off days to recognize and bring to light the importance of mental health," said Natalia Panowicz, CEO of the platform that evaluates the skills of software engineers, with its U.S. hub in San Francisco.

CHRO360.com asked a dozen CEOs, CHROs and other top executives about their compensation strategies and practices for 2022. Here are some of their ideas:

Let Them Name Their Salary

Chris kovalik, ceo, rushdown revolt, a video-game maker in new york city.

We started as 12 part-timers, mostly people who were giving me their moonlight hours. That's not a lot different from now, except now we have 75 people. The magic of what we do is that we don't recruit anybody. We're just a magnet. We let people come to us.

When it comes to compensation, some say they wanted to volunteer, that they weren't expecting compensation. But we never, ever allow people to volunteer their time for us. So we say our company minimum wage is $15 an hour, and if you insist, we can pay you that per hour.

But generally people come to us with an expectation of compensation because they see that we're making money. When compensation came up, we'd say, "I don't know what your skill set is. I've never hired you before. How much do you think you're worth, and how much do you need?"

If every hour we're compensating them for the amount of money they want and need, if someone is part-time and only giving me 10 hours a week, I'd argue that they're giving me their best 10 hours. Because they're getting paid what they want and doing things that they want to be attached to and be part of.

There's no pattern to the compensation requests. If their number is too low, we'll say, "Are you sure? Are you just giving me a low-ball number I'll say yes to?" If it's high, I don't talk them down, but I ask them to justify it, and if the justification isn't adequate, what I say is, "How long do you think you'll need to prove that justification? Two to three weeks? Then let's pay you two-third to three-quarters of what you asked, and if you prove it, we'll go up to whatever you said."

Tailor Package for Youth Appeal

Ronald hall jr., ceo, bridgewater interiors, an auto-seat maker in detroit.

We enjoyed very low turnover pre-Covid, but during the last two years we have had to replace probably one-third of our workforce at our largest facility, about the same number from termination as voluntary. So we've had to work harder than ever to recruit.

Our most-tenured employees, who are the most highly trained, have had to pick up the slack, working record amounts of overtime and less-predictable production schedules.

In our upcoming negotiations with the United Auto Workers, we're trying to emphasize short-term bonuses rather than wage increases that get baked into our costs. But we have continued health insurance through the pandemic as well as our tuition-reimbursement program, and many employees have thanked me for that.

What I am hearing from new employees is that they're not as interested in benefits but rather in higher cash wages. We've long touted benefits like our generous 401(k) matching and better medical coverage versus our peers, but we're finding that doesn't resonate as readily now as it did a decade ago. So I've asked my team: Should we be looking at some kind of hybrid model of offering higher wages to people who want those and move those dollars from the benefits side to the wages side?

We've also looked at providing childcare in a partnering arrangement where there could be a center developed near our facilities, and we would arrange for some sort of company subsidy or guarantee some level of attendance. The challenge with that is the auto industry runs around the clock, and you'd need a daycare provider who'd be committed to opening around the clock and provide legal, regulated, benchmark-standard levels of care to all those children in the off hours.

Equalize as You Acquire

Diane dooley, chro, world insurance, a business and personal insurer in tinton falls, n.j..

We onboarded about 800 employees in 2021 through acquisitions of small agencies and organic growth, but there had been no compensation modeling. Now we're building out our compensation philosophy with commission plans, incentives and bonuses, centralizing components and ensuring we have the right framework.

When we do an acquisition, we might retain their compensation model for a year or two years then slowly migrate, but make sure employees aren't taking a cut in pay. We are also capitalizing commissions into base compensation—identifying what commissions would have been and what they will be, and recognizing roles that are moving away from a commission base.

Some agencies we acquire are smaller and may be below-market for total compensation. Now we're addressing those concerns. They need to be more front and center. We must do everything to retain our employee population. If they're woefully underpaid, or not at market, we risk losing people, and we don't want to do that.

Educating the owners of some of the agencies [we acquire] is a piece of this. As we partner with them, we are evaluating them and asking, "Did you give people an increase this year?" We're not telling them what to do but providing guidance about what to do.

We're also modifying and increasing our benefits, such as giving employees pet insurance. And making counteroffers is a critical piece today, usually for high-end employees. They work better than they used to because not a lot of people really want to make a move in this environment.

Innovate for the New World

Jason medley, chief people officer, codility, a provider of skill-evaluation software in london.

We really have to step back and be innovative and force ourselves to change. The companies that are going to win are going to be more progressive early and not fighting what's happening.

One thing we've done is change our outdated compensation models that give higher pay to employees living in tech hubs like San Francisco and New York and lower compensation for areas inside the coasts. Now, we've created a United States-wide salary band, so no matter where you live, the compensation is based on the role, not the location. You can go live and work wherever you want to.

We decided to approach compensation through a very human lens. People have seasonality in life, and maybe they are caregivers at different moments and want to live in different places. We want to be as flexible as possible, and this country band gives us that flexibility.

We are starting to see the same thing in Europe, where we have our headquarters in London and offices in Berlin and Warsaw, and employees all over, especially in Poland. People are wanting to live in the countryside of Spain but demanding a London salary. So we are transitioning to one European Union band and saying, "Here is your rate—live where you want to."

We are also seeing that with global warming, it's harder to get work done for people on the west coast of the U.S. and in Europe, because they didn't build homes with air conditioning. If you're sitting in a house at 90 degrees with no air conditioning, there's no way your performance is the same as someone with AC. Supplementing air conditioning isn't something we thought about before, but now we're very much having to look at those things.

Stay Ahead of Expectations

Traci tapani, ceo, wyoming machine, a sheet-metal fabricator in stacy, minn..

Our wages have gone up by about 20% for the typical worker. When I found people I could hire, I knew they were being brought in at an hourly rate that was too high for what I was paying my incumbent workers.

My strategy has been to be proactive about that and not wait for [existing] employees to say something about it or give them a reason to look for another job. We're proactively making wage adjustments to make sure our incumbent workers are in line.

Employees will leave for more money, so they're very appreciative of it. But in my shop, I also know that people like working here, and I know they don't want to leave. I don't want to give them a reason. If they can get an increase in pay that's substantial, I know that I can cut them off at the pass. Retaining my workforce is my No. 1 strategy. They're already here, and I'm going to do everything I can to keep them.

For that reason, we've also been more generous as time has gone on with paid time off, offering it sooner than we once would have, especially for new workers. We recognize that it's healthy for people to be away from work and also, in the pandemic, people need to be away from work. Knowing they have some paid time off makes it easier for them.

Leverage Benefits for DE&I

Mark newman, ceo, chemours, a chemical manufacturer in wilmington, del..

In general our company hasn't seen the Great Resignation. And in fact, we continue to believe our focus on being a great place to work is serving us well, along with appropriate benchmarking on compensation issues.

Chemours  is  a great place to work. We survey our employees every year, to improve our working environment from a compensation and benefits perspective. Also, from the [diversity, equity and inclusion] perspective, we're trying to make sure we tap into the full breadth of talent in our industry.

That means, for instance, we are helping people more with college loans. We are offering same-sex [marriage] benefits. We are providing more family leave for people who have kids. There is clearly an aspect of our benefits package that is evolving to be consistent with our strategy of making Chemours a great place to work.

Overall, we view compensation as something where we want to be either in the median or upper quartile. It's something we're very focused on from both a wage as well as benefit level. From Covid, there's been no fundamental change as it relates to us wanting to be in the median to top quartile.

We've had to make some local adjustments where the labor market is more super-charged. For example, we see a lot of that in the Gulf Coast region, especially with oil prices coming back, and petrochemicals and refining. But it's very much a regional factor. So if industries are moving to a certain region, like the South, you have to make sure you stay current with local benchmarks.

Offer Skin in the Game

Cesar herrera, ceo, yuvo health, a healthcare administrator in new york city.

We're a year-old company that provides tech-enabled administrative solutions for community health centers across the U.S. that are specifically focused on providing primary-care services for low-income individuals. We have a team of about 10 people right now, and we have a number of open roles and positions where we're likely going to be tripling the size of our team in 2022.

Google can compensate well above the market rate. We don't have that since we're an early-stage organization. What we do have as levers aren't up-front financial compensation but equity, support in your role and a relatively flat organization where you can have significant autonomy.

A lot of individuals are going to be driven by the mission; that's the case with the entire founding team. We've made sacrifices to create this organization. So you can come in at a meaningful position with a lot of decision-making.

But one of the biggest carrots we can give is, if you accept the lower pay and the risk that comes with an early-stage organization, you can have meaningful equity in the company. We have an options pool which is not to exceed 10% ownership of the organization, and as we grow and scale, we increase that options pool. For senior-level leaders, we do expect to be able to distribute up to 10% of the company to them.

Pay Extra for Continuity

Corey stowell, vice president of human resources, webasto americas, a maker of automotive sunroofs in auburn hills, mich..

We had to recruit for several hundred new openings at a brand-new facility right at the beginning of the pandemic. So we instituted an attendance bonus. For those who worked all their hours in a week, we paid an additional $3 an hour. We really had to keep it short-term, so we paid it weekly. If you wanted to pay it every month, you couldn't do it, because people needed that instant gratification.

Otherwise they could get it on unemployment. With our pay rate, they could earn more to stay at home and collect unemployment, a significant amount more than they could earn than working for us. So we also had to increase our wages, and we increased them by more than 20% in some classifications [in the summer of 2020].

We've filled all of our positions, but it's still a challenging market. We've had to increase all our wages, with the lowest for a position being $17 an hour, on up to $30 an hour.

We also have offered stay bonuses of $500 a month for three consecutive months, up to $1,500. And for hourly employees we've instituted a different attendance policy, where they can earn two hours of paid personal time for so many hours that they work consecutively with no attendance issues.

The key is the schedule—we can prepare and get someone to cover. That's easier to do than just managing whoever's going to come in today. In this environment, that really has changed with our workforce, and it's tough to rely on our current workforce.

Give Them the Keys

Elliott rodgers, chief people officer, project44, a freight-tracking software provider in chicago.

We have equipped and subsidized a van that we call Romeo, which employees can use to combine work with personal uses like family road trips. We cover the cost of the rental. It's a luxury van that comes equipped with a bed, a toilet and shower, Wi-Fi, device charging and a desktop workspace. And it's pet friendly.

We started it as a pilot project and reservations were full within 10 minutes of when we posted it internally. Then we extended it into 2022. By the end of 2021, more than 20 unique team members completed or nearly completed reservations. They've ventured out to places spanning Mount Rushmore and the Badlands; Rocky Mountain National Park; Salem, Mass.; and Pennsylvania. A pretty broad number of places.

It's something we're really proud of. It allows our team members the opportunity to work in a lot of different places while still being connected to us. And they've appreciated the opportunities to stay connected, but also be connected in other ways with nature and other places in the world. They can maintain their perspective while also continuing to contribute to their role in a productive way.

When you place a team member at the center of what they'd want in an experience like that, the value of it answers itself. It creates a comfort level where it provides the necessities for you to be able to continue to work, and you can work from anywhere. It's the best of both worlds. It's one thing to find that on your own but another to have that accessible to you via work, but done in a way that caters to you.

Help Them Come, Go—and Stay

Aamir paul, country president - u.s., schneider electric, a maker of electrical distribution and control products in andover, mass..

With our knowledge workforce, it's been about intentional flexibility. So, for instance, we launched a "returnship" program for women who'd left the workforce but might want to come back even at reduced hours. That means 20, 30, up to 40 hours a week, and we're finding some incredibly talented people who haven't been in the workforce.

This program is available to men as well. If there's a field engineer who's been in the electrical industry for 35 years and he's now retiring, but he's five years from getting his medical benefits, we say: Don't retire. Go on the program. Work 20 hours a week. Work from home. We'll reduce your pay proportionally, but we will couple you with three university hires, and they will call you on Microsoft Teams and show you what's happening on the job site, and you're going to walk them through it. Work just three days a week. We'll cover your benefits.

We've also expanded the parental leave policy, which already was one of the best in the industrial sector. And we created a way for people to buy more time off without having to leave their positions. They apply for more unpaid time off and we allow them to retain their position and seniority and allow them to work through whatever life event it is.

We landed on six weeks for the maximum. In the most intense industries—such as a fighter pilot or a surgeon—they've found that six weeks of being out of the rotation allows them to re-set. So that's what we did. Before, the limit was two weeks.

Give Sway to Local Management

Tom salmon, ceo, berry global, a maker of plastic packaging in evansville, ind..

We've got to be competitive in all the geographies we serve. We have 295 sites around the world and manage our employees in those sites geographically. Every geography will be a different labor environment. There are different criteria that employees are looking for. It's not just about wages but taking everything into consideration.

We let local management handle things with their insight about wages and competition. They're hearing directly from employees about what they like and don't like, what they want more of and less of. It's a site-by-site discussion.

For example, at some sites, it may be important for employees to be able to access the internet at lunch; at other sites, they may not value that as much. Some want a more advanced locker facility, with different shower facilities. That includes the southwestern United States, where the temperatures are warmer; but in New England, some might not want that.

In any event, if you treat these things locally, you're going to be able to affect that local population and address the need of that geography. If you blanket something across our entire plant population, you may provide something that's not desired or needed.

We depend on our local management to respond to the different demands in terms of compensation and benefits at their sites. The better the front-line leadership is, and the more satisfied their team is, the higher our retention rate and productivity and safety performance. So these leaders participate in profit-sharing plans for those respective sites, because they have a great influence on the success of a given facility.

Focus Benefits on Flexibility

Paul knopp, chair and ceo, kpmg us, a financial consulting firm in new york.

We announced a new package of enhancements to our benefits and compensation, tied to mental, physical, social and financial well-being. These increases are the biggest in the history of the company. You have to make sure your base compensation meets the market, but you also must have attractive benefits.

For example, we cut healthcare premiums by 10% for 2022 with no change in benefit levels, and we introduced healthcare advocacy services. We are replacing our current 401(k) match and pension programs with a single, automatic company-funded contribution within the plan that's equal to 6% to 8% of eligible pay.

As part of this, we're focusing on the crucial element of ensuring that employees know you're watching out for them. They also are looking for flexibility—you don't want to under-index on how important that is. So we also are providing up to three weeks additional caregiver leave, separate and apart from PTO. And all parents will receive 12 weeks of paid parental leave, in addition to disability leave for employees who give birth, allowing some up to 22 weeks of paid leave. We also have expanded our holiday calendar to now include Juneteenth.

Dale Buss is a long-time contributor to Chief Executive, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal and other business publications. He lives in Michigan.

This article is adapted from www.ChiefExecutive.net with permission from Chief Executive. C 2022. All rights reserved.

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The Power of Employee Motivation: Case Studies and Success Stories

Employee motivation is a critical factor in the success of any organization. Motivated employees are more productive, engaged, and innovative, which can ultimately lead to increased profitability and growth. In this article, we’ll explore the power of employee motivation through real-life case studies and success stories, and examine the strategies and approaches that have been effective in motivating employees in different organizations.

Case Studies and Success Stories

Case Study 1: Google

Google is known for its exemplary employee motivation strategies, and one of the most renowned is its “20% time” policy. This policy allows employees to spend 20% of their work time on projects of their choosing. This has led to the development of some of Google’s most successful products, including Gmail and Google Maps. By giving employees autonomy and the freedom to pursue their passions, Google has created a culture of innovation and motivation that has propelled the company to success.

Case Study 2: Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines is another company that has excelled in motivating its employees. The company’s founder, Herb Kelleher, recognized the importance of creating a positive work environment and treating employees with respect. This has led to a strong company culture and high employee satisfaction, which in turn has contributed to Southwest’s success as a leading low-cost airline.

Case Study 3: Zappos

Zappos, an online shoe and clothing retailer, is known for its unique approach to employee motivation. The company offers new employees $2,000 to quit after completing their initial training. This may seem counterintuitive, but it has been effective in ensuring that only employees who are truly committed to the company’s values and culture remain. This has created a workforce that is highly motivated and aligned with the company’s mission and vision.

Strategies for Employee Motivation

From the case studies above, we can derive several strategies for motivating employees:

• Empowerment and autonomy: Giving employees the freedom to make decisions and pursue their interests can lead to greater motivation and innovation.
• Positive work culture: Creating a positive and supportive work environment can contribute to higher employee satisfaction and motivation.
• Alignment with company values: Ensuring that employees are aligned with the company’s mission and vision can foster a sense of purpose and motivation.

Success Stories

One success story that demonstrates the power of employee motivation is the story of Mark, a sales manager at a software company. Mark’s team was struggling to meet their sales targets, and morale was low. Mark decided to implement a recognition and rewards program to motivate his team. He started publicly acknowledging and rewarding top performers, and the results were remarkable. Sales increased, and his team’s motivation and engagement soared.

Another success story comes from a manufacturing company that was facing high turnover and low employee morale. The company implemented a mentorship program that paired newer employees with experienced mentors. This initiative helped new employees feel supported and engaged, leading to greater retention and improved overall morale within the organization.

Employee motivation is a crucial factor in the success of any organization. By learning from real-life case studies and success stories, we can see that strategies such as empowerment, positive work culture, and alignment with company values can lead to higher employee motivation and ultimately, greater success for the organization.

Why is employee motivation important?

Employee motivation is important because motivated employees are more productive, engaged, and innovative. They are also more likely to stay with the organization, reducing turnover and associated costs.

How can I motivate my employees?

You can motivate your employees by empowering them, creating a positive work culture, and ensuring alignment with the company’s values and mission. Recognition and rewards programs, mentorship initiatives, and opportunities for personal and professional growth can also be effective in motivating employees.

What are some signs of low employee motivation?

Some signs of low employee motivation include decreased productivity, high turnover, absenteeism, and lack of enthusiasm or engagement in the workplace.

Why Motivated Employees Stay: The Connection to Lower Turnover Rates

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Top 10 Sustainability Case Studies & Success Stories in 2024

Environmental and social practices have a significant impact on the long-term success of businesses. Some businesses outperform others in this area, giving them a competitive advantage. We will present ten sustainability success stories to executives searching for methods to close the sustainability gap between themselves and outperformers. 

We take a holistic approach to sustainability when presenting these case studies, seeing environmental and social challenges as a part of maintaining a sustainable business (see Figure 1). We also recognize that, while technology can aid in the improvement of corporate sustainability, changing business processes can be just as successful. As a result, we will provide a variety of scenarios that fully demonstrate the ESG framework .

1. UPS ORION: Improve transportation efficiency

Transportation activities accounted for almost 30% of US greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. (See Figure 2). For a company like UPS, which distributes goods across regions, transportation activities make up the bulk of GHG emissions. As a result, enhancing transportation efficiency is crucial for organizations like UPS to remain sustainable.

As a solution, UPS adopted an AI system called ORION which is a route optimizer that aims to minimize the number of turns during the delivery. Initiation began in 2012 and up today UPS has been working on developing it.

ORION saves UPS 10 million gallons of fuel per year, which means that in addition to the financial benefits, it decreases UPS’s carbon footprint by 100,000 metric tonnes per year, or the equivalent to removing more than 20,000 cars from the roads.

There are public cloud route optimizer systems which businesses can deploy without building hardware. These tools help firms to use their software as a service by paying a subscription cost.

To learn more about ensuring supply chain sustainability with technology you can read our Top 5 Technologies Improving Supply Chain Sustainability article.

Figure 2: US GHG emissions.

2. IKEA IWAY: Make business with ESG oriented corporations

Supplier code of conducts are established guidelines that require other businesses to demonstrate their operations’ social and environmental impacts. The objective is to reward companies that meet strong ESG standards. It is also one of the positive governance indications for organizations, as we highlighted in our ESG metrics article .

IWAY is the supplier code of conduct of IKEA forcing suppliers to meet certain environmental and humanitarian qualities to work with. The initiative has been in place for over 20 years, and over that time, IKEA has refined it based on their prior experiences. IWAY six is the most recent version of IKEA’s supplier code of conduct, which evaluates:

• Core worker rights.
• Safety of the working place.
• Life-work balance of employees.
• Water and waste management of potential suppliers.
• Prevention of child labour. 

3. General Electric digital wind farm: Produce green energy efficiently

Wind turbine productivity varies greatly depending on the design, weather conditions, and geography of the location it is deployed. Using IoT and digital twins to collect data on each wind turbine and simulate possible modifications such as adjusting the direction of the wind turbine can assist corporations in locating their wind turbines in a wind farm more effectively (see Figure 3).

Furthermore, the performance of wind turbines declines with time and may require maintenance; employing sensors and digital twins can assist in determining the appropriate time for repair.

Figure 3: How digital twins can optimize wind turbine productivity.

The General Electric’s (GE) digital wind farms are based on these two elements. GE optimized over 15,000 turbines using sensors and digital twins technologies. Each wind farm can create up to 10% more green energy as a result of the digital wind farm initiative, which helps to enhance our worldwide green energy mix.

4. Swire Properties green building: Minimize GHG emissions

Swire Properties is a construction company that operates in China and especially in the Hong Kong area. In 2018, the company built One Taikoo Place which is a green building that aims to reduce GHG emissions of Swire Properties in order to align with sustainability goals of the company’s stakeholders.

Swire properties use 3D modeling techniques to optimize the building’s energy efficiency. Reduce electricity consumption by using smart lighting systems with sunshine and motion sensors. A biodiesel generation system has been installed in the building, which converts waste food oil into biodiesel. Swire Properties additionally uses low carbon embedded materials and a lot of recycled materials in their construction.

Swire Properties was able to cut GHG emissions intensity throughout their portfolio by nearly 20% because of the usage of digital technologies and low carbon integrated materials.

5. H&M Let’s Close the Gap: Deposit scheme for gathering raw material

In 2021, we consumed 1.7 times more resources than Earth generates annually because our economic outlook is based on production, use and disposal. Such an economy is not sustainable and that is the reason why the concept of circular economy (CE) is trending nowadays.

The most basic principles of CE is to use trash as a raw material for production through innovation, recycling, or repairing and reusing existing products.

H&M’s “Let’s Close the Gap” project began in 2013 as a CE best practice that collects and categorizes discarded clothing from customers. If the garment is in decent condition, they will restore it and find a new owner for it. If a garment reaches the end of its useful life, H&M will recycle it and reuse the material in new goods.

Customers who bring in their old clothes are rewarded with tokens that can be used to get a discount at H&M shops. Incentivizing customers creates a complete CE loop.

In 2019, 57% of H&M’s raw materials were sustainable, according to Forbes. By 2030, the company hopes to improve it 100 percent.

6. Gusto: Hiring female engineers to close gender inequality gap

Gender inequality remains a major social issue despite all the improvements. There are two common types of gender disparity in the workplace. The first is gender pay disparity, which occurs when companies pay male employees more and provide better working conditions than female employees in the same position. 

The second is occupational segregation, in which women are hired for non-technical jobs while men hold the majority of leadership roles. This was the situation at software firm Gusto, where female engineers made up slightly more than 5% of the engineering team at the beginning of 2015. 

Julia Lee , one of Gusto’s first female engineers, claimed that other engineers did not accept her ideas because she was a “female engineer.” Gusto initiated an HR drive to reduce gender inequality by prioritizing the recruitment of female engineers, prohibiting female workers from scrolling, and deleting masculine job ads like “ninja rockstar coder.”

Gusto was able to improve its female engineer ratio to roughly 20% by the end of 2015 thanks to the campaign. The average ratio among software businesses’ engineering teams was 12% in 2013, therefore this was a significant improvement in a short period of time.  

7. HSBC: ESG concerned green finance

Finance companies can help speed up the transition to sustainable business practices by supporting initiatives run by responsible businesses. By the end of 2025, HSBC has committed to investing $100 billion in sustainability projects. HSBC already has funded sustainability projects that require more than $50 billion in investment as of 2019, indicating that the corporation is on track to meet its objective.

HSBC created an ESG risk evaluation framework to assure funding for green projects in 2019. Since then, the framework has been improved. In 2021, HSBC’s ESG practices were rewarded with an AA rating by MSCI.

HSBC is also working toward a goal of using 100% renewable energy as their source of electricity by 2030. Company reduces its consumption of paper, and single used plastics for coffee and beverages.

For more information about best ESG practices you can read our Top 6 ESG Reporting Best Practices article.

8. Signify light-as-a-Service: Enhance production stewardship

The product-service system ( PSS ) is a business model in which producers acquire a product over its lifetime and rent or lease it to the users. PSS ensures product stewardship since the product always becomes the asset of the company. It encourages producers to provide high-quality, repairable items in order to extend the product’s useful life. As a result, it helps to close the circularity gap by ensuring better use of natural resources.

Signify, a luminaire producer, adopts such a business strategy where it demands a subscription fee according to usage period of their lightning systems. PSS allows Signify claims that PSS allows them to produce 0 luminaire waste and drops maintenance costs around 60%.

9. Airbus additive manufacturing: Manufacture lighter planes with 3D printing

AIMultiple expects that additive manufacturing will disruptive for the airplane manufacturing since:

• It speeds up the manufacturing of parts compared to traditional molding techniques.
• It is cheaper due to effective use of raw materials and time reduction of production.
• It enables the manufacturing of lighter parts by up to 45% , resulting in lighter planes that burn less fuel. According to Airbus, additive manufacturing technology can reduce an A320 plane’s annual GHG emissions by around 465,000 metric tons, which is roughly the same as eliminating 100,000 automobiles from the road for a year. (An average car emits 4.6 tonnes of GHG per year). 

To effectively use 3D printers Airbus partnered with Materialise , a Belgium-based technology company  that specialize in additive manufacturing.

For more information regarding improving corporate sustainability by digital transformation you can read our Top 4 Digital Technologies that Improve Corporate Sustainability article.

10. Tata Power: Solar plants on the roofs

Rooftops offer a lot of empty space that can be used to install solar panels. Such initiatives have been taken in various parts of the world. Tata Power does it in India and generates green electricity by using idle places of buildings.

In 2021, Tata Power was able to spread their program throughout 90 Indian cities, producing 421 million watts of electricity, which is equivalent to nearly 40 thousand homes’ yearly electricity use in the US. (The average annual power usage for a residential utility customer in the US was 10,715 kWh in 2020, according to the EIA .).

We expect that in the near future the cooperation between energy and construction companies will enhance the use of idle places in buildings in a more effective way. Such an industrial symbiosis reduces both sectors’ ESG risk.

For more information on the top carbon footprint calculators, check our article, Top 7 Carbon Footprint Calculator Software/Tools for Businesses .

To learn more about corporate sustainability you can contact with us:

This article was drafted by former AIMultiple industry analyst Görkem Gençer.

Next to Read

Top 6 circular economy best practices for businesses in 2024, 5 ways to reduce corporate carbon footprint in 2024, 4 steps to calculate your organization's carbon footprint in '24.

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A wonderful collection of case studies on corporate sustainability. I enjoyed the read. I am convicted to delve into promoting sustainability in Africa.

Hello, James! Thank you for your feedback. Awesome! That’s a great cause to pursue.

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• Project Management

Top 15+ Project Management Case Studies with Examples 2024

Home Blog Project Management Top 15+ Project Management Case Studies with Examples 2024

Having worked for more than 9 years in the dynamic field of project management, I would strongly refer to real-world case studies as invaluable resources for both budding and experienced professionals. These case studies provide critical insights into the challenges and triumphs encountered in various industries, illustrating the application of project management principles in practical scenarios.   I have curated the project management case studies as a part of this article in such a way that it delves into a selection of compelling case studies, ranging from the healthcare sector to infrastructure and technology. Each case study is a testament to the strategic planning, adaptability, and innovative problem-solving skills necessary in today's fast-paced business environment. These narratives not only highlight past successes but also offer guidance for future projects, making them essential tools for anyone eager to excel in project management.

What is Case Study?

A case study refers to an in-depth examination of a specific case within the real-world context. It is a piece of content that sheds light on the challenges faced, solutions adopted, and the overall outcomes of a project. To understand project management case studies, it is important to first define what a project is . A project is a temporary endeavor with a defined beginning and end, aimed at achieving a specific goal or objective. Case studies are generally used by businesses during the proposal phase. However, they are also displayed on the websites of companies to provide prospects with a glance at the capabilities of the brands. It can even serve as an effective tool for lead generation. In simple words, case studies are stories that tell the target audience about the measures and strategies that the organization adopted to become successful.

What is Project Management Case Study?

A project management case study is a piece of content that highlights a project successfully managed by the organization. It showcases the challenges that the organization faced, the solutions adopted, and the final results. Keep reading in order to explore examples of successful project management case studies.

Top 15 Project Management Case Studies and Examples 

Are you looking for some project management case study examples? If yes, here are some of the best examples you can explore. Let’s dive in! Before diving in, here is the list of top 15 project management case studies: 

• Mavenlink Helps Improve Utilization Rates by 15% for BTM Global
• Boncom Reduces Billing Rate Errors by 100%
• whyaye! Reaches 80% Billable Utilization
• Metova Increases Billable Utilization by 10%
• Appetize Doubles Length of Forecasting Outlook
• RSM Improves Client Satisfaction and Global Business Processes
• CORE Business Technologies Increases Billable Utilization by 35%
• Health Catalyst Improves Business Processes and Increases Consistency in Project Delivery
• Optimus SBR Improves Forecasting Horizon by 50%
• PlainJoe Studios Increases Projects Closing Within Budget by 50%
• RPI Consultants Decreases Admin Time by 20%
• CBI's PMO Increases Billable Utilization By 30%
• Butterfly Increases Billable Time by 20%
• TeleTracking Increases Billable Utilization by 37%
• Taylors Improves Utilization Rates by 15%
• Hospital El Pilar improves Patient Care With implementing Disciplined Agile
• British Columbia’s Ministry of Technology and Infrastructure (MoTI)

1. Mavenlink Helps Improve Utilization Rates by 15% for BTM Global

The case study is all about how Mavenlink helped BTM Global Consulting to save hours of work and enhance utilization with resource management technology. BTM Global Consulting offers system development and integration services to diverse clients. The challenges that the company faced were that tools like Netsuite OpenAir and Excel spreadsheets were not able to meet the customization needs as the company grew. It impacted their overall productivity.

BTM Global saw the following benefits: 

• 15% increase in utilization for project managers
• 10% increase in companywide utilization
• 4-hour resource allocation work reduced to 10 minutes
• 100% Company-wide time tracking adoption

In order to overcome the challenge, the solution they adopted was to switch to Mavenlink. The result was that it increased the utilization of the company by 10% and enhanced project manager utilization by 15%. It also reduced resource allocation work from 4 hours to just 10 minutes.

2. Boncom Reduces Billing Rate Errors by 100% With Mavenlink

Boncom is an advertising agency that collaborates with different purpose driven brands to create goods worldwide. The challenge was that the company relied on several-point solutions for delivering client-facing projects. However, the solutions failed to offer the required operational functionality. An ideal solution for Boncom was to adopt Mavenlink. The result was that the billing rate error got reduced by 100%. Accurate forecasting became possible for Boncom, and the company could generate reports in much less time.

3. whyaye! Reaches 80% Billable Utilization with Mavenlink

Here are the top benefits whyaye got: 

• 6% increase in utilization
• Tripled company size
• Doubled in number of new clients every quarter
• Support through constant business scaling

whyaye is a digital transformation consultancy delivering IT transformation solutions to businesses operating in diverse sectors. The challenge was that whyaye used to manage resources and projects using tools such as emails, PowerPoint, and Microsoft Excel. However, with the growth of the company, they were not able to access project data or gain insights for effective management of the projects . The ultimate solution to this challenge was to make a switch to Mavenlink. The result was an increase in the utilization by 6%, doubling of new clients, tripling of the company size, and seamless support through business growth.

4. Metova Increases Billable Utilization by 10% With Mavenlink

If you are looking for a project planning case study, Metova can be the right example. Metova is a technology firm, a Gold Partner of Microsoft, and an advanced consulting partner of AWS. The challenge was that the company handled several projects at a time. However, its heavy dependence on tools like Google Sheets limited the growth capabilities of the organization. So, the company looked for a solution and switched to Mavenlink. The result was that it was able to increase its billable utilization by 10%, increase its portfolio visibility, and standardize its project management process.

5. Hospital El Pilar improves Patient Care With implementing Disciplined Agile

If you are looking for an example of one of the best hospital related project management case studies, then Hospital El Pilar can be the ideal one. Hospital El Pilar is a private hospital in Guatemala City, Guatemala, that provides comprehensive care to patients in various medical specialties. The challenge was that the hospital’s application development team faced several obstacles in managing and delivering projects, such as unclear priorities, a lack of visibility, little interaction with users, and competing demands. The solution that the team adopted was to use Disciplined Agile® (DA™), a flexible and pragmatic approach to project management that optimizes the way of working (WoW). The result was improved project outcomes, increased user satisfaction, greater transparency, and more trust from stakeholders and customers.

6. British Columbia’s Ministry of Technology and Infrastructure (MoTI) gets its principal corridor for transportation up in 35 days

Reconnecting Roads After Massive Flooding (2022) is a case study of how the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MoTI) used a project management approach based on the PMBOK® Guide to restore critical routes after a catastrophic weather event. It is one of the examples of successful project management case studies you can look into. The challenge was that an atmospheric river caused severe flooding, landslides, and bridge collapses, cutting off the lower mainland from the rest of Canada2. The solution was to prioritize the reopening of Highway 5, the principal corridor for transportation of goods and people, by creating scopes, work breakdown structures, and schedules for each site3. The result was that Highway 5 was reopened to commercial traffic in 35 days, despite additional weather challenges and risks4. The construction project management case study we discussed demonstrated the benefits of flexibility, collaboration, and communication in emergency response.

7. Appetize Doubles Length of Forecasting Outlook with Mavenlink

Here the the benefits Appetize got with Mavenlink: 

• Forecasting horizon increases to 12 weeks
• Management of 40+ major projects per quarter
• Support for rapid companywide scaling
• Salesforce integration supports project implementation

Appetize is one of the leading cloud-based points of sale (POS), enterprise management, and digital ordering platform that is trusted by a number of businesses. The challenge of the company was that its legacy project tracking systems were not able to meet the growing needs of the company. They experienced growth and manual data analysis challenges. The solution they found was to switch to Mavenlink. The result was an increase in the forecast horizon to 12 weeks, support for effective companywide scaling, easy management of over 40 major projects, and Salesforce integration for project implementation.

8. RSM Improves Client Satisfaction and Global Business Processes with Mavenlink

RSM is a tax, audit, and consulting company that provides a wide array of professional services to clients in Canada and the United States. The challenge of the company was that its legacy system lacked the necessary features required to support their work- and time-intensive projects and delivered insights relating to the project trends. An ideal solution to this challenge was to switch to Mavenlink. The result was better to risk mitigation in tax compliance, improved client-team communication, templatized project creation, and better use of the KPIs and project status.

9. CORE Business Technologies Increases Billable Utilization by 35% with Mavenlink

Here are the top benefits CORE Business Technologies got with Mavenlink: 

• Simultaneous in-progress projects doubled
• 100% company-wide time entry compliance
• 35% Increase in Billable Utilization
• 50% Increase in Team Productivity

Another top project management case study is the Core Business Technologies. CORE Business Technologies is a reputed single-source vendor self-service, in-person, and back-office processing to the clients. It offers SaaS-based payment solutions to clients. The challenge faced by the company was that its tools like spreadsheets, Zoho, and Microsoft Project led to a hectic work schedule owing to a huge number of disconnected systems. The solution to the challenge was to switch to Mavenlink. The result was the enhancement of team productivity by 50%, time entry compliance by 100%, and enhancement of the billable utilization rate by 35%.

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10. Client Success: Health Catalyst Improves Business Processes and Increases Consistency in Project Delivery with Mavenlink

Here are the top benefits Health Catalyst saw with Mavenlink:   

• Consistency in Successful Project Delivery 
• Improved Interdepartmental Communication 
• Deeper Resource Data Insights 
• Stronger Resource Forecasting

Health Catalyst is a company that delivers data and analytics services and technology to different healthcare organizations. The firm provides assistance to technicians and clinicians in the healthcare sector. The challenge of the company was that the tools like Intacct and spreadsheets that is used for project management were not able to provide the required data insights and clarity for better project management. It also limited effective resource management. The solution was to embrace Mavenlink. The result was better resource forecasting, enhanced interdepartmental communication, consistency in project delivery, and better resource data insights .

11. Client Success: Optimus SBR Improves Forecasting Horizon by 50% with Mavenlink

Optimus SBR is a leading professional service provider in North America. It offers the best results to companies operating in diverse sectors, including healthcare, energy, transportation, financial services, and more. The challenge was that legacy software tools that the firm used gave rise to project management issues. The company was not able to get a real-time revenue forecast or gain insights into its future financial performance. The solution that the company adopted was to switch to Mavenlink. The result was better data-driven hiring decisions, efficient delivery of remote work, and enhancement of the forecasting horizon by 50%.

12. Client Success: PlainJoe Studios Increases Projects Closing Within Budget by 50% With Mavenlink

Here are the benefits how Mavenlink helped PlainJoe: 

• Improved data insights for project success
• Enablement of fast shift to remote work
• Improved budgeting
• Increased rates in billing

PlainJoe Studios is an experimental design studio that focuses on digitally immersive and strategic storytelling. The company has a team of strategists, architects, and problem solvers to create value for the clients. The challenge of the company was that the manual processing of the company affected its ability to grow and manage the diverse project effectively. They lacked clarity about their project needs and profitability. The solution to deal with the challenge was to switch to Mavenlink. The result was an enhancement in the billing rates by 15%, better project closing within budget by 50%, better data insights for the success of different projects, and a faster shift to remote work.

13. Client Success: RPI Consultants Decreases Admin Time by 20% With Mavenlink

If you are looking for an example of one of the best software project management case studies, then RPI Consultants can be the ideal one. RPI Consultants offer expert project leadership and software consulting services for enterprise-level implementation of solutions and products. The challenge was that the task management solutions adopted by the company gave rise to a number of complications. It resulted in poor interdepartmental transparency and time-consuming data entry. The ultimate solution that the company embraced was to switch to Mavenlink. The result was a rise in the utilization rate by 5%, lowing of admin time by 20%, better forecasting and resource management, and a single source for gaining insights into the project data.

14. Client Success: CBI's PMO Increases Billable Utilization By 30% With Mavenlink

CBI is a company that is focused on protecting the reputations, data, and brands of its clients. The challenge that the company faced was that the solutions used were unable to meet the growing needs of the organization. The systems were outdated, data sharing was not possible, and time tracking was inconsistent. The solution to the challenge was to switch to Mavenlink. The result was better interdepartmental alignment, enhancement of time tracking to support business growth, an increase in the billable utilization rate by 30%, and detailed insights for a greater success of the projects.

15. Client Success: Butterfly Increases Billable Time by 20% with Mavenlink

Butterfly is a leading digital agency that provides digital strategy, website design and development services, and ongoing support to businesses across Australia. The challenge was that the different legacy systems used by the agency limited its capability of effective project management and reporting. The systems were time consuming and cumbersome. In order to deal with the challenge, the solution was to make a switch to Mavenlink. The result was the enhancement of billable time by 20%, fast reporting insights, enhancement of productive utilization by 16%, and better Jira integration.

16. Client Success: TeleTracking Increases Billable Utilization by 37% With Mavenlink

TeleTracking Technologies is a leading provider of patient flow automation solutions to various hospitals in the healthcare sector. The challenge of the company was that it used different systems such as Microsoft Excel, Sharepoint, MS Project, Jira, and Netsuite. The use of a variety of solutions created a number of challenges for the company. It had poor forecasting capability, an insufficient time tracking process, and unclear resource utilization. The solution was to switch to Mavenlink. The result was the enhancement of time tracking compliance by 100%, rise in hours to date by 18%, and enhancement of billable utilization by 37%.

17. Client Success: Taylors Improves Utilization Rates by 15% with Mavenlink

This is a perfect example of a construction project management case study. Taylor Development Strategists is a leading civil engineering and urban planning organization in Australia. The challenge that the company faced was that the systems that it used were not able to support the growth of the business. There were a lot of inefficiencies and limitations. The solution to the challenge was to switch to Mavenlink. The result was better global collaboration, an increase in the utilization rate by 15%, consistency of timesheet entry, and in-depth insights relating to utilization and project targets.

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Start Creating Your Project Management Case Study

Not that you have a detailed idea about project management case studies, it is time to prepare your own. When doing the project management case study exercise, make sure to focus on covering all the important elements. Clearly stating the challenges and the solutions adopted by the company is important. If you want to get better at project management, getting a PMP Certification can be beneficial.

Case Study Best Practices and Tips 

• Involve your clients in the preparation of the case study. 
• Make use of graphs and data. 
• Mix images, texts, graphs, and whitespace effectively.

Project Management Case Study Template 

To create a well-crafted and highly informative case study template in the realms of project management, you should start by providing a brief overview of the client's company, focusing on its industry, scale, and specific challenges. Follow with a detailed section on the challenge, emphasizing the unique aspects of the project and obstacles faced. Next, you might want to describe the solution implemented, detailing the strategies, methodologies, and tools used. Then, you would need to present the results, quantifying improvements and highlighting objectives achieved. Finally, please conclude the case study with a summary, encapsulating key takeaways and emphasizing the project's success and its implications for future endeavors. By following this structure, you can present a comprehensive yet concise analysis that is ideal for showcasing project management expertise and insights. You can also refer to the template for crafting a better case study on project management – Template for writing case studies .

By now, you must have gained a comprehensive knowledge of preparing a project management case study. This article elaborately explains the significance of real life project management case studies as vital tools for demonstrating a company's expertise in handling complex projects. These case studies, showcasing real-world scenarios, serve as compelling evidence of a firm's capability to navigate challenges and implement effective solutions, thereby boosting confidence in potential clients and partners. They are not only a reflection of past successes but also a lighthouse guiding future project endeavors in the discipline of project management within the fields of construction, pharmacy, technology and finance, highlighting the importance of strategic planning, innovation, and adaptability in project management. If you are aspiring to excel in this field, understanding these case studies is invaluable. However, you would also need to learn from project management failures case studies which would provide a roadmap to mastering the art of project management in today's dynamic business landscape.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

In order to write a project management case study, keep everything brief but mention everything in detail. Make sure to write it with clarity and include graphs and images. 

A project study must include information about the client, how your company helped the client in resolving a problem, and the results.

The best-case studies on project management have been listed above. It includes BTM Global, Butterfly, Boncom, and more.

Kevin D.Davis

Kevin D. Davis is a seasoned and results-driven Program/Project Management Professional with a Master's Certificate in Advanced Project Management. With expertise in leading multi-million dollar projects, strategic planning, and sales operations, Kevin excels in maximizing solutions and building business cases. He possesses a deep understanding of methodologies such as PMBOK, Lean Six Sigma, and TQM to achieve business/technology alignment. With over 100 instructional training sessions and extensive experience as a PMP Exam Prep Instructor at KnowledgeHut, Kevin has a proven track record in project management training and consulting. His expertise has helped in driving successful project outcomes and fostering organizational growth.

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Driving Growth: The Power of Outsourcing Internal Audits in Life Sciences

A guide to outsourcing the internal audit function in life sciences

In the highly regulated life sciences industry, internal audits play a crucial role in ensuring compliance with various standards, regulations, and guidelines. These audits help organisations identify potential risks, assess the effectiveness of their internal controls, and implement corrective measures to maintain the integrity of their operations. However, conducting in-house internal audits can be a complex and resource-intensive task, often requiring specialised experience and expertise and a significant investment of time and resources.

Challenges life sciences companies face in conducting internal audits

Life sciences companies often face a myriad of challenges when it comes to conducting internal audits. These challenges include:

• Lack of specialised expertise : Conducting comprehensive internal audits in the life sciences industry requires a deep understanding of complex regulatory frameworks, quality management systems, and industry-specific best practises. Many life sciences companies may lack the in-house experience and expertise to effectively carry out these audits.
• Limited resources : Internal audit teams in life sciences companies are often understaffed and overburdened, making it difficult to allocate sufficient time and resources to thorough audits. Internal audits are often additional assignment to personnel who are employed for other functions. As such, internal audit responsibilities become a lower-level priority when there are scheduling conflicts with primary roles and responsibilities.
• Maintaining objectivity : Conducting internal audits within the organisation can sometimes compromise objectivity, as auditors may have personal relationships or biases that can influence the audit process. These situations can be a point of contention and result in distrust of the audit programme and deep organisational dysfunction.
• Keeping up with regulatory changes : The life sciences industry is subject to constant regulatory changes, and maintaining compliance can be a significant challenge for companies that do not have dedicated resources to stay up to date with the latest requirements. Situations arise where compliance to the requirement for conducting the audit becomes the primary focus, and results in a “check-the-box” exercise that allows the audit team to meet its deadlines, but results in a non-value added “time burglar” for the function being audited.

Why pursue internal audit outsourcing?

To address these challenges and optimise the internal audit process, many life sciences companies are turning to outsourcing as a viable solution. Outsourcing internal audits offers a range of benefits, including:

• Access to specialised experience and expertise : Outsourcing internal audits allows life sciences companies to leverage the expertise of experienced auditors who are well-versed in the industry's regulatory landscape and manufacturing and operations best practises.
• Improved efficiency and cost-effectiveness : Outsourcing internal audits can lead to significant cost savings by eliminating the need to maintain a dedicated in-house audit team and the associated overhead expenses.
• Enhanced objectivity and independence : Outsourced auditors are not influenced by internal politics or personal relationships, ensuring a more objective and impartial audit process.
• Staying ahead of regulatory changes : Outsourcing internal audits provides life sciences companies with the opportunity to work with providers that continuously monitor and adapt to the evolving regulatory environment.

Can you streamline efficiency through internal audit outsourcing?

One of the primary advantages of outsourcing internal audits in the life sciences industry is the ability to streamline the audit process and improve overall efficiency. Outsourced audit providers typically have well-established methodologies, tools, and technologies that can help life sciences companies:

• Automate routine audit tasks, reducing manual effort and errors.
• Standardise audit procedures across the organisation, ensuring consistency and efficiency.
• Leverage data analytics to identify trends, patterns, and potential areas of risk more effectively.
• Provide real-time visibility into the audit process, enabling better decision-making and resource allocation.

By leveraging the expertise and resources of an outsourced audit provider, life sciences companies can focus on their core business activities while ensuring that their internal audit function operates at an optimal level.

Maximising compliance with outsourced internal audits

In the highly regulated life sciences industry, maintaining compliance with various standards and regulations is of paramount importance. Outsourcing internal audits can play a crucial role in maximising compliance by:

• Ensuring comprehensive coverage : Outsourced audit providers have the expertise and resources to conduct thorough audits that cover all relevant regulatory requirements, minimizing the risk of non-compliance.
• Implementing best practises : Outsourced audit providers bring a wealth of experience and industry-specific knowledge, allowing them to identify and implement best practises that can enhance compliance across the organisation.
• Providing timely corrective actions : Outsourced auditors can quickly identify and address non-compliance issues, facilitating the implementation of corrective measures to prevent future occurrences.
• Enhancing audit reporting and documentation : Outsourced audit providers often have well-developed reporting and documentation processes, ensuring that audit findings and recommendations are clearly communicated and can be used to demonstrate compliance to regulatory bodies.

Case studies: Successful examples of outsourcing internal audits

Case study 1: streamlining internal audits for a global pharmaceutical company.

A large multinational pharmaceutical company was struggling to keep up with the growing complexity of its operations and the ever-changing regulatory landscape. The company's internal audit team was overwhelmed, leading to delays in audit completion and a lack of comprehensive coverage. By outsourcing its internal audits to a specialised provider, the company was able to:

• Leverage the provider's industry-specific expertise and cutting-edge audit methodologies.
• Improve the efficiency of the audit process, reducing the time required for each audit.
• Enhance the quality and depth of the audits, ensuring comprehensive coverage of all relevant regulations.
• Implement timely corrective actions based on the audit findings, strengthening the company's compliance posture.

As a result, the pharmaceutical company experienced a significant improvement in its internal audit function, leading to increased efficiency, better compliance, and a stronger overall control environment.

Case study 2: Maximising compliance for a biotech startup

A fast-growing biotech startup was facing the challenge of establishing a robust internal audit function to support its rapid expansion and comply with the industry's stringent regulations. With limited resources and a lack of in-house expertise, the company decided to outsource its internal audits to a specialised provider.

The outsourced audit provider:

• Developed a tailored audit plan that addressed the startup's specific compliance requirements.
• Conducted comprehensive audits that identified potential risks and non-compliance issues.
• Provided practical recommendations for corrective actions, which the startup quickly implemented.
• Offered ongoing support and guidance to ensure the company-maintained compliance as it scaled its operations.

By outsourcing its internal audits, the biotech startup was able to establish a robust compliance framework, mitigate regulatory risks, and focus on its core business activities, positioning the company for long-term success.

These case studies demonstrate the tangible benefits that life sciences companies can realise by outsourcing their internal audit function to specialised providers, including improved efficiency, enhanced compliance, and a stronger overall control environment.

How do you choose the right outsourcing partner for internal audits?

Selecting the right outsourcing partner is crucial for the success of an internal audit outsourcing initiative in the life sciences industry. When evaluating potential providers, life sciences companies should consider the following key factors:

• Industry-specific expertise : Ensure the provider has a deep understanding of the life sciences industry, its regulatory requirements, and the unique challenges faced by organisations in this sector.
• Quality management system (QMS) knowledge : Look for a provider with extensive experience in auditing quality management systems, which are essential in the life sciences industry.
• Regulatory compliance expertise : Assess the provider's ability to navigate the complex regulatory landscape, including familiarity with guidelines from regulatory bodies such as the FDA, EMA, and others.
• Audit methodology and technology : Evaluate the provider's audit methodologies, tools, and technologies to ensure they align with the company's needs and can deliver efficient and effective audits.
• Scalability and flexibility : Consider the provider's capacity to scale their services as the company's needs evolve, as well as their willingness to adapt to the organisation's specific requirements.
• Reputation and references : Check the provider's reputation, client references, and record of accomplishment of successful engagements in the life sciences industry.

By carefully evaluating these factors, life sciences companies can identify the right outsourcing partner to support their internal audit needs and maximize the benefits of this strategic decision.

Common misconceptions about outsourcing internal audits in the life sciences industry

Despite the growing popularity of outsourcing internal audits in the life sciences industry, there are still some common misconceptions that companies should be aware of:

• Loss of control : Some organisations may fear that outsourcing internal audits will lead to a loss of control over the audit process. However, reputable outsourcing providers work closely with their clients to ensure transparency and maintain the desired level of oversight.
• Increased risk of non-compliance : There is a misconception that outsourcing internal audits may increase the risk of non-compliance. Experienced outsourced providers are often better equipped to navigate the complex regulatory landscape and identify potential compliance issues.
• Lack of confidentiality : Companies may be concerned about the confidentiality of sensitive information when outsourcing internal audits. Reputable providers have robust data security measures and confidentiality protocols in place to protect their clients' information.
• Higher costs : Some organisations may believe that outsourcing internal audits will be more expensive than maintaining an in-house audit team. However, the cost savings and efficiency gains often outweigh the outsourcing fees, making it a more cost-effective solution in the long run.
• Lack of customisation : There is a perception that outsourced internal audits are one-size-fits-all. Experienced providers work closely with their clients to tailor their services and audit methodologies to the specific needs of each organisation.

By addressing these misconceptions and understanding the true benefits of outsourcing internal audits, life sciences companies can make more informed decisions and unlock the full potential of this strategic approach.

Conclusion: Embracing outsourcing for improved efficiency and compliance in the life sciences industry

In the highly regulated life sciences industry, the importance of a robust internal audit function cannot be overstated. As organisations face growing challenges in conducting comprehensive and efficient internal audits, outsourcing has emerged as a strategic solution that can deliver significant benefits.

By leveraging the specialised expertise, cutting-edge methodologies, and scalable resources of outsourced audit providers, life sciences companies can streamline their internal audit processes, maximize compliance, and focus on their core business activities. The case studies presented in this article demonstrate the tangible results that organisations can achieve through outsourcing, including improved efficiency, enhanced compliance, and a stronger overall control environment.

As the life sciences industry continues to evolve, embracing the power of outsourced internal audits will be a critical factor in maintaining a competitive edge and ensuring long-term success. Life sciences companies that take the proactive step to partner with specialised providers can unlock a world of opportunities, positioning themselves for sustained growth and regulatory compliance in the years to come.

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To learn more about how outsourcing internal audits can benefit your life sciences organisation, contact our team of experts today. We will work with you to develop a customized solution that addresses your specific needs and helps you streamline efficiency, maximize compliance, and drive sustainable success.

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5 Case Studies In Successful Succession Planning

Case study: the PLC

The investors and board of a  PLC  assume a high level of foresight by its executive team.

“We need to have succession plans that are for the next 12 or 24 months or an even longer time frame than that,” says Sarah Totham, Director of Talent and Organisational Development, Legal & General.

Sarah Totham

The FTSE 100 financial services company is organised into seven divisions, such as investment management, insurance and mature savings. Each one is headed by a divisional CEO reporting into the group CEO Nigel Wilson.

One of the key challenges in such organisations is moving talent between divisions. But, of course, it is also an opportunity.

“We have moved people around a lot. The internal appointments of divisional CEOs have all moved from one part of the business to head up a different business,” says Totham.

“Next level down, we work with the divisional CEOs on the development plans for their teams so encouraging moves across the group because these CEOs tend to work within their verticals.”

Key advice:   “Make sure you have a successor and are dispensable in your role. It’s a sign of strong leadership that you have nurtured a successor and gives you the chance to move on. ”

Case study: the global consulting partnership

At McKinsey & Company, over 600 senior partners elect its global managing partner every three years. Incumbents resubmit themselves for re-election at the end of three years.

Dominic Barton

“You’ve got to make sure there is a group of candidates from which to select every three years. That is done by giving partners leadership opportunities  where they can be tested ,” says McKinsey's  Dominic Barton , Managing Partner Emeritus.

Barton, himself, was first elected global managing partner in 2009 and went on to be re-elected two more times.

He was running the Korean office of McKinsey when his name first appeared on the list of candidates in 2003. Ian Davis, the then successful candidate, arranged for Barton to take on the role of chairing Asia from 2004, standing him in prime position five years later.

“The successful global managing partner uses the ballot to identify potential future candidates and gives them leadership opportunities.”

Planning by the global managing director for this succession is crucial.

“If a bunch of people leave after the vote, it is not a good sign,” concludes Barton.

Key advice:   “If you go around saying you want to be a leader, it puts people off. Spend time talking to people who have been leaders in the past. Find out how they have developed at inflexion points such as in a crisis or building business from scratch.”

Case study: the specialist resourcing company

Huntswood supplies its client, the financial services sector, with freelance contractors to handle a series of customer-focused services such as complaints handling.

Sara Robinson

“Vetting of such contractors is absolutely key because of the nature of our clients’ business. So all of our contractors are known to us,” says Sara Robinson, Huntswood’s Chief of Staff.

“We’ve even seen contractors develop. We have one contractor with us today who started at 16 and is now, at 26, a manager.”

It is not just Huntswood that gets to know the contractors.

“Some of the contractors have worked with a client for so long it becomes a risk if they move on,” adds Robinson.

Succession planning for Huntswood is of necessity focused not just on its 226 employees but also its 4,000 contractors.

It works with its financial services clients often suggesting that it move the contractor on to its at-risk register.

“We encourage the client to take on a full-time employer and the contractor to develop other skills.”

Key advice:   “HR ‘did’ succession planning to the business in the past  - that is why it gets shelved. But now HR gets it started, helps train colleagues and then they take over.”

Case study: non-executives on PLC boards

“If a CFO wants to succeed a CEO, you would look at all sorts of opportunities to develop that person,” says Milena Djurdjevic.

“But you cannot do that for non-executives because there’s not much potential for personal development on   a board.”

Milena Djurdjevic

A couple of exceptions come to mind, says the founder of   Calibro   which advises chairs, senior independent directors and nomination committees on board succession planning and composition.

“You would not take someone on to be a chair of a board without having been a chair themselves. But they could have chaired the remuneration or audit committees.”

The strength of a board and the importance of changing the composition becomes even more important as businesses face rapid changes in markets.

Djurdjevic works with her clients to hire people with broadly-based skills so that even if a business’ strategy changes, its non-executives should have the skills to deal with it.

“Non-executives that cannot contribute to strategy after change have limited value.”

Key advice:   “Have someone on the board with insight in the direction the business is going. A non-exec can help executive teams to deliver the strategy.”

Case study: the scaleup

Most startups don't really think about succession planning.

“The assumption is that the founder/CEO will not be leaving until the company goes bust or gets acquired,” says Eamonn Carey , MD of   Techstars   London, the accelerator. “But that’s not always the case.”

Eamonn Carey

Take the example of Denver-based SendGrid , founded in 2009 and   a   Techstars   alumni, to deliver, track and scale email messages. Customers include Uber, Spotify and Airbnb.

Isaac Saldana, its   cofounder   and founding CEO, stepped aside in 2011 to focus on driving product innovation as the then-startup numbered 20 employees and several thousand customers.

In Saldana's place came CEO Jim Franklin, formerly of Oracle, “to focus on managing growth and scaling the business,” as   he wrote in a blog post   at the time.

Three years later, the then scaleup boasted 250 employees and 175,000 customers. It was Franklin’s turn   to hand on the CEO’s role to Sameer Dholakia , a Group VP and GM at Citrix, who subsequently took the company public in 2017 and announced  an agreement for SendGrid to be acquired by Twilio   in 2018.

Key advice:   “Starting, scaling and public company, each of these stages is very different. While there are some CEOs that can manage all of them - there are also a lot who understand that they occasionally need to swap out with someone who ’ s got a handle on how to run that next stage.”

This is the second in a two-part series on succession planning. Read seven steps to successful succession planning here .

• Case Studies of Businesses That Have Successfully/Unsuccessfully Navigated Business Transformation
• Managing Business Operations

Table of Contents

Netflix, Ørsted, Nestlé UK&I, and Fyffes are 4 additional cases of businesses around the globe that have successfully navigated business transformations. The cases of General Electric, BBC, Co-operative Bank, Nike, and Procter & Gamble are 5 examples of unsuccessful business transformations. It is pertinent to note that while some of these transformations were initiated beyond the past three years, they are still relevant to the present time in terms of the impact of the transformations on each company to this moment.

Successful Business Transformation Case Studies

Case study 1: netflix.

• Netflix is a company in the entertainment industry. Its core business involves subscription-based DVD rentals and streaming.
• In 2013, Reed Hastings — CEO of Netflix — proposed to transform the business offering of the company from distributing content digitally to producing original content .

What They Did

• Netflix changed its business offering from “ single-pay DVD rentals to subscription-based DVD rentals”.
• The company “ mines audience data to create an astonishing range of new shows. Not only does Netflix use data to drive the compelling customer experience (e.g., even tailoring the images it uses for each show to match customer preferences), it has fundamentally changed the way that it makes decisions about which shows to pursue based on the data it collects on viewing behavior.”

The Result of The Transformation

• This transformation has tripled the revenue of the company, rising by 6% from 2012 to 2018.
• Profit rose by 32 times and the company’s stock CAGR has since grown by 59%
• Original content published by Netflix accounted for 37% of its U.S. stream in 2018, a significant rise from 14% in 2017.

Case Study 2: Ørsted

• Ørsted is a company in the energy industry.
• Its core business involved oil and gas exploration and production prior to 2013.
• In 2012, the power and energy industry witnessed industry-wide crises which resulted in a plunge in the price of gas by about 90% . This was caused by a prolonged period of gas overproduction globally. This threw Ørsted into financial crises.
• The primary focus of the company was survival.
• First, the company brought in a new CEO — Henrik Poulsen — who had successfully navigated the business transformation at LEGO.
• Rather than trying to manage the crisis in the company, Henrik opted for a radical transformation of the company’s core business offering to move from black to green energy with an eye on sustainability.
• With coal, oil, and gas businesses on the decline, Ørsted switched to offshore wind power.
• Henrik went on to divest 8 of Ørsted’s 12 business divisions to invest in wind farming.
• However, the technology to run this project was too expensive that it would mean double the cost of onshore wind power production.
• Henrik was able to design a business model that “ embarked on a systematic “cost-out” program to reduce the expense of every aspect of building and running offshore wind farms while achieving scale in this emerging market.”
• The company’s name was changed from Danish Oil and Natural Gas (DONG) to Ørsted — the name of the scientist that discovered the principles of electromagnetism.
• This transformation has made Ørsted the largest offshore wind company in the world, with a global market share of 30%.  
• The company was also able to cut down the cost of offshore wind power by 63% .
• By 2018, green energy constituted 75% of the company’s energy production.
• The company’s revenue has grown by 5% from 2013 to 2018, profit margins rose from -2.2% in 2013 to 25.4% in 2018.

Case Study 3: Nestlé UK&I

• Nestlé UK & Ireland (UK&I) is a subsidiary of Nestlé SA in the food and beverage industry.
• While the company’s supply chain was effective with customer satisfaction on the high, the director recognized that standing still wasn’t an option .
• The goal for Nestlé UK&I was to transform its service to maintain its position in the industry, with industry consolidation giving room for competitors.
• They needed to redesign an effective and high-performing supply chain.  
• The company partnered with On-The-Mark (OTM), a consultancy firm. OTM performed a holistic review of Nestlé UK&I’s supply chain and arrived at the need to design and implement a new organization design for the company’s supply chain.
• The new design was expected to “ drive a value chain which is trusted, fast, more cost-effective, and reliable than the company’s competitors, enabling the supply chain to collaborate innovatively with its customers to deliver share, sales, and profit growth for all of its businesses”.
• As such, they developed 8 design criteria which the new organization must meet. This includes: deliver world-class service, demonstrate an appropriate cost base, simplify the company’s business processes to release time, accelerate speed to market, and others.
• The new organization was “ more efficient, faster and more flexible than its predecessor, and was able to adapt quickly to changes in the broader Nestlé UK&I business.”
• The Nestlé UK&I Supply Chain won the Nestlé’s award for the top-performing supply chain in Europe.

Case Study 4: Fyffes

• Fyffes is a company in the produce industry.
• The company’s core business is to market and distribute produce and selected private label items to retail stores.
• The goal was to transform the company’s “ operating model to adapt to a highly competitive marketplace, rapidly evolving consumer needs, and increasingly more demanding retail customers.”
• Realizing that the past and present success of the company doesn’t guarantee future success of the company, the CEO recognized the need to drastically update the company’s organization to remain relevant in the industry. Therefore, the company partnered with Clarkston Consulting.
• Clarkston Consulting reviewed the organization of Fyffes and came up with a road map. A couple of several actions taken by Clarkston Consulting were:
• Accessing Fyffes’ organization to find over “ 75 discrete and detailed business challenges across key functions of the organization, (including finance, operations, logistics, sales, and marketing).”
• Developing and launching of a “ Transformation Management Office following the assessment to orchestrate all initiatives, creating new governance and reporting mechanisms to drive accountability.”
• Following the transformation, financial metrics such as accounts receivable, SG&A, operating cash flow, and customer claims experienced double-digit growths.  
• Improved collaboration and communication across all functional areas.
• Fyffes was able to get a “ clear articulation and deeper understanding of the most critical challenges the company is facing today and into the future.”

Unsuccessful Business Transformation Case Studies

Case study 1: general electric.

• General Electric (GE) is a company in the energy industry.
• The goal for GE was to develop a new digitally-driven business .
• In 2011, GE embarked on a mission towards digital transformation.
• They developed a huge IoT platform and changed its business model to relate to industrial products.
• In 2015, they launched GE Digital which was aimed at making the company a technology powerhouse, investing billions to this course.
• The company’s “ digital operation was touted as building software capabilities that drive business differentiators and ROI across aircraft engines/supply chains, transportation & power.”

Why They Failed

• GE focused more on short-term goals (size) while neglecting long-term (quality).

Case Study 2: BBC

• BBC is a company in the mass media industry.
• The goal for BBC was to modernize its operation towards embracing an increasingly digital world.
• In 2008, the company launched the Digital Media Initiative (DMI).
• DMI was designed to transform how BBC manages data and provides content to audiences, as well as reduce costs.
• They overhauled the company’s data management system.
• Siemens was at the forefront of the development of DMI. However, BBC did not run a procurement process before awarding the project to Siemens. Delays and rising costs made Siemens pull out of the project.
• BBC couldn’t continue with the transformation when they brought BMI in-house because they lacked the technical ability.
• According to PwC, the transformation effort completely lacked “ oversight, due to no executive steering board keeping DMI on track, alongside an inability of the overall governance structure to manage the project’s complexity effectively.”
• While BBC prioritized technological advancement, they neglected business practices and operations.  

Case Study 3: Co-operative Bank

• Co-operative Bank is a company in the banking industry.
• To transform its legacy technology infrastructure .
• In 2010, UK regulation required banks to offer a single view of customers. Co-operative Bank moved to replace its core banking infrastructure , rejecting an old-fashioned solution. The bank hoped to be the first full-service bank to overhaul its core banking system in the UK .
• While the transformation was a complex one, Co-operative bank did not have the required capacity to execute such a major project.
• Also, prominent members of the bank’s IT leadership team left the bank in the process, and other top members of staff that were left didn’t engage fully in the transformation.
• Hence, the project was abandoned in 2013.

Case Study 4: Nike

• Nike is a company in the sports and apparel industry.
• The goal was to “ take the lead on digital initiatives and create new technological capabilities across the company.”
• In 2010, the company launched Nike Digital Sport, followed by the release of FuelBand with ambitious plans of becoming the pioneer of digital wearable devices . These devices were able to track activities with detailed statistics.
• Nike lacked an adequate data analytics platform to access the feasibility of this innovation before it was rolled out. They found it difficult to access the data gathered by the FuelBand.
• They also found it difficult to find enough skilled engineers amidst poor margins from the brand.
• As a result, the company reduced the Digital Sports workforce by about 70% to 80% and discontinued the FuelBand by 2013  

Case Study 5: Procter & Gamble

• Procter & Gamble (P&G) is a company in the consumer goods industry.
• The company’s goal was to become one of the world’s most digital companies.  
• In 2012, the company set out broad and ambitious goals.  
• P&G’s undoing was setting out broad initiatives without a clear purpose.
• They were competing with a “ competition that was prepared to face it ” amidst a slumping economy.
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How C-suite leaders can choose better managers and avoid this major pitfall, according to a new study

Overconfidence can be a manager’s biggest downfall. 

Researchers from Harvard Kennedy School, the University of Gothenburg, the University of Warwick, and the Lahore University of Management Sciencesexamined how advancing to a managerial position through either self-promotion or external promotion affects the promotee’s job performance and leadership ability. The study found that managers who are self-promoted perform worse due to hubris, especially over their social skills. 

While traits like extraversion and self-confidence increase are lauded among those who want to become leaders—and for good reason—the study found that they can also create a blindspot for managers. As a result, C-suite leaders should take a holistic approach to promoting managers and consider those who have yet to raise their hand for the role. As for could-be managers, they should be mindful of how their confidence can narrow their vision and hamper their leadership performance.

The study split 555 managers into two groups: those who proactively expressed interest in becoming managers and those who were told they would become managers. Managers were then asked to lead four different teams of three to solve puzzles over three hours. 

After completing the puzzles, managers rated how well they felt they performed. Fifty-five percent of self-promoted managers described their performance as “better” or “much better” than all managers participating in the study, but in actuality they performed worse than lottery managers. Only 38% of lottery managers however rated themselves as “better” or “much better” than their peers.

In examining both groups of people, the study found that lottery managers did a better job at reading other people and had better social skills, in comparison to those who were self-promoted and overconfident in how well they were doing as a leader.  

The next step for this research is to bring it into the real world to see the extent to which the study is predictive of managerial performance, measuring it against other ways in which companies might assess their managers, such as their 360 reviews and other performance metrics. 

Ben Weidmann, corresponding author for this study and director of research at Harvard Kennedy School’s Skills Lab, says the typical management selection is suboptimal and riddled with biases because leaders often appoint managers with whom they share similarities or they erroneously believe that those who are eager to be managers make for good leaders; that isn’t the case. 

“I think it would be a step in the right direction if people were able to cast the net much more widely and do these broad skill assessments to see prospectively who might be good managers,” Weidmann says. A better metric for promoting managers, he says, is to seek out individuals who display strong economic decision-making skills, such as their ability to smartly allocate time and team resources.

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In 2011 Apple has become the most valuable brand in the world, having overtaken Google by more than $40 billion. It is hard to believe that only 15 year ago Apple was experiencing major problems and could only compete in a small niche of the computer market. Their current success was made possible through the innovative and effective business model, which allowed efficient use of the company core competencies in order to successfully compete in the market and attract more and more customers.

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