Case Studies

The case explored whether a novel design for a recycling bin could promote proper recycling behaviours in Singapore. The redesigned recycling bins were initially deployed at different sites around the National University of Singapore to assess their effectiveness among the university community, with promising results. The team now wanted to investigate whether the improved recycling habits observed on campus could be replicated in more diverse public environments, such as shopping malls. The decision for the team was how to implement a field trial of these bins across three shopping malls in Singapore to assess their effectiveness among the general population. The case underscored the importance of human and behavioural-centred design in promoting sustainable practices and discussed primary operational challenges, potential risks, and mitigation strategies to ensure a field study’s success. For NUS Business School: (Faculty only) To obtain a free copy of the case, please contact Ms Kwok Siew Geok (bizksg@nus.edu.sg)

In 2023, DBS Bank Ltd. (Singapore), a leading financial institution, experienced significant service disruptions. These disruptions, which affected online banking, payment services, and automated teller machine operations, led to the failure of approximately 2.5 million transactions. The disruptions eroded customer confidence and impacted the company’s reputation, with repercussions for both individual users and businesses that relied on the bank’s digital infrastructure. The repeated nature of these incidents prompted a response from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), which introduced stringent requirements and penalties to safeguard the banking ecosystem against further instability. What actions should DBS take to prevent future disruptions? For NUS Business School: (Faculty only) To obtain a free copy of the case, please contact Ms Kwok Siew Geok (bizksg@nus.edu.sg)

Founded in 2013 and acquired by General Motors (GM) in 2016, Cruise was a trailblazer in the autonomous vehicle industry. Cruise had rapidly expanded under the guidance of GM, but this growth was marred by crashes and disruptive interactions with emergency vehicles. By November 2023, the company had become the focus of intense public and regulatory scrutiny following a serious incident in San Francisco, California, on October 2, when a Cruise robotaxi caused severe injuries to a pedestrian. In the aftermath of the incident, Cruise faced significant backlash from regulators and consumers. The California Department of Motor Vehicles suspended the company’s operational permits, and Cruise temporarily halted its driverless operations, shifting to vehicles operated with safety drivers. The co-founders resigned, and Cruise appointed a new president and chief technology officer. What actions should the new president take to prevent such an incident from happening again, regain the public’s trust, and ensure rigorous safety standards and transparent communication? The decisions the company made in the coming months would be crucial in shaping its future trajectory. For NUS Business School: (Faculty only) To obtain a free copy of the case, please contact Ms Kwok Siew Geok (bizksg@nus.edu.sg)

Contrary to the typical practice of cutting operating expenses by compromising on employees’ benefits, the chairman of Zentaku Kogyo Company Ltd. (Zentaku), David Wu Chongrang, aimed to improve the standard of living of his staff by steadily raising their salaries and benefits. In fact, the key performance indicator David had set for himself was to raise his employees’ salaries regularly to a preset target benchmark. Contrary to conventional approaches, over the past sixteen years (2006–2022) David had reduced Zentaku’s revenue by 28 per cent and the number of employees by two-thirds, while raising the annual gross profit per employee to 239 per cent. Zentaku had achieved more with less by transforming itself through the rigorous implementation of lean production, inspired by the famed Toyota Production System, but Zentaku’s future leadership now faced challenges in sustaining the success Zentaku had achieved. Were the management methods adopted in the past applicable to the younger generation of workers? How could the current management pass the enterprise to the younger generation while ensuring employees remained fulfilled in the workplace? For NUS Business School: (Faculty only) To obtain a free copy of the case, please contact Ms Kwok Siew Geok (bizksg@nus.edu.sg)

This case focuses on the use of modern data analytics to alleviate crowding at the branches of United Overseas Bank, a full-service bank headquartered in Singapore. The case is set in 2020 against the backdrop of the COVID-19 global pandemic when vaccines were not yet available and social distancing was a key tool in the fight against the spread of the disease. How should the bank develop and deploy predictive analytics to accurately anticipate future branch crowds? How should the bank trade off key design considerations? For NUS Business School: (Faculty only) To obtain a free copy of the case, please contact Ms Kwok Siew Geok (bizksg@nus.edu.sg)

Guangzhou KingMed Diagnostics was the leading third-party independent clinical laboratory in China. On the eve of the Lunar New Year in 2020, the chairman and CEO of Guangzhou KingMed Diagnostics mobilized the whole group to respond to the outbreak of the new coronavirus from Wuhan. With the group’s tremendous growth in both business and size since its initial public offering, there were growing concerns about the provision of quality customer service and the group’s profitability. While the chairman and CEO was proud to see how swiftly his team had responded to the COVID-19 pandemic, he had many questions about the efficiency of the entire group's resource deployment and the consistency of performance across subsidiaries. Post COVID-19, how should Guangzhou KingMed Diagnostics adjust its transformation strategy? For NUS Business School: (Faculty only) To obtain a free copy of the case, please contact Ms Kwok Siew Geok (bizksg@nus.edu.sg)

In May 2019, the founder of SaladStop!, a Singapore-headquartered healthy salad chain with locations across Asia, was looking for innovative ways to improve the customer experience at SaladStop! stores worldwide. In six months, the founder was planning to renovate one of his branches in Singapore. This renovation would set a precedent for future outlets in terms of layout and design. The founder was aware of rising customer dissatisfaction caused by some service quality issues. As such, there was an urgent need to find a way to maintain customer interactions at SaladStop! while paying attention to customers’ expectations. Should SaladStop! embrace new technologies in the restaurant business, or should it continue to focus on offering a truly authentic customer experience by relying on traditional human touchpoints? For NUS Business School: (Faculty only) To obtain a free copy of the case, please contact Ms Kwok Siew Geok (bizksg@nus.edu.sg)

Atrae Inc. was a Japanese software firm providing platform matching services for job recruitment in the software engineering industry. As compared to traditional Japanese firms, Atrae adopted a unique approach to managing its employees. Instead of the rigid hierarchy and top-down management approach that typified a Japanese firm, Atrae had a flat organizational structure and heavily relied on decentralized decision-making and individual motivation. The company’s unique culture was viewed as a key driver of its business success—success that the company’s founder and chief executive officer wanted to advance with a public listing on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. However, while the public listing would allow Atrae to grow substantially, it would also necessitate formal organizational checks and balances that could harm the company’s organizational culture. Would a public listing propel Atrae to greater heights or would it result in the company’s demise? For NUS Business School: (Faculty only) To obtain a free copy of the case, please contact Ms Kwok Siew Geok (bizksg@nus.edu.sg)

Since early 2015, Uber had been investing heavily in research and development for its autonomous vehicles to revolutionize the ride-hailing industry and provide better ways of competing and fulfilling its promise of profitability to investors. Constant innovation was crucial to stay ahead of its competitors. While this strategy was groundbreaking for the ride-hailing industry, concerns were sparked when one of Uber’s autonomous vehicles was involved in a fatal accident involving a pedestrian in 2018. This accident brought safety lapses in autonomous vehicles into the public eye and was deeply controversial. Consequently, Uber was forced to examine its corporate strategy pertaining to its innovation portfolio. Should Uber continue its current investment in autonomous vehicles? If so, what business models and strategies could Uber adopt with autonomous vehicles to move the company towards profitability? For NUS Business School: (Faculty only) To obtain a free copy of the case, please contact Ms Kwok Siew Geok (bizksg@nus.edu.sg)

Ronds Science & Technology Incorporated Company (Ronds) was a leading smart solutions provider in China’s machine condition monitoring market. Since its establishment, 10 years earlier, the high-tech company’s monitoring and diagnostic solutions have been implemented across various industries, with the strongest foothold in the wind energy industry. However, the co-founder and chairman of Ronds observed that most Chinese industrial enterprises were slow in adopting technology in the area of maintenance and repair, and long sales cycles had led to Ronds missing its 2016 sales target. News of the Chinese central government’s plans to redistribute wind energy projects across China to new provinces also followed. Given Ronds’s weak profitability performance and the recent change in government policies, the company had to consider whether it should focus on further penetrating the wind energy market or expand to other industries. As either approach had its own challenges, the cofounder and his senior management looked to identify the best growth strategy for Ronds to remain competitive in the industry 4.0 era. For NUS Business School: (Faculty only) To obtain a free copy of the case, please contact Ms Kwok Siew Geok (bizksg@nus.edu.sg)