Kimpton Hotels: Balancing Strategy and Environmental Sustainability

Case Abstract

Michael Pace faced a dilemma. He was Kimpton Hotels’ West Coast Director of Operations and Environmental Programs, General Manager of its Villa Florence Hotel in San Francisco, and the main catalyst for implementing its “EarthCare” program nationally. He was determined to help the boutique hotel chain “walk the talk” regarding its commitment to environmental responsibility, but he also had agreed not to introduce any new products or processes that would be more expensive than those they replaced. Now that the first phase of the program had been implemented nationwide, he and the company’s team of “eco-champions” were facing some difficult challenges with the rollout of the second, more ambitious, phase.

Authors: Murray Silverman, Tom Thomas
Institution: San Francisco State University, USA
Competition Year2006
Place3rd place
TrackCorporate Sustainability
Key WordsHotel, Boutique Hotels, Environmental Responsibility, Eco-champions
CoursesEnvironmental Management, Business and Society, Strategic Management
Permission RightsPlease contact Murray Silverman and Tom Thomas for permission rights. This case is also part of the oikos Case Collection book (Volume 1): Case Studies in Sustainability Management and Strategy published by Greenleaf.
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posted June 30, 2006

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Purchasing Strategies and Sustainability: The Migros Palm Oil

Case Abstract

In 1999, a specific theme began to emerge in the Swiss media: the role of the palm oil industry in the deforestation of the rainforest. Given this development of the public debate, the retailer Migros began to investigate purchasing sustainable palm oil for its products. To increase the legitimacy of Migros’ efforts and to gain support by experts, Migros began to collaborate with WWF Switzerland. Jointly, the two parties developed their own standard on sustainable palm oil production.

When Migros purchased the first palm oil supplies complying with this standard, Migros began to fuel the public debate. It now communicated to the public that the palm oil industry was a problem and that Migros was not contributing to it. Once Migros had gained a reputational advantage for its project, it initiated talks on an industry standard for sustainable palm oil production. Today, this standard gains increasing acceptance in the global consumer goods industry.

Authors: Jens Hamprecht, Daniel Corsten
Institution: University of St. Gallen, Switzerland; London Business School, UK
Competition Year2006
Place2nd place
Key WordsCorporate Social Responsibility, Corporate Sustainable Development, Retail and Consumer Goods, Supply Chain, Strategy, Resource-Based View, Institutions, Service, Operations Strategy
Permission RightsThis case is available for purchase from the Case Centre: Part A (606-045-1), Part B (606-046-1). It is also part of the oikos Case Collection book (Volume 1): Case Studies in Sustainability Management and Strategy published by Greenleaf.
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posted June 30, 2006

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Hindustan Lever: Leaping a Millennium

Case Abstract

Sharat Dhall was on his way to his senior colleagues to deliver a progress report on his most recent activities and the project in general. As a sequel to Project Millennium, 1 HHL had brought together a team to help implement a daring new growth blueprint. It consisted of seven new business initiatives that would drive the company’s ambition to continue to double its turnover every four years. Sharat was a project manager for “project shakti” – Hindustan Lever’s (HLL) rural initiative that had been running for four years. It was once again time for a reality check on whether the project was delivering.

Project Shakti, one of the seven new initiatives, charted out an ambitious plan to stimulate new demand at the lower end of the market by creating a self-sustaining cycle of “business growth through people growth.” Back then, the team planned to develop a win-win partnership with rural self-help groups (SHGs) by helping them to access micro-credit, buy HLL products and sell them in their villages. If successful, the initiative would create hundreds of jobs, train new entrepreneurs and extend HLL’s distribution reach to the most inaccessible rural villages of India. While HLL at that moment had more than 13000 SEs, covering over 50,000 villages, reaching 15 million people, the project dynamism would rather accelerate than slow down. HLL had a daring vision for 2010. By then, HLL envisaged 100,000 SEs covering 500,000 villages and benefiting 500 million people. Sharat was confident that the future was bright.

Authors: Wolfgang Amann, Ulrich Steger, Aileen Ionescu-Somers
Institution: IMD Lausanne, Switzerland
Competition Year2006
Place1st place
TrackCorporate Sustainability
Key WordsRural Marketing, Sustainable Marketing, Women in Business, India
Target AudienceMBA, Business Executives
Permission RightsThis case is available for purchase from the Case Centre: Part A (IMD-2-0122), Part B (IMD-2-0123), Part C (IMD-2-0124). This case is also part of the oikos Case Collection book (Volume 1): Case Studies in Sustainability Management and Strategy published by Greenleaf.
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posted June 30, 2006

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Care Kenya: Making Social Enterprise Sustainable

Case Abstract

CARE’s Rural Entrepreneurship and Agribusiness Promotion project is a new, market-driven approach to development in Kenya. While the project has been successful from a development standpoint, it is not commercially viable. The sector manager must determine how to improve the project and make it commercially sustainable. Students will understand the advantages and opportunity for profit / non-profit partnerships and social enterprise as complementary entities for social and economic development.

Authors: Tima Bansal, Tom Ewart
Institution: Ivey School of Business, Canada
Competition Year2006
PlaceFinalist
TrackCorporate Sustainability
Key WordsStakeholder Analysis, Developing Countries, Strategic Alliances, Organizational Structure, Kenya, Agricultural Production, Crops
Permission RightsThis case can be purchased from cases@ivey.ca or the Case Centre (9B05M056)
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posted June 30, 2006

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