GE Digital started out in 2009 as a center of excellence to enable the digital transformation of services to industrial customers who had previously bought GE hardware. Now it finds itself competing with a variety of other providers. The case explores the basis of its competitive advantage (data analytics) and how it positions itself to succeed in what has become a crowded field.

Lenovo origins date back to 1984 in China. Over time it became the number one PC company in the world. It now seeks to transform and become not just a PC maker but a solution provider to enterprises undergoing digital transformation. The chief HR officer must decide how she will ensure that Lenovo has enough competent leaders to ensure its successful transformation.

In March 2015, Alberto Calderon was appointed Managing Director and CEO of Orica, the world’s largest provider of commercial explosives and innovative blasting systems to the mining, quarrying, oil, gas, and construction markets.

The case describes General Electric’s transformation from an industrial manufacturer to an industrial analytics giant. It opens in 2009 when CEO Jeff Immelt decides that GE, a hardware maker, needs to be more capable in software. The narrative traces his early efforts to consolidate and coordinate software capabilities in a central unit (GE Software Center) headed by Bill Ruh in Silicon Valley.

The economic 2008 recession hit Komatsu especially hard. The Japanese second largest manufacturer of construction and mining equipment experienced its share price plummet by two thirds since the downturn. The drop was not the first and signalled to deeper underlying issues that could be traced back to the company’s history from domestic player; exporter, international player, to global player.

Wal-Mart has had great success at home in the USA, but has experienced both success and failure abroad. China represents a market large enough that if Wal-Mart should succeed there, it would have a significant impact on its financial performance. What should its strategy be?