Top 50 Bestselling Case Authors 2022/23: No. 2

This case discusses the San Francisco-based hospitality Service Company, Airbnb, Inc, and its growth with the adaptation of a concept called 'Design Thinking'. This case provides an insight into Design Thinking and the various techniques involved like brainstorming, body storming, prototyping, and testing to arrive at a solution to a problem.

In 2013, US-based sports apparel maker Under Armour (UA) collaborated with defense and advanced technologies company Lockheed Martin to create an aerodynamically superior suit, as the former was the apparel sponsor of the US speedskating team who participated in the Sochi (Russia) Winter Olympics 2014. The result was Mach 39 - the speedskating suit which UA claimed as world's most aerodynamically superior suit. 

This case discusses Zara, a clothing brand and the pioneer of fast fashion. Though Zara was a truly global brand, it didn't act locally. Analysts were of the view that Zara's bottom line could be under pressure owing to its burgeoning global presence, especially when Zara used air-freight for its global deliveries. Moreover, every store across the world was served through its head office in Galicia, Spain. Such centralisation for a global company was considered by many as counterintuitive. But for Zara, to act locally meant giving up its competitive advantage.