Product details

This is part of a case series. Hubert Rhomberg was contemplating the wall of photographs at the entrance to the headquarters of his family business, Rhomberg. They showed the history of the company and his forefathers. With such rich heritage, should he really be pushing for innovation so strongly? But if he didn't, he would be putting this all at risk. 'Too many people wait for the burning platform,' he thought. 'Isn't it best to prepare for the future whilst you still have time?' These days, many argue that climate change is the single most important issue to ensure the planet's long-term survival. Some further argue that if individual companies don't address this issue, they will lose out to those that do. For example, some analysts believe that Unilever, under Paul Polman's decade of leadership, has positioned itself to defeat arch-rival Procter & Gamble, and that Tesla will win out over Ford, Toyota, GM and other players in the automobile industry. This pattern is repeated in other many other industries, with the positioning of the companies who are pursuing sustainability in their operations reflected in their market cap. The CREE case series presents the opportunity to examine one company's steps to address the climate-change issue, in an industry that is a significant contributor to the problem and which appear to be ripe for change. It's the kind of issue that many executives are likely to face in the companies they run or join.