Abstract

This case study is about Think Global AS (Think), a Norwegian carmaker that focused exclusively on electric cars. Think was conceived as a social-purpose business but had struggled to attain financial sustainability. Founded in 1991, Think designs, develops, and manufactures environmentally friendly vehicles and technologies. It was one of the first automotive companies in the world to dedicate itself exclusively to the development of a wide range of environmental friendly transportation solutions. However, the transition of the company has been marked by several ups and downs. The case discusses the travails of Think and how it managed to survive despite some severe setbacks. The case study discusses the company’s history, its business model, and the various challenges it faced over the years. Richard Canny (Canny), a Ford veteran who was appointed CEO of Think in late-2008, had restructured the company and brought it back into the reckoning. Canny planned to scale up the production of the Think City for the Scandinavian markets, and he decided to expand operations to European and the US markets. He aimed to position Think as the car company of the 21st century by producing environmentally friendly vehicles in a commercially sustainable way using innovative technology. However, some experts were of the view that Think had a tough road ahead as establishing a social purpose business exclusively focused on EVs was replete with challenges. Moreover, the economic downturn made the task all the more challenging. The challenge before Canny was to ensure that the company gained financial stability and refine the business model to create a platform for sustainable growth.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Understand the issues and challenges faced by social purpose businesses in ensuring that they achieve the triple bottomline.: Study Think Global AS’s products and business model and discuss and debate whether they are sustainable.: Understand the concept

Keywords

Triple bottomline, Environmental sustainability, Financial sustainability, Sustainable design, Environmentally-friendly technology, Social purpose business, Electric vehicles, EV Friendliness Index, Strategic Planning, Business model innovation, Competitive strategy, Competitive advantage, Strategic CSR