Case studies

The objective of this study is to grasp the strategic decisions made by Haidilao during the COVID-19 pandemic and the effect on its business performance. It seeks to evaluate the company’s adaptability and resilience, understand the significance of effective regional management and draw lessons for businesses operating in crisis situations.

This case study provides an in-depth analysis of the strategic decisions made by Haidilao in the face of rapid expansion and COVID-19’s impact. It scrutinizes Haidilao’s shift from expansion to contraction, the execution of the “Woodpecker Project,” and the reinstatement of a regional management system.

This case study is suitable for MBA courses.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS11: Strategy.

On completion of the analysis of this case, students would be able to: analyze how external environmental factors impact the product market matrix; evaluate growth choices open to an incumbent business and how they create and capture value; and develop corporate strategies of a multi-business firm to respond to external dynamics.

The case presents an opportunity to examine the timing of entry of an incumbent firm in a new market segment. Bajaj Auto, a well-established Indian two-wheeler and three-wheeler manufacturer and exporter, chose to enter the electric vehicle space much later than technology start-ups and other incumbents. After three years, the company’s business in this segment might appear successful, but it is not in a position to dislodge the market leader, Ola Electric. The case focuses on the dilemma of market entry timing, positioning of a new product, managing an interlinked product portfolio, the need to develop a robust ecosystem of partners and dealing with unpredictable export markets.

The case can be discussed in a session of graduate-level business strategy/corporate strategy/international business course that deals with the growth strategies of an incumbent.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 11: Strategy.

The case is designed to exemplify the following microeconomics concepts:

▪ factors affecting demand and supply;

▪ movement along the demand and supply curves;

▪ shifts in the demand and supply curves;

▪ price elasticity of demand and supply in the short run;

▪ the cross-price elasticity of demand;

▪ regulated markets; and

▪ government import policies.

Dr Sania Rizvi, an agricultural economist and head of the task force committee on rising food prices, was heading the meeting, focusing on the unprecedented increase in food items generally, mainly the trek in tomato prices. Sania, who had ten years of experience in food supply chain dynamics and market analysis, adopted a thorough approach by considering all the elements influencing tomato prices. This included analyzing issues related to production at the farm level, logistical difficulties, market demand and import policies. The year 2022 brought with it exceptional circumstances of massive monsoon floods, affecting the supply and demand factors in the tomato market. This led to sharp hikes in prices, actual and artificial supply shortages and changes in consumer demand because of expectations of future supply shortages. The massive floods during the monsoon season destroyed standing tomato crops and damaged transport infrastructure, creating a supply shortage. Surviving tomato crops were hoarded by profiteers in hopes of driving prices higher. The Government of Pakistan relaxed restrictions and taxes on tomato imports from Iran and Afghanistan to ease the situation. Moreover, the lack of temperature-controlled storage environments for perishable products, such as tomatoes, presented a significant challenge for the tomato supply chain, particularly in times of crisis, such as the one witnessed in 2022 in Pakistan. Sania’s report was anticipated to play a crucial role in formulating initiatives to alleviate the burden on consumers and establish long-term stability in the market.

Undergraduate and graduate-level programs.

This case is designed for undergraduate and postgraduate courses in a management program focusing on microeconomics. In particular, the theme covered is supply and demand and elasticity analysis. It can also be used in agricultural economics, public policy, supply chain management, and executive training to familiarize participants with these concepts.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 10: Public Sector Management.

This case study aims to provide a focused and specific understanding of the growth challenges faced by Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) in its revenue streams, the strategies used to overcome them by adopting environmental, social and governance (ESG) framework and set global standards with universal norms and make BIAL a world-class airport by applying value, rarity, imitability and organization (VRIO) framework.

BIAL developed and has been operating the Kempegowda International Airport near Bengaluru in India since 2008. This city is the capital of Karnataka in India and a startup of new businesses and information technology hub. The COVID-19 pandemic had profoundly impacted aviation industry including BIAL, resulting in a significant decline in both passenger traffic and cargo handling resulting in weak profitability.

Mr Anant Sharma as chief strategist officer of the company was assigned to formulate strategies for various challenges that BIAL is facing in terms of the pending expiry of a concession agreement, decreasing non-aero revenues and making appropriate strategies to help BIAL not only to grow but also be sustainable in future.

This case study offers opportunities to students to delve into making strategic choices with developing an ESG business impact for sustainability, exploring factors which are affecting the future of airports which are followed internationally and finding key pillars for airport business to grow in its business portfolios. The case study also investigates into how BIAL would be able to accommodate demand in the next 30 years and provide readers the directions to innovate new strategies using VRIO framework to help airport to grow in right direction and become world-class airport.

This case study is suitable for basic courses in strategic management in emerging market both at postgraduate level and undergraduate level. In addition, it can be used in corporate training programs for aviation industry professionals.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 11: Strategy.

After completion of the case study, students will be able to enumerate the unique process of project management, address unforeseen challenges in large-scale projects and develop strategies for mitigating risks. This case gives an opportunity to learners to analyses the time impact of failure of such infrastructure projects using project evaluation technique. The students would be able to discuss the social and financial implications of such mishaps on the overall economy.

The case tells the story of Gokhale Bridge in Andheri, Mumbai which serves as a vital link between the densely populated suburb’s, eastern and western part. Originally built in 1975, the bridge collapsed in 2018. The 90-m bridge reconstructed in just 15 months was lauded as an “Engineering marvel” by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), a civic body responsible for Mumbai’s infrastructure. However, during the grand inauguration on February 26, 2024, a critical misalignment with the adjoining CD Barfiwala Flyover was revealed. This 2-m gap rendered the bridge inaccessible to motorists, undermining its intended purpose and frustrating commuters and residents. The case highlights systemic issues in operations and challenges faced by the BMC. Despite the BMC’s substantial budget and history in managing Mumbai’s infrastructure, the Gokhale Bridge debacle raises serious questions about project management. Amidst public criticism, BMC threw the buck on railways and hired two reputed Engineering colleges to propose solutions to rectify the menace. This situation emphasizes the need for meticulous oversight and risk analysis in civic projects, making the Gokhale Bridge a symbol of both ambition and caution. The case study is intended for Graduate, Postgraduate students in Project management and operations. It is also beneficial for Executive education programs intended government officials, civil servants and project managers.

Undergraduate, Postgraduate, Executive education.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 9: Operations and Logistics.

After completion of the case study, students will be able to analyze disaster response mechanisms and the strategic decision-making process in high-pressure environments; assess the intricacies of cross-sector partnerships and their impact on effective disaster response; provide recommendations for leaders of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) on how to achieve sustainable growth without jeopardizing an agile disaster response; evaluate the role of an NGO in influencing policy, advocating for vulnerable communities and driving systemic change; and craft an innovative strategy for an NGO to enhance its agility and social impact.

This case study outlines the transformative journey of the Food Bank of Morocco (FBM), an NGO established in 2002, focusing on eradicating hunger, extending aid during natural disasters and improving education quality in impoverished, remote areas. Under the leadership of executive director Sanae Bennesser Alaoui, who joined in 2014, FBM doubled its outreach, addressing both hunger and the broader needs of communities in crisis. The narrative captures the organization’s rapid mobilization and impactful response to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown and the September 8, 2023, Al Haouz earthquake in Morocco, reflecting its agility and the trust it garnered from the community and diaspora. Highlighting its evolution, the case study details the FBM’s strategic partnerships, innovative aid distribution and commitment to Sustainable Development Goals, emphasizing gender equality and education quality. It also underlines how FBM gained trust from the community and the global diaspora, setting a foundation for future expansion and enhanced support mechanisms for those in need. FBM’s successes include its designation as a public utility organization in 2022, which opened the door to larger contributions and greater visibility. However, the organization faced ongoing challenges in securing sustainable funding and expanding its volunteer base to maintain its growing impact. As FBM navigated these hurdles, it continued to innovate and build partnerships to support its mission of fostering sustainable growth while responding to an emerging market most pressing humanitarian needs.

This case study is suitable for senior undergraduate and graduate levels.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS7: Management Science.

This case study aims to familiarize the participants with the functioning of the herbal tea industry in an emerging economy like India; understand core concepts, key terminologies and the business relevance of different types of business forecasting; and execute time series forecasting models using MS Excel and interpreting the results.

This case study unveils an important operational concern faced by Deepshika Das, the production manager at Sri Sai Tea Trading Company located at Cuttack in Odisha, India, about future sales projections. The company was gaining popularity for a unique herbal tea called “Chaa Lemon Tea.” However, the company had been experiencing frequent overstocking and understocking due to inappropriate qualitative forecasting. This case study underscores the importance of the concepts associated with quantitative forecasting. It demonstrates the analysis of time series data, building forecasting models and their interpretations using MS Excel.

This case study can be used as a systematic learning tool for postgraduate business school students and master’s level industrial engineering students. This case study can be discussed in courses such as operations and supply chain management, business statistics and quantitative decision-making.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 9: Operations and Logistics.

The case is designed taking into consideration the three learning domains of Bloom’s Taxonomy (Bloom et al., 1956) – cognitive, i.e. knowledge and thinking; affective, i.e. feelings and attitude; and psychomotor, i.e. specific applied skills. Accordingly, these learning objectives are identified:▪ to frame a data and insights-driven design challenge and communicate product and solution design ideas clearly (LO 1);▪ to understand and apply the design thinking process for data science and AI-enabled digital product ecosystem innovation (LO 2);▪ to deploy a structured methodology for adapting a data science and AI-enabled digital product ecosystem in diverse markets (LO 3); and▪ to create a digital product management and go-to-market roadmap for tapping new markets (LO 4).

Stones2Milestones (S2M), a pioneering Indian EdTech company founded in 2009, is preparing to script a first-of-its-kind global success story with Freadom, its machine learning and artificial intelligence-enabled English learning product suite, being used by over 7,500 schools and 1 million-plus K-12 students. Driven by the mission of creating a nation of readers and helping every child “find their place in the world”, the bootstrapped social venture struggled to sustain itself in the initial years despite a healthy uptake by schools of its evocatively named offering, Wings of Words (WOW) that aimed to inculcate the habit of reading among 3–12-year-olds through storytelling. In 2016, S2M pivoted to a product-based model led by technology and digital innovations, launching Freadom, an adaptive mobile reading app that logged an exponential growth in its user base. By 2019, Freadom’s remarkable vision, a data science-led product map, and its enormous potential for global socio-economic impact had earned it a serendipitous association with Stanford University as a mentor and collaborator. Over the next four years, S2M’s contrarian bet on a data science and analytics-led product development strategy, an obsessive focus on user-centric continuous product innovation, foresight to translate the Covid-19 pandemic crisis into an opportunity, and strategic impetus to leverage the Stanford association led to 20-fold growth in its user base, sustained commercial success and global recognition. Enthused by Freadom’s growing success and its untapped global potential in transforming English language skill-acquisition as an essential life-skill among learners in 110-plus English-as-second-language (ESL) countries, the S2M product team had christened Freadom as the “English OS for the World.” In November 2023, in pursuit of ambitious global aspirations, S2M entered into a partnership with the Finnish Global Education Solutions (FGES), a member of Education Finland program controlled by the Finnish National Agency for Education. The S2M-FGES joint venture, by leveraging the mutually complementary strengths of the two partners – a market-leading data science and AI-based product suite with the Stanford pedigree, user-centric innovation expertise, an established and loyal customer base, easy access to low-cost tech and data science talent, sales and distribution capabilities and the global stature of the renowned Finnish school education system that could open doors – aims to further develop and deploy Freadom on the international stage. The case introduces Freadom at this pivotal juncture, identifying underlying dilemmas and challenges that must be addressed towards realizing its global potential. How could Freadom’s ambition fructify, of establishing a made-in-India English learning product suite as the “English OS for the world” in mature global ESL markets, an audacious dream that had never been attempted before? Would the product development, customer acquisition and market expansion approaches aimed at “creating a nation of readers” that had worked so well in India, be replicable in diverse K-12 learning landscapes such as South Korea, Singapore, Middle East and Finland, that were very different, each of them unique in its own way – in socio-cultural, linguistic, educational and pedagogical environment? And, how could Freadom continue to deliver on its promise of being the ultimate English learning platform for 3–12-year-old K-12 students globally, helping them find “their place in the world?”

This case can be used in courses or modules on data science and AI-based solutioning, design thinking and communication, user-centric problem-solving, creativity, innovation, social entrepreneurship, new product planning and development, digital product management, customer experience (Cx) management, sustainable development and international business. The case focuses on the contemporary theme of data science and AI-based design thinking as a tool to understand and frame a socially-pertinent need gap and design challenge, communicate and evaluate ideas and drive sustained user-centric innovation in a digital ecosystem. The surrounding context of this case pertains to social and impact entrepreneurship in an emerging economy with high socio-economic disparities, and underscores the potential for grassroots digital innovations originating from emerging markets to address societal and human development need gaps globally, including in developed economies. This case, therefore, presents a unique opportunity to the faculty at global business schools, which have a fairly diverse class mix from developed and large emerging economies, to generate an enriching discussion on the multifaceted potential of “border-less” social entrepreneurship and innovation. The pertinent theme and surrounding context make the case particularly relevant for the following suggested courses/modules: core/introductory courses on innovation, data science and digital technologies, problem-solving, communication, social entrepreneurship, product management, emerging economies, international business and sustainable development; and elective courses on data science and AI applications, design thinking and communication, educational technology (EdTech), entrepreneurship in emerging economies, creativity and problem-solving, digital business, social and impact entrepreneurship, sustainable business strategy, international expansion and customer-centric communication.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS11: Strategy.

The case study aims to facilitate a deep understanding of the strategic decisions in the context of asset-light model, its competitive advantage and industry dynamics within the context of the Indian hospitality sector. Suggested teaching objectives for the case study are as follows:▪ Analyze the strategic decisions made by Lemon Tree Hotels in the context of the Indian hospitality industry.▪ Evaluate the challenges and opportunities associated with the transition from an ownership-centric model to an asset-light strategy.▪ Discuss the competitive advantage built by Lemon Tree Hotels and the implications of its unique market offering.▪ Explore the impact of the post-pandemic era on the hospitality sector and the strategic adjustments made by the company.▪ Encourage critical thinking about the future trajectory of Lemon Tree Hotels, considering the ownership dilemma and evolving market dynamics.

The case study explores the strategic decisions made by Lemon Tree Hotels, a mid-market hotel chain in India, at the intersection of ownership and asset-light strategies. The founder, Patanjali Keswani, faced a dilemma of whether to persist with the ownership-centric model that propelled the company’s success or to pivot toward an asset-light approach, acknowledging the capital-intensive nature inherent in the industry. The case delves into the complexities of expansion, the adoption of an asset-light model and the challenges and opportunities encountered. Keswani’s calculated decisions and the company’s unique offering established its competitive edge. However, the shift to an asset-light model raised questions about the sustainability of this advantage in the more competitive mid-segment hospitality sector. The case discusses the challenges in the mid-market hotel industry in India, the transformative changes in consumer expectations and the strategic significance of the company’s transition to an asset-light model. The narrative unfolds through a lens that considers the competitive advantage built on a positive brand image, operational efficiency and a unique market offering. The case concludes at a strategic juncture, leaving Keswani and Lemon Tree Hotels grappling with the dilemma of ownership versus asset-light strategies, with implications for the company’s future trajectory.

The case study is designed for postgraduate students studying management, business administration and strategic management.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS11: Strategy.

The learning outcomes are as follows: develop an understanding of challenges faced by organizations regarding strategic planning; examine the strategies formulated by organizations that can enable wider adoption of a service offering; analyse service quality gaps that will provide new insights; and evaluate the strategic choices that would impact the growth of the organization.

Peter Bushwash International (PBI) was an organization that managed 60 tennis centres in 25 countries. With a staff of 100 tennis coaches worldwide, over 3 million students participated in PBI’s tennis programs. Cesar Morales was appointed the Technical Director on a two-year contract for the PBI’s new tennis centre in Bangalore (India). Morales had to decide if a decentralized strategy (hub-and-spoke model) would create broader growth for the PBI tennis program instead of operating as a premium hub with fewer students.

The case was written for organizational strategy, marketing and service quality courses for undergraduate business students (BBA).

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 7: Management Science.