Case studies

To adapt to China's evolving market, McDonald's, an established giant in the Western fast-food industry, has advanced its digital transformation since 2016. McDonald's China collaborated with the company Target Social to develop algorithms that extract key information from big data, assisting marketers with social media insights, content creation, and influencer selection, achieving “circle-breaking” success in social media marketing. In today's rapidly developing technological landscape, digital marketing methods have become diverse and abundant. Why does McDonald's focus its social media marketing strategy on content “circle-breaking”? Can this strategy balance the goals of short-term sales and long-term brand mind-set?

BYD, a prominent automotive manufacturer, initially prioritized supplier certification compliance, and gradually evolveding to establish an integrated quality system. In pursuit of higher customer satisfaction and product quality, BYD underwent a progressive transformation in quality management encompassing four distinct phases by leveraging methodologies and tools such as Six Sigma, statistical quality control and Deming's Cycle. This case holds significant relevance within the realm of operational strategies in manufacturing, specifically pertaining to quality management.

In 2012, Vivian assumed the role of General Manager at the eBay China Development Center of Excellence (CCOE) with the objective of steering the growth of CCOE by initiating a cultural transformation plan. Vivian encountered numerous challenges in reshaping the organization as a new and female leader, especially facing her diminished authority when headquarters decided to realign reporting lines. This case, which illustrates real-world business scenarios, is designed to empower students to understand practices of organization transformation and leadership.

Be-Tiger Technology, a media technology supplier and advertising agency for car mobile intelligence established in 2015, is a hit in the taxi advertising industry. In response to intensifying competition, the founder Wang Jianfeng expands business from Shanghai to a nationwide scale, as well as reaching from business clients to individual customers. This case fits MBA and EMBA courses of marketing and business model innovation.

The Shanghai Eye Disease Prevention and Control Center, a public eye specialist hospital, is to introduce AI-based disease screening technology to facilitate examinations at community hospitals. By illustrating the difficulties encountered throughout pilot phase, implementation and promotion along with solutions, this case provides students with the dynamics of technology management and the impacts of technology adoption.

In 2007, Dr. Biwang Jiang, a scientist, returned to China to establish NanoMicro. For the first decade, he exemplified the spirit of a scientist by focusing intensively on the field of nanospheres. His perseverance in research and his breakthroughs in leading international technologies allowed him to identify two major application areas: flat panel displays and biopharmaceuticals. The flat panel display business helped his startup survive the initial years, while the rise of the biopharmaceutical sector provided the growth needed for the company's eventual listing on the Shanghai Stock Exchange Sci-Tech Innovation Board (SSE STAR Market). What distinguishes entrepreneurship by scientists? Should technology-driven companies find markets for their technologies, or should they develop technologies to meet market demands?

Nike rolled out the Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) marketing strategy to China market in 2021 in line with global strategy. Yang Ming, the VP of Direct Retail E-commerce in Nike Greater China, had to answer several questions: Would Nike China follow the headquarters' strategy or develop a localized plan? If localization was pursued, how did DTC strategies differ between China and the US, and which online sales channel to be selected as partner? This case highlights the trends in marketing channel in China to impress students with the concepts of digital transformation, supply chain and channel.

Smartbi is a nascent Chinese BI services provider in such a competitive and promising market. CEO Huafu Wu is contemplating a revision of its sales strategy: whether to prioritize customized products for key accounts or offer standardized services to a wider market. The shift of sales strategy brings a relevant question regarding targeting large customers or reaching mid-sized customers through distributors. This case can be used in marketing courses to illustrate the interplay between markets and products, the distinction between horizontal and vertical market expansion, and the complexities of channel management.

As the China retail market continues to evolve, traditional retail brands are seeking more effective channel management strategies, while emerging brands are exploring marketing models that transition from online to offline. This case, based on SO-IN Technology's digital service practices of “gig work + intelligent digitalization” in the China retail industry, delves into the business models of gig and crowdsourcing models as well as intelligent digital marketing services. It focuses on the strategic choices that SO-IN Technology faced: What challenges might SO-IN Technology's ‘gig economy + digital intelligence’ model face? What are the key factors that determine sustainable growth?

UCloud, a cloud computing startup founded in 2012, started with the gaming industry as target and later shifted its attention to serve traditional industries and government. After the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic that disrupted the market, UCloud encountered the dilemma of the way it unfold its business: should the company prioritize strategic internet users who brought immediate scale profits, or developing traditional industries with huge potential but requiring more patience for payback? This case is relevant to strategy courses that cover topics of strategic management and target market.

By analysing and discussing the case study, students should be able to evaluate the factors responsible for social entrepreneurship, more specifically, Harinath Kashiganeshan as a social entrepreneur; explore the entrepreneurial intention of Kashiganeshan; understand the link between social entrepreneurship and community development; examine the role of social entrepreneurship with regard to Sustainable Development Goals; and evaluate the business model, supply chain and marketing strategies in the context of the protagonist’s.

The case study revolves around the entrepreneurial journey of Kashiganeshan, who shunned his lucrative career in the USA to revamp traditional Indian herbs for holistic health care. The protagonist returned to his roots in Pennagaram village, Tamil Nadu, India, back in 2015 and started researching the possibilities of Indian medicinal herbs which have the potential to cure complex diseases like arthritis, diabetes, anaemia and high blood pressure. While researching medicinal plants, he travelled across Tamil Nadu to identify traditional herbs with medicinal properties. He visited the local farmer’s market, interacted with them and shared the importance of organic farming. Subsequently, he became a strong advocate for organic agriculture and traditional medicine. He developed “Moringa Bullets”, made from medicinal plants to treat arthritis, diabetes, anaemia and high blood pressure. Along with preparing herbal concoction medicinal recipes, he started creating awareness towards organic farming among local communities. The motto was to help communities learn this recipe and prepare independently.

This case study is suitable for postgraduate students.

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CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

After completion of the case study, students will be able to understand the importance of cultivating the ecosystem of a social enterprise and how social entrepreneurs may use them to leverage their success; analyze the rationale of profits for social enterprises; understand the meaning of social franchising and explore the mechanisms for expansion and sustainability of the café; and assess the impact of the social enterprise in terms of advocacy, awareness and implementation at the field level.

This case study aims to provide insight into the sensitive issue of acid attacks and aims to provide an understanding to the struggles of a social enterprise which has a mission to fight for the rights and the betterment of the lives of the acid attack survivors. It delves in to philosophy, business model and the potential future strategies of Sheroes Hangout café which is a project of the Foundation committed with providing decent employment opportunities to the acid attack survivors by providing them treatment, training and rehabilitation. This case study delves with the problem of the co-founders of finding that unique business model which would ensure expansion and sustainability of the café without compromising the core mission of the café – the upliftment of the acid attack survivors.

This case study is suitable for undergraduate students.

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CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

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.

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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.

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CSS7: Management Science.

The case was an application of a market demand and supply mechanism and its impact on the product’s price and focus on the following objectives:▪ Analyze the vegetable market in India and the challenges faced by the farmers (tomatoes) using demand and supply concepts.▪ Examine the impact of price elasticity on the revenue of the farmers.▪ Assess the challenges faced by the government in controlling prices of vegetables and food inflation.▪ Evaluate diversification strategies in agriculture to mitigate risk.

The market for tomatoes was highly cyclical because of erratic rainfall, and farmers went through a difficult time, especially when the prices fell below the cost of production. They moved out for crops that had stable prices. They expected government support for price stability. Government and policymakers considered price fluctuations a short-term phenomenon that required limited interventions when prices were high. This case was about Dilip, a farmer who was into farming tomatoes on a large scale in Karnataka, India. He was facing a dilemma as to whether he had to continue or move to other crops because of the low price of tomatoes in May 2023 or to diversify into some small but related business. He was worried at the same time, curious to understand the volatility in the prices of tomatoes, government responses, risks and returns associated with the cultivation of this crop and Agri-supply chain. Based on his understanding, he should make decisions to continue or diversify into some other farming or related business.

This case was written for microeconomics and managerial economics of undergraduate and postgraduate students. This case demonstrates the application of the demand and supply mechanism for a perishable product such as tomatoes. Price fluctuations are common in these markets because of various uncontrollable factors such as rain, pests and natural calamities. The case could show the relationship between the firm’s elasticities and revenue. This case also highlights the policy constraints in controlling the prices in the short run. This case could also be used for understanding macroeconomic concepts such as food inflation and its impact on general price inflation. The students or target audience with a background in the functioning of the markets could very well relate to the concepts discussed.

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CSS: Entrepreneurship (3); Management Science (7).

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.

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CSS 9: Operations and Logistics.

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).

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CSS 7: Management Science.

At the end of the case discussion, students should be able to trace the journey of launching a start-up by evaluating how opportunities and hurdles can be navigated throughout the international entrepreneurial process; assess the increasing trend towards internationalisation for start-ups and identify a range of factors contributing to the growth in global entrepreneurship; formulate an argument highlighting the role of the networking and partnerships when adopting a global strategy; propose how a firm could develop a unique mix of resources to obtain a sustained competitive advantage globally against other firms; and make an informed decision regarding various issues that entrepreneurs need to consider when going global and analyse how they can effectively deal with a crisis they may face.

Oryx Desert Salt is sourced from ancient, unpolluted, sustainable underground salt lakes in the pristine and remote uninhabitable Kalahari semi-desert of South Africa. Samantha Skyring is the founding CEO of Oryx Desert Salt. Her inspiration for the name was her 120-km, one-week walk through the Namib Desert in 2000, when she had several close encounters with the Oryx Gazelle, becoming the symbol of that Kalahari experience. Oryx products currently feature on the tables of between 1,500 and 2,500 local restaurants country-wide, and in the retail sector, Oryx salt is on the shelves of about 1,000 stores of retailers, plus in several health shops and deli’s countrywide. Regarding the business’s global footprint, Oryx Desert Salt currently exports to 23 countries and is also available on Amazon.com. Notwithstanding that Samantha Skyring has succeeded in making Oryx Desert Salt the well-known local household brand she had intended; she is contemplating greater international expansion and reach. She has envisioned Oryx salt to become a respected global household brand, in the same way Himalayan pink salt gained popularity worldwide as a gourmet salt. Given Samantha’s challenge of finding suitable speciality distributors in the different countries to help get her product in restaurants and retail, what would be the best approach to achieve her vision of becoming a global brand? To what extent could she capitalise and leverage various resources to further globalise Oryx’s business operations? How could she ensure that the extent and diversity of global reach provides Oryx Desert Salt with a sustained competitive advantage?

Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Management, Executive Education

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CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

This case highlights the social entrepreneurship exhibited by Dr Shyam Sunder Paliwal, former Sarpanch (head of village council) of Piplantri Gram Panchayat of Rajsamand district of Rajasthan State in India. After completion of the case study, the students will be able to identify the factors that enabled social change, discuss the role of women in the social change at Piplantri and how their participation can be leveraged in similar contexts, evaluate the measures for addressing the ethical dilemma faced and develop strategy for sustaining and augmenting social change.

Dr Paliwal, former Sarpanch (head of village council) of Piplantri Gram Panchayat of Rajsamand, India was having a deeper look at one of the highest civilian award “Padma Shri”, bestowed upon him by the Government of India. Fully immersed in his 18 years of public service, he started recollecting his journey in the chilly winter of November 2023, which began in the year 2005 as the Sarpanch of Piplantri Gram Panchayat. After toiling hard to improve the basic infrastructure of his Gram Panchayat, his focus quickly shifted to plantation of trees, improving the water level and addressing other social issues such as social entrepreneurship through ecofeminism. He had a larger goal of uplifting the Gram Panchayat community in the barren, parched and encroached land. He vividly remembered the public participation in this drive, especially the women. Through effective utilisation of various government schemes, by 2022, the panchayat could witness more than four and a half lac (0.45 million) trees planted and a large number of functional water repositories enabling socio-economic development of the villagers. Numerous accolades displayed in his office; were the testimony of his work and challenges faced on many fronts. He started reflecting about various factors including ecofeminism that led to the success of his social entrepreneurship activities. He was also concerned about the sustainability of his efforts and scalability of activities while ensuring that developmental activities did not harm the natural environment.

This case on social change journey at Piplantri village can be taught in MBA programmes in social entrepreneurship course.

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CSS3: Entrepreneurship.

The learning objectives are intended to stimulate the students’ comprehension of the various challenges faced by Indian social entrepreneurs. The case study offers a rich educational experience spanning diverse fields, including business operations, entrepreneurship, sustainable products, social innovation and financial planning. The case study on social entrepreneurship will guide students to comprehend its concept, significance, challenges and understand how businesses can be a force for positive social impact. The case study serves as a valuable tool for graduate students, helping them improve their critical thinking and solution-focused skills in preparation for their future entrepreneurial endeavors. Students should be able to analyze the case study, answer questions and evaluate the co-founder’s business expansion dilemma.

Social entrepreneurs are vital in tackling pressing societal issues, fostering innovation and creating lasting solutions for rural communities. However, their unique challenges often go unnoticed. This case study highlights the journey of Dr Saji Kurungatil Varghese, the co-founder of Sunbird Straws, an eco-friendly startup, and the complexities they faced while considering business expansion. The purpose of this case study is to provide insight into the world of social entrepreneurs and emphasize their importance and contribution on a wide scale.

This case study is suitable for undergraduate and postgraduate students.

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CSS3: Entrepreneurship.