Case studies

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.

The case study aims to achieve the following learning objectives post discussion by the students: evaluate Social Entrepreneurship Quotient of Anish Malpani, founder of WITHOUT; understand Sustainable Development Goals to which the start-up aims to contribute; apply the framework of SWOT analysis to the social start-up; and analyze triple bottom line and triple top line concepts to identify approach of WITHOUT.

Malpani’s eco-conscious start-up named “Ashaya Recyclers Pvt. Ltd.” is the first of its kind in the world, selling sunglasses made from recycled postconsumer metalized multi-layered plastic packaging (MLP) under the brand name WITHOUT. MLP generally ends up in landfills. It is a low-value, high-volume composite waste that is considered economically and technically “impossible” to recycle. The founder wanted to do something good out of the recycled stuff instead making money. Will Ashaya’s early breakthrough and now patented technology be able to bring significant change in the waste management system in India?

This case study is suitable for undergraduate BBA and postgraduate MBA courses.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 4: Environmental Management.

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.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

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

This case serves as a teaching tool to illustrate the application of data-driven decision-making approaches within the contexts of entrepreneurship and hospitality management. The following objectives also align with categories in Bloom’s taxonomy (keywords underlined).▪ Evaluate the merits and demerits of potential business decisions through a data-driven analytical framework. This objective maps to discussion Question 3, 4, 5.▪ Evaluate the relevance and usability of available data and market research reports for effective data-driven decision-making. This objective maps to discussion Question 2.▪ Analyze business data and financial reports to evaluate business strategies such as marketing, vendor management and workforce management strategies. This objective maps to discussion Question 1.▪ Apply industry-specific business metrics such as the Menu engineering matrix to analyze the performance of menu offerings. This objective maps to discussion Question 5.

The decision-based case explores the challenges faced by Siddhartha Das, the founder of FoodWise Pvt Ltd, a multi-cuisine restaurant based out of Kolkata, India. Das initially launched an online Bengali meal delivery service in 2017, which successfully expanded into an offline multi-cuisine retail outlet by October 2019. However, the COVID-19 pandemic dealt a significant blow to his business, preventing it from achieving profitability. The case is set in July 2021, where Das reviews his half-yearly performance report recognizing the imminent risks threatening his food venture unless immediate changes are undertaken. The multi-cuisine nature of his restaurant business necessitated higher expenditures on specialty chefs and costly vendors to maintain premium food quality. Faced with a dilemma, Das must decide whether to continue with the current multi-cuisine model and find ways to manage costs or to evaluate the performance of his six cuisines and consider switching his venture to a specialized cuisine restaurant. The case invites students to assist Das in making a data-driven strategic decision by using Menu Engineering and exploratory data analysis techniques.

This case study is designed for master’s level students in business management, with specializations in marketing, strategy or business analytics, as well as for students in specialized management programs in hospitality or entrepreneurship. It can also be included in management development programs on data-driven decision-making. It is particularly well-suited for management elective courses on hospitality management or entrepreneurship. The case can be positioned in the second half of the course, once students have been exposed to financial reporting and data analysis techniques. Topics such as menu engineering and data-driven decision-making can be effectively explored through this case.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 12: Tourism and Hospitality.

This case study introduces some elements of strategic management process that instils competitive advantage on an entity such as a higher educational institute (HEI). It endeavours to achieve the following goals: comprehend strategy implementation through the sustainability paradigm; demonstrate the concept of cost-benefit analysis in strategy; analyse the challenges to new product adoption; and deliberate on extension of the project to include newer areas for greening. Thus, students would be taught about strategy implementation through the sustainability paradigm: they would be introduced to the concept of cost-benefit analysis through an application of the concept in strategic decision-making; students would be taught the about the challenges in new product (such as greening equipment) adoption; and they would be guided to deliberate on the extension of the project in newer areas of greening.

Prof Atmanand, as the Director of MDI Murshidabad (MDIM), was combating the challenge of leading the campus of the fledgling institute in its initial years. It was May 2023. MDIM was a business school in West Bengal, India. Atmanand had formulated a strategy of “greening” of the campus using a solar lighting system and organic waste converter to start off. The first steps were initiated in early 2021. The possible gains from this move needed to be weighed against the possible costs. Possible benefits included reductions in electricity expenditure, easier conformation to contemporary waste disposal norms, better scores in HEI-ranking exercises and increase in brand value of MDIM. The principal costs were: capital expenditure, possible higher payback period and challenge in adoption of sustainability products such as organic waste converter. The case study engages the student to learn about competitive strategy design and implementation in an HEI, and the resulting challenges. The case study can consequently be used in a Master’s level course in strategic management (competitive strategy) in the context of sustainability management, or as a case in the elective sustainability management offered to the senior batch in the MBA curriculum. The case study weighs out the benefits of the “greening” programme at MDIM against its possible costs. The possible benefits were manifold: reduction in electricity bills, easier conformance to contemporary waste disposal norms and higher scores at HEI-ranking exercises, both at the national and the international levels. Some benefits were not so quantifiable, such as better “press”, and consequent increase in brand value of MDIM. Weighted against these were the costs, capital expenditure, possible higher payback period and lack of in-house operational expertise (such as mechanics). The decision is not easy; although there are numerical tools (indicated in the case), they must be supplemented with a holistic understanding of the context, and any decision to be taken would require a combination of qualitative understanding along with numerical indicators. The case also exhorts the reader to understand problems in adoption of sustainability products and attempts to look to the future in terms of managerial initiatives.

This case study is suitable for postgraduate level (MBA) and executive programmes.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS4: Environmental Management.

Learning Objective 1: Develop students’ ability to critically assess and probe the challenges of aligning business objectives with compliance to local and international environmental regulations. Students will learn to identify how tensions between regulatory compliance and business goals influence decision-making processes in resource-intensive industries.

Learning Objective 2: Increase problem-solving skills of students by exploring the trade-offs between economic growth and environmental stewardship. They will be able to examine real-world dilemmas, such as community displacement, biodiversity loss, and pollution in mining contexts, and understand how to navigate these complex challenges using insights from Dr Nick’s experiences.

Learning Objective 3: Advance integrative learning, inquiry and interpretive capabilities of students by demonstrating the significance of ESG principles in mining operations focusing on environmental management, community engagement, and ethical governance. Students will learn how to integrate these principles into corporate strategies to achieve a balance between profitability and sustainability.

Learning Objective 4: Equip students with hands-on experience through real business scenarios by addressing dilemmas companies face in the era of climate change and appreciate the role of leadership in driving and implementing sustainable practices. Students will understand how leaders like Dr Nick balance stakeholder interests, ethical standards, and operational efficiency, and how this balance impacts the company’s growth and sustainability objectives.

This case introduces students to the difficulty an environmental manager faces in balancing the interests of the community at large with the company’s goals. Dr Nick Okello, an environmental manager at Base Titanium, is the protagonist of the case. For several years, Dr Nick has overseen the business’s environmental programs at the high-grade mineral sand mine called Kwale Operation, which is situated along Kenya’s coast. The case allows students to explore how Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles are applied in a mining company setting by using this case study. Simple assessments can be applied by students to evaluate ESG and discuss their analysis of it. The mining industry’s intricate relationship between corporate governance, business strategy, and environmental stewardship is exemplified by the Dr Nick case at Base Titanium. It provides a critical analysis of the difficulties businesses confront in attempting to strike a balance between sustainable ethical business practices and economic growth, especially in areas where governance issues are common.

This case is suitable for use in executive education, MBA, senior undergraduate, and other graduate-level business programs in courses such business management, organizational behaviour, environmental sciences, project management, strategic management, operations, finance, corporate governance, leadership, and sustainable development.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 4: Environmental Management.

This case study aims to study cost benefit analysis, economic evaluation and its types, study and understand different costs involved in logistics and to identify the role of dynamic leadership in nonstructured organization.

This case study is about one such unique nongovernmental organization (NGO), which was working in commercial space but which did not work for profit. This NGO called Yuvashakti was a well-respected, nonprofit organization in Pune that promoted mountaineering, climbing and other outdoor adventure pursuits. About 30 years ago, a group of young adventure enthusiasts led by the late Dr Mohan Dharia, the organization’s founding president, established Yuvashakti with the goal of introducing young people to outdoor activities such as skiing, climbing and trekking. Since 1985, Yuvashakti had consistently organized several Himalayan trekking programs. Yuvashakti organized bike and motorbike tours, visits to wildlife sanctuaries and other types of excursions around India all year long. In the past 30 years, “Yuvashakti” had done a lot of good for the young people of Maharashtra. Their job was multifaceted.

This case study is suitable for undergraduate students.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS12: Tourism and hospitality.

After completion of the case study, the students will be able to understand lead and lag indicators, understand job performance and its linkage with job satisfaction, calculate the cost of turnover and design solutions to the problem of attrition and low satisfaction.

Pace Control Gears was a small-scale enterprise based out of Sonipat, India. It was an entrepreneurial venture by Rajesh Kumar, who had set Pace in 2010 to manufacture low-voltage electrical apparatus. Recently, Pace had begun to experience issues with quality control that were largely the result of human error. The company was facing a drop in satisfaction levels and higher attrition levels among the employees. Kumar had to find a solution quickly to address the problem, as it had direct implications for the company’s margins and the assurance of quality that it was associated with in the market.

This case study is suited to undergraduate and postgraduate courses in human resource management and general management.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 6: Human Resources Management.

The learning outcomes are as follows: to analyse the issue(s) presented within specific case study context (C4); to formulate solutions to identified issue(s) within specific case study context (C5); and to synthesise a group plan to solve issue(s) within specific case study context (A4).

In 2017, China proclaimed that it would no longer accept plastic waste for recycling, this was in-line with China’s Operation “National Sword” to review the quality of these plastic imports to ensure their recyclability. This sent shock waves through a now globalised recycling network, with China previously having imported 95% of the EUs and 70% of US plastics that had been collected for recycling. This plastic backlog was then diverted to South-East Asian nations, particularly Malaysia, which this case focuses the discussion upon. While the potential for significant economic benefits drew the attention of illegitimate and unscrupulous businessmen alike, the environmental degradation from the often, low technological recycling processes and even burning of low-grade plastics brought profound negative impacts. This case focuses upon, then Minister, Yeo Bee Yin who led the Ministry of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change, in which she took an active and aggressive stance in attempt to stop Malaysia becoming the dumping ground for the global plastic crisis.

This case is appropriate for final year undergraduate and any postgraduate degrees in Business.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 4: Environmental Management.

This case study aims to simulate the learners’ thoughts about the earnest comprehension of sustainable brands with zero waste policy. It will further prompt them to anatomize the growth strategy of a sustainable brand, as it delineates the challenges faced by a woman ecopreneur. In response to these causative conundrums, the incumbent would be able to develop an understanding on the evolving landscape in context to the association between meeting consumer expectations, brand positioning and its channelization towards growth and revenue generation. Furthermore, the learners will be able to analyse the stages of product life cycle of a sustainable product and recommend an effective strategic plan to meet the consumer expectations and achieve desired growth by the application of Kano model.

Thenga was a home-grown brand from Kerala (God’s own country) founded by Maria Kuriakose, a native of Kerala in 2019. Unlike other brands, which were using coconut as a source of flesh, water and oil, Kuriakose came up with an idea of using the tossed shells of coconuts which eventually used to end up at landfills. These shells were crafted into aesthetics by the team of Thenga while adhering to the zero-waste policy. The brand gained momentum with the overwhelming positive response from the natives of Kerala and carved a way across the boundaries of Kerala, gradually reaching to every corner of India. Kuriakose thought of scaling the brand in the international boundaries as well. Within no time, the brand was a success. However, over the time, the brand was confronted with two broad dilemmas. First, non-uniformity in the sizes of the products, especially in bulk orders where maintaining uniformity was essential. The customers complained that there was no uniformity in the size of the products because for gifting purposes, they wanted all the products to look alike. And second, selecting the stringent quality shells because the ones exposed to sun for a very long time were not ideal for crafting the products due to the cracking of the shells, thereby affecting their durability. It became difficult addressing to these complex issues because the shells were nature’s creations. These issues were very different from the managerial dilemmas. Would the perspectives of management provide a solution? Kuriakose had to find a way out in the long term for the survival of the brand especially during its growth phase.

The case study is relevant for students in disciplines of entrepreneurship, green marketing, brand management, corporate social responsibility and strategy. It is designed for advanced MBA/PGDM and capstone courses. The case study also addresses the elements of customers’ perceptions towards innovative products and can be used as an addition for marketing courses dealing with strategies to improve the awareness and adoption of sustainable products.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 4: Environmental management.

The case describes a hypothetical hedge fund manager who is examining whether to invest in bitcoin. The case discusses potential risks and rewards of investing in bitcoin, the role of bitcoin and digital currencies more broadly, and financial innovation in the space, such as ICOs. It can be taught as part of a second-year MBA elective course in investments, financial institutions/capital markets, or fintech.

Few cases allow the student to understand the relationship between brand strategy, marketing strategy, implementation, and analysis. While some conceive of the process as being sequential, this case demonstrates that in fact, this process is more fluid, and that implementation and analysis impact subsequent strategy.

This field-based case provides a rare glimpse into the turnaround of a brand that was all but dead. After Buick suffered more than five decades of declining business results and an inferior brand image versus all rivals, few thought that the brand could be resuscitated. This case provides a valuable under-the-hood look at how the Buick team, over time, progresses through a series of marketing improvements all anchored on an evolved strategy. Specifically, Buick introduced a shift in brand strategy behind an evolved brand essence statement (i.e., brand positioning), improved product lineup, new-to-the-world innovation, enhanced dealership service, and more compelling advertising. The results led to a record number of product awards, significantly improved advertising measures, improved service ratings, and better business results.

Despite significant improvement across multiple dimensions of the business, Buick still trailed key competitors on one of the most important measures Buick tracked—the brand momentum rating—suggesting that there was still more work needed to complete the brand turnaround. The case introduces Molly Peck, the new marketing director on Buick, who is wondering what more, if anything, Buick should do. The material allows for instruction around marketing strategy and the process of converting it into implementation through the use of a creative brief.

This case replaces UVA-M-0837. It can be used in a variety of marketing and strategy classes to understand how (1) at a macro level, a shift in consumer and environmental factors can impact firm strategy and (2) at a micro level, an e-mail-based marketing campaign designed to address these changes can impact firm-level performance.

The case puts the students in the position of CEO Robert Huth as he is preparing for a board meeting. He had taken David's Bridal from a loss in 1996 to sales of over $1 billion by 2011, but he was concerned about future growth. People were waiting longer and longer to get married and, once they decided to, were spending much less than in the past, so the industry had seen year-over-year declines since 2007. How would David's Bridal establish its brand in the minds of a new generation of brides who shopped, purchased, and decided differently than had brides in past generations?

This public-sourced case describes the latest restructuring efforts by Deutsche Bank (DB) and gives a short history of prior restructuring efforts from the decade before. In July 2019, Christian Sewing, the new CEO of DB, announced a series of measures that included, among others, the elimination of global equity trading, the layoff of 18,000 employees, the creation of a “bad bank” to transfer noncore assets, and the suspension of dividends until 2022. The case describes key decisions a bank CEO makes when a bank needs to change course to return to profitability and growth. The case offers an opportunity to debate these key decisions, as well as discuss some of the prior ones during earlier restructuring efforts, and put the students in the CEO's shoes: What would you do and why? The case also describes key banking performance metrics (e.g., ROE, ROA) and other critical variables such as those reflecting capital health (Tier 1 ratio), as well as gives an overview of the bank business model and factors impacting bank profitability and value.

This case teaches students the importance of maintaining a strong FICO score by illustrating the consequences of paying bills late or not at all. The protagonist is David Molina, a waiter at a struggling Italian restaurant located down the block from where he lives. Money is tight for Molina right now—his limited income means he lives paycheck to paycheck. However, Molina knows things will be looking up for him soon because he recently accepted a job as a bank teller across town—his first desk job.

Molina has been putting off paying two of his bills: a cable bill and his Bank of America credit card bill, both of which are late and have been issued, this time, in the form of threats to impact Molina's credit score if he doesn't pay them. He has just enough money to afford the minimum payments on each overdue bill. But then he receives a phone call from his friend, Jim Lindsey, reminding him about an invitation to go to Myrtle Beach for the upcoming weekend. Molina knows he cannot afford it, but a woman he's attracted to, Jessica, will be there too. Should Molina put off the bills yet again, and if so, how exactly will being late on them hurt his credit score?

This case requires students to evaluate alternative dual-share-class corporate structures that allow companies and entrepreneurs to pursue profit with purpose. The case explores Impact Makers, an IT consulting company based in Richmond, Virginia. While original founders of the firm hold all voting rights, the cash flow rights belong to two nonprofits setting the stage for a Newman's Own model of management consulting. The case discusses whether and how the alternative corporate structure aids the firm's overall strategy to attract top-quality employees, pay them competitive salaries, and provide superior service to its clients while donating 100% of its lifetime value to charitable causes, largely through partnerships with various nonprofit organizations. More importantly, the case asks students to evaluate how such a dual-share-class and dual-purpose company can raise capital to fund continued growth.

The case opens with CEO Michael Pirron reminding himself of all the questions he had run through to execute a strategy to further grow Impact Makers' consulting business both through expanding a menu of services and through conquering new geographical markets. To do either, or both, the company needed a cash infusion. Internal cash was limited, as up to 40% of it flowed to charitable partners, demonstrating Impact Makers' commitment to its mission. Raising debt for a company without fixed assets was challenging and time consuming. Complicating it all was that being structured as a nonstock corporation rendered equity raising difficult. Could Impact Makers raise money to grow and stay true to community values at the same time?

South Africa had formally introduced a policy of inflation targeting (IT) in February 2000. By December 2001, the governor of the South African Reserve Bank, after reading the latest statistics, was concerned with the disappointing economic data. Economic activity had slowed drastically, to the point that the country appeared to be heading for a recession. The gloomy statistics forced the governor to consider whether the country had pursued the right policy. Persistently high unemployment, one legacy of the apartheid era, meant that South Africa did not have the luxury of waiting for new policies to bear fruit. With the inflation forecast to exceed the mandated target, the governor would have to tighten monetary policy, which would further restrict investment. Was it is time for South Africa to change course?

The case examines the development and launch of an exchange-traded fund (ETF) based on JUST Capital's socially responsible corporate ranking methodologies. The case provides a market overview of Environment, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) and socially responsible investing (SRI), what has driven growth in those areas worldwide, and several best-practice investment approaches. Following the overview, the case describes the founding and development of JUST Capital, explores JUST Capital's ranking methodologies, and presents the decision point faced by the CEO: requisite selection of one of three strategies in order for JUST Capital to generate “self-sustaining” revenue.

In early 2014, recent Stanford University graduate Tyler Shultz was in a quandary. He had been working at Theranos, a blood-diagnostic company founded by Elizabeth Holmes, a Stanford-dropout wunderkind, for almost a year. Shultz had learned enough about the company to realize that its practices and the efficacy of its much-touted finger-prick blood-testing technology were questionable and that the company was going to great lengths to hide this fact from the public and from regulators.

Theranos and Holmes were Silicon Valley darlings, enjoying positive press and lavish attention from potential investors and technology titans alike. Just as companies like PayPal had revolutionized the stagnant payments industry and Uber had upended the for-hire transportation sector, Theranos had been positioned as the latest technology firm to substantially disrupt yet another mature sector: the medical laboratory business. By the start of 2014, the company had raised more than $400 million in funding, and had an estimated market valuation of $9 billion.

Shultz's situation was exacerbated by the fact that his grandfather, the highly respected former US Secretary of State George Shultz, was on the Theranos board and was one of Elizabeth Holmes's biggest supporters.

But Tyler Shultz worried about the customers he was convinced were receiving highly unreliable and often inaccurate blood-test results. With so much at stake, Shultz wondered how he should proceed. Should he raise his concerns with the firm's investors? Blow the whistle externally? Report to industry regulators? Go away quietly?

This case and its subsequent four brief follow-up cases are based largely on interviews with Tyler Shultz, and outline the dilemma he faced and the various steps he would take both to extricate himself from his unsavory position and let the public know the full extent of the deception at Theranos.

Five optional handouts are available to instructors to further discussion after the case has been debriefed. The handouts serve as additional decision points for the students if your class time permits.