Case studies

The case was created via an interview of the protagonist in 2018 at the US Military Academy by the authors.

The case describes the dilemma First Lieutenant Williams faces when his platoon sergeant unexpectedly leaves. Organizational norms and accepted practices suggest Lieutenant Williams should choose the most senior squad leader, Staff Sergeant Boyer. The departing Platoon Sergeant even recommended Staff Sergeant Boyer. However, based on recent observations, Lieutenant Williams felt Staff Sergeant Boyer may not be the best fit. Instead, the lieutenant considered choosing the newest squad leader, Staff Sergeant Harrison, who seemed to be highly proficient, but had yet to prove himself. Before the lieutenant could fully weight his options, Staff Sergeant Boyer confronted him about a decision.

This case is designed for use in undergraduate courses on leadership and management. The case was not only designed primarily for teaching a lesson on organizational justice, but can also be used to integrate lessons on communication, power and influence, and decision making. Each of these elements is present in the case. The instructor can choose to incorporate them into the lesson for a more wholly encompassing lesson or choose to focus on only the organizational justice aspects at play in the case.

The fraud diamond theory, the COSO framework on internal control and theories of ethical leadership and ethical decision making are applied.

The details of this case were compiled using publicly available information, including court records and news reports. No modifications were made to the names of individuals or places mentioned in the case. All resources have been properly cited.

Employee embezzlement is a common issue in limited resource organizations when adequate controls are not in place to prevent or detect fraud. In such organizations, personal financial hardships can drive individuals to commit crimes that are out of character. This case is a story of a respectable small-town couple implicated in a near million dollar embezzlement scheme. Students are asked to consider what went wrong and propose solutions for the prevention of similar crimes. Lessons learned from this case emphasize the importance of ethical leadership, creating a strong ethical environment and how small unethical acts can escalate over time.

Instructors can utilize this case to teach the topics of ethical leadership and decision making, fraud prevention and detection and internal controls. The themes of this case fit well into any business ethics, accounting or auditing course at the undergraduate or graduate level. The case has been implemented in courses for full-time and part-time MBAs, and master’s programs in finance, human resources and accounting.

This case and its companion, “Myerson Industries” (UVA-QA-0299), constitute the materials for a negotiating exercise. The exercise is a distributive-bargaining situation surrounding the negotiation of the price for the construction of a building (some minor opportunities exist for creating mutual value).

In November 2005 Fidelity Homestead, a savings bank in Louisiana, began noticing suspicious charges from Mexico and southern California on its customers' credit cards. More than a year later, an audit revealed peculiarities in the credit card data in the computer systems of TJX Companies, the parent company of more than 2,600 discount fashion and home accessories retail stores in the United States, Canada, and Europe.

The U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Justice Department, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police found that hackers had penetrated TJX's systems in mid-2005, accessing information that dated as far back as 2003. TJX had violated industry security standards by failing to update its in-store wireless networks and by storing credit card numbers and expiration dates without adequate encryption. When TJX announced the intrusion in January 2007, it admitted that hackers had compromised nearly 46 million debit and credit card numbers, the largest-ever data breach in the United States.

After analyzing and discussing the case, students should be able to:

• Understand imbedded operational risks

• Analyze how operational risk decisions are made in a firm

• Understand the challenges in the electronic payment transmission process, which relies on each participant in the process to operate best-in-class safety systems to ensure the safety of the entire process

• Recognize the sophistication of IT security threats

Understand imbedded operational risks

Analyze how operational risk decisions are made in a firm

Understand the challenges in the electronic payment transmission process, which relies on each participant in the process to operate best-in-class safety systems to ensure the safety of the entire process

Recognize the sophistication of IT security threats

After it introduced the extremely successful Droid smartphone into the market in 2009, Motorola quickly moved to develop the next-generation Droid 2 before the next wave of smartphones (including the rumored iPhone 4) flooded the market. The development process was moving smoothly for the company when Verizon, its biggest partner, dropped a bombshell. It wasn't happy with the mechanical camera button on the Droid 2 (citing customer feedback) and wanted it to be changed to a software button like the iPhone's. This request immediately placed Motorola in the proverbial horns of a dilemma. On the one hand, it couldn't brush away the request of its biggest and most important partner. On the other hand, changing the camera button now would mean delaying the Droid 2's entry into the market. Should the Droid 2 team remove the camera's hardware button in favor of a software button per Verizon's request, or not?

John Smith, the product manager, leads the cross-functional Droid 2 team. The case setting is an emergency “war room” meeting to address this critical issue, just weeks prior to launch. John's objective is to obtain the salient facts and opinions of team members quickly so he can make an informed recommendation to his boss by the end of the day. He is concerned that this last-minute request for a design change will not only threaten to delay the launch, which would have significant financial implications, but could potentially create deep fissures in a hitherto effective team that had been running like a well-oiled machine.

The case puts students in a situation that simulates a real-world discussion and allows them to experience what it is like, as a product manager, to orchestrate a meeting with cross-functional teams that have conflicting priorities and agendas. It illustrates the challenges a product manager faces while striving to make important decisions with little or no direct authority over the various teams.

After reading and analyzing this case, students will be able to:

• Experience the dynamics of cross-functional teams in product management

• Practice running effective and productive meetings

• Practice bringing together various personalities and points of view

• Understand the importance of setting goals and clear expectations

• Internalize the importance of building relationships and influencing teams, even when you do not have direct authority

Experience the dynamics of cross-functional teams in product management

Practice running effective and productive meetings

Practice bringing together various personalities and points of view

Understand the importance of setting goals and clear expectations

Internalize the importance of building relationships and influencing teams, even when you do not have direct authority

Five carefully constructed problems illustrate the concepts of second-market discounting, price skimming, limit pricing, random discounting, premium pricing, and bundling.

Supplements the (A) case.

Trend Micro, an antivirus and Internet content security software provider, accidentally releases a flawed pattern file update that disables users' computers. The primary impact is on users in Japan, where 150,000 customers are affected. As the media press for answers and the stock price plummets, Eva Chen (CEO) and Akihiko Omikawa (president of Trend Micro Japan) must decide how to respond.

To consider a range of crisis management options, including apologizing, sharing information, and compensating harmed customers and illustrate the role of corporate culture in determining a company's response to a crisis. Trend Micro's strong customer orientation and collaborative culture guided its response and led to a full recovery in a short period of time.

Steve Holder had already worked with Matsapha College for ten years as the organization matured its macadamia orchard to the point of yielding sufficient proceeds to assist in the support of the colleges educational endeavors in Swaziland. Now Matsapha College was entertaining the possibility of launching a separate entity, Kumnandzi Macadamia Importers, to be a stateside distributor of both Matsapha's macadamia nuts and that of other growers in the region, with the prospect of producing additional revenue to help sponsor education. The Board of Matsapha College is interested in the idea of having the College prosper from added macadamia sales, but members have mixed opinions about the direction and form this growth should take. Before any major decisions are made, Steve learns that the organization should do some self-reflection and decide what Kumnandzi Macadamia Importers is all about before proceeding. Specifically, the Matsapha College Board of Directors needs to articulate its vision for the proposed new entity, as well as craft the entity's mission statement and value proposition.

The case was based upon extensive interviews with the President of the organization being described.

This case is targeted to both undergraduate and graduate students in Strategic Management, but may include Marketing Principles, Marketing Management, Strategic Marketing, and Entrepreneurship, especially if the course includes the task of building a business plan or marketing plan that incorporates vision and mission statements as well as a customer value proposition.

This case provides information about the start-up of a successful landscaping/snow plowing business by a high school student. A description of some of the characteristics of the entrepreneur, his method of gaining start-up funds, and suggestions about the way he focused himself on his goals offer food for thought to students about the start-up process and selection of an appropriate form of business ownership.

Primary research.

This case is designed for use by undergraduates in introduction to entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial finance, or introduction to business classes. It can be introduced early in the term to encourage discussion of launching a business.

Marketing.

Undergraduate and postgraduate management students.

Small scale business in India employ almost 30 million people contributing 50 per cent to industrial and 45 per cent to the total exports of the country. The rapid growth of internet has made it possible for the small scale start ups to reach its existing and potential customers without investing much. The case highlights this fact describing the journey of “Chumbak” a small scale business from an unknown brand to the foremost favourable funky product of India. Through this case the authors have tried to relinquish a synoptic view of how Chumbak has used varied social media platforms, to engage and connect with its customers. A survey of 147 customers of Chumbak customers shows that engagement through Facebook fan page of Chumbak positively impacts its purchase intention, brand image and leads to positive word of mouth.

The case highlights numerous dynamics of social media marketing and shows the recent social media promoting methods being used by the little scale businesses to ascertain on-going dialogues with their customers. The Case would facilitate the scholars in learning how these platforms may be used alone as a promotional tool not solely to reach the purchasers but additionally to type a higher complete awareness of the products with reference to Chumbak. The case explains that communication happening at varied social media platforms got to be tailored considering the sort of users.

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Crisis management, Strategic management.

This case study can be used for teaching MBA and pre-experience Masters students as part of a strategic management course.

This case study tells the story of Kirov non-ferrous metals processing plant located in Kirov (USSR, presently the Russian Federation). Founded in 1956, this company had long been one of the USSR's leading manufacturers in the industry of non-ferrous metals processing. The situation changed dramatically in the first half of 1990s. During those years, instead of state-planned economy, Russia saw the formation of market economy. It was the first time when the company (as a result of privatization, it became a joint-stock company with a small number of pure portfolio investment owners) was faced with the need to look for marketing outlets for its products on its own. At the same time, after having been privatized, the company could not receive government investments anymore. Due to all these conditions, in 1995, capacity utilization in this company fell to 16 per cent, and it appeared to be on the verge of bankruptcy.

The main learning objectives of the case study are: to develop students' skills to analyze complex managerial situations; to help students in understanding the logic of company's strategic choice, depending on the stage of the market life cycle (especially, in case of mature markets); and to provide the training for the students' ability to justify management decisions using the example of companies in B2B markets.

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Marketing.

MBA students.

Titan Industries Limited is the world's fifth-largest wristwatch manufacturer and India's leading producer of watches under the Titan, Fastrack, Sonata, Nebula, Raga, Regalia, Octane and Xylys brand names. When a joint venture with Timex came to an end, Titan found themselves without a range of watches for the youth, a growing segment with significant disposable incomes. To serve that segment, they launched a range of “cool” casual watches under the Fastrack from Titan sub-brand in 1998. Sunglasses were also launched but under the Accessories division of the company. In 2003, a decision was taken to combine the watches and sunglasses and spin it off under a new group called “Fastrack and New Brands”. Post this spin-off, Fastrack was launched as a standalone brand with the vision of becoming the most iconic and exciting fashion brand for youth. The overarching strategy was to bring affordable fashion to the youth and bridging the gap between the unorganized market and international brands. The product strategy was to extend the brand rapidly into other accessories such as belts, wallets, bags and wristbands. The brand personality was to be irreverent and comfortable with impropriety. Their communications reflected the brand attitude with edgy advertising. The distribution model adopted was to have their own branded stores. The brand grew from a mere INR30 crores in 2003 to INR770 crores in 2013. As the brand grew largely from moving into adjacent product categories, Fastrack managers were always looking for the next product category to enter and dominate. In 2013-2014, the product category seriously being looked at was two-wheeler helmets – a category dominated largely by the unorganized sector with low quality. The challenge was to take a product category that existed mainly due to safety regulations and turn it into a personal, fashion accessory. Was it a large enough market to penetrate and dominate? Would they be able to change consumer perception of helmets being a necessary evil to being a fashion accessory proudly displayed? Can they change consumer purchase behavior to go shopping for helmets instead ofjust buying the cheapest, comfortable helmet? Would the brand extension into helmets strengthen or dilute brand equity? These were the questions that faced Ronnie Talati, the Chief Marketing Officer.

Understand how to go about creating a brand strategy when re-launching it as a standalone brand without the support of the corporate umbrella brand; analyze different product markets to enter and how to arrive at a go/no-go decision; comprehend the challenges of extending the brand into different and sometimes unrelated product categories.

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Marketing Strategy, International Marketing.

MBA Course Core course of Marketing Management. Specialization courses in Services marketing, Marketing Management, Retail Management. Executive training workshops on strategy formulations. Faculty development workshops on teaching pedagogy through cases. Capstone courses.

The case talks about the declining share of Nokia globally, which affected Midcom's business. Despite this downfall, Midcom had maintained a majority share in the market. For now, the Middle East and Africa region was least effected by the global market share drop of Nokia, but Nokia's dropping market share was one of the threats Midcom might face in Africa. The segment where Android and BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) had hit Nokia was a minority stake holder in Nokia's share in Africa. The market itself was growing, but there was stiff competition from brands such as Samsung, Tecno, HTC, Apple and other Chinese brands. The case revolves around the strategies adopted by Midcom to maintain its leadership in the market to avoid the threats from its competitors.

The case seeks an intensive reading, research and a stimulating in-class discussion on implementing marketing strategy mixed with creating experience in the service industry with special focus on the telecom industry. The case is also open to other angles as per the other intents and context of the course and course instructor. Some of the learning outcomes from the case will be in the area of: customer satisfaction, distribution management, market leadership, retailing, competitive strategies in marketing and international marketing.

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CSS 8: Marketing

This is a field-researched case about a nonprofit organization, the Accelerated Cure Project (ACP), dedicated to accelerating advances toward a cure for multiple sclerosis (MS). Inspired by the successful open source software development platform, ACP brings the strengths of that platform into the medical research and development environment. At the opening of the case, Robert McBurney, an Australian scientist with extensive experience in the biotech world, has been named CEO. McBurney and his team want to use ACP's bio-sample and data Repository to drive innovation in the search for the cure for MS by fostering collaborative research and development across research institutions, pharmaceutical and bio-tech companies. To encourage such collaboration ACP waives its rights to potentially lucrative Intellectual Property. This decision to foster collaboration at the expense of revenue sources appears problematic, since ACP does not have the staff or resources to undertake fundraising at the scale needed to fund current projects. ACP chooses to serve instead as an open access research accelerator making an impact on the field by functioning as an innovation driver rather than a profit maker. Is this an innovative recipe for success in finding a cure for MS or a recipe for financial disaster for ACP?

Interviews provided the primary source of data for this case. Four semi-structured interviews were conducted with the CEO of ACP, the Vice President of Scientific Operations, and a member of the organization's Board of Trustees, a collaborating university researcher, and the President of a bio-tech company working with ACP. Interview data was supplemented with additional information from ACP's web site, news reports, McBurney's comments at Suffolk University's Global Leadership in Innovation and Collaboration Award event, and follow-up conversations.

This case is intended for use in an undergraduate course examining strategic management issues midway through the term. The case discussion can center on issues relating to: first, the development of the business model; second, revenue resources and fundraising. Students are expected to spend two to three hours of outside preparation reviewing concepts of change leadership and the collaborative enterprise business model. They should read the case materials and brainstorm options for improved change leadership. The case can be taught in one two-hour class period.

The purpose of this case is to introduce students to the strategic management and funding challenges faced by an organization that is using a non-traditional business model in an increasingly complex environment. As a result of discussing this case, students should be able to: first, examine strategic organizational strengths, analyze opportunities created by business, market and environmental factors, and strategize to minimize weaknesses and to address threats identify an organization's strategic focus; recognize and recommend options at crucial decision making junctures in a business situation; second, assess an organization's revenue model; analyze how this model can be improved; third, analyze the functionality and sustainability of an organization's business model.

This case illustrates the implications of the business challenges faced by an on‐campus student‐run convenience store when an internationally known coffee company opened a competing store. The case exercises focus on the application of managerial accounting concepts relevant for future strategic decision making. Students have the task of extracting relevant data from descriptive information. Using the story of an actual student‐run coffee shop that confronted an emerging competitor and thus necessitating these analyses can provide an attractive alternative to teaching managerial accounting concepts that are often considered by students as “dry.”

Case information was obtained from actual student organization and university data slightly modified to facilitate calculation and application of managerial accounting topics. Identities of the institution, the student run store and the international competitor have been disguised at their request. Certain events and dates have been altered to protect identities.

Relevant courses include but are not limited to: Introductory Managerial Accounting and Cost Accounting at the undergraduate business or accounting and the graduate MBA level.

Teaching opportunities include the application of managerial accounting concepts relevant for future strategic decision making. Topics include cost‐volume‐profit, sales‐mix, and break‐even analyses, conversion of traditional income statements to contribution margin income statements, and internal control issues.

The case describes the evolution of Bangladesh's garment industry, the second largest garment exporter in the world, and its operational problems. The focus is on the fire that occurred on November 24, 2012 at Tazreen Fashions, a unit that is a part of a global supply chain for US and European retailers. The case explores the role of the government, western retailers, industry association and NGOs subsequent to the fire, and shows how increasing CSR expectations of corporations are making them take on responsibility for what should be that of the government or the garment unit.

Secondary sources; published materials.

International Business, Business and Society, Supply Chain Management, Doing Business in Emerging Markets.

Corporate social responsibility stakeholder theory market entry.

Groupon, an online coupon company, was one of many companies that considered an initial public offering (IPO) during what might be a second technology/internet/social media IPO boom in 2011. Some companies chose to postpone their IPOs, while others took advantage of the media attention focussed on technology companies, and in particular, social media firms. Should investors hop on the tech IPO bandwagon, or hold off to better evaluate the long-term prospects of tech companies, and in particular social media companies? Would the valuation of Groupon justify an investment in IPO shares?

The case was researched from secondary sources, using Groupon's IPO filing information, news articles about the IPO and industry research sources, such as IBIS World.

This case is appropriate for an advanced undergraduate or MBA corporate finance or investment elective. Most introductory finance classes do not have the time to cover later chapters in a finance textbook, where information about IPOs is generally found. It could also be used at the end of a core finance course, where the instructor wanted to introduce this topic through a case study of a hard-to-value internet-based company to illustrate the difficulties in setting IPO prices. The case could also be used in an equity analysis class, an entrepreneurial finance class or an investment class, to spur discussion about valuing an internet company and choosing appropriate investments for pension fund investing. This case could also be used in a strategy class, focussing on the five forces question, and eliminating the valuation question.

There is a great deal of literature about IPOs and their long-term performance. An excellent source is Jay R. Ritter's research, http://bear.warrington.ufl.edu/ritter, which has a longer time period and more data than could be contained in this case. IPO puzzles include persistent undervaluing of IPOs; in other words, the offer price is lower than, and sometimes substantially lower than, the first day close price. A second issue is the generally poorer long-run performance of companies after their IPO when compared to similar firms that did not do an IPO.

This case is intended to introduce undergraduate entrepreneurship students to business models via an entrepreneur who has two businesses: a used-car dealership, which he owns with his father, and a used-sport-bike dealership, which he solely owns. Although these businesses seem similar, there are subtle differences in business model that make the sport-bike business much more attractive. Case analysis involves a step-by-step comparison of the two firms' revenue models, cost structures, and investment needs and leaves students with two decision: first, how to best grow the sport-bike business, and second, whether to continue operating the used-car business once his father retires.

Primary interviews, company document review, secondary market research.

Undergraduate introduction to entrepreneurship.

International business, Strategic management

BA and MA; courses: International business, Management courses with special focus on emerging and developing countries, Intercultural management, Strategic management.

Freetown, Sierra Leone, West Africa, June 2013 – Representatives of the London Mining Corporation and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH were discussing the details about the official launch of the From Mines to Minds project. The From Mines to Minds project consisted of two components technical, vocational and educational training at St. Joseph's and functional adult literacy for people who could not benefit from the upgrade of St. Joseph's in 17 communities around the mine site. Each of them had committed 200,000 euros to the project. While the mining company favored an early launch due to internal and external pressures, the development agency evaluated that they needed to have a consolidated program before advertising it locally and nationally. This joint decision on the official launch revealed more structural issues in the “fit” between these two organizations in this cross-sectoral partnership designed to contribute to local and national sustainable development.

The purpose of the case is twofold. The first aim is to introduce students/participants to the challenges that arise when entering into a cross-sectoral partnership with another organization in a development project. The second aim is to expose students to the operational, business and strategic challenges related to operating in the volatile local and national context of a least developed economy.

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The focus of the case is on the concepts of customer lifetime value (CLV) and customer equity (CE). Monitoring, measuring and maximizing CLV and CE have become a key priority for all marketers. Instructors can introduce these concepts and its key components.

The main focus of the case is a quantitative assignment that asks students to analyze the convenience for the existing five AFPs (Administradora de Fondos de Pensiones, Pension Fund Administrator) of winning the tender. The use of CLV and CE measurements is particularly relevant. Students need to estimate the impact of pricing on the CLV and CE of the existing five AFPs.

BA, MSc, MBA Courses: CE, Marketing Metrics, Pricing. The case can also be used in courses that focus on Marketing Plan, Marketing Research or Services Marketing.

In early 2009, Valentina Vial was given the assignment to develop the pricing strategy of Alianza to enter the pension industry. The company will propose a commission fee to compete with the country's existing five AFPs. Whichever AFP presents the lowest commission will be awarded the tender. When there are several competitors, the company must guess each competitor's likely pricing decision. In the analysis of the convenience for the existing five AFPs of winning the tender, the use of CLV and CE measurements is particularly relevant. Valentina Vial needed to estimate the impact of pricing on the CLV and CE of the existing five AFPs.

Understand the concepts of CLV and CE and the importance of maximizing a customer's lifetime value for the firm by calculating the CLV and the CE based on a combination of financial and non-financial data.

Illustrate the importance of adopting a long-term strategic perspective (using CLV and CE) in choosing a pricing strategy. Once a firm commits to a pricing strategy, it is difficult to shift course. Given this, the choice of pricing levels should be informed by long-term strategic thinking, including consideration of potential competitive pricing decisions.

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This case discusses the best-selling security system for preventing shoplifting and the dilemma its startup manufacturer faced when it learned there was a very remote possibility that the system might interfere with heart pacemakers. The theme of the case is that when health is involved, a company must carefully consider any level of preventable risk a product poses, even if that level of risk is extremely low.

Marketing.

The case is aimed at Business Administration students.

Udaipur based Aavaran – the echos of rural India – is a concept by COS-V, a leading non-governmental organization (NGO), which aims at connecting the tribal women of rural India with the mainstream. The NGO, set up in 1988 by Smt. Girija Vyas, was initially involved in imparting vocational training to the rural poor. Later, COS-V was taken up by Alka Sharma, a graduate from the Indian Institute of Crafts and Design, Jaipur, who completely changed the direction of the NGO. Her interest in textiles and crafts led to the genesis of the concept “Aavaran”. Aavaran is a retail outlet which was opened with a vision to provide the Indian market with traditional yet contemporary textiles and clothing. It offers a collection of women's and children's clothing and home textiles using a variety of traditional textiles and crafts. It is an artisan driven concept where the supply chain incorporates the essence of Indian textiles and crafts at every level. From the dyeing, printing, sampling and assembly of garments everything is done by the local women trained by COS-V with the support of DC-Handicrafts. The raw materials – the textiles, grey fabrics, etc. – are sourced directly from the rural weavers and artisans across India. The case study discusses how Aavaran developed the unique positioning of a retail platform for contemporary products made from traditional techniques, skills and hand-based processes; how it could revive the diminishing arts of Dabu and Phetia and how it carved a niche through its channelized marketing efforts.

The case will familiarize management students with the concept of niche marketing with Udaipur based firm Aavaran as an example which developed a unique positioning through its traditionally developed products. It will also acquaint students with a basic understanding of a supply chain with a cooperative firm in focus.

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Financial management, marketing management and entrepreneurship.

The case is suitable for undergraduate students.

The case is based on the ingenuity of the chief protagonist of the case study, Anandam. Anandam had conceived a novel idea of using coconut shells and other biomass material as the fuel for running a woodstove. The case study has its settings in Kerala (India). A tentative business plan is being proposed through the case study, where the market analysis has been done, underscoring the product positioning, market segmentation, pricing and other relevant parameters. Further, the case also lays emphasis on the support provided by a local non-governmental organization, as an initial hand-holding measure.

The case study has been written for the purpose of students' appreciating the nuances of new technology/product launch in the market, given the existing competitors. This would help in understanding the 4 Ps better, and, raising a good platform for discussion in the classroom. A financial analysis aspect is also given, which would help students to draw an inter-disciplinary perspective vis-à-vis the case. The case may be extrapolated to other start-up ventures by entrepreneurs.

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Marketing, strategy.

This case is suitable for post graduate and executive development students.

The case provides perspectives of customer centric practices of Yes Bank which has the objective of becoming the best quality bank of the world in India. The case study outlines how Yes Bank has become the fastest growing bank by its strong focus on customers through its committed and innovative employees. The customer centricity develops strong existing relationships and focuses on providing exceptional customer service, leading to better financial performance.

These include: highlighting the characteristics of customer centric organizations; discussing how Yes Bank practised customer centricity despite the limitation of being a new bank with no experience; describing the key differentiators and comparing with those of other banks; and establishing the relationship between customer centric practices with financial performance.

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This case provides useful material for discussion on topics such as sustainability, business continuity, corporate social responsibility and green IT.

The case could be used in different areas of business management such as general management, information systems and business strategy.

The case presents the progressive evolution of Infosys Limited from its beginnings through different stages of innovation and consolidation in the IT services industry. Senior executives at Infosys believe that the sustainability initiative at Infosys is not a new movement, but a logical extension of the company's long standing commitment to society and environment. Sustainability was a key agenda at Infosys and it was deeply ingrained in the company's ethos and the way in which it operated. The case also articulates the company's commitment to sustainability as evidenced by the involvement of the top management in providing leadership. From an academic standpoint the case provides pointers to look at how the IT services industry has responded to sustainability practices and how sustainability practices are different or similar across various firms.

The case can help students to answer the following questions: How is sustainability different from corporate social responsibility? What is the context in which Infosys' attention turned towards sustainability? How is top management involved in Infosys' sustainability initiative? What are the elements of Infosys' sustainability strategy? How does it build on its core strengths? What are the structural mechanisms the company has provided to implement its sustainability strategy? What internal challenges to change while implementing green solutions were foreseen and overcome by Infosys? How competitive is Infosys' sustainability practices with respect to its competitors? How does it help the company in competing in the market?

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Corporate diversification, product portfolio analysis, industry structure, international business expansion, beverage industry.

The case is suitable for senior undergraduate and graduate MBA strategic management, international business strategy, and marketing strategy courses.

Thai Beverage Public Company Limited (ThaiBev) was Thailand's largest beverage company and was among Asia's major alcoholic beverage companies. The case situation takes place during the latter part of August 2010, two years after the public announcement of ThaiBev's ambitious intentions to become a comprehensive and integrated beverage company and after having recently re-launched its acquired Wrangyer energy brand, a move signaling ThaiBev's strong commitment to its non-alcoholic beverages. The case describes the beverage industries at the global, regional, and country level and discusses ThaiBev's range of businesses. Marut Buranasetkul, Senior Vice President of Corporate Service and Deputy Managing Director of Thai Beverage Marketing, the sales and marketing arm of ThaiBev, must decide on the direction for ThaiBev to pursue to bring ThaiBev's non-alcoholic beverages to account for at least 10 percent of the company's total revenue. This case presents a number of important strategic topics, particularly in discussing industry structure and competition, as well as diversification issues encountered by a firm that was attempting to create a greater balance between the revenue contributions from its market leading dominant businesses and that of its younger and newer business lines.

Students will: understand the challenges faced by large conglomerates wanting to change their market position; learn to apply different frameworks such as Porter's Five Force Model, portfolio analysis, SWOT and to assess the competitive environment; learn to evaluate a company's current product portfolio and to recommend strategies to improve its allocation of resources; and learn to identify key success factors necessary to compete in a highly competitive industry.

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Molly Madziva, who was born in Zimbabwe, was sent by her family to the USA to attend college. When she graduated in 2000 there were no jobs for her in Zimbabwe, as the economy was among the weakest in the world. While working as a software engineer at Bell Labs in New Jersey she decided that she wanted to help the people in her village of Macheke, the majority of who were farmers. Her idea would be an ambitious one. Molly called this the Macheke Sustainability Project. Molly met with various stakeholders who had an interest in the project. Following a thorough situation analysis and the formulation of a list of strategic initiatives, the major decision that she was left with was how to most effectively go about handling the implementation of the project. Her options included: a project within the Institute for Global Understanding at Monmouth University where she was enrolled as a graduate student; a non-profit business located in the USA; a non-governmental organization (NGO) located in Zimbabwe; and a private business in Zimbabwe. Each of these options had clear benefits. Molly was torn, however, as to which she should choose.

The case is about the selecting the agency to take up the brand building challenge of SRF Limited, a well established, large business in India having diverse lines of “industrial products”. The business decision problem of SRF stemmed from the fact that the corporate leadership team, which had to take a decision on the topic had considerable reservation about the appropriateness of each of short–listed agencies for the job at hand. There were also differences of opinion on what would be the criteria for selecting the brand consultant. The Managing Director had to ensure that the team arrived at a consensus, rather than being foisted with a decision from top.

This case can be taken up in executive education programs as well as the basic marketing management program at the postgraduate level or in a specialist advertising courses. The case can be taught in the core marketing course at the postgraduate level while discussing the selection on advertising agency.

The decision–making focus of the case is about selecting an advertising agency among a set of three, which was most suited to help SRF achieve the repositioning, branding and the awareness creation challenge. The agencies, however, were mostly experienced in building brands for consumer product which was distinct from industrial intermediaries company like SRF. As an organization, SRF had no experience of dealing with an advertising agency, thus the selection was quite a challenge. It brings to focus the decision–making dilemma faced by a large number of companies in emerging markets which are making the transition to brand building.

The following insights could be elucidated by the case:

Help the students understand the corporate branding concept as distinct from product branding. Decision–making dilemmas associated with corporate brand building for a company with long legacy of product branding. Criteria for evaluating the proposals by advertising agency from the perspective of a client organization.

Teaching notes.

Reverse logistics, environment, CSR.

Bachelor and Graduate students.

This case describes the role played by the company in linking various processes and taking the lead in the development of a unique “circular” flow of recycling activity which includes recovery, reuse and recycling schemes. Traditionally businesses were not held responsible for the product after use by the consumer. But, with growing stakeholder expectations in the area of corporate social responsibility and sustainability, businesses are more conscious about managing their social and environmental impacts. Today businesses are beginning to look at reverse logistics not only in terms of economic impacts but also environmental impacts. While consumers and other stakeholders want businesses to be more responsible in the way the product is produced such as to minimize waste production, the expectations have also changed to recovery of products after use in order to reduce cost and environmental impact of recycling. Businesses are becoming more responsible about collecting, reusing, refurbishing or dismantling used products to minimize environmental damage.

The case is significant for teachers and students of “environment management”, corporate social responsibility, “supply chain” and “the importance of networks”. It can be used to understand how reverse logistics helps to minimize waste.

Teaching notes.

Marketing, marketing communication and business strategy.

Graduate level and some core courses in undergraduate level.

The case describes the evolution of a start-up company, Great Sports Infra Pvt Ltd, which had acquired the exclusive dealership of the largest artificial sports surface products company – FieldTurf Tarkett. Great Sports Infra was started as a small business with a capital of INR 5 million, by Mr Anil Kumar who had won the exclusive license to sell the FieldTurf brand of artificial turf in India and the SAARC region. FieldTurf was a well entrenched brand for playing surfaces in several developed countries around the world. The size, scope and consumer base of the Indian market was vastly different from the mature markets in which FieldTurf was a well established brand. Anil had to find a market for the product in India which was a classic context of “existing product entering a new market” – in this case an emerging market. Identifying new markets and targeting them with a relevant marketing mix and communication mix were the dominant challenges faced by Anil. Having developed the market in India, he now faces competition from cheaper manufacturers and limited growth in the sports infrastructure. The students must deliberate on current strategies and suggest strategies for the future growth of the product in this market.

• Challenges of an established brand entering a new market in the emerging economies. Using Ansoff's matrix to identify the nature of challenges.

• Understanding positioning strategy.

• To understand how to extract IMC strategy from business strategy.

• Targeting each segment differently but keeping the message consistent following the principles of principles of IMC, i.e. harmony, consistency and synergy.

• Understanding the role of 6Ms in designing a communication plan.

• Understanding how to identify appropriate media mix.

• Understanding the holistic IMC framework.

Challenges of an established brand entering a new market in the emerging economies. Using Ansoff's matrix to identify the nature of challenges.

Understanding positioning strategy.

To understand how to extract IMC strategy from business strategy.

Targeting each segment differently but keeping the message consistent following the principles of principles of IMC, i.e. harmony, consistency and synergy.

Understanding the role of 6Ms in designing a communication plan.

Understanding how to identify appropriate media mix.

Understanding the holistic IMC framework.

Teaching notes.

International business, emerging markets, strategy.

Year 3 and 4 university level.

Kevin, an Indian citizen living in Oman, is the founder and president of Quality Tailors, Textiles, and Embroidery (QTTE). He is faced with a number of questions, including whether or not to establish a new division, in what direction to take the three existing divisions, and how to work with an organization culture that is resistant to change and reluctant to make decisions without his involvement. Perhaps, most pressing is the fact that the company's sponsor is demanding increased payments, since under Omani law, a foreign-owned company must have an Omani sponsor who is entitled to a share of the profits and, in the extreme, can take over ownership and control of the business.

Upon completing this case, students will practice:

• identifying and using proper tools (5-forces, SWOT, VRINE) to analyze the external and internal environments of the company;

• identifying key issues in the case, both long- and short-term;

• identifying feasible alternatives and evaluating each alternatives for its feasibility, pros, and cons; and

• proposing an implementation plan with a time line.

identifying and using proper tools (5-forces, SWOT, VRINE) to analyze the external and internal environments of the company;

identifying key issues in the case, both long- and short-term;

identifying feasible alternatives and evaluating each alternatives for its feasibility, pros, and cons; and

proposing an implementation plan with a time line.

Teaching notes.

Human resource management.

The case might be used in teaching International Management or Russian society at a Master's level, including MBA.

Quotas for the employment of disabled people exist in many countries, including Russia. Many companies in Russia, however, are “forced” to find “creative solutions” to avoid this quota. This attitude is caused not by the unwillingness of companies to support disabled people, but rather by their moral and technical unreadiness to do so. Using one example of a company providing freight services, the case illustrates this. The company is faced with additional challenges: it is a 100 percent subsidiary, dependant on its parent company in many respects – especially in financial matters.

Students: learn some informal practices (legislative norms and networks) in the Russian business context;, discuss how organizations are faced with informal practices and establish problem solving techniques; and receive some additional information on the business environment in Russia.

Teaching notes.

Entrepreneurship, Corporate sustainability, CSR, Supply chain.

Master's courses: Entrepreneurship, Strategic management.

In 2002, potential risks deriving from emerging normative demands in the CSR debate prompted Axel Springer (AS) to rethink their supply chain strategy for Russian wood. Being one of the first movers in CSR in the publishing business, AS realized that current practices could spark future public discussion that might put pressure on AS, a key player in these supply chains. In early 2002, AS and one of their main suppliers, Stora Enso, started a joint initiative to redesign the supply chain processes in two of the major Russian logging regions to improve their social and ecological performance. Sometime later, other major players in the publishing sector as well as critical reviewers from several non-governmental organizations (NGOs) were invited to participate in the design of the new voluntary sustainability initiative called “Tikhvin Chalna project”, the second phase of which was accomplished by the end of 2006.

Learn that organizations (specifically high-brand owners) are responsible for practices within their entire supply chains (social as well as environmental performance).

Explore proactive corporate sustainability, CSR strategies are market but also institutional driven; Strategizing involves forming and transforming the rules, norms and standard models of customers as well as institutions such as NGOs or governmental bodies. Whether the initiator of such strategy is successful in increasing or manipulating demands is dependent on its resources and capabilities as well as on its network position. The case supports students in understanding resources being used to successfully transform or create institutional arrangements.

Discover that the value of a business' relationships and its network position.

Teaching note, Video files

This case involves the issues within an organization of growth, expansion, change, and a possible shift of focus from hobby to profit. The case also deals with important factors, which could potentially impact any company's operation. The owners are seeking to address two key issues. The first is a valuation issue prompted by one of the shareholders wishing to sell her interest in the railcar LLC. The second issue is one of expansion. A potential investment ($60,000-$135,000) would permit the company to lease the railcar to other operators who could run the railcar on Amtrak certified tracks nationwide but would remove the shareholders from the day to day operations of the train. The critical decision is whether the owners should invest more money in the business or maintain their current business model and operational structure.

Business strategy and human resource management.

Undergraduate Business and Management.

This case spotlights Oilfield Services branch in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It focuses on various problems encountered whilst operating in Abu Dhabi. Oilfield Services was first established in Dubai in 1995, primarily to meet the growing demand of quality human resources in the oilfield, shipping, and fabrication sectors in the Middle East and Persian Gulf region. The case highlights the challenges of motivation and compensating staff and the importance of strategic decision making.

This case can be used to teach decision making, cost/benefit analysis, employee motivation, and compensation and elements relating to international business strategy.

A teaching note is available on request.

Sport marketing, sponsorship, marketing strategy, event management.

Undergraduate and Postgraduate Business and Management.

This case discusses sport marketing within an emerging market business environment. PromoSeven Sports Marketing is the focus company. PromoSeven name is synonymous with major events particularly Emirates Airline Rugby 7s and the Olympic Council of Asia. The case highlights the challenges facing sponsorship, event management, sport marketing and PromoSeven's own business strategy after the 2009 economic downturn drew attention to Dubai's financial situation.

This case can be used to teach sport marketing, sponsorship, event management, and marketing strategy. It can also be used to identify target market segments for sports and the positioning that may appeal to those segments.

A teaching note is available on request.

Ethics in IT, community informatics, management.

Undergraduate and postgraduate information technology and citizens' rights, strategic decision making.

This case spotlights Athlete Sports in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). It focuses on the malfunction of the company's equipment that is rented from ABC Sports Equipment. Athlete Sports has been in the UAE over a decade and has positioned itself fairly at the top due to its qualified coaches and quality of facilities it provides. The case highlights the company's transition from owning equipment to leasing equipment that increases profits. However, it also sheds light on ABC Sports' venture into code reusability in order to upgrade equipments faster. The case looks closely at the ultimate consequences of ABC Sports' practice and the impact it has on Athlete's Sports' clients and the subsequent decisions the managers are expected to make.

This case can be used to teach strategic decision making, and ethics in information technology.

A teaching note is available on request.

Integrated marketing communication (IMC), communication strategy, media strategy, budgeting and usage of metrics in measuring communication performance.

Undergraduate and postgraduate marketing.

The choice of a well-planned IMC strategy becomes crucial for the successful launch of an event. This is a case study on how a brand management consultancy house, TMH, used IMC to launch a world music festival event in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, in 2009, registering a visitorship of five times their target, 89 percent satisfaction and a staggering 99 percent of the visitors planning to visit the festival also in 2010.

This case can be used to teach IMC, marketing communication strategy, media strategy and scheduling and budgeting.

A teaching note is available on request.

This case describes the journey of Karson as he transitions from female to male. Throughout his life, Karson experiences a great deal of anxiety trying to reconcile his identity with the expectations of society. The anxiety inherent in this situation is described in order to get the reader to more fully empathize with the issues faced by transgender individuals. The case then focuses on issues specific to the workplace as Karson begins his career with a counseling agency and experiences several instances of discriminatory behavior.

For 28 years Alaska, like the vast majority of the nation, has struggled with growing prison populations and shrinking budgets. In 1995, the Alaska Department of Corrections, faced with sanctions unless they ameliorated their crowded prison conditions, looked to the popular practice of contracting out its correctional operations by sending 650 prisoners to a private out-of-state prison. But, as the costs of prisoner litigation and transportation mounted, the state began to consider building its own private prison, a decision which many state lawmakers and business entrepreneurs argued would allow the state to stretch scarce dollars by providing cheaper and better quality prisons, return millions of dollars to the state economy, and create permanent jobs. In this decision case, students are required to put themselves in the role of the Alaska Legislature to determine whether they should permit the building and operation of a private prison in one of Alaska's remote communities. The students must analyze and juggle the complex and often competing set of objectives, values, and political tensions intrinsic to all privatization decisions.

This is the sixth in a series of articles about case research, writing, teaching, and reviewing. In this article, the protagonist, Prof. Moore, consults experienced case reviewers and learns several different approaches to reviewing cases for journal publication. The article is written as if it were a case; it is fictitious.

Doris, the Executive Director of the JCC, had a Board of Directors that lacked the requisite skills, perspective, behaviors, and willingness to change policies and practices in order to meet external environmental opportunities and threats or to address internal competencies and competitive capabilities. Changes in the external environment were exacerbating the JCC's internal deficiencies. In addition, the Board created impediments to the professional staff's efforts to implement good managerial practices and policies. The current management team was acutely aware of the changes in the external environment, how these changes impacted the JCC's operations and what the JCC needed to do in order to meet these challenges. The management team was frustrated by a Board that did not provide leadership, fulfill their responsibilities, hold each other accountable and undermined management by intervening in day-to-day operations. The staff was passively hostile to the Board and to the management team. As consumers, the members' expectations were higher and more demanding. Doris and her management team had to resolve a myriad of strategic and operational issues that confronted the organization.

Erick Wilson and Richard Hyche, managers of Hughes Family Furniture Store in Charlotte N.C. are exploring new ways to motivate their sales force to sell more of one of their most profitable items, a Furniture Protection Plan. They are considering a new compensation plan but are concerned about how this new change might affect their sales force.

Management scholars and researchers have long been concerned about the impact and relevance of their work. Here we chronicle the teaching, research, management, and personal leadership development lessons that have arisen from a collaborative, decade-long relationship between three management faculty members and the senior management team of a major Norwegian-based global shipping and logistics company. This relationship grew from the creation of a teaching case in 1997 to many years of productive and meaningful work together, including the development and delivery of the all-conference Plenary Session at the 2006 Eastern Academy of Management Meeting, held concurrently with the annual CASE Association Conference. At the 2006 Plenary Session, each of the authors expressed powerful personal and professional development through their collaboration over the years, which is summarized in this article. Reflections, lessons and future research directions are provided.

Bright Lights is a small non-profit organization in Lincoln, NE offering a summer enrichment program to school aged children. Post 9/11, the organization faces challenges in its efforts to sustain financial resources. With enrollment and course offerings on the rise, funding is more important than ever. At the second to the last meeting of the year at which budgets are established, the Bright Lights' Board of Directors asked the Executive Director, Kathy Hanrath, and the Co-Owner/Director of Education Services, Barb Hoppe, to come up with some alternatives for fundraising top present at the final yearly meeting. Kathy has recently attended some sessions on franchising at a local entrepreneurship conference and would like to explore franchising as an option for Bright Lights growth. Kathy feels that franchising might have the potential to both increase performance and funding. This case focuses on issues associated with the exploration of franchising as a method of distribution and capital acquisition for a social organization. It calls attention to the appropriate situations for franchising, the importance of organizational assessment for franchise readiness, and other legal, economical, and organizational considerations.