Case studies

This case was developed via primary data collected from personal (one to one) interview with the CEO and founder of Dialogue in the Dark Malaysia (Dialogue Malaysia), Stevens Chan. With Stevens’ contact, the authors also conducted personal interviews with Kaye Chan (co-founder and wife of Stevens Chan), Lynn Foo (project manager since inception until early 2022) and Dr Foo Yin Fah (academic researcher in social entrepreneurship and advisor for Dialogue Malaysia). Secondary data included reports on visually impaired context in Malaysia, Dialogue Malaysia’s annual reports and online articles. Prior to the primary data collection, the authors obtained ethics approval from the University Human Ethics Committee (Project ID: 35461).

This case narrative focuses on Stevens Chan, a blind social entrepreneur who champions the empowerment of the disabled and marginalised community. Through a social franchising model, Stevens founded Dialogue in the Dark Malaysia in 2012. As a social start-up, Stevens showcases the strengths of blind and visually impaired individuals through transformative experiential encounters and reimagining future possibilities. Although there are constant challenges in securing financial and human capital, Stevens never lacks psychological capital, characterised by hope, self-efficacy, optimism and resilience. His vision is to educate society on the power of empathy (and not sympathy) and to create a holistic experience of celebrating diversity and inclusion through an innovative discovery centre, where the elderly and the disabled community (including the deaf, mute and those with mobility issues) share their lives with the public through fun activities. However, the future of this social enterprise is uncertain, and this case invites participants to embark on this journey with Stevens to uncover future pathways for growth and social impact.

The case is tailored for higher level undergraduates and entry-level and mid-level managers of executive education programs.

The main data used to develop this case were remote, synchronous interviews with the three characters in the case. The authors conducted two interviews with the main character in the case, Geoff Brown, specifically: (1) an initial 30 min interview to determine the fit and focus of the case and to help create the interview protocol for the full case interview (this initial interview was conducted on March 12, 2024); and (2) an hour-long interview to ask targeted questions to fully develop the case narrative (this interview was conducted on March 28, 2024). Geoff Brown was also involved in reviewing drafts of the case, approving the final version of the case and reviewing the assignment questions in this instructors’ manual (IM).

This case focuses on Geoff Brown, Executive Director at Alberta Chicken Producers (ACP), which is a not-for-profit organization in Alberta, Canada, that is responsible for representing 250 regulated chicken producers. Brown is grappling with what to do with the remote/hybrid work policy at ACP. Part of the impetus for reconsidering this policy was the comments from ACP’s long-tenured Office Manager and Executive Assistant, who had been asking Brown to bring this policy forward to a staff meeting for discussion throughout the past year. Brown now feels ready to move these discussions forward but is unsure of how to proceed and what the best practices would be to ensure that the policy in place for remote work is beneficial for work engagement, individual and organizational work performance, work–life balance, employee relationships and fairness perceptions.

The target audience for this case is undergraduate and graduate students taking a course in the disciplines of human resources management or organizational behavior. This case will be especially relevant for a human resources management course when studying the topics of employee benefits (e.g. work–life balance), health and safety (e.g. stress) and work design (e.g. telecommuting), and this case will be especially relevant for an organizational behavior course when studying the topics of motivation (e.g. fairness), communication, organizational culture and decision-making.

The case was devised using secondary sources of data collection from annual reports, sustainability reports and the Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) website. These documents provided insights into the HPCL’s sustainability initiatives, financial performance and disclosure practices. Other data were obtained through the websites of the relevant businesses/sectors.

In March 2022, Pushp Kumar Joshi, chairman and managing director of HPCL, contemplates the oil giant’s sustainability strategy amid challenges. Despite a 38% revenue increase in financial year 2021–2022, profits dropped because of reduced refinery capacity. HPCL, a major player in India’s oil and gas industry, recognized the need to align with climate goals and changing consumer expectations. Joshi emphasized stakeholder engagement, carbon mitigation, technology adoption and transparent environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting. A materiality assessment highlighted key issues like gender diversity, air quality and the low-carbon transition. Joshi grapples with balancing profitability and sustainability amid stakeholder pressure and market fluctuations, seeking advice from the sustainability team for the future.

This can potentially be a case study for a business management course, particularly focusing on sustainability, corporate social responsibility and strategic decision-making. It could be used at both the undergraduate and graduate levels in courses related to business administration, sustainability management, corporate strategy, environmental management or stakeholder engagement. The case could be analyzed to discuss the challenges and opportunities faced by a company like HPCL in balancing profitability and sustainability, developing effective sustainability strategies, integrating ESG considerations and managing stakeholder expectations.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

This case was written with publicly available information about Nintendo.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Nintendo dominated the video game industry with a market share of 90%. In 2020, Nintendo’s market share dropped to nearly 31%. This case examines a 40-year history of Nintendo, including its core strategy of video game and video game console development and its growth strategy using its intellectual property. Throughout its history, Nintendo has faced and continues to face stiff competition from Sony, Microsoft and new emerging technologies like virtual reality video games. Nintendo has the challenge of competing in a rapidly changing industry with changing customer preferences where it once had a dominant market share. Can Nintendo continue competing, relying on its core competency of developing new video games and consoles? Or moving forward, should it further define itself more broadly by continuing to leverage its intellectual property in the entertainment industry?

This case is suitable for undergraduate courses in marketing, marketing management and business strategy, or where an instructor focuses on strategic decision-making. This case will provide valuable in-class discussions on the importance of defining what a business should do and how it should grow. Additionally, this case will be useful for courses that include advanced discussions on tradeoffs between focusing on core competencies and growth by expanding into other opportunities that are not necessarily part of a business’s core strategy. A portion of this case was tested in an undergraduate marketing strategy and marketing principles course. The case created an excellent environment for critical thinking and analysis.

Interviewing the protagonist and collecting information from secondary resources such as company documents, company and competitor websites, industry reports and online databases like Euromonitor International.

The case explores the metamorphosis of JK Masale from a small-scale family business in India to a regional player. Over a period of six decades, JK Masale (JKM) has emerged against the backdrop of a fiercely competitive spice industry. India, being a confluence of varied regional cultures, poses a diverse consumption pattern. It varies to a great extent with respect to the specific food habits prevalent in each climatic zone of the country. While the brand had successfully captured the Eastern Market and the western market of the country, Mr. Vikash Jain, Managing Director of JK Masale, contemplated to venture in Southern India and introduce new product categories. The case delves into one of the major challenges faced by JKM over the brand architecture and labelling across product categories. Thus, the case provides an excellent opportunity for budding managers to: analyse the company’s performance in the backdrop of a dynamic competitive environment; understand the nature of strategic decision-making and its appropriateness for a small family-owned business; evaluate a brand amongst brands on the architectural framework and select appropriate brand architecture for new products; and understand applicability and risks associated with growth strategies.

The case study can be positioned in both undergraduate and postgraduate level programs for courses on marketing strategy and brand management. Primarily, this case would be ideal to discuss brand relationship and brand architecture in the given context. Instructors have an option to cover concepts like market structure, company analysis, growth strategies and emergent and deliberate strategy through the case.

The data has been provided by the protagonist in the form of interviews, tables and figures.

Abdul and his team, comprising MS Finance graduates from Lahore University of Management Sciences, embarked on a transformative process that led to the inception of their startup, Ingine. Originating from a discarded idea of importing recycling machines, the team pivoted to address a significant gap in the influencer marketing industry. They envisioned a subscription-based software-as-a-service platform that streamlines interactions between influencers and businesses, emphasizing secure payment processing, messaging and feedback features. The narrative underscores the intricate connection between influencer marketing and the return on investment for small businesses, recognizing the challenge of decoding tangible financial gains. Ingine’s mission is to unravel this puzzle, optimizing small businesses’ investments in influencer marketing while navigating the complexities of crafting a competitive influencer compensation model. The team’s background, strategic considerations and commitment to fostering sustainable relationships between influencers and businesses serve as a compelling backdrop to Ingine’s entrepreneurial aspirations.

The case can be used in entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial finance. The case can be used in undergrad, master’s, MBA, executive MBA and short executive programs. The complexity of a case can be increased or decreased depending on the level of class, i.e. start, middle or end of the course, and the time allocation, i.e. 90 min.

The theoretical basis for the case is information asymmetry and signaling theory, with buybacks providing a mechanism for reducing information asymmetry between management and investors. The controversy surrounding buybacks has led to political and regulatory scrutiny, which, consistent with evidence from academic research, may affect corporate behavior.

The compact case is based on secondary, public information about stock buybacks. All sources used are cited in-text, with full citations included in the references section at the end of the teaching note.

Stock buybacks, a means of providing returns to shareholders, have recently received increased scrutiny by politicians, media and shareholder activists. Proponents have argued that buybacks result in efficient allocation of capital by returning funds to shareholders, whereas opponents have criticized buybacks for enriching executives, providing tax advantages to shareholders and contributing to income inequality. Corporations did not curtail their use of buybacks after the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 imposed an excise tax. The case frames the buyback debate in current events and focuses on the buyback activity of Apple. The case provides students the opportunity to analyze alternative ways that companies can provide returns to shareholders, evaluate impacts of buybacks on corporate stakeholders and appraise the reasons for, and implications of, current controversy regarding buybacks.

This compact case is appropriate for upper-level undergraduate or graduate courses in financial accounting, tax and finance. This case provides an opportunity to analyze and evaluate stock buyback decisions in the context of the current controversy related to buybacks.

The case has been developed by using secondary sources of information.

Tesla’s much-awaited foray into the burgeoning Indian electric vehicle (EV) marketplace had hit the “high import tariff” roadblock. Discussions ensued and finally, Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and the Indian Government found common ground. The moot point of Tesla’s entry mode was resolved. Musk announced Tesla’s plan to set up an EV supply chain and manufacturing facility in the host country. This case discusses factors affecting location decision, market entry modes and international corporate-level strategies. Tata Motors sold affordable cars and was miles ahead in the EV race in India. Musk had to align Tesla’s India strategy with the company’s global strategy to woo the price-sensitive Indian consumers. What were the options available to him? This case examines different business-level strategic options that could help Tesla drive in the fast lane in India.

The case can be used in international strategy course at graduate level. It can also be used in a session on international marketing in marketing management course.

The research methodology used for this case study follows a comprehensive approach, combining both primary and secondary sources to ensure a well-rounded understanding of the subject. Primary sources include in-depth interviews with the founders of the company, providing valuable firsthand insights into their experiences and decision-making processes. Multiple company visits were also conducted, enabling a closer examination of the operational aspects and allowing for a more holistic perspective on the case. Complementing these primary sources, secondary sources were used, consisting of a diverse array of articles from leading journals, newspapers, magazines and other reputable sources. These secondary sources offer a broader context and perspective, enriching the case study’s content and ensuring a robust foundation for classroom discussion and analysis.

True Elements was a clean health food brand that emerged from the vision of Mr Sreejith Moolayil and co-founder, Mr Puru Gupta, who recognized the potential of promoting healthy foods in India inspired by the health-conscious lifestyle that they observed during their work tenure in China. The co-founders began their entrepreneurial journey in 2011 with “Healthy World” kiosks inside IT company campuses in Delhi, Mumbai and Pune. However, early challenges surfaced as the target market narrowed. Undeterred, the founders sought innovative solutions to expand their reach and created “True Elements” – a brand that resonated with health-conscious consumers given its positioning as a clean and minimally processed food brand devoid of chemicals, preservatives and added sugars. True Elements excelled in the online market and catered to a few offline markets. To sustain and augment their success, the entrepreneurs sought a strategic partnership and succeeded with Marico Ltd. However, challenges remained on the horizon. One was the need to appeal to a new target group: the 25–45 age group with a lower monthly income of INR 30,000. Another pressing question was exploring the entry into the modern trade sector.

This case can be taught in undergraduate and post-graduate business management programs for marketing, strategy and innovation and entrepreneurship related courses. Apart from that, this case can also be discussed in incubator programs as cases highlighting entrepreneurship can facilitate discussions among early-stage founders, providing practical insights and lessons for their ventures. This case also can be discussed very effectively in management classes for working executives.

After reading this case study, students will be able to understand the impact of cyber threats on businesses; explore the intersection of innovation and ethical considerations; understand the proactive role of entrepreneurs in identifying gaps in traditional industries, such as insurance, and innovating solutions that align with local dynamics; and learn to formulate strategies addressing cultural factors, market gaps and challenges.

The case study follows Hasnain, a prosperous entrepreneur in Pakistan, who was surprised by the news of a cyberattack on Bank Islami. This event, coupled with a personal data breach in his family’s business, triggered Hasnain’s willingness and interest to address the growing threat of cyber risks and attacks. As the progenitor of a digital solutions startup, he identified a gap in the insurance industry’s replication to cyber threats and envisioned the desideratum for a Sharia-compliant cyber-insurance product withal called cyber risk takaful. The case study explores Hasnain’s journey as he contemplated the challenges of introducing cyber risk takaful – a Sharia-compliant insurance solution for businesses and individuals. Apperceiving the low vigilance and perceived costs associated with cyber insurance, Hasnain faced the dilemma of surmounting these barriers in a country where the penetration of insurance, in general, is already minimal. The story raises critical questions: How can Hasnain efficaciously introduce cyber risk takaful to a market reluctant to embrace cyber insurance? What business strategies should he use to engender vigilance and acceptance of this innovative insurance solution? Will businesses and individuals embrace the concept of cyber risk takaful and recognize its paramount in forfending their digital assets?

This case study is designed to meet the educational needs of both undergraduate and postgraduate students, particularly those enrolled in business administration programs. This case study is tailored for students in the final year of BBA and the first year of MBA programs. It is also well-suited for executive education programs that focus on strategic decision-making in the context of emerging market challenges, such as entrepreneurship and corporate strategy. The case study is particularly relevant for courses centered on entrepreneurship, business strategy, strategic management and corporate strategy.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS11: Entrepreneurship.

This case study was built from secondary data such as news articles and videos. Several drafts of the case study with teaching note were tested in classroom settings and shared at a case writing conference. The case was revised based on feedback from students and roundtable discussions from the conference.

“What’s next: Ever Given after the Suez Canal incident (Evergreen Marine Corporation in, 2022)” explores the situation of the firm Evergreen Marine Corporation, a world-leading cargo shipping company headquartered in Taiwan, and its efforts to deal with challenges stemming from a pandemic and the global supply chain transition. The case provides background on the latest changes in global business environments, the Suez Canal Incident stemming from the grounding of Ever Given and firm-specific information, which would help students to understand the context affecting Evergreen Marine Corporation’s (EMC) strategic decisions. The case enables students to evaluate EMC’s overall position and to analyze the actions that they can take to deal with these challenges in a dynamic global environment.

This case would be appropriate for a course in strategy or international business, especially with the topic of international supply chain management.

After completion of the case study, students will be able to identify the strategic key components of the Woolah tea brand through the business model canvas framework, to evaluate the major challenges faced by different stakeholders, to analyse the potential effects of bagless tea dip innovation and understand the principles of design thinking and its application in developing innovative solutions, to assess the strategic framework of Woolah tea brand to scale up its business and operations and to align the Woolah tea brand’s sustainability practices with a triple bottom line approach and contribution to UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Upamanyu Borkakoty and Anshuman Bharali, the founder duo of Woolah tea, began their entrepreneurial journey on a noble note. They recognised that plastic tea bags, which customers worldwide consume, create harmful health effects in the form of microplastic. They aimed to provide an authentic and sustainable tea experience while making it microplastic-free. When the world is heading towards securing a sustainable future, they envisioned adding a feather to it by proposing their Truedips. The USP of their product is Truedips – a tea ball they prepare by compressing one bud and two premier leaves. The founders were convinced that their innovative idea of tea consumption would provide customers with an authentic and exhilarating experience. However, there were dilemmas and roadblocks. They faced roadblocks related to the farmer’s traditional approach to growing tea, untrained tea growers, lack of financial assistance and customer readiness for a bagless tea experience. The dilemmas they faced related to their customer acceptance of their idea and the price affordability of the product. The big question hovering around was the customer’s feedback and acceptance of the product.

This case study suits graduate and postgraduate business administration students and other management programmes. The case study can also be used for business, marketing, design thinking, innovation and and social entrepreneurship courses.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

This case was developed from secondary sources such as industry reports, articles, news reports and social media sites.

This study offers a fresh perspective on leadership by exploring the nontraditional journey from human resources (HRs) positions to the esteemed chief executive officer (CEO) role. It highlights the transformation of HR from an administrative function to a strategic one. The study emphasizes the pivotal role of chief human resources officers (CHROs) in shaping company culture and ensuring employee satisfaction. It also delves into HR professionals’ unique skills and attributes to the CEO position, drawing examples from successful transitions such as Mary Barra at General Motors, Leena Nair at Chanel and Nigel Travis at Dunkin Donuts. The study addresses the growing trend in contemporary business discussions: the potential reshaping of the traditional CEO role by HR directors. It offers valuable insights for organizations looking to adapt to a rapidly evolving economic landscape by highlighting the synergy between CEO responsibilities and HR expertise.

This case is designed for undergraduates in various courses such as fundamentals of HR management, human capital management, strategic management, leadership development and career planning and management. It is appropriate for sections of the course focusing on managerial decisions and the changing role of HR managers. The case discussion is suitable for classes of 12–40 students and can be easily adapted for online courses using interactive discussion tools. Students are expected to read the case before participating in the discussion.

After completing this case study, students will be able to understand the issues firms, brands and influencers face due to sponsorship disclosure regulation and the impact of self-regulation on firms engaging in influencer marketing, explain the challenges regulators face in ensuring compliance in an emerging market, explain Advertising Standard Council of India (ASCI)’s challenges in adopting influencer guidelines from emerged markets and recommend ethical theory (or theories) and strategies to firms engaged in influencer marketing.

This case study centers on Mr Manish Chowdhary, co-founder of WOW Skin Science, who started the beauty and personal care business with his brother Karan Chowdhary in 2015 in Bangalore, India. The company successfully built its brand through influencer marketing but faced challenges after the ASCI implemented new influencer guidelines. On May 31, 2021, he expressed disagreement with ASCI guidelines during an interview with Akansha Nagar from Buzz in Content, particularly the requirement to label every product or service received by influencers as an advertisement. He expressed concern about certain rules, fearing they might harm organic content and reduce viewership and followers. Subsequently, ASCI registered noncompliance cases against the company and communicated with them about complaints regarding influencer guideline violations. In this situation, Manish needed to evaluate his decision on noncompliance with regulation and required an action plan to strategically manage its influencer marketing campaign by incorporating ASCI’s guidelines. Overall, this case study highlights the journey of WOW Skin Science and its challenges with self-regulatory authorities over its influencer marketing strategy in an emerging market. Additionally, students can gain insight into the marketing communication ethics of a startup operating in an emerging market by embodying the protagonist’s role.

This case study is suitable for postgraduate level students pursuing a Master of Business Administration program. The difficulty level ranges from moderate to complex. It fits well into integrated marketing communication and marketing strategy courses. This case study discusses marketing ethics, advertising and promotion regulation.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 8: Marketing.

After completion of the case study, students will be able to: 1. understand the basis for developing global supply chains for exploring international markets, 2. identify the various sources of geopolitical risk while expanding globally, 3. assess the market entry or exit decisions from a principled and commercial perspective and 4. identify and weigh different options when faced with an exit situation under conditions of geopolitical risk.

The Japanese fast fashion brand Uniqlo opened 45 stores in Russia as a part of its international retail expansion strategy. The brand provided affordable fashion for everyone. However, the Russia–Ukraine armed conflict had put the company in a dilemma. The Japanese Government and the public joined the broader global community in condemning Russia’s armed intervention in Ukraine. These countries also imposed economic sanctions on Russia, resulting in many multinational companies winding up their operations in Russia. Uniqlo faced a market exit dilemma. Russia had the largest number of Uniqlo stores in Europe. The company CEO also highlighted the necessity of meeting the clothing needs of the Russian people. However, people in Japan and elsewhere considered Russia as an aggressor nation. Any economic link with the Russian market would be ethically wrong, and consumers in Japan, the USA and the European Union might see this as support for Russia’s war efforts. The company had to choose between continuing operations in Russia or exiting the Russian market.

This case study can be used in basic marketing management and international business courses to discuss the market attractiveness and risk aspects for market entry or exit decisions. It can also be used in advanced courses such as strategic management, global strategy and global political economy, highlighting the impact of geopolitical conflicts on business operations.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 11: Strategy.

After reading and analyzing the case study, the students will be able to recognize the role of the mega environment in shaping business strategy, explore the challenges and opportunities in a mature industry (Foam), understand the business context of a family-owned firm and assess the implications and recommend managerial strategies.

In July 2019, Unifoam, a leading foam manufacturer, found itself at a crossroads as the company leadership grappled with diverging vision and future course of action. The newly appointed chief executive, Mr Faraz Khalid Shaikh, had overseen significant investments in expanding production capacity, and the time had come to reap the rewards. However, a series of unexpected events had unfolded, presenting the company with a unique set of challenges. Unifoam relied heavily on imported raw materials from China. Unifoam had high hopes of capitalizing on the opportunities presented by the China Pakistan Economic Corridor. However, the newly formed government had made significant policy changes regarding currency valuation and borrowing rates. This had increased the company’s working capital cost by 40%. This unexpected development had divided the board on the future direction and had forced the leadership to confront a crucial question: Should they hit the brakes or accelerate their growth strategies? This case study explored into the dynamic interplay between external factors, internal divisions and the family-owned nature of Unifoam. The analysis recognized the influence of the mega environment on the company’s strategy, exploring the challenges and opportunities within the mature foam industry and assessing the implications of conflicting approaches. This case study also offered valuable insights and managerial recommendations to guide the company’s path forward. Through embracing discomfort and confronting strategic dilemmas head-on, Unifoam sought to navigate uncharted waters and emerge as a resilient player in the evolving foam industry.

This is suitable for BBA or at the very start of MBA in the strategy courses, mainly business strategy and strategic management, and the case study can be positioned during the initial weeks in the course to provide a quick review of the basic analysis frameworks used in strategic decision-making.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 11: Strategy.

This case study was based on an in-depth investigation of multiple interactions with the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and feedback from customers. Secondary research approaches involved reviewing articles and reports published on various media platforms. One of the authors has direct access to the CEO and staff members to collaborate on data and information for this case study.

The case study is about a dairy company operating its business in Manipur (Northeast India).YVU Milk Producer Company Limited (YVUMPCL) is focusing on the growth of its brand YVU Dairy in the northeast Indian market and neighbouring country Myanmar. It was founded in 2013 to provide a livelihood for dairy farmers and fill a demand gap for dairy products in Manipur. Despite numerous opportunities, competencies and efforts, the firm has yet to expand its business significantly. It faced several challenges in expanding the business. This case discusses the strategies adopted by YVU to overcome those obstacles and emphasises the strategy for its expansion.

This case study is designed for use in courses in the Bachelor of Business Administration and early Master of Business Administration program. It is ideal for topics such as international marketing, marketing, strategy and entrepreneurship.

After completion of the case study, the students will be able to understand the complexity of diversification and market expansion strategies in a growing consumer-driven market context, apply strategic frameworks to analyze the Indian oral care market, analyze brand positioning principles to develop a marketing strategy for Aquawhite and evaluate and identify the pros and cons of the various decisions taken during market diversification.

This case study seeks to examine the market expansion dilemmas faced by Aquawhite, a brand in the oral health-care sector, and the role of key decision-makers in addressing these challenges. This case study aims to provide insights into the complexities of brand extension and market expansion strategies in the context of a developing consumer-driven market. This case study is structured as a qualitative analysis based on publicly available information, including Aquawhite’s historical data, market trends and industry reports. Additionally, insights from relevant interviews with key stakeholders within the company have been considered to present a comprehensive view. This case study highlights the dilemmas faced by Aquawhite as it navigates market expansion. It reveals the critical role of Nikhil Nanda, the managing director in addressing these dilemmas and shaping the brand’s future. This case study emphasizes the need for a strategic approach that balances market dynamics with brand identity.

This case study is suitable for use in undergraduate and postgraduate-level courses on marketing management and strategic management. This case study provides insights into brand development, market entry and expansion strategies. It can be used to discuss the marketing mix, segmentation and targeting, as well as competitive analysis.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 8: Marketing.

The case study aims to provide students with an understanding of child labour in India and how the Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA) movement is facilitating the eradication of child labour in India. The key objectives are to understand the challenges of eradicating child labour in India, assess the approaches to rescue and rehabilitation for the protection of a child in India, analyse the personality traits of a leader and evaluate the charismatic leadership of a leader.

The case study discussed child labour and the movement started by Kailash Satyarthi to protect children through the BBA or Save the Childhood Movement in India. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 for his contribution to creating an environment to abolish child labour. Headquartered in New Delhi, BBA was established in 1980 to eliminate child slavery and violence against children (BBA.org.in, 2017). Satyarthi’s effort brought regulatory changes in the Indian constitution in the form of “Education as a fundamental right” (The Novel Prize, 2023). As per census 2011, more than 10 million children were involved in various industries in India (Drishtiias.com, 2019). Satyarthi and his BBA were far behind the mission they were to achieve. How should he move to eliminate child labour from India? Will he be able to create any impact on citizens, society and government through his new approaches?

The case study is ideal for courses on understanding strategy, leadership, personality traits and labour laws. This case study is designed for use in undergraduate and graduate early-stage programmes. The main purpose of this case study is to be used in programmes leading to a Master of Business Administration or a Bachelor of Business Administration. This case scenario focused on the BBA movement in India and its aim to eradicate child labour in India. It discussed the child labour scenario in Indian industries and how Satyarthi started the BBA movement to protect the future of underprivileged children in India. The case study discusses the challenges faced in rescuing and rehabilitation of children in India. The authors applied the big five model to analyse the personality of Satyarthi in the case context. The authors also used the concept and components of charismatic leadership to evaluate the traits of charismatic leaders from a case perspective. This case study will benefit students by focusing on traits related to personality and charismatic leadership concepts. Students will get the opportunity to explore the practical and theoretical concepts that interplay in this study.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 6: Human resource management.

The students will be able to understand the diversity and inclusivity in the recruitment process and different sources of recruitment from the context of school’s managed by the government (state schools); execute job analysis thereby clearly mentioning objectives and performance metrics for the post of principal in the government (state schools); align the succession planning efforts with the organization’s strategic objectives and long-term vision; and evaluate the role of a leader involving integrity, fairness, transparency and accountability and applying ethical principles in decision-making and actions.

The case study exhibits the dilemma faced by a principal Mrs Veena Gandhi in the year 2020–2022 when manpower shortage was the major challenge being faced by the government-run schools in New Delhi NCR. She inculcated inventiveness and practicality in the teaching of elementary education in Nigam Pratibha Vidyalaya. The school’s philosophy was based on creating a learning environment for students so that they could express them, learn and memorize concepts, and had joyful learning. The school managed 50% of the teaching staff, as most of the teachers were promoted to Sarvodaya Vidyalaya run by the department of education in New Delhi. Whereas other teachers were not recruited for the same position which created a demand and supply gap among teaching staff. Now she was going to be retired in January 2023 and was facing a dilemma about her next successor, who could carry forward the philosophies of value-based teaching. She wanted to have such a successor who could carry forward the legacy of the school, but as the school was government-run and the appointment was seniority-wise complete freedom was not in her hands to choose the next principal. By keeping in mind the constraints of authority and entitlement after retirement, she wanted to have the best person for the job who would understand and implement the art integration in teaching and learning.

The case study further engaged the students of BBA in their HR class in reviewing the recruitment and selection strategies in general and succession planning in particular with class discussion. It also targets teaching job analysis concepts to them. Furthermore, it helps them to understand value-based prepositions from the point of view of leaders and comprehend how decisions impact organizational philosophies and culture.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS6: Human resource management.

The case study’s learning objectives, structured according to Bloom’s taxonomy, engage students in higher-order thinking for critical analysis and strategic decision-making. After completion of the case study, students will be able to analyze sustainability practices and evaluate the family’s distribution model for alignment with sustainability and potential expansion strategies; explore adaptive strategies to identify adaptive solutions to challenges such as climate change and economic fluctuations; apply theoretical frameworks to balance exclusivity and growth in the olive oil industry; and assess strategic decisions considering financial viability, environmental responsibility, community engagement and sustainability.

The case study centers on the Abi Raad olive farm, a multigenerational family-owned business deeply rooted in olive cultivation traditions in Selfaya village, within Mount Lebanon’s Aley district. Led by Richard Abi Raad, the family specializes in olive cultivation, olive oil production and handmade soap manufacturing within the agriculture sector. In 2023, the organization faces significant challenges such as rising labor costs and the exploration of sustainable labor sources for future growth. Abi Raad, the primary protagonist, grapples with critical decisions regarding maintaining traditional distribution methods versus expanding into broader markets. His choices must balance the preservation of cultural heritage with the need to uphold brand integrity and competitiveness. The case study traces the family’s historical journey in olive farming and explores their contemporary strategic dilemmas, offering insights into sustainable agriculture, entrepreneurship and navigating modern challenges while honoring tradition. Through the narrative of the Abi Raad family-owned business, the case study provides profound lessons in strategic decision-making and ensuring long-term sustainability.

This case study is suitable for students studying master’s in business.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 11: Strategy.

This case is based on secondary information and data about the Goldman Sachs One Million Black Women initiative and youth entrepreneurship programs from press releases, news articles and websites. The protagonist has been disguised. This case has been classroom-tested in a core MBA course in both face-to-face and online delivery methods.

In March 2021, Goldman Sachs launched its One Million Black Women initiative which expanded its inclusive growth goals to support Black women entrepreneurs who were under-represented and under-resourced. This initiative is one of Goldman Sachs’s sponsored programs that aid existing entrepreneurs. This program would invest $10bn over the next decade to advance racial equity, promote entrepreneurial activity and increase and economic opportunities for these highly motivated and resilient Black women. With the buzz from this initiative, Johnnetta who was a Black female manager at a financial services competitor of Goldman Sachs conceived another approach to groom and grow future generations of women of color entrepreneurs. Her idea was to implement youth entrepreneurship programs in middle schools in states with high populations of students of color. Based on a psychological theory of entrepreneurship approach, these students would learn about entrepreneurship and gain hands-on experience with starting and operating a business. The program was called “Planting 1000 Seeds of Entrepreneurs” to develop a pipeline of savvy, well-prepared future women of color entrepreneurs. Johnnetta’s dilemma was whether to pitch this new youth entrepreneurship program as an employee at her employer as a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiative or start this program as an entrepreneur of a nonprofit in which she would have sole autonomy to administer this program. This case will enable students to develop ideas into a compelling business pitch while sparking debate about approaches to foster DEI initiatives that will have impactful economic benefits for women of color entrepreneurs.

This case is best suited for upper-level undergraduate or graduate students taking business administration courses in management, entrepreneurship, women studies or other courses that cover topics or modules related to DEI initiatives involving women in business.

Through analysis and discussion of the case study, students should be able to understand the marketing mix concept in the context of the retail industry, analyse how the adoption of new media such as social media transforms the elements of the marketing mix and evaluate the marketing mix strategies and their influence on future buying behaviours.

Founded in 2012, “Gecko Kids” is a designer clothing brand based in Mauritius, renowned for its vibrant and playful designs catering to children's fashion and lifestyle. Inspired by the lively spirit of Mauritius, Gecko Kids offers a diverse range of clothing and accessories designed to ignite children's imaginations and celebrate their sense of adventure. In addition to its captivating designs, Gecko Kids, under the leadership of its lead designer, Varnee Moodely, is committed to sustainability, using organic and ethically sourced materials wherever possible. Through responsible manufacturing processes and partnerships with local artisans, the brand strives to minimise its environmental footprint while supporting the communities that inspire its creations. After 32 years in operation, the brand finds itself struggling with challenges stemming from its current marketing mix strategy. This case study delves into the brand’s struggles across the 4Ps – product, price, place and promotion – and explores potential solutions, especially in the 21st century where most companies are adopting digital marketing strategies. Can the company rectify the repercussions of an inadequate marketing plan to sustain the Gecko Kids brand as a thriving local Mauritian entity?

This case study is suitable for undergraduate-level programmes in marketing.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 8: Marketing.

After completion of the case study, the students will be able to critically analyze the business model of Desiri Naturals, analyze the pricing strategy of Desiri Naturals, examine the importance of experiential marketing in the success of an environment-friendly business, identify the challenges faced by new entrepreneurs and evaluate the sustainability practices of Desiri Naturals.

This case study discusses the business model of an environmentally friendly business. The challenges and obstacles faced by entrepreneurs are illustrated in this case. The entrepreneurs’ vision to provide chemical-free food is highlighted and their business operations as a means to fulfill this vision are explained. Desiri used an age-old bull-driven method of oil extraction (Ghana). Challenges in pricing due to the availability of low-priced mass-produced edible oil using the solvent extraction process are presented in this case. The entrepreneurs faced the pricing dilemma at the inception of the business, as oil produced using the natural cold pressing method cost three times the selling pricing of solvent-extracted oil. Innovative methods of experiential marketing such as Ghana tourism are explained in this case. This case study also explains the sustainable and natural farming techniques propagated through its network of farmers. This case study provides insights into the scalability of this model and the scope for employment generation in rural India. The environmentally friendly practices followed by Desiri, such as the use of glass bottles and reusable steel containers for packaging oil are emphasized. Finally, this case presents the marketing and operational challenges faced by entrepreneurs in their quest to expand their operations.

This case study can be used by postgraduate and undergraduate students studying marketing, entrepreneurship, sustainability and operations management courses in commerce and business management streams.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS8: Marketing.

After completion of the case study, students will be able to appreciate the challenges in managing a pharma sales team by learning the nuances of business hygiene, learn how new managers taking over a pharma sales team analyze data of a sales territory by balancing both quantitative and qualitative factors, evaluate the challenges of performance management of sales teams and balancing the expectations of various stakeholders, understand the approach of sales and effort hygiene – correlating data points that may not be directly connected but have a dependency and learn to forecast and build a business projection

Innov-Health’s dermatology (skin and hair) division in West Bengal, an Eastern state of India, recently hired Pradeep Vir as the area business manager. Innov-Health, a leading 100-year-old global healthcare player, was headquartered in the USA, with categories spanning oncology, immunology, neurosciences, metabolic, dermatology and pain management. Its brand Acnend, an acne cream, the only product in the division, was a market leader in India. Acnend required doctors’ prescriptions to be bought and was sold by pharmacies via distributors. In India, Acnend was doing well at the end of the first quarter (January–March) of 2022 in a highly competitive product category. Vir had just joined the West Bengal territory with four major cities, each with a district manager (DM). The position had been vacant for the past three months, but the DMs had done well in their sales performance for Quarter 1. All of them had achieved their targets, so Quarter 2, when he joined, started on a high note. But Salil Govind, the regional sales manager, his boss, was very concerned that a territory that had no manager had been consistently doing so well. He was concerned that the territory had far greater potential than the Quarter 1 projections had laid out. Govind now wanted Vir to re-work the Quarter 2 projections of West Bengal on priority since April had already begun. As Vir started working on the data, he was perplexed. While at a very obvious level, all four DMs were outperforming, there were gaps in varying degrees in the effort levels of each. The cumulative key performance indicators such as inventory, call average and doctor coverage and the data essentials for business hygiene[1] were worrisome and needed to be addressed. In addition, the doctor coverage, resulting in conversion, left a lot to be desired. However, he was conscious that he was new to the organization and would have to tread carefully. He wanted to do well. Vir got down to analyzing and taking action.

This case study is suitable for use in graduate-level management programs. It can be useful in courses such as sales management, marketing strategy and marketing analytics. The case study is also well suited to introducing students to the basics of sales, sales productivity, territory management, managing a team and business forecasting. The case study provides students a step-by-step understanding of business hygiene, and how just looking at overall sales numbers may not be conclusive, but a deep dive into effort and productivity is far more useful for forecasting.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 8: Marketing.

After completion of the case study, the students will be able to discuss topics such as new venture creation and opportunity sensing, knowledge sharing and employee bonding and the use of social networks in business growth.

This case study focuses on the entrepreneurial journey of Mr Nikhil Methiya, the owner of Dronelab Technology Private Limited, which provides surveying, inspection, agriculture, surveillance and research and development services using drone technologies. This case highlights how Methiya used his minimal resources to grew his business, diversified his activities and developed a sound company profile and work culture to provide the best services to clients. This case also discusses the role of social networks in business growth and expansion, the use of effectuation theory in forming new businesses and the importance of conducting a SWOT analysis to understand a firm’s internal and external environments. Furthermore, this case touches upon the challenges and opportunities of the drone industry in India. It leaves readers in a dilemma should Methiya plan to expand his business to Europe and Africa in the upcoming years. This case study is suitable for postgraduate management students specializing in entrepreneurship and can serve as a valuable resource for the Venture Creation Program’s start-up strategy and execution. The case study’s pedagogy involves discussion-based learning.

This case study can be used in management for an entrepreneurship specialty course. It is ideal for postgraduate students and has a moderate level of difficulty.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

After completion of the case study, students will be able to enumerate the unique characteristics of business-to-business (B2B) versus business-to-consumer marketing, explore strategic positioning and how niche marketing can create a competitive advantage, deduce the significance of core values in corporate culture and decision-making, explore innovative partnership and talent acquisition models, infer the role of educational marketing in sectors where clients are not fully aware of their needs and apply strategic decision-making to balance short- and long-term goals in terms of profitability and growth.

This case study tells the story of BarkB2B, a boutique marketing firm specialized exclusively in B2B marketing. Founded in Egypt in 2018, BarkB2B focused on creating long-lasting partnerships with clients in industries such as IT, logistics, construction and renewable energy. The case explores the critical aspects of BarkB2B’s business model and offers a comprehensive view of real-world challenges and opportunities in the B2B marketing landscape. It helps learners understand strategic positioning, core values in decision-making, innovative partnership-based business models, the role of educational marketing and the complexities associated with growth. It concludes by highlighting the dilemma faced by BarkB2B’s founder and managing director Naela Sakr as she reflects on the challenge of maintaining the company’s positioning while achieving greater profitability and growth.

The case study is intended for undergraduate and graduate students in marketing, strategic marketing, consumer behavior and entrepreneurship courses. It is also beneficial for marketing professionals, entrepreneurs, corporate training and executive education programs.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 8: Marketing.

The learning outcomes focus on enabling higher-order learning for students to critically assess Agile project management in philanthropic settings, specifically compare and contrast Agile project management versus traditional project management in the context of a non-profit organisation (The Solidarity Fund) during a crisis; discuss and evaluate the role and contribution of philanthropy during times of crisis; rate the value additions and contributions of Agile approaches in philanthropy; evaluate the phases of Agile (unconventional) project management executed by The Solidarity Fund; and develop a review of the impact of the work done by The Solidarity Fund in terms of the approach that the Fund used. How effective/not effective was it?

Chaos, crisis and confusion: the three “C”s that succinctly condense the status quo during the COVID-19 pandemic. The roles and contributions of non-profit organisations gained recognition as countries worldwide responded to the crisis to save lives and livelihoods.

In South Africa, there was a sense of urgency and considerable pressure for a multi-stakeholder approach led by the government to save as many South African lives as possible. The conditions, however, were the opposite of traditional project management methodologies that advocate for the management of the triple constraints, namely, cost, time and scope.

How could cost be managed in a project without a set budget and which was reliant on philanthropy? How could time be managed without a set deadline and while tackling an invisible enemy – a virus that changed dynamics on a daily basis and – how could scope be managed in a context where the future was increasingly uncertain?

This case study can be useful for students undertaking postgraduate diploma in business, master of business administration (MBA), master of management courses.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 11: Strategy.

After completion of the case study, the students will be able to understand the challenges faced by cocoa farmers in developing countries and their impact on the cocoa value chain, describe the need for a business to create a business model that offers social impact in small developing economies, explore innovative business models, such as vertical integration, for addressing transparency and fair compensation issues in agricultural supply chains, analyze the role that start-ups can play in disrupting the commodities supply chain and building a national competitive advantage and examine how a values-driven business can gain the trust of stakeholders and create a profitable ecosystem.

This case study describes the innovative business model of Inaru Corporation, a pioneering venture founded by two sisters, Janett Liriano and Erika, aimed at revolutionizing the cocoa industry in the Dominican Republic. This case study outlines the challenges faced by cocoa farmers in the country, including low productivity, exploitation by middlemen and lack of value addition. Inaru’s innovative business model aimed to disrupt the traditional supply chains by prioritizing fair compensation for farmers, investing in sustainable practices and vertically integrating cocoa production from farming to manufacturing. Through direct relationships with producers, profit-sharing agreements, and a commitment to ethical business practices, Inaru sought to empower cocoa farmers and cultivate a more equitable and sustainable cocoa industry. Inaru was a model for ethical and caring business practices where it shared the profits with its farmers. By operating a profit-sharing model and sharing its fortune with other women, Inaru was helping create gender equity in the cocoa sector. Inaru planned to scale its business model to other cocoa-producing countries and even transfer its business model strategy to other commodities beginning with the coffee segment in Dominican Republic. By exploring Inaru’s case study, students gain a deep understanding of how businesses can drive positive change, create value for stakeholders and contribute to sustainable development goals.

This case was written for use in teaching graduate and postgraduate management courses in entrepreneurship and economics, politics and business environment.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

In writing this case, the authors collected both primary and secondary data. Primary data were collected through personal observation and semi-structured interviews with Konstantinos Papageorgiou Jr, Papageorgiou Transports & Logistics’s (PTL) CEO. In 2014, Konstantinos Jr participated in an entrepreneurship course for executives instructed by the first author at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. Since then, the first author has served as an advisor to PTL’s CEO. Furthermore, Konstantinos Papageorgiou Jr presented his case during an undergraduate management course at the Department of Business Administration at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens in November 2020. Finally, three semi-structured interviews with the CEO were conducted from December 2020 until March 2021. Secondary data were collected from the company’s website and social media, as well as databases and annual reports. Since the academic year 2021/2022, the authors have each independently taught the case study in various courses, including strategic management (undergraduate and postgraduate), entrepreneurship (undergraduate) and innovation management (undergraduate and postgraduate). Testing the case in class has shaped the instructor’s manual.

The case study of PTL highlights a remarkable transformation in response to a critical business challenge. Facing the abrupt loss of their main client in 2010, PTL, led by Konstantinos Papageorgiou Jr, swiftly recovered and sought to proactively mitigate future shocks. Operating amid the Greek economic crisis, Konstantinos Jr recognized an opportunity in the niche market of juvenile Mediterranean fish (fry) transport. Despite lacking prior expertise in this field, PTL engaged in open innovation, collaborating with a variety of partners to acquire the necessary knowledge and capabilities. By 2013, PTL had successfully entered the niche market of fry transportation. Over the subsequent years, this venture grew, and by the end of 2022, PTL operated four trucks dedicated to this niche market. The company’s remarkable transformation exemplifies how a small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) can adapt, innovate, and diversify its offerings beyond its comfort zone, ultimately achieving a tenfold increase in turnover. PTL’s journey showcases the strategic value of partnerships and the potential for SMEs to evolve into “innovation producers” in the face of adversity.

The PTL case is suitable for management, strategic management, innovation management and entrepreneurship courses. The case is recommended for use at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels (a different teaching plan is proposed for each level). It provides both undergraduate and master’s students studying business administration the opportunity to explore issues associated with the management of SMEs, the formulation and implementation of a business strategy and the management of innovation in SMEs.

The case study’s primary learning objectives are to develop a number of professional competencies, such as personal ethics and citizenship, decision-making acumen and business acumen. Students deal with a novel situation, underpinned by four Sustainable Development Goals (reduced poverty, quality education, decent work and economic growth, and reduced inequalities) and are required to consider a broad range of historical and cultural nuances in a resource-constrained environment, to address the dilemma at hand.

This case study tracks the efforts of a non-profit company called Just Grace, which was established in 2012 in Cape Town. Just Grace’s mission is to uplift the Langa community, an underprivileged urban suburb in Cape Town, via educational, career development and social programmes. Just Grace’s programmes have achieved success in Langa. The dilemma now facing Just Grace is whether their existing model is transferable to a rural community in the Eastern Cape in South Africa.

The case study is aimed at both local and international postgraduate students studying an honours or master’s degree in a business-related field such as accounting or an MBA.

CSS 1: Accounting and finance.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

Upon completion of the case study, student will be able to discuss valuation of new-age ventures and understand how it is different from the valuation of organisations with a longer history; analyse the considerations (quantitative and qualitative) while evaluating investments in new-age ventures; and develop a framework involving the various dimensions of investment readiness.

The fintech space in India has seen an upsurge of activities since 2016. The growth of Paytm, RazorPay and many such ventures and the drastic improvements in this ecosystem have been significant catalysts for this segment of new-age tech companies. Funding and valuations have seen a sharp increase, especially when businesses worldwide felt the after-effects of the pandemic, with India being home to a large number of unicorns, second only to the USA. Open Financial Technologies Ltd (OPEN TECH) is one such venture that claimed its spot as the 100th unicorn of India within a span of five years since inception. With a strong focus on disrupting the banking sector in India, this neo-bank aspires to be the equivalent of Stripe in India and eventually be a strong competitor in the international market.

Richard O’Neil is an active investor in the fintech space, based out of the UK, and he is currently looking to expand the market by considering investment options. In the process, Richard and his team have identified India as a viable and competitive market, as new venture support and funding are increasingly emphasized through policies such as Startup India, Make in India and many such more to sustain and propel its benefits. As the team was exploring ventures worth investing, Open Financial Technologies caught their attention. However, Richard, given his experience across fields and being a seasoned private equity investor, realised that valuing new-age companies is as much an art as it is a science. Multiple quantitative and qualitative aspects need to be considered while relevance of traditional valuation techniques to put a value on such entrepreneurial ventures is questioned. At this juncture, he finds it crucial to evaluate the investment readiness of OPEN TECH.

This case allows students to understand how valuation of new ventures is different from that of established companies and analyse the crucial factors worth considering while evaluating an investment proposal as a venture capitalist, which eventually helps shape the funding pitch of an entrepreneur in the space.

This case study can be useful for students undertaking graduate- and executive-level courses on business valuation and strategy and entrepreneurship, as well as entrepreneurial finance elective at the undergraduate level. One could use this case in courses on entrepreneurship and innovation, such as an introductory course on entrepreneurial finance and a course on venture capital and private equity. It also allows discussion on fintech and neobanking and the valuation of privately held companies.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 1: Accounting and finance.

This case study exposes students to the process of decision-making given the market uncertainty, evolving shareholder expectations and other variables that executives and managers must consider ensuring business continuity and growth and helps students develop an appreciation of the impact emerging technologies are having on organizational digital transformation. This case study evaluates the strategic considerations for whitespace digital solutions into existing organizational operations, balancing innovation with core operating principles; exposes the students to the drivers of fostering a culture of innovation and employee buy-in during strategic digital transformation initiatives; and evaluates and appreciates the role of key stakeholders, such as customers, employees and executive management, in shaping a successful digital transformation strategy and promoting sustained business growth.

Vidhii Partners, a leading Indian law firm, grapples with the burgeoning demand for legal services in a rapidly evolving market. Traditional methods may struggle to keep pace, prompting Vikram Wadehra, a partner, to champion the adoption of Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) technology. Vidhii Partners embarks on the development of two GenAI tools: VidAI, an AI-powered chatbot designed to democratize access to legal information, and VidAI Pro, a business-to-business offering aimed at streamlining legal research and drafting. Wadehra envisions these tools not only enhancing efficiency but also fostering a culture of legal awareness and generating new business opportunities. However, crucial decisions remain. Can Vidhii Partners bridge the potential gap between innovation and the firm’s established practices? How can they effectively integrate GenAI into their operations while ensuring user trust and employee buy-in? This case study presents a rich opportunity to explore the challenges and opportunities associated with digital transformation in the legal sector. Students will grapple with themes such as navigating market uncertainty, fostering a culture of innovation within a traditional organization and developing effective strategies for stakeholder management during change initiatives. Through the lens of Vidhii Partners’ GenAI journey, students gain valuable insights into the complexities of embracing disruptive technologies within a dynamic business landscape.

This case study is designed for masters level (MBA).

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 11: Strategy.

At the end of this case study discussion, students should be able to critically analyse the strategic options for a global small and medium-sized enterprise seeking competitive advantage in a highly specialised industry, determine the strategic management and operational approaches to introducing a new product line using the case study options as an example, determine the best investment approach for a global operational strategy considering the financial analysis of associated costs and the best form of financial capital/investment in terms of risks and control references and carry out a financial analysis and make evidence-based decisions with respect to addressing how strategic recommendations will affect the future of a firm’s competitive advantage.

In 2021, Mike Blyth and his business partners, James Pitman and Andrew Pitman, were facing new challenges the business had never faced before. Despite the global upheaval and economic devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 had been a productive year for the South African small-aircraft manufacturer. Globally, sales of Sling Aircraft’s aeroplanes had been good and the company had just finished a development prototype of a high-wing four-seater. Blyth, Andrew and James felt certain that there was space in the market for a five-seater aeroplane and they were meeting to discuss how to set up the business for further success. The strategic choices required to take the company in the new direction seemed clear and obvious, but it became apparent that they faced a dilemma regarding how to set up or restructure the company for success by exploiting the new opportunity without putting all of the hard work of the past 15 years in jeopardy.

This teaching activity is aimed at Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Master of Management.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 11: Strategy.

This case aims to introduce students to the social sector financing (internal and external) landscape, and its nuances. It specifically provides material to enable critical evaluation and decision-making around financing a for-profit social enterprise and its associated challenges.

The case highlights the fundraising options available to a social enterprise in an emerging economy like India. EnglishHelper Technologies Private Ltd. (EH) commenced operations in 2011 as a subsidiary of its parent Boston-based company, to provide technology-based learning solutions primarily to the underserved segments of the country’s population. Sanjay Gupta, co-founder and CEO, EH Inc., wanted to explore funding options suitable for the company’s next growth stage. The existing funding sources of equity from its parent company, grants and revenues (mainly from product sales to government schools) had worked well for EH in the initial years of its growth. But its financial performance was being impacted, and, additionally, further scaling up would require sources that could give a much larger quantum of funds and add support to EH’s operations. EH would also need to revisit its revenue model to strengthen its financial sustainability, by drawing lessons from the other prevalent ones in the ed-tech sector and make it more effective. The case encourages students to assess the various funding alternatives, internal and external, for a social sector private company with a for-profit model like EH, to enable it to achieve its scaling-up plans while serving its social mission.

The case is relevant for both undergraduate and postgraduate students and can be used in business administration programs.

CSS 1: Accounting and finance.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

After working through the case and assignment questions, students will be able to recognize essential considerations for the initial public offerings (IPO) decision, compare different types of fundraising options for startups, evaluate the free pricing regime for IPO pricing, examine the pricing process of IPOs, explore the issue of valuation of IPOs and assess the decision choices of the founder regarding IPO given the trade-offs and market conditions.

The case study explores the dilemma of Ghazal Alagh, the co-founder and chief innovation officer of Mamaearth, a direct-to-consumer babycare and skincare unicorn, regarding its IPO decision. Mamaearth had filed the draft offer document with SEBI in December 2022, and Ghazal was busy engaging with the investment bankers for the upcoming IPO. However, the weak market sentiments and shelving of IPO plans by many startups were forcing her to think about facing the possibility of postponing the IPO or continuing the IPO process but at lower valuations. The case study provides an opportunity to explore a startup’s financing choices. It allows for discussion of various IPO challenges from the perspectives of founders, venture investors, regulators, investment bankers and new IPO investors.

This case study is best suited for senior undergraduate- and graduate-level business school students in courses focusing on entrepreneurship, corporate finance, financial management, strategic management and investment banking.

CSS1: Accounting and finance.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

Upon completion of this case study, students will be able to understand Recaudo's contribution to sustainability; analyze circular economy principles in Recaudo's operations; understand Recaudo's contributions to Sustainable Development Goals; exploring Recaudo's role in social innovation.

The purpose of this case study is to understand sustainability practices in a Mexican microenterprise that employs fair trade, circular economy and local cuisine. Despite implementing these practices, the founder aims to expand impact and further professionalize them. The study poses questions to enhance her proposals in social innovation and aims to reach business schools and entrepreneurs initiating enterprises.

This case study can be useful for undergraduate students majoring in fields such as business administration, entrepreneurship, sustainability studies and hospitality management; for postgraduate students pursuing advanced degrees in areas like sustainable business management, social entrepreneurship and development studies; and for professionals and practitioners in the restaurant industry, sustainability consulting firms and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) focusing on sustainable development.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

This case study is designed to enable students to understand the reasons behind the launch of a beauty brand grounded on traditions and culture, understand the strategies adopted by Florasis to establish its presence in the C-beauty space and emerge successful, analyze the positioning of a C-beauty brand in a highly competitive beauty market, identify the issues and challenges faced by a C-beauty brand in its efforts to disrupt the C-beauty space and suggest strategies that Florasis can adopt to emerge as a market leader in the global beauty industry.

Set in 2021, the case study discusses about the emerging C-beauty brand Florasis innovative strategies to promote the brand. Florasis was founded in 2017 with a vision to become a century old national makeup brand of China. Florasis was successful in getting on board a story-telling experience that featured traditional Chinese culture, aesthetics and heritage. It sold cosmetic products with retro packaging, concepts derived from traditional Chinese style, promoting a sense of national pride and nostalgia. The case study highlights the innovative strategies Florasis adopted like influencer marketing through key opinion leaders and key opinion customers, celebrity endorsements, user co-creation programs, social content and network marketing, brand crossovers and collaborations, etc. In April 2021, Florasis became the No. 1 cosmetic company in China with a gross merchandise value of 218m yuan and further the total sales for second quarter of 2021 reached 830m yuan, endorsing its supremacy over other global and local beauty brands in China. However, with success came along a set of challenges. Some analysts pointed that the brand was slow in innovating its product line-up, it focused more on promotions and advertisements and the brand positioning with a single sales channel, the cost performance and quality of the products and excessive marketing campaigns targeting a niche segment. Going forward, what should Florasis do to conquer the global beauty space? Can Florasis aspire to become a digitally empowered global beauty brand? Has it got the momentum? Will its direct-to-consumer model and unprecedented marketing and promotion gimmicks, help it achieve the lead in the global beauty space?

This case study is suitable for students of the graduate and undergraduate programs in management.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 8: Marketing.

This case study is designed to enable students to understand the demand for flexible containment products in India, understand the need for a joint venture (JV) with an international company, assess Agastya Inventions Private Limited’s (AIPL) cost and benefits of acceptance of the JV offer, evaluate the growth possibilities in the Indian biogas sector, and conduct the valuation of AIPL for its better positioning during the JV deal.

The case study is about the dilemma faced by Prantik Sinha, co-founder and director of Indian company AIPL, to accept or decline a JV offer from a French industrial conglomerate Serge Ferrari Group SA (SFG). AIPL is a leading manufacturer and trader of biogas storage tanks, water storage tanks, airlifting bags, floating boom barriers, trash floating boom barriers and inflatable swimming pools. The company adopts business-to-business and direct-to-customer business models. It develops products as per clients’ specifications and their exact requirements. In 2022, SFG proposed collaborating with AIPL to market its biogas digesters in India and abroad. As per the partnership deal, AIPL needed to split its biogas digester portfolio and sell it to the proposed JV for a specific one-time value. Sinha believed that the JV was an opportunity to scale the business globally and would likely shape the company’s future. However, he was in a quandary about making a final decision on accepting the JV offer because biogas digesters remained the company’s highest revenue-generating product portfolio. It was against this backdrop, what would Sinha do to accomplish his business objective and protect the interest of the company? The case study highlights Sinha’s commitment to nurture and expand AIPL’s business in India and beyond. It provides ample scope for students to analyze the pros and cons of AIPL’s JV initiative with SFG and suggest whether the company can leverage this offer for business growth.

This case study is meant for MBA-level students as part of their strategic management and financial management curriculum.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 1: Accounting and finance

The primary objective of this case was to grant the students an exposure to the students regarding how to manage a retail business during an economic crisis. In this case, all three of the aforementioned objectives as the students were given opportunity to dissect the business process through business model canvas, find out the key success factors and more importantly, were encouraged towards cost cutting behaviour by presenting the real-life dilemmas that were faced by an actual entrepreneur. Furthermore, the students were shown the importance of stakeholder management through this case, as support is very much needed for the retailers from macro-economic and micro-economic level.

This case study is the story of Global Gadget Limited, a premium retailer of cell phones and other relevant devises, which is located in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. The story is revolving around the challenge that Mr Shahadat Hossain Dipto, the owner of Global Gadget is facing over the past two years. Dipto mainly runs his business by selling budget phones from brands like Oppo, Xiaomi, Samsung and Vivo to the middle class and lower middle-class people of Bangladesh, who are very much cost conscious. To persuade these customers to buy his phones, he offers discounts, free gifts, equated monthly instalment services (a monthly instalment plan for the customers who cannot afford to pay the full amount when buying the phone) and sometimes even lottery. In the process, if he can sell more phones, these brands reward him with attractive commissions and all the necessary supports that help him run the business with marginal profit. However, due to the Russia–Ukraine war, he is now in crisis as the resulting economic crisis is causing a price increase on these phones, while drying out his customer’s pockets. This case study is designed to teach the students the importance of product segmentation, inventory management, cost management and relationship management to the students and future entrepreneur, so that they can understand, what does it take for an entrepreneur to survive an economic crisis.

This case study is aimed at undergraduate, masters’ students in business schools and Master of Business Administration students or short course executives and for the students of entrepreneurship education programme.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS3: Entrepreneurship.

After completion of the case study, students will be able to decipher key concepts underpinning sustainable entrepreneurship and its application in the recognition and exploitation of sustainable business opportunities, decipher the application of circular economy business models, understand the pivots to achieve the billion-dollar valuation and analyse the strategies for value creation during the pivoting journey of a startup.

The case study traces the journey of Phool.Co, a sustainable biomaterial startup based in a Tier II city of Kanpur located in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India, by Ankit Agarwal in 2017. Agarwal started with the vision of providing solution to the effects of water pollution and environmental damage. Ganga is not just a river, rather it is the symbol of cultural and religious faith in India. Although the river Ganga is considered a deity in India, it is one of the most polluted rivers. Every year 8,000,000 metric tonnes of waste flowers are dumped into the sacred river to pollute it further. The pollution poses grave dangers to the health and livelihood of millions of Indians. Phool.Co is a sustainable enterprise that has pioneered flower cycling technology. The dumped flowers are recycled to produce organic incense sticks, Florafoam, and “Fleather – the organic alternative to leather”. The case study traces the genesis of Phool.Co and its approach towards sustainability in the context of the circular economy. The case study primarily explores the pivot points for a startup to enter the unicorn club in the present context. To achieve the desired valuation, Agarwal must decide to rethink its business model. Will franchise model work for Phool.Co? Should Agarwal scale up with commercialization of Florafoam to capitalize the opportunity in packaging industry? Vegan leather is a nascent market and how will the consumers respond to Fleather is a pertinent question. The case study attempts to explore the challenges encountered in augmenting the valuation of sustainable enterprises.

This case study is suitable for graduate and postgraduate students enrolled in courses related to entrepreneurship, innovation and sustainability. The case study is of intermediate-level difficulty. There are no specific prerequisites to understand the case.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

This case was developed by using primary data collected from two separate one on one interviews, a panel interview in which Josee was featured and secondary data collected from news articles and publications featuring Josee. Information specific to Atikuss’ offerings was found through the Atikuss website. A translation software was used to understand many of the articles about Josee, as many were in French.

Atikuss (meaning young caribou in Innu) is the sustainable business founded by Josee LeBlanc, an Indigenous woman from Northern Quebec. As a workshop-boutique, Attikuss offers a diverse selection of hand-made traditional Indigenous items from her own Indigenous culture. Hopeboots is a project run through Atikuss which allows customers to create their own Mukluks while learning about Indigenous culture and the story behind every design. When starting her business, Josee learned that the women making mukluk boots were not earning a livable wage for their work. Her dilemma when creating a sustainable business was whether to increase the beaders wages to a fair wage, costing her and the consumer more, or maintaining the status quo by continuing to pay the beaders less then five dollars an hour. Josee’s decision to increase wages generated opportunities and increased well being through social investments in her community. This decision considers the cost to many stakeholders and offers an Indigenized perspective to entrepreneurship. This case is relevant to Indigenous entrepreneurship, sustainability, social innovation, business ethics, and corporate social responsibility.

This case is targeted toward university-level students and can be relevant to graduate-level students as well.

To write this case, several research methods were used. Most importantly, field interviews were conducted with employees at Banati foundation. The interviews were held with three different employees at different points in time, including the marketing manager, the executive manager and the head teacher working with the girls at the foundation. These interviews helped provide details regarding the foundation’s culture which is hard to get from secondary sources. In addition to this, one of the researchers was a volunteer at the foundation for 6 months before starting this research and so had strong background knowledge on the workings of the entity. Finally, secondary sources were used to provide accurate historical information and numerical statistics. These sources included the foundation’s website and annual reports as well as newspaper interviews with the Banati’s Chairperson.

This case poses the marketing dilemma faced by Banati Foundation, a non-profit organization (NPO) based in Egypt. Banati has offered child protection services to girls at risk since its establishment in 2009. In particular, the case focuses on the foundation’s strategy and operations in 2020. Since its inception, the foundation has been led by the main founder, Dr Hanna Abulghar. Under her leadership, the foundation flourished and won several international awards. The foundation became a home, a school and a support system to the girls who were once homeless. Yet even though Banati succeeded in improving the lives of many girls at risk, the foundation still sought ways to sustain its funds and to empower the girls to thrive after they left the foundation. As the key person responsible for setting the foundation’s direction and strategy, Dr Hanna faced marketing challenges that include overcoming social stigma, diversifying the donor base and increasing fundraising.

This case is suitable for undergraduate and Master’s students who already have an understanding of the basic marketing principles such as the marketing mix (4Ps)/market segmentation and have taken an introductory marketing course previously. Furthermore, the case presents an opportunity to apply marketing concepts such as segmentation, targeting, positioning and promotion within the context of social and NPO marketing. It is ideal for students studying social marketing, NPO marketing strategy, cause marketing, fundraising techniques and social inclusion.

The case is written based on publicly available data from primary sources like the company’s annual reports and presentations and from secondary sources, as indicated in the references.

Barnes & Noble Inc. (B&N), one of the oldest and largest American retail booksellers founded in 1917, was facing a grim business situation underpinned by a fall in demand, a change in consumer preference and stiff competition. After almost a century of being in the business, B&N was experiencing a fall in market share and weak stock market performance. In 2019, the company was sold to Elliot Advisors – a hedge fund – for US$638m. With the appointment of new chief executive officer (CEO) James Daunt in August 2019, a man known for the turnaround of similar businesses, B&N expected its business’s revival and reorganization strategy to turn profitable. Its long-term strategy of beating competitors with its offerings’ sheer volume and low prices was no longer viable. The turmoil was compounded by top management crises with the repeated changes and ousting of several CEOs in a short span, alongside the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns in 2020 and 2021. Daunt was considering how to overcome the crisis and act fast to reposition the company and regain the loyalty of its customers. Was there more that the company could do to improve the company’s position and restore profitability?

The case can be used in strategic management and entrepreneurship classes at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The case can be used in an investment analysis and management course to teach students the industry analysis technique using Porter’s five forces model.

This case was developed using a mixture of publicly available documents created by the partner community, general information from public sources like the First Nations Finance Authority (FNFA) website and Government of Canada websites, and personal and first-hand experience of the indigenous coauthor, Storm Gould.

Wisikk is a Mi’kmaq sovereign reserve territory located in Mi’kmaq’ki in the place that settler governments call Nova Scotia. The community has existed in its location since time immemorial and has been recognized by the settler government since the early 19th century. An opportunity for community-run business has arisen for Wisikk based on the legalization of cannabis throughout Canada in 2018. This case’s protagonist is the community’s Vice-President for Business Development, Andrew Googoo, as he considers bringing a proposal for a cannabis retailing venture to the Chief and Council. Cannabis legalization in Canada left sales policies to the provinces and was silent as to the rules governing cannabis sales by indigenous communities on their sovereign territory. Considering both potential negative impacts to the community, as well as the potential financial benefits from a successful reserve-based cannabis dispensary, Andrew must soon present his initial findings to the Chief and Council for their deliberation and decision. Any venture undertaken by the reserve would require a loan from the FNFA, so Andrew must also consider the projections and reports that the FNFA would require to support their lending decision.

The case is appropriate for mid-level or capstone undergraduate and graduate business courses, especially those focused on entrepreneurship, business ownership or indigenous ownership. The case was originally developed for the accounting division of an international undergraduate case competition. In addition to accounting concepts like pro forma/budgeted income statements and decision analysis, it is intended to showcase some legal and cultural features of community-led indigenous business ventures. The idea is for students to explore concepts of sovereignty, community involvement and broader stakeholder impact, as well as more technical accounting and financial concepts.

The case is designed to be used with the digital business model framework developed by Peter Weill and Stephanie Woerner of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) (Weill and Woerner, 2015) and is referred to as the W & W framework. This approach provides a useful structure for thinking through the strategic options facing environments ripe for digital transformation.

Research for this case was conducted through face-to-face interviews with the protagonist, as well as through a review of their business planning documents and other data and documentation provided by the founder. Some of the market and industry data were obtained using secondary research and industry reports. Interviews were digitally recorded and transcribed to ensure accuracy.

The case follows the story of Kurt Waltenbaugh, a Minnesota entrepreneur who shared the dream of using data analytics to reduce costs within the US health-care system. In early 2014, Waltenbaugh and a physician colleague founded Carrot Health to bring together their personal experience and expertise in both consumer data analytics and health care. From the beginning, they focused on how to use data analytics to help identify high-risk/high-cost patients who had not yet sought medical treatment. They believed that they could use these insights to encourage early medical interventions and, as a result, lower the long-term cost of care.

Carrot’s initial success found them in a consultative role, working on behalf of insurance companies. Through this work, they honed their capabilities by helping their clients combine existing claims data with external consumer behavioral data to identify new potential customers. These initial consulting contracts gave Carrot the opportunity to develop its analytic tools, business model and, importantly, to earn some much-needed cash flow during the start-up phase. However, they also learned that, while insurance companies were willing to purchase data insights for one-off market expansion projects, it was much more difficult to motivate them to use data proactively to eliminate costs on an ongoing basis. Waltenbaugh believed that Carrot’s greatest potential lay in their ability to develop predictive models of health outcomes, and this case explores Carrot’s journey through strategic decisions and company transformation.

This case is intended for either an undergraduate or graduate course on entrepreneurial strategy. It provides an effective introduction to the unique structure and constraints which apply to an innovative start-up within the health-care industry. The case also serves as a platform to explore the critical criteria to be considered when developing a digital transformation strategy and exposing students to the digital business model developed by Weill and Woerner (2015) at MIT (referred to in this instructor’s manual as the W&W framework). The case was written to be used in an advanced strategy Master of Business Administration (MBA) class, an undergraduate specialty health-care course or as part of a health-care concentration in a regular MBA, Master of Health Care Administration (MHA) or Master of Public Health (MPH). It may be taught toward the end of a course on business strategy when students are building on generic strategy frameworks and adapting their strategic thinking to the characteristics of specific industries or sectors. However, the case can also be taught as part of a course on health-care innovation in which case it also serves well as an introduction to the health-care payments and insurance system in the USA. Finally, the case can be used in a specialized course on digital transformation strategy in which case it serves as an introduction to the MIT W&W framework.

The case is particularly well-suited to students who are familiar with traditional frameworks for business strategy and business models. The analysis builds on this knowledge and introduces students interested in learning about the opportunities and challenges of digital strategy. Equally, the case works well for students with clinical backgrounds, who are interested in how business strategy can influence changes within the health-care sphere. Finally, an important aspect of the case design was to develop students’ analytical confidence by encouraging them to “get their hands dirty” and to carry out some basic exploratory data analytics themselves. As such, the case requires students to combine and correlate data and to experience the potentially powerful combination of clinical and consumer data. Instructors should find that the insights from these activities give students unique insights into the potential for of data analytics to move health care from a reactive/treatment ethos to a proactive/intervention ethos. This experience can be particularly revealing for students with clinical backgrounds who may initially be resistant to the use of clinical data by commercial organizations.

Data for the case came from public sources, including legal proceedings, court filings, company press releases and Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

In June 2020, former Pinterest employees made public charges of gender and racial discrimination. Despite changes implemented by the company, several Pinterest shareholders filed derivative lawsuits charging the company with breach of fiduciary duty, waste of corporate assets, abuse of control and violating federal securities laws. The case provides an overview of the company’s management, board and stock structures, as well as information on the shareholders who sued the company and their concerns. The case raises substantial questions about management’s and board member’s responsibilities in corporate governance, illustrates how stock structures can be used to impede governance and suggests ways to evaluate activist shareholders.

This case is appropriate for graduate, advanced undergraduate or executive education courses in strategy, corporate governance or strategic human resources that discuss corporate governance, fiduciary responsibilities, designing workplace culture or management responses to shareholders. Instructors can apply two sets of theories and frameworks to this case: theories of corporate governance and Hirschman’s (1970) exit, voice or loyalty framework in the context of shareholder activism.

The case uses primary source documents, such as the court cases brought forth by the SEC and US District Attorney, for the specifics about the fraud and secondary sources for further background information about the town and industry. The individuals in the case are not disguised. The authors have no connection to the case.

Thomas Laws was a CPA, a registered investment advisor and a real estate broker. Laws made a poor business investment. Instead of taking the financial hit, Laws orchestrated a complex Ponzi scheme using clients from his CPA practice and embezzling money from an employer, Santa Fe Gold Corporation. Laws’ scheme continued until his employer confronted him about missing funds. Frank Mueller, the CFO of Santa Fe, did not exercise the due diligence necessary until it was too late. Rest’s framework for ethical decision making is used to frame the ethical decisions Mueller can make. The case examines the conflict-of-interest guidance issued by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and allows students to examine the due diligence and controls needed by employers and prospective investors.

This case is designed for undergraduate accounting students taking Intermediate Accounting I, ACCT 0312 at the authors’ institution, typically junior-level students. It would be appropriate whenever you introduce the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct during an ethics discussion.

The case was developed from secondary sources. This descriptive case was classroom tested in undergraduate organizational behavior courses.

The 94th Academy Awards ceremony, which honored movies released in 2021, was held on March 27, 2022, at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood. Prior to Chris Rock announcing the winner in the category of best documentary film, Rock was assaulted on stage by Will Smith. On April 8, 2022, the Academy’s board of governors met to discuss disciplinary actions for Smith’s behavior. The Academy’s board decided to ban Smith from all Academy events for the next 10 years. Theories of individual behaviors and social processes can provide explanations for behaviors of Chris Rock, Will Smith, the producers and the Academy.

This descriptive case is most appropriate for undergraduate-level organizational behavior courses. The primary topics in this case align well with individual behaviors relative to emotional intelligence (EI) and motivation. The secondary topics in this case align well with social processes relative to decision-making, conflict and culture.

The case study is based on a social entrepreneurial journey where the authors have used an interview method to get the insights from the protagonists and the employees. Rigorous interviews were conducted online and in person for deep analysis of the protagonist’s strategies and decisive dilemma.

Secondary data was collected from company’s website for facts and figures.

This case study is a story of indigenous tribes of Odisha from the eyes of a woman who, with her co-founder, empathized with their vulnerable life and took on the challenge of creating sustainable livelihoods by establishing Millet Magic Foundation. The Millet Magic Foundation was established in 2021 by Shyama and her cofounder to uplift the indigenous tribe of Mayurbhanj by providing them livelihood through millet-based products. The foundation launched their millet-based snack products with the brand name WOWMOM. Millet Magic Foundation created social impact for the tribals by providing them with employment, fair wages, health care and social well-being. The specialty of the Millet Magic was reverse positioning and focusing on the bottom of the pyramid. The success of the Millet Magic Foundation relied on its mission to uplift the life of these indigenous tribal, especially the women, by overcoming the challenges with the strategies to establish Millet Magic as a social enterprise.

The case study is primarily suitable for postgraduate programme to teach the concept of social entrepreneurship in the entrepreneurship module. The case study can also be used for highlighting the role of social enterprise in sustainable economic development of emerging economies.