Case studies

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.

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.

There are two theoretical concepts that can be taught in this case.The new approach to teaching entrepreneurship is termed “lean start-up” and “hypothesis-driven entrepreneurship.” The business model canvas is a core tool of this approach. This framework defines nine key components of a successful business strategy. These components include defining value propositions; identifying customer segments; identifying channels; maintaining customer relationships; defining key activities, key resources and key partners; understanding the revenue model of the business; and the organization’s cost structure. This is considered to be a rigorous approach to learning about and developing a new venture.The other theoretical approach that can be discussed through this case is the link between uncertainty and entrepreneurial growth. These theories associate the willingness of entrepreneurs to bear the perceived uncertainty associated with entrepreneurial acts as representative of the belief-desire model. There is a need for entrepreneurs to experiment and search for alternative paths forward in order to counter this uncertainty. Systematic search processes to discover relevant information will strengthen this process.

This case is based on primary data collected through interviews with company personnel. The company consented freely to the use of their data in the case. The authors have no connection with the company. The four student coauthors had previously pursued an internship with the company and had worked on the machine learning analysis part.The two faculty coauthors in the case contacted the company after the internship and discussed the opportunity to write the case on the company. One of the faculty then interviewed key personnel in the company, including one of the co-founders.

Xoxoday is a technology company that provides employee rewards and corporate gifting to its customers. The company was started by Sumit Khandelwal, Manoj Agarwal, Abhishek Kumar and Kushal Agarwal. In 2018, the company reinvented itself as an experiential gifting company.The company faced some challenges during the lockdowns imposed due to COVID-19. Khandelwal knew that they had to try something new to achieve higher growth in the future. He wondered if higher usage of technology was the solution. It was necessary for them to carve a new path in these times.

This case study can be used at the undergraduate level in courses relating to entrepreneurship strategy and business models for entrepreneurs.The case can be used to highlight the dilemmas faced by entrepreneurs due to unforeseen crises. This case is relevant for classes that will discuss growth crises and out-of-the-box solutions for unprecedented crisis situations.

A secondary research method was used to collect data for this case. The authors have made use of newspaper articles and published articles written by journalists and experts, which are available in the public domain.

This case discusses the hurdles faced by Netflix in India. Netflix experienced rapid growth ever since its entry into the Indian over-the-top (OTT) sector. The aggressive pricing strategies by OTT competitors put Netflix in a defensive position in India. Netflix introduced the low-priced mobile-only plan to attract price-sensitive Indian consumers. However, this was not sufficient. Netflix was forced to reduce the price of all its plans in December 2021. The dilemma faced by Reed Hastings (Founder and Co-CEO, Netflix) was whether the revised price was low enough to hold on to existing subscribers and attract new subscribers in India. Netflix was caught between the rock and the hard place in its pursuit to achieve its target of achieving 100 million subscribers from India versus continuing its skimming-pricing strategy. This case highlights the compound challenges of low household income in India and high-income inequality resulting in a lower available market for multinational service providers such as Netflix. The pricing plans and features of OTT competitors in India have also been discussed in sufficient depth to facilitate analysis and classroom discussion by the target audience.

Undergraduate students studying marketing management and basic marketing courses in business management and commerce streams can use this case. This case can also be used for marketing specialization courses at the undergraduate level.

The learning outcomes of this study are to examine the financial performance of Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (BMRCL) during past five years, to compare the financial performance with the initial projections, to identify the causes of deviations in the performance, to recommend the measures to improve financial performance and to apply the learning from the BMRCL project to other similar upcoming projects in India.

BMRCL has been struggling to perform as per projections made in the initial detailed project report. The situation has further worsened because of the COVID-19 pandemic and its post-impact on the overall economic level of activity. Ramana Rao, the consultant for infrastructure projects, was worried after reading a news article which deemed the project a white elephant. Various articles published in the newspaper also reported that BMRCL was incurring a loss of Rs 45 lakhs every day. The consultant worried about the sustainability of the project. He wanted new ideas and plans which could turn around these losses and convert them into profitable ones. He, however, does not have any immediate plans to execute and is therefore in a dilemma about how a project that was launched with so much fanfare could be made profitable. Because of COVID-19 pandemic, BMRCL’s financial situation, which although improving, had taken a significant hit. It looked like the corporation might need government assistance to cover its losses. The transport utility suffered a loss of Rs 170 crore, as a result of a decline in ridership as well as other revenue sources including parking fees and leasing revenues. This amounted to a daily loss of Rs 1 crore. The pressure on revenues was putting the officials in a tight spot about meeting the company’s debt obligations and market borrowings.

The case study aims to enable participants to understand financial performance and viability of large-scale projects such as metro rail in India.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 1: Accounting and Finance

The case is presented as descriptive in nature and primarily involves exploratory research.

Ashraf, a young graduate from Bangalore, India, started a chain of lifestyle shops, his family business in Khartoum, Sudan. To modernize the shops, Ashraf approached a small finance bank for financial assistance. However, after submitting the required documents and with a good credit score, he was denied a loan. The bank officials had mentioned that the loan automation software did not approve the application. Hence, the bank personnel said that they could not do anything further. Disappointed, Ashraf sought the help of his professor, John, to understand why the software rejected his application. Professor John explained to Ashraf the advantages and disadvantages of automation. In the process, Ashraf understood the significance and compelling need to address “Algorithm Bias,” a situation in which specific attributes of an algorithm cause unfair outcomes. The case place students in Ashraf’s position to help them understand the advantages and issues of applying automation through artificial intelligence.

The case suits graduate-level courses like business analytics, financial analytics and business intelligence.

Through the case, the students will be able to: Understand the role of algorithms in business and society. Understand the causes, effects and methods of reducing algorithm bias. Demonstrate the ability to detect algorithm bias. Define policies to mitigate algorithm bias.

This case was developed from both primary and secondary sources. Primary sources were interviews. The secondary sources include legal opinions and journal articles.

In 2012, Scot and his co-owner, both experienced groomers, planned to open their own grooming business. Scott talked with his accountant about the best legal entity for their situation, and the accountant advised Scott that a limited liability company (LLC) would be the best choice. The accountant steered Scott to Legal Zoom, an online legal resource that helps people form business entities, including LLCs. A few years after starting their business, Scott and his co-owner reached an impasse: Scott wanted to expand the business; his co-owner did not. Scott talked with an attorney and learned that the standard form LLC operating agreement from Legal Zoom did not cover this kind of situation. How is an LLC formed? What are the consequences of a flawed LLC formation? What kinds of duties do accountants owe business owners?

This case was written for use in an undergraduate introductory business law course, an introductory accounting course or an accounting ethics course. The focus of the case supports classroom discussion for online and face-to-face instruction regarding business entity formation and fiduciary duties. Educators who use critical thinking in lessons to apply information about the roles of accountants and attorneys working with business owners can use this case to explore and discuss the impact ethical decisions can have on business owner clients.

Through evaluating and examining this case, students will be able to:

• understand what an LLC is and explain how one is formed;

• recognize the consequences of flawed LLC business entity formation; and

• articulate the roles of accountants in the formation of an LLC.

A secondary research method was used to collect data for this case. The authors have made use of newspaper articles and published articles written by journalists and experts which are available in the public domain.

Instances of celebrity activism such as athlete activism are rising. Social media has amplified the voice of celebrities and given them a personal channel to directly communicate with their fans without any media censorship. The same is true especially concerning endorsement by sports superstars, who now seem to have a mind of their own, independent of the official line of clubs, tournament organizers or sponsoring companies. This case discusses the embarrassment and financial loss faced by soft drinks giant Coca-Cola due to the public snub by football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo during an official press conference of the EURO 2020 championship.

Undergraduate and postgraduate students studying marketing management and brand management courses in business management and commerce streams can use this case. This case can also be used for marketing specialization students at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

This study adopted interview methods and field visits to collect the data. An audio recording was done for the whole interview and presented as facts in this case. Field visits were done to see the packs and understand the consumers and their purchase habits of pickles.

Pandian Pickles is a pickle manufacturer located in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, a state in the southern part of India. Mr Kandasamy, one of the partner of the Pandian pickle, had been thinking of ways to grow the business. Pandian Pickles dominated the low-price unit (LPU) market with a unique packing of pickles done in “arecanut” leaf. This added a unique flavour to their pickles. Mr Kandasamy envisioned to grow the business by introducing higher stock-keeping units in the form of jars and tap the middle class and the upper-middle-class segments in the market. In this category, there were much more prominent and branded players. Being a small regional player, Govindan wondered how Pandian Pickles would take these more prominent players in the industry head-on.

The case is ideally suited for discussing the concept of product line stretching, particularly in the product mix strategies of a small and medium enterprise (SME). The case can best fit into the courses such as Entrepreneurship Development, Product and Brand Management, Marketing Management for the Undergraduate levels and in the courses such as Strategic Marketing, Bottom of the Pyramid Markets and Strategies Management of SMEs in the postgraduate levels.

The data for this case was collected from legal and business research databases (Lexis, ABI/INFORM)) and from business press sources (for example, Forbes, the NY Times and the Wall Street Journal). Emails between the Egg Board, the Food and Drug Administration and key players at Unilever are referenced throughout the case and were provided by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service Compliance Branch and obtained pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act. Federal regulations and codes, as applicable, are also referenced (The US Code, the Code of Federal Regulations).

This short case presents the problems of Just Mayo, a start-up company, in maintaining and growing market share in an industry dominated by a well-established, multinational firm. In 2011 Hampton Creek (renamed Just, Inc in 2018) began operations as a manufacturer of plant-based food products. One of its earliest products was Just Mayo, a sandwich spread with all the attributes of traditional mayonnaise except without eggs or other dairy products. Shortly after Just Mayo was introduced, Unilever – a multinational conglomerate and food giant, sued Hampton Creek, claiming that use of the name “Just Mayo” amounted to false advertising and unfair competition.

This case is a learning tool for management, business law and ethics students at the undergraduate level. It was used in 2019 in a business law class at the sophomore and junior undergraduate level, where the focus was primarily on ethical considerations for all parties, understanding the role of regulatory agencies, and the legality of the strategies used. However, this case is equally applicable for a management or strategic management course with a focus on analyzing the tactics used for maintaining competitive advantage. A stakeholder analysis for various parties in either of these courses would also be suitable. Instructors addressing some of these topics together should find it particularly useful.