Case studies

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.

This case is written on the basis of available secondary data sources including news articles, book chapters, video (YouTube) interviews, research papers and industry reports.

The case study examines Taylor Swift’s professional journey from her debut in the mid-2000s to the present, highlighting her notable accomplishments as a singer-songwriter and entrepreneur. Swift’s success in music, evident through chart-topping albums, sold-out tours and strategic partnerships, positions her as a significant figure in the industry. However, her primary challenge involves maintaining relevance and staying ahead in a continually evolving environment. To sustain her leadership role, Swift must consistently innovate across music, public image and promotional approaches. This entails adapting to changing trends, using digital platforms for increased audience engagement and exploring themes such as audience connection, brand evolution, effective marketing and the ongoing pursuit of competitiveness and influence amid dynamic market conditions. This case delves into Taylor Swift’s evolution as a multifaceted entrepreneur, exploring her strategies to merge personal values with commercial success while navigating public scrutiny and market demands. It highlights her strategic use of social media, engagement with controversies and carefully crafted personal brand to maintain her global influence.

This case may be taught in advanced undergraduate level courses or graduate level courses such as MBA. This case is appropriate for students studying entrepreneurship, marketing and business strategy.

Data is gathered from published sources, informal chats with umbrella buyers and sellers in Alleppey and social media posts.

In Kerala, where monsoons dominate life, umbrellas are more than just a rainy-day essential – they are cultural icons. Enter the fierce, yet friendly rivalry between Popy’s and John’s Umbrella Marts (small and medium enterprises), two homegrown brands that captivated the state for nearly three decades. What began as a simple necessity has turned into an innovation race, with quirky designs such as umbrellas with fans, GPS trackers and even selfie sticks. Behind this playful competition lies a story of family ties, smart marketing and competitive economics. It is only in Kerala that umbrellas transitioned from a commodity to a product. Cousins-turned-business-competitors Joseph and Davis Thayyil have transformed the humble umbrella into a symbol of identity and nostalgia for Malayalis. Their creative strategies not only captured markets but also redefined what an umbrella could be. How Popy’s and John’s umbrellas took advantage of Kerala’s unique monsoon season to drive product differentiation and establish themselves as household names for the last thirty years is a case to be explored.This above is presented as a case that draws data from published sources as well as from Kerala markets using unobtrusive methods.

This case is suited for MBA students specializing in marketing or organization theory and can be adapted for introductory marketing courses (BBA/MBA) focusing on regional branding and marketing mix.

Students will learn to:

1. Assess the hiring challenges of HR managers in emerging markets.

2. Illustrate the application of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools in the hiring process of new ventures.

3. Evaluate the effectiveness and challenges of technology-based hiring.

The case study centres on Hamada Tea Co. Ltd., exploring its hiring challenges in emerging markets. The protagonist, Hema, the company’s executive director, is grappling with whether to invest in GenAI-based hiring tools or continue with the manual scouting process. The case highlights her journey in recruiting a retail sales executive, providing a detailed look into the hiring difficulties unique to new ventures. Designed for students interested in understanding recruitment processes, this case aims to teach the complexities of hiring in new ventures with resource constraints. Through this case, students can examine how GenAI can potentially overcome these challenges and enhance the effectiveness of hiring processes.

This case can be used for undergraduate and postgraduate students to teach the hiring process and its challenges. It is suited for courses that cover introduction to human resource management, digital transformation in HR, entrepreneurship, talent management practices and GenAI in recruitment.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 6: Human Resource Management.

Primary and secondary data were used to prepare this case. For primary data, the company’s owner was interviewed on multiple occasions. The authors also used Vino Mundo company materials, websites and internal reports in developing the case. Other secondary data sources were used to obtain information on the external environment, industry, demographics and market. Secondary data sources included the World Bank, INEC and Urban and Cities Platform data sets.

Vino Mundo was a restaurant and event space in a beautiful mountain villa outside of San Jose, Costa Rica. It offered international cuisine and wine. The founder and owner, Guillermo Aguilar, faced challenges with sustaining and growing his business in the wake of the global pandemic in 2022. Although he had a strong vision for Vino Mundo, he needed to revisit his strategic plan, especially in marketing. He had many decisions to make in 2023.

The case is primarily designed for upper-level undergraduate and graduate marketing courses. It is well-suited for subjects such as marketing management, entrepreneurial marketing, marketing in emerging markets, family and small business marketing and global marketing. It covers topics including marketing strategy and tactics, new product development, segmentation, targeting, positioning, strategic marketing management, family businesses and emerging markets.

After completion of the case study, students will be able to understand various capital raising instruments and their impact on different stakeholders; analyse the financials of a company to select a fitting instrument; and communicate the company’s decision effectively, paying attention to language and style.

This case study describes the funding choices available to Tata Motors Limited (TML), a major global automobile manufacturer based in India. Owing to a very high debt-to-equity ratio and very low debt service coverage ratio, the company urgently requires a fresh inflow of funds to bring its debt levels down and sustain growth. This financial state does not benefit the company in the short or the long run. TML has various options: Rights Issue, Qualified Institutional Placement, Preferential Allotment, Global Depository Shares and Follow-on Public Offering. Each mode has implications for individual stakeholders like the management, promoters, institutions with significant and minor stakes, and retail investors. The dilemma before TML is to choose the best capital-raising mode that suits the current requirements. This case study requires participants to choose an equity-raising mode that satisfies the stakeholders and communicate their decision tactfully to the general public.

This case study is suitable for participants in a regular or executive MBA programme. It is designed to introduce the concepts of capital raising, the different instruments available for capital raising and the fundamentals of financial communication. This case study can be used in MBA courses like corporate finance, financial markets and business communication.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS1: Accounting and Finance.

The case describes a real company, real people and real situations. The authors have used real names other than the name of the cosmetic formulation company and the product design company – which the authors address as “the Florida company” and “the product design company,” respectively. The authors used both secondary and primary data to develop this case study. The case originated from the guest lecture given by Paige in one of the author’s classes. Following her guest lecture, the authors asked her permission to develop her story into a case study, and she graciously consented. The authors obtained background information about the company – Aer Cosmetics, from the company website, news articles and the TEDx talk delivered by Paige. The authors followed it with Paige’s interview, which the authors recorded and transcribed. Based on this interview and the information collected from the other sources, the authors developed the final version of the case study. Paige read and approved the final version for its factualness and sequence of events. The case was then informally reviewed by professors who have published their case studies in the target journal. The authors revised the case study based on this feedback and again obtained Paige’s approval on the case text before submission to the journal.

This case is set in May 2024. Paige DeAngelo, the CEO of Aer Cosmetics, was disappointed with the sales of her newly launched sustainable mascara product. She had been a student entrepreneur at Drexel University for the last three years. She developed her product with the help of the university incubator and other entrepreneurial support systems available at Drexel and outside. Paige had graduated in December 2023. Drexel University allowed its students to remain in their incubator program only up to one year after graduation. Thus, with seven months remaining, it is time for Paige to decide how she would manage the next growth phase of her business. The students are put into the shoes of Paige DeAngelo. They are asked to decide whether to extend their stay in the incubator program, venture out and be an independent business entity, pitch the company for acquisition by corporations, or leverage other entrepreneurial support systems in the environment to grow the company. Students need to craft a strong argument, either supporting the options they advocate for or opposing those they reject.

This case was written primarily for upper-division undergraduate courses but is also suitable for MBA courses.

This case study draws on secondary sources, which are cited in the case and included in the “References and Other Supporting Materials” section of the teaching note, as well as a semi-structured interview with the case’s protagonist to accurately portray the context, considerations and competing interests necessary for students to make an evidence-based recommendation about 5 Generation Bakers’ future. The case protagonist (Scott Baker) gave the author team written permission to use identifying information from the interview. As such, the authors made no attempt to disguise any names or facts pertaining to this case. As a descriptive incident, it illustrates widely used theoretical concepts and models. The case provides students the opportunity to identify theoretical concepts and practical management strategies moving forward in academic and management settings. No AI was used in writing either the case or teaching notes.

Scott Baker, owner of 5 Generation Bakers in McKees Rocks, PA, found himself in a difficult position in October 2015. Needing to find a new facility to expand his bakery business and meet the needs of the modern bakery industry, Scott was on his way to a meeting with officials from Cranberry Township promising a sleek, modern facility in an area with lower taxes and promising access to transportation. This tempting offer came at a cost: uprooting his loyal employees and abandoning McKees Rocks after several decades of his family operating a bakery there. On that October day, a twist emerged – the newly vacant lot of a recently closed Bottom Dollar store offered a chance to expand locally. Now, the family business owner had to decide: pursue the new facility in Cranberry, or revitalize his business and stay local. This case is widely applicable but is most directly relevant to modules related to ethics, corporate social responsibility, family business dynamics and stakeholder management analysis in management and leadership courses.

This case is most applicable to business students at the undergraduate or graduate level in entrepreneurship, business strategy, ethics, or related fields. The case is particularly relevant for modules in decision-making, corporate social responsibility, stakeholder management and family business dynamics.

This case analyzed a mix of publicly accessible primary and secondary sources ranging from blog posts to academic articles. Taken together, the case study shows the reoccurring arguments made by self-advocates.

Most of the videos and speeches mentioned in this case study are available online, and students can read/watch them in addition to reading the details presented here.

Autism Speaks entered the nonprofit scene in 2005 and rapidly became a powerful organization that raised substantial funds, collaborated with influential people and shaped public discourse on autism. However, from the beginning, the organization faced considerable criticism from self-advocates within the autism community who argued that the organization’s negative, medicalized narratives of autism undermined the neurodiversity movement’s goals of acceptance and inclusion. Tensions intensified over the next decade, with grassroots activists and disability rights organizations like the Autistic Self Advocacy Network demanding the inclusion of more autistic perspectives in the organization’s leadership and decision-making processes. The Autism Speaks controversy represents a powerful case study on how nonprofits should ethically represent their beneficiaries, collaborate with the community and engage with activist stakeholders.

This case study was designed for graduate or undergraduate students studying organizational ethics, nonprofit management or nonprofit funding and development.

After completion of the case study, students will be able to enumerate the unique process of project management, address unforeseen challenges in large-scale projects and develop strategies for mitigating risks. This case gives an opportunity to learners to analyses the time impact of failure of such infrastructure projects using project evaluation technique. The students would be able to discuss the social and financial implications of such mishaps on the overall economy.

The case tells the story of Gokhale Bridge in Andheri, Mumbai which serves as a vital link between the densely populated suburb’s, eastern and western part. Originally built in 1975, the bridge collapsed in 2018. The 90-m bridge reconstructed in just 15 months was lauded as an “Engineering marvel” by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), a civic body responsible for Mumbai’s infrastructure. However, during the grand inauguration on February 26, 2024, a critical misalignment with the adjoining CD Barfiwala Flyover was revealed. This 2-m gap rendered the bridge inaccessible to motorists, undermining its intended purpose and frustrating commuters and residents. The case highlights systemic issues in operations and challenges faced by the BMC. Despite the BMC’s substantial budget and history in managing Mumbai’s infrastructure, the Gokhale Bridge debacle raises serious questions about project management. Amidst public criticism, BMC threw the buck on railways and hired two reputed Engineering colleges to propose solutions to rectify the menace. This situation emphasizes the need for meticulous oversight and risk analysis in civic projects, making the Gokhale Bridge a symbol of both ambition and caution. The case study is intended for Graduate, Postgraduate students in Project management and operations. It is also beneficial for Executive education programs intended government officials, civil servants and project managers.

Undergraduate, Postgraduate, Executive education.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 9: Operations and Logistics.