Case studies

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.

Case information was mainly acquired through interviews with Richard Gammans, chief operating officer. Dr Gammans was a visiting professor at Fayetteville State University for a year, and two of the case authors developed personal friendships with Richard. Interviews were conducted over a two-year period as the accelerator got started. In addition, one author conducted a team-building session with the management team and one of the bio-startup researchers. An interview was also conducted with Clayton Duncan, chief executive officer, to gain his agreement with developing the case.

The Accele website included a write-up on each of the pharmaceutical startup companies. The write-up included a company summary, description of the science (disease and cure), the size of the market, results from testing, regulatory considerations and intellectual property. A literature review was conducted as the basis for the information on the pharmaceutical industry.

This case is about a biopharmaceutical accelerator founded in 2011 by two senior executives with experience in both large pharmaceutical companies and running biotech startup companies. The founders were successful in raising capital to start their first venture capital fund which they used to invest in four biotech startups. All four startups were working in very different disease areas. For example, one developed a drug to help with hearing loss that the department of defense was funding. Another of the startups discovered drug candidates that attack antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Biopharmaceutical accelerators were relatively new. They differed from business incubators because they invest in the startups and provide operational support, but the degree of support provided varies across accelerators. The Accele BioPharma accelerator operated in virtual, network type of organization, and Accele BioPharma provided primary strategic and operational management for the startups. The challenge in this case is to identify how the leaders managed the virtual network, and what additional resources were needed so that the management team could expand their ability to assist startups to get drugs approved by the food and drug administration.

This case is suitable recommended for undergraduate/graduate strategy, undergraduate/graduate organizational behavior, entrepreneurship and health-care management courses.

The case is a secondary sourced case. Information for the case was found from news articles and interviews.

David’s Bridal was a privately held corporation generating $1.3bn in annual revenue and employing over 12,000 employees. David’s Bridal filed bankruptcy not once but twice. This case examines the bridal industry and the environmental factors that led to the two bankruptcies. Bridal dresses are at the top of wedding categories. Environmental factors causing bankruptcy included online competition, reputation as seen through the eyes of the consumer, COVID, and supply chain challenges. David’s Bridal first looked to Jim Marcum to turn the corporation around and when this failed, they created a new management team after the second bankruptcy to save the company.

The case is designed as an interdisciplinary case for undergraduate leadership, advanced accounting or undergraduate strategy courses. The case was tested in MGMT 330: Leading People in Organizations. This case is appropriate for junior- and senior-level students.This case will be used in ACCT 402: Advanced Accounting – a senior-level course. The case gives perspective on going concern opinions and the strategic implications of bankruptcy.Possible textbooks▪ Christensen, T., Cottrell, D. and Budd, C. (2023). Advanced Financial Accounting (13th ed.). McGraw-Hill.▪ Hoyle, J., Schaefer, T. and Doupnik, T. (2024). Advanced Accounting (15th ed.). McGraw-Hill▪ Rothaermel, F. T. (2024). Strategic Management (6th ed.). McGraw-Hill

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.

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.

The case portrays an actual organization, real people and an authentic marketing situation. Both primary and secondary data were used to develop the case. Interviews with the company’s founders were a major source of primary data. Email exchanges with the company’s leadership were used to verify and elucidate details within the case and instructor’s manual. Other primary data included direct observations of how maize was milled, sold in the marketplaces and cooked into various staple foods. Secondary data about the company were obtained from the company’s website, social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) and articles in the press. Information on the company’s operating environment was derived from published government reports. The authors also drew on secondary data about the statistics, practices and issues involved in maize production and the agro-processing industry in Ghana.

This case features Sahel Grains Ltd, an agro-processing company based in Ghana, West Africa, striving to grow its maiden product, Faast Mmori. This ready-to-cook corn dough provides a more hygienic and convenient way of preparing local meals, compared to the traditional method, which involves taking maize grain to the local mill facilities and paying to have it milled before cooking. Alternatively, consumers purchase corn dough from the markets to make traditional meals. Since the company launched the product in Kumasi in 2018, sales have grown with the augmented street sales promotion and expanded distribution in premium supermarkets such as Shoprite and Citydia. However, starting in November 2020, the sales seemed to plateau with dwindling new customers, and the monthly dough sales in Kumasi dropped for the first time in December 2020. Although the sales regained positive growth, they then started to lose momentum.

In this scenario, Kofi, the CEO and co-founder, is considering marketing strategies to catalyze growth. Students assume the role of Kofi and are asked to recommend growth strategies to move the company forward. In doing so, they must scan the market environment and analyze the product’s market positioning. More importantly, they are challenged to develop strategies for managing growth.

This case is intended for undergraduate students in an introductory course in marketing, management, entrepreneurship and business in general. It introduces students to key marketing concepts, such as market environment scanning, positioning, product life cycle and market growth 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.

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.

The case study was developed based on secondary data from the publicly available initial accident report of PIA flight PK8303. The facts presented in the report were then analyzed in the light of the Human Factor Analysis and Classification System (HFACS).

The case revolves around the terrible aviation mishap that occurred on May 22, 2020, when Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Flight 8303 crashed in a Karachi residential area. A total of 97 people lost their lives in this tragedy, and it was Pakistan’s 18th major aviation disaster. The case study explores the human errors and failures of ground handling agencies, air traffic controllers, regulatory agencies, airline employees and cockpit crew by using the HFACS. The focus remains on mistakes made by people, which revolve around inefficient and ineffective communication, and contempt of safety regulations at various stages of flight PK8303.

The case study is designed for the students of aviation management at undergraduate and graduate levels.

The case is designed taking into consideration the three learning domains of Bloom’s Taxonomy (Bloom et al., 1956) – cognitive, i.e. knowledge and thinking; affective, i.e. feelings and attitude; and psychomotor, i.e. specific applied skills. Accordingly, these learning objectives are identified:▪ to frame a data and insights-driven design challenge and communicate product and solution design ideas clearly (LO 1);▪ to understand and apply the design thinking process for data science and AI-enabled digital product ecosystem innovation (LO 2);▪ to deploy a structured methodology for adapting a data science and AI-enabled digital product ecosystem in diverse markets (LO 3); and▪ to create a digital product management and go-to-market roadmap for tapping new markets (LO 4).

Stones2Milestones (S2M), a pioneering Indian EdTech company founded in 2009, is preparing to script a first-of-its-kind global success story with Freadom, its machine learning and artificial intelligence-enabled English learning product suite, being used by over 7,500 schools and 1 million-plus K-12 students. Driven by the mission of creating a nation of readers and helping every child “find their place in the world”, the bootstrapped social venture struggled to sustain itself in the initial years despite a healthy uptake by schools of its evocatively named offering, Wings of Words (WOW) that aimed to inculcate the habit of reading among 3–12-year-olds through storytelling. In 2016, S2M pivoted to a product-based model led by technology and digital innovations, launching Freadom, an adaptive mobile reading app that logged an exponential growth in its user base. By 2019, Freadom’s remarkable vision, a data science-led product map, and its enormous potential for global socio-economic impact had earned it a serendipitous association with Stanford University as a mentor and collaborator. Over the next four years, S2M’s contrarian bet on a data science and analytics-led product development strategy, an obsessive focus on user-centric continuous product innovation, foresight to translate the Covid-19 pandemic crisis into an opportunity, and strategic impetus to leverage the Stanford association led to 20-fold growth in its user base, sustained commercial success and global recognition. Enthused by Freadom’s growing success and its untapped global potential in transforming English language skill-acquisition as an essential life-skill among learners in 110-plus English-as-second-language (ESL) countries, the S2M product team had christened Freadom as the “English OS for the World.” In November 2023, in pursuit of ambitious global aspirations, S2M entered into a partnership with the Finnish Global Education Solutions (FGES), a member of Education Finland program controlled by the Finnish National Agency for Education. The S2M-FGES joint venture, by leveraging the mutually complementary strengths of the two partners – a market-leading data science and AI-based product suite with the Stanford pedigree, user-centric innovation expertise, an established and loyal customer base, easy access to low-cost tech and data science talent, sales and distribution capabilities and the global stature of the renowned Finnish school education system that could open doors – aims to further develop and deploy Freadom on the international stage. The case introduces Freadom at this pivotal juncture, identifying underlying dilemmas and challenges that must be addressed towards realizing its global potential. How could Freadom’s ambition fructify, of establishing a made-in-India English learning product suite as the “English OS for the world” in mature global ESL markets, an audacious dream that had never been attempted before? Would the product development, customer acquisition and market expansion approaches aimed at “creating a nation of readers” that had worked so well in India, be replicable in diverse K-12 learning landscapes such as South Korea, Singapore, Middle East and Finland, that were very different, each of them unique in its own way – in socio-cultural, linguistic, educational and pedagogical environment? And, how could Freadom continue to deliver on its promise of being the ultimate English learning platform for 3–12-year-old K-12 students globally, helping them find “their place in the world?”

This case can be used in courses or modules on data science and AI-based solutioning, design thinking and communication, user-centric problem-solving, creativity, innovation, social entrepreneurship, new product planning and development, digital product management, customer experience (Cx) management, sustainable development and international business. The case focuses on the contemporary theme of data science and AI-based design thinking as a tool to understand and frame a socially-pertinent need gap and design challenge, communicate and evaluate ideas and drive sustained user-centric innovation in a digital ecosystem. The surrounding context of this case pertains to social and impact entrepreneurship in an emerging economy with high socio-economic disparities, and underscores the potential for grassroots digital innovations originating from emerging markets to address societal and human development need gaps globally, including in developed economies. This case, therefore, presents a unique opportunity to the faculty at global business schools, which have a fairly diverse class mix from developed and large emerging economies, to generate an enriching discussion on the multifaceted potential of “border-less” social entrepreneurship and innovation. The pertinent theme and surrounding context make the case particularly relevant for the following suggested courses/modules: core/introductory courses on innovation, data science and digital technologies, problem-solving, communication, social entrepreneurship, product management, emerging economies, international business and sustainable development; and elective courses on data science and AI applications, design thinking and communication, educational technology (EdTech), entrepreneurship in emerging economies, creativity and problem-solving, digital business, social and impact entrepreneurship, sustainable business strategy, international expansion and customer-centric communication.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS11: Strategy.