Case studies

After completion of the case study, the students will be able to analyze the overall competitive environment for telecom sector in India with the use of Herfindahl–Hirschman index tool, execute the fundamental analysis of Jio Platforms Limited (JPL) company, understand the concept of net neutrality and its implications for India market, understand the concept of “Zero debt company” and its implication for companies and understand data privacy concerns.

In early September of 2020, Ashish Aggarwal, a businessman in the northern state of Punjab, India with his usual habit of turning the pages of newspaper on hand and sipping morning chai got excited while reading newspaper with recent investment of Meta Platforms via Facebook buying 9.99% stake in reliance JPL. He explored and saw the potential for small businesses to invest in this and earn money, as a finance-inclined individual Aggarwal thought why not invest and earn from this opportunity. So he started googling and saw all the reviews of analysts on investment site and investors predicted that the deal could be a game changer that would further transform the existing telecom and social media platforms in India. The deal would further open doors for a new market “JioMart” which could be a futuristic design for a “one-stop-shop for e-commerce, social media consumption, instant messaging, and also digital payments”. Mukesh Ambani’s intentions to make the company zero net debt company within next 18 months fascinated him too. All this made Aggarwal interested in investing in JPL on behalf of his company as this investment option was only for business investors. So he called his financial manager, Mr Anish Mahajan for discussing the issue and both started discussing what could be the future of investment, then he told Mahajan to do the complete analysis. Also, Aggarwal was perplexed about the impact that Meta’s investment in Jio would have on consumers, especially in India. How would the telecom regulatory authority in India view it? Aggarwal felt that how the telecommunication industry would plunge into disruption mode in future. What would be the competitors’ stance in India? Would it trigger other players for strategic alliances? Aggarwal was in a dilemma whether he should invest his money in JPL company or not with controversial discussion on net neutrality and data privacy concern?

This case study is suited to master degree programs.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 1: Accounting and Finance.

The learning objectives are intended to stimulate the students’ comprehension of the various challenges faced by Indian social entrepreneurs. The case study offers a rich educational experience spanning diverse fields, including business operations, entrepreneurship, sustainable products, social innovation and financial planning. The case study on social entrepreneurship will guide students to comprehend its concept, significance, challenges and understand how businesses can be a force for positive social impact. The case study serves as a valuable tool for graduate students, helping them improve their critical thinking and solution-focused skills in preparation for their future entrepreneurial endeavors. Students should be able to analyze the case study, answer questions and evaluate the co-founder’s business expansion dilemma.

Social entrepreneurs are vital in tackling pressing societal issues, fostering innovation and creating lasting solutions for rural communities. However, their unique challenges often go unnoticed. This case study highlights the journey of Dr Saji Kurungatil Varghese, the co-founder of Sunbird Straws, an eco-friendly startup, and the complexities they faced while considering business expansion. The purpose of this case study is to provide insight into the world of social entrepreneurs and emphasize their importance and contribution on a wide scale.

This case study is suitable for undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS3: Entrepreneurship.

The case was motivated after listening to Dr Heather Westphal’s leadership journey as a President of State University of North State (SUNS), Somerville. Several subsequent interviews were conducted with Heather, and she also became the chief protagonist of the case. Heather provided multiple quotes and anecdotes. The protagonist Heather and the focal organization (SUNS, Somerville) are disguised. However, the material facts of the case are authentic. Data were collected from public sources and SUNS, Somerville administration. Some of the data have been jittered to maintain anonymity yet keep the authenticity of the lesson.

The case exposes students to a female leader of a higher education institution in the USA. Various aspects a high-level executive must consider when deciding on career moves have been explored. Furthermore, the case draws attention to some extra particulars women leaders must consider during career transitions. The case study then dives into how a leader sets goals, executes them and repeats the process to set new goals. Two types of situations are covered – the first is where planning is followed by execution and the other is a crisis where not much planning can be done. Students will also get a glimpse into how leaders remain fit physically and mentally, as they conduct their duties in high-stress situations. Exposure to mental fitness is especially pertinent in today’s day and age where mental fatigue and issues because of work-related strain are a significant concern. Finally, the case presents students with a decision the leader is facing regarding the direction of the institution – Should she keep it traditional, go nontraditional (online) or become a hybrid?

This case is designed to target undergraduate juniors or seniors in strategy and leadership courses. The course could also be suitable for strategy students of nonprofit and not-for-profit management. It could be taught in the latter half of the course after the basic concepts have been covered. Students will be able to apply the knowledge of the core courses of management and strategy in this case. Hence, this case can act as an integrative case that brings together multiple disciplines and focuses on the leadership of a large institution.

Students studying this case study will critically evaluate business scenarios to develop strategic decisions, incorporating ethics, stakeholder impacts and long-term outcomes; assess managerial competencies and offer recommendations for growth, stability and employee engagement; identify entrepreneurial traits and characteristics, analyzing their impact on strategic planning and growth; evaluate leadership styles and their influence on organizational culture, motivation and success; and apply theoretical frameworks to assess Slimnastics’ challenges and propose data-driven growth strategies.

This case study focuses on a critical dilemma faced by Passant Esmail, founder of Slimnastics School of Ballet in Egypt. With the business recovering from the effects of the global pandemic and Esmail considering a personal relocation, she faces a key strategic decision: whether to sell Slimnastics for a profit, risking its legacy or to distribute equity among the management team, ensuring continuity but potentially compromising operational growth and future scalability. This dilemma forces her to weigh the sustainability of the business, ethical concerns and the impact of her decision on employees, students and the broader community.

This case study is designed for both undergraduate and postgraduate level students and is ideal for courses in entrepreneurship, strategic management and leadership in sports management.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS3: Entrepreneurship.

This case study is developed from financial reports, regulatory filings and news sources to explore the dynamics and outcomes of the partnership between Evolve Bank & Trust (Evolve) and Synapse Financial Technologies, Inc. (Synapse), a bank–fintech arrangement. Evolve’s annual financial statements were analyzed. These documents provided a comprehensive view of the bank’s financial health and the impacts of the fintech collaboration on deposit growth and risk exposure. Financial data related to Evolve’s operations industry were gathered from reliable databases such as those provided by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation BankFind Suite. This included performance indicators, competitive pressures and market trends influencing the bank’s strategies and partnership outcomes. Major financial news outlets such as Bloomberg, CNBC, Forbes, S&P Global and other government and industry-specific publications and databases, such as the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, were used to understand the external market conditions and regulatory challenges that arose throughout the partnership between Evolve and Synapse. This multi-source approach ensures that the case study offers a comprehensive analysis of both internal financial performance and the broader market environment in which Evolve during its partnership with Synapse.

The present competitive environment smaller financial institutions face, coupled with regulatory gaps applicable to both traditional banks and financial technology (fintech) firms, plays a significant role in increasing regulatory scrutiny of bank–fintech partnerships. Evolve strategically positioned itself to capitalize on the growing fintech revolution by forming innovating banking-as-a-service partnerships to extend regulated banking products to millions of fintech customers. Evolve’s most crucial fintech partnership came in 2017 with Synapse. This partnership helped Evolve triple its deposits from $436m to $1.5bn between 2019 and 2023.

Evolve–Synapse’s partnership exposed significant operational, financial and regulatory risks. Synapse’s unilateral revocation of Evolve’s dashboard access prompted Evolve to freeze account activities and revealed an $85m discrepancy between the $180m in customer funds held by partner banks and $265m owed to customers. Over 100,000 Americans were unable to access their accounts, affecting approximately $265m in deposits. Evolve’s overreliance on Synapse to manage fintech relationships left it vulnerable to third-party failures and regulatory scrutiny. This scrutiny highlighted the shortcomings and greater need for regulatory oversight of bank–fintech partnerships.

Did Evolve fail to adequately safeguard customer deposits? It is clear that the bank’s actions and inactions played a significant role in the current crisis. The insufficient regulatory oversight partially explains the inadequate implementation of risk management practices and customer compliance protocols by banks and financial technology firms compromising the financial system’s stability. As of early July 2024, no definitive solution had been reached and is projected that fund distribution will not be completed until October 18, 2024.

This case study is suitable for courses focused on financial markets, fintech innovation, risk management and regulatory frameworks within the banking industry. Students studying finance, banking, business administration or regulatory affairs, as well as participants in executive education programs focused on banking innovation or financial services, will benefit. This case is appropriate for courses in Financial Markets and Institutions with a particular focus on fintech and depositary regulation. A course in Money and Banking may also find this case relevant. Before starting, it is assumed that students have already taken foundational finance courses and macroeconomics courses and have a foundational understanding of financial statement analysis.

The research for the Slimnastics School of Ballet case study used methodological triangulation, incorporating primary and secondary data sources as well as content analysis to ensure comprehensive coverage and validity. Primary data were collected through qualitative field interviews with the organization’s founder (Passant Esmail), key staff members and clients. Secondary data involved a review of relevant literature as well as content analysis of organizational documents, industry reports, financial records and relevant news articles. This triangulation of methods allowed for a robust analysis of the business model and strategic decisions within the cultural entrepreneurship context.

This case explores the entrepreneurial journey of Passant Esmail, founder of Slimnastics School of Ballet, and her innovative approach to building a successful business in a competitive market. Esmail differentiated Slimnastics by offering inclusive ballet education that catered to a diverse range of students, focusing on affordability, community engagement and high-quality instruction. As Slimnastics expanded, Esmail faced challenges in sustaining growth and maintaining competitive advantage. The case examines how Esmail’s innovative strategies shaped the success of Slimnastics and prompts discussion on how the new management can build on her legacy using the Blue Ocean Strategy and the Four Actions Framework.

Suitable for undergraduate and postgraduate students, this case is ideal for courses in entrepreneurship, innovation and gender studies, providing insights into the dynamics of building and sustaining ventures in culturally rich and competitive sectors.

This case study aims to study cost benefit analysis, economic evaluation and its types, study and understand different costs involved in logistics and to identify the role of dynamic leadership in nonstructured organization.

This case study is about one such unique nongovernmental organization (NGO), which was working in commercial space but which did not work for profit. This NGO called Yuvashakti was a well-respected, nonprofit organization in Pune that promoted mountaineering, climbing and other outdoor adventure pursuits. About 30 years ago, a group of young adventure enthusiasts led by the late Dr Mohan Dharia, the organization’s founding president, established Yuvashakti with the goal of introducing young people to outdoor activities such as skiing, climbing and trekking. Since 1985, Yuvashakti had consistently organized several Himalayan trekking programs. Yuvashakti organized bike and motorbike tours, visits to wildlife sanctuaries and other types of excursions around India all year long. In the past 30 years, “Yuvashakti” had done a lot of good for the young people of Maharashtra. Their job was multifaceted.

This case study is suitable for undergraduate students.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS12: Tourism and hospitality.

This case highlights the social entrepreneurship exhibited by Dr Shyam Sunder Paliwal, former Sarpanch (head of village council) of Piplantri Gram Panchayat of Rajsamand district of Rajasthan State in India. After completion of the case study, the students will be able to identify the factors that enabled social change, discuss the role of women in the social change at Piplantri and how their participation can be leveraged in similar contexts, evaluate the measures for addressing the ethical dilemma faced and develop strategy for sustaining and augmenting social change.

Dr Paliwal, former Sarpanch (head of village council) of Piplantri Gram Panchayat of Rajsamand, India was having a deeper look at one of the highest civilian award “Padma Shri”, bestowed upon him by the Government of India. Fully immersed in his 18 years of public service, he started recollecting his journey in the chilly winter of November 2023, which began in the year 2005 as the Sarpanch of Piplantri Gram Panchayat. After toiling hard to improve the basic infrastructure of his Gram Panchayat, his focus quickly shifted to plantation of trees, improving the water level and addressing other social issues such as social entrepreneurship through ecofeminism. He had a larger goal of uplifting the Gram Panchayat community in the barren, parched and encroached land. He vividly remembered the public participation in this drive, especially the women. Through effective utilisation of various government schemes, by 2022, the panchayat could witness more than four and a half lac (0.45 million) trees planted and a large number of functional water repositories enabling socio-economic development of the villagers. Numerous accolades displayed in his office; were the testimony of his work and challenges faced on many fronts. He started reflecting about various factors including ecofeminism that led to the success of his social entrepreneurship activities. He was also concerned about the sustainability of his efforts and scalability of activities while ensuring that developmental activities did not harm the natural environment.

This case on social change journey at Piplantri village can be taught in MBA programmes in social entrepreneurship course.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS3: Entrepreneurship.

After completion of the case study, the students will be able to understand lead and lag indicators, understand job performance and its linkage with job satisfaction, calculate the cost of turnover and design solutions to the problem of attrition and low satisfaction.

Pace Control Gears was a small-scale enterprise based out of Sonipat, India. It was an entrepreneurial venture by Rajesh Kumar, who had set Pace in 2010 to manufacture low-voltage electrical apparatus. Recently, Pace had begun to experience issues with quality control that were largely the result of human error. The company was facing a drop in satisfaction levels and higher attrition levels among the employees. Kumar had to find a solution quickly to address the problem, as it had direct implications for the company’s margins and the assurance of quality that it was associated with in the market.

This case study is suited to undergraduate and postgraduate courses in human resource management and general management.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 6: Human Resources Management.

The following are the objectives of the case study: building and leveraging core competence, realizing the strategic advantage of incumbency and contribution to nation building as a business potential.

Larsen and Toubro (L&T) started as a trading company in 1938. By 2023 L&T was a mammoth infrastructure company with a market cap INR 4,750bn operating 800–1,000 projects in engineering and construction at any point in time. It also worked in the domain of hydrocarbons, power and heavy engineering including defence engineering, financial services and development projects supported by technology. The company went through several phases of environmental disruptions in the form of the Second World War and India’s independence, which brought several opportunities for growth. L&T built competencies to leverage these opportunities, which also contributed to the nation building efforts in India. In 2023, several changes were occurring in the ecosystem in the form of energy changes, sustainability becoming a way of life and digitalization impacting every aspect of business. The managing director and chief executive officer Mr S.N. Subrahmanyan reiterated the need to focus on performance to make L&T a global leader in futuristic tech-driven engineering and solutions. He faced three major challenges – reducing exposure in non-core businesses, adopting technology to strengthen traditional business and leveraging the competence built over 85 years to improve the performance of L&T, while contributing to nation building.

This case study is suitable for MBA and executive programmes.

Teaching notes are available for educators only. Video of protagonist in conversation with Anant Maheshwari, President Microsoft India discussing the future plans of L&T for adopting new age technology. The video is available at the following YouTube link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKb-_z_ch4E

CSS 11: Strategy.