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.

After completion of the case study, students will be able to analyze disaster response mechanisms and the strategic decision-making process in high-pressure environments; assess the intricacies of cross-sector partnerships and their impact on effective disaster response; provide recommendations for leaders of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) on how to achieve sustainable growth without jeopardizing an agile disaster response; evaluate the role of an NGO in influencing policy, advocating for vulnerable communities and driving systemic change; and craft an innovative strategy for an NGO to enhance its agility and social impact.

This case study outlines the transformative journey of the Food Bank of Morocco (FBM), an NGO established in 2002, focusing on eradicating hunger, extending aid during natural disasters and improving education quality in impoverished, remote areas. Under the leadership of executive director Sanae Bennesser Alaoui, who joined in 2014, FBM doubled its outreach, addressing both hunger and the broader needs of communities in crisis. The narrative captures the organization’s rapid mobilization and impactful response to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown and the September 8, 2023, Al Haouz earthquake in Morocco, reflecting its agility and the trust it garnered from the community and diaspora. Highlighting its evolution, the case study details the FBM’s strategic partnerships, innovative aid distribution and commitment to Sustainable Development Goals, emphasizing gender equality and education quality. It also underlines how FBM gained trust from the community and the global diaspora, setting a foundation for future expansion and enhanced support mechanisms for those in need. FBM’s successes include its designation as a public utility organization in 2022, which opened the door to larger contributions and greater visibility. However, the organization faced ongoing challenges in securing sustainable funding and expanding its volunteer base to maintain its growing impact. As FBM navigated these hurdles, it continued to innovate and build partnerships to support its mission of fostering sustainable growth while responding to an emerging market most pressing humanitarian needs.

This case study is suitable for senior undergraduate and graduate levels.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS7: Management Science.

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.

The case study aims to facilitate a deep understanding of the strategic decisions in the context of asset-light model, its competitive advantage and industry dynamics within the context of the Indian hospitality sector. Suggested teaching objectives for the case study are as follows:▪ Analyze the strategic decisions made by Lemon Tree Hotels in the context of the Indian hospitality industry.▪ Evaluate the challenges and opportunities associated with the transition from an ownership-centric model to an asset-light strategy.▪ Discuss the competitive advantage built by Lemon Tree Hotels and the implications of its unique market offering.▪ Explore the impact of the post-pandemic era on the hospitality sector and the strategic adjustments made by the company.▪ Encourage critical thinking about the future trajectory of Lemon Tree Hotels, considering the ownership dilemma and evolving market dynamics.

The case study explores the strategic decisions made by Lemon Tree Hotels, a mid-market hotel chain in India, at the intersection of ownership and asset-light strategies. The founder, Patanjali Keswani, faced a dilemma of whether to persist with the ownership-centric model that propelled the company’s success or to pivot toward an asset-light approach, acknowledging the capital-intensive nature inherent in the industry. The case delves into the complexities of expansion, the adoption of an asset-light model and the challenges and opportunities encountered. Keswani’s calculated decisions and the company’s unique offering established its competitive edge. However, the shift to an asset-light model raised questions about the sustainability of this advantage in the more competitive mid-segment hospitality sector. The case discusses the challenges in the mid-market hotel industry in India, the transformative changes in consumer expectations and the strategic significance of the company’s transition to an asset-light model. The narrative unfolds through a lens that considers the competitive advantage built on a positive brand image, operational efficiency and a unique market offering. The case concludes at a strategic juncture, leaving Keswani and Lemon Tree Hotels grappling with the dilemma of ownership versus asset-light strategies, with implications for the company’s future trajectory.

The case study is designed for postgraduate students studying management, business administration and strategic management.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS11: Strategy.

The learning outcomes are as follows: develop an understanding of challenges faced by organizations regarding strategic planning; examine the strategies formulated by organizations that can enable wider adoption of a service offering; analyse service quality gaps that will provide new insights; and evaluate the strategic choices that would impact the growth of the organization.

Peter Bushwash International (PBI) was an organization that managed 60 tennis centres in 25 countries. With a staff of 100 tennis coaches worldwide, over 3 million students participated in PBI’s tennis programs. Cesar Morales was appointed the Technical Director on a two-year contract for the PBI’s new tennis centre in Bangalore (India). Morales had to decide if a decentralized strategy (hub-and-spoke model) would create broader growth for the PBI tennis program instead of operating as a premium hub with fewer students.

The case was written for organizational strategy, marketing and service quality courses for undergraduate business students (BBA).

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 7: Management Science.

This descriptive case is drawn from the secondary sources by Mungaray (2018), a dissertation. The author, Kimberly R. Shannon (f.k.a. Mungaray) conducted the qualitative research over several months that included several dialogue or talking sessions with organization personnel. Additionally, she collected journals kept by the participants and conducted one-on-one interviews with each participant before and after the series of talking sessions. IRB approval was obtained prior to data collection. The people and places were disguised pursuant to the secondary sources. No AI was used in the writing of the case or Instructors’ Manual.

This descriptive case study considers the dynamics surrounding the promotion of women to top management (partner) in a Certified Public Accounting firm. The case study presents the perspectives of the current partner and the potential partners to help students recognize microinsults, microinvalidations and other privileged behaviors that perpetuate stereotype threat and learned helplessness, which thus creates barriers to career progression. These often unintentional comments and behaviors may further marginalize certain people (women, people of color and other marginalized identities, including an intersection of identities). The case concentrates on gender inequities and helps students develop an understanding of leadership implications while exercising their ability to consider multiple perspectives and motives. The case enables students to develop a plan of allyship.

This case is appropriate for undergraduate courses in ethics, organizational behavior, leadership, industrial psychology, sociology, women and gender studies, capstone courses in business or accounting and communications. Graduate courses in organizational behavior, leadership and women and gender studies.

The case was developed from interviews with the couple. Josh is a coauthor. The other coauthor was incorporated to offer an unbiased perspective. The names and banking institutions are disguised, but the financial information represents the couple’s actual financial situation at the time.

This case centers on Josh and Selene Stone, a real couple whose identities have been disguised. They are striving to optimize their budget and save for a better home. The case outlines the couple’s goals and details their income and expenses by providing their bank and credit card statements for a 3-month period. Students are tasked with applying their financial planning knowledge and skills to create a budget for the couple and make recommendations to optimize their spending patterns.

The case was designed for use in an introductory undergraduate Personal Finance course where personal budgeting is discussed. The case is best positioned following a lecture/discussion on personal budgeting such as:▪ Chapter 2 of Focus on Personal Finance by Kapoor, Dlabay, Hughes and Hart.▪ Chapter 3 of Personal Finance by Garman and Forgue.▪ Chapter 2 of Personal Finance by Keown.▪ Chapter 5 of Personal Finance by Siegel and Yacht.This paper has seen Personal Finance offered at a general education level, as an elective for Business Administration majors, or even as a required class in a specialized Financial Planning curriculum. Positioning a case in Personal Finance can often be challenging because of the diverse nature of these audiences. In this case, this paper has tried to use plain language whenever possible to make it accessible to a broad range of students while providing enough data for business students to make informed financial planning recommendations.

This case study introduces some elements of strategic management process that instils competitive advantage on an entity such as a higher educational institute (HEI). It endeavours to achieve the following goals: comprehend strategy implementation through the sustainability paradigm; demonstrate the concept of cost-benefit analysis in strategy; analyse the challenges to new product adoption; and deliberate on extension of the project to include newer areas for greening. Thus, students would be taught about strategy implementation through the sustainability paradigm: they would be introduced to the concept of cost-benefit analysis through an application of the concept in strategic decision-making; students would be taught the about the challenges in new product (such as greening equipment) adoption; and they would be guided to deliberate on the extension of the project in newer areas of greening.

Prof Atmanand, as the Director of MDI Murshidabad (MDIM), was combating the challenge of leading the campus of the fledgling institute in its initial years. It was May 2023. MDIM was a business school in West Bengal, India. Atmanand had formulated a strategy of “greening” of the campus using a solar lighting system and organic waste converter to start off. The first steps were initiated in early 2021. The possible gains from this move needed to be weighed against the possible costs. Possible benefits included reductions in electricity expenditure, easier conformation to contemporary waste disposal norms, better scores in HEI-ranking exercises and increase in brand value of MDIM. The principal costs were: capital expenditure, possible higher payback period and challenge in adoption of sustainability products such as organic waste converter. The case study engages the student to learn about competitive strategy design and implementation in an HEI, and the resulting challenges. The case study can consequently be used in a Master’s level course in strategic management (competitive strategy) in the context of sustainability management, or as a case in the elective sustainability management offered to the senior batch in the MBA curriculum. The case study weighs out the benefits of the “greening” programme at MDIM against its possible costs. The possible benefits were manifold: reduction in electricity bills, easier conformance to contemporary waste disposal norms and higher scores at HEI-ranking exercises, both at the national and the international levels. Some benefits were not so quantifiable, such as better “press”, and consequent increase in brand value of MDIM. Weighted against these were the costs, capital expenditure, possible higher payback period and lack of in-house operational expertise (such as mechanics). The decision is not easy; although there are numerical tools (indicated in the case), they must be supplemented with a holistic understanding of the context, and any decision to be taken would require a combination of qualitative understanding along with numerical indicators. The case also exhorts the reader to understand problems in adoption of sustainability products and attempts to look to the future in terms of managerial initiatives.

This case study is suitable for postgraduate level (MBA) and executive programmes.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS4: Environmental Management.

Learning Objective 1: Develop students’ ability to critically assess and probe the challenges of aligning business objectives with compliance to local and international environmental regulations. Students will learn to identify how tensions between regulatory compliance and business goals influence decision-making processes in resource-intensive industries.

Learning Objective 2: Increase problem-solving skills of students by exploring the trade-offs between economic growth and environmental stewardship. They will be able to examine real-world dilemmas, such as community displacement, biodiversity loss, and pollution in mining contexts, and understand how to navigate these complex challenges using insights from Dr Nick’s experiences.

Learning Objective 3: Advance integrative learning, inquiry and interpretive capabilities of students by demonstrating the significance of ESG principles in mining operations focusing on environmental management, community engagement, and ethical governance. Students will learn how to integrate these principles into corporate strategies to achieve a balance between profitability and sustainability.

Learning Objective 4: Equip students with hands-on experience through real business scenarios by addressing dilemmas companies face in the era of climate change and appreciate the role of leadership in driving and implementing sustainable practices. Students will understand how leaders like Dr Nick balance stakeholder interests, ethical standards, and operational efficiency, and how this balance impacts the company’s growth and sustainability objectives.

This case introduces students to the difficulty an environmental manager faces in balancing the interests of the community at large with the company’s goals. Dr Nick Okello, an environmental manager at Base Titanium, is the protagonist of the case. For several years, Dr Nick has overseen the business’s environmental programs at the high-grade mineral sand mine called Kwale Operation, which is situated along Kenya’s coast. The case allows students to explore how Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles are applied in a mining company setting by using this case study. Simple assessments can be applied by students to evaluate ESG and discuss their analysis of it. The mining industry’s intricate relationship between corporate governance, business strategy, and environmental stewardship is exemplified by the Dr Nick case at Base Titanium. It provides a critical analysis of the difficulties businesses confront in attempting to strike a balance between sustainable ethical business practices and economic growth, especially in areas where governance issues are common.

This case is suitable for use in executive education, MBA, senior undergraduate, and other graduate-level business programs in courses such business management, organizational behaviour, environmental sciences, project management, strategic management, operations, finance, corporate governance, leadership, and sustainable development.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 4: Environmental Management.