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Managing business during global economic crisis: the case of Global Gadget Limited, Bangladesh

Mohammad Atiqul Basher (BRAC Business School, Brac University, Dhaka, Bangladesh)
Shahadat Hossain Dipto (Management Division, Global Gadget Limited, Dhaka, Bangladesh)
Mizanur Rahman (BRAC Business School, Brac University, Dhaka, Bangladesh)

Publication date: 11 July 2024

Abstract

Learning outcomes

The primary objective of this case was to grant the students an exposure to the students regarding how to manage a retail business during an economic crisis. In this case, all three of the aforementioned objectives as the students were given opportunity to dissect the business process through business model canvas, find out the key success factors and more importantly, were encouraged towards cost cutting behaviour by presenting the real-life dilemmas that were faced by an actual entrepreneur. Furthermore, the students were shown the importance of stakeholder management through this case, as support is very much needed for the retailers from macro-economic and micro-economic level.

Case overview/synopsis

This case study is the story of Global Gadget Limited, a premium retailer of cell phones and other relevant devises, which is located in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. The story is revolving around the challenge that Mr Shahadat Hossain Dipto, the owner of Global Gadget is facing over the past two years. Dipto mainly runs his business by selling budget phones from brands like Oppo, Xiaomi, Samsung and Vivo to the middle class and lower middle-class people of Bangladesh, who are very much cost conscious. To persuade these customers to buy his phones, he offers discounts, free gifts, equated monthly instalment services (a monthly instalment plan for the customers who cannot afford to pay the full amount when buying the phone) and sometimes even lottery. In the process, if he can sell more phones, these brands reward him with attractive commissions and all the necessary supports that help him run the business with marginal profit. However, due to the Russia–Ukraine war, he is now in crisis as the resulting economic crisis is causing a price increase on these phones, while drying out his customer’s pockets. This case study is designed to teach the students the importance of product segmentation, inventory management, cost management and relationship management to the students and future entrepreneur, so that they can understand, what does it take for an entrepreneur to survive an economic crisis.

Complexity academic level

This case study is aimed at undergraduate, masters’ students in business schools and Master of Business Administration students or short course executives and for the students of entrepreneurship education programme.

Supplementary materials

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

Subject code

CSS3: Entrepreneurship.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

Funding statement: The authors did not receive any fund for this research.

Conflict of interest: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Ethics approval statement: The interview was conducted with the consent of the participant, who was also informed.

Data availability statement: On request from the corresponding author.

Disclaimer. This case is written solely for educational purposes and is not intended to represent successful or unsuccessful managerial decision-making. The authors may have disguised names; financial and other recognizable information to protect confidentiality.

Citation

Basher, M.A., Dipto, S.H. and Rahman, M. (2024), "Managing business during global economic crisis: the case of Global Gadget Limited, Bangladesh", , Vol. 14 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/EEMCS-09-2023-0322

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2024, Emerald Publishing Limited

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