Search results

Strategic Marketing Management. This case is also relevant for discussion in other courses like brand management.

Postgraduate Management students.

Just before the official launch of “no-negative” news edition by Dainik Bhaskar Corp. Ltd, there was widespread speculation that the group was risking too much by going against the set convention of the newspaper industry. The common belief in the industry was “If it bleeds, it leads” and “good news is no news”. While endeavoring to do away with this perception, the management needed answers to questions like “Would it really be an attractive proposition for the readers?”, “Was the group compromising the role and responsibilities of press in presenting the truth to the world?” and “How would it add value to the brand?” The entire debate was pivoted around the sustainability of positive marketing strategy and “Is it a good idea to go forward with No Negative?” For decades, Dainik Bhaskar was known for its strategy of capturing untapped markets or denting into monopolistic markets and become a leader. This case is an odyssey of moving away from the “me-too” to category (positive newspaper) positioning. The main objective of this case is to build the concept and rudiments of positive marketing in practical perspectives using the backdrop of the Hindi newspaper industry and its largest player breaking the myth “only negative news sell”. Besides this, the case also evolves the process of institutionalizing positive marketing in organizations.

The primary objective of teaching through this case is to make students aware and understand the emerging strategy of positive marketing and its ability to break through the present clutter in the market. It also elaborates on how companies can use this tool for differentiating themselves from others.

Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

CSS 8: Marketing.

This case provides an account of an informal round table organized by the dean of a Regional Management Institute to identify issues relating to the management of Regional Management Institutes. It raises questions relating to pedagogy, placement, roles of leaders, local innovations, programme portfolio and sustenance of these institutes. The participants are required to review the outcome of the first round table and take the discussion forward.

The case recounts actual events and embeds information that has either been provided by the organization or that is publicly available from secondary sources, such as links to news articles, the organization’s financial report and videos. The protagonist is a real person, although identified only by first name, and she was interviewed extensively and provided planning documents.

The case addresses fundamental project management concepts via a nonprofit’s fundraising event that had to be shifted to online delivery during the early days of COVID. Students take the perspective of advising the protagonist, a key member of the event committee. As if this substantive re-plan during a pandemic was not challenging enough, the committee had the additional complication of integrating a fundraising management system into the organization in time to support the event. Students must work through detailed planning and calculations and also need to think more broadly about appropriate tradeoffs and justify them in their recommendations.

As this case has students work with concepts and skills central to project management and has involves a mix of applying, analyzing and evaluation outcomes, it can be used within operations management or project management courses for either undergraduate senior-level or early graduate-level business or engineering students. It has already been assigned in project management courses in two separate MBA programs. The case required no substantial revisions, and feedback from student evaluations show that it was perceived positively in both classes.

After completion of the case study, the students will be able to make strategic decisions for social entrepreneurship and carry out a sustainability and social impact analysis, assess the benefits of a circular economy-based retail model and investigate ways to preserve these benefits and recognize the ethical and sustainable issues facing the fast fashion sector and how social enterprises are addressing them.

The culture of fast fashion had proven to be dangerous for the environment as it had promoted a culture of consumerism and materialism. It had also increased the landfills in different countries. The need of the hour was to upcycle used and unwanted clothes into new innovative items. This idea had been practically implemented by Mrs Sujata Chatterjee of the Twirl Store, the protagonist of this case study. Chatterjee was a social entrepreneur who recognized the environmental and social problems caused by rapid fashion and abandoned apparel in landfills. She launched the Twirl Store, a social enterprise with the mission of advancing circular economy and sustainability practices in the textile sector. Rural women were economically and culturally empowered by the enterprise’s upcycling of used clothing using their abilities, and a sustainable source of income was created. Finding abandoned clothing, sorting and processing it effectively and locating clients who share her commitment to sustainability were difficult tasks for Chatterjee. Despite the difficulties, the Twirl Store served as an example of how circular economy concepts, cultural sustainability and women’s empowerment might be combined, highlighting the importance of social entrepreneurship in addressing global concerns and fostering positive social effects and economic impact.

This case study is applicable for undergraduate as well as post graduate students of management studies.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

After completion of the case study, students will be able to understand general and specific challenges associated with carrying on a family business that faces market challenges including stiff competition from existing and newer players, understand the plywood manufacturing process and its supply chain management, understand the businesses operating in an organized versus the unorganized market, comprehend the marketing strategies adopted and identify a reasonable solution to address the challenges associated with the operations of a business.

This case study focuses on Gattani Industries (a plywood manufacturing company) located in the northeastern region of the Indian state of Assam. Headquartered at Cinnamara industrial zone of Jorhat district, Assam, the company began its operation in 1992 under the leadership of Makhan Gattani (Director). Gattani Industries catered to both residential and commercial demand. Its clients included the departments of central and state governments in India, public sector undertakings and civil contractors. The company had a wider distribution network across the country and adopted the one- and two-level marketing channels to reach consumers. It aimed to sell its products through dealers across the cities in India. However, in December 2019, Gattani faced the challenge of developing a growth strategy to overcome competition and use the upcoming market opportunities for business growth in the diverse and complex environment that existed in the country.

This case study is designed for use in graduate or undergraduate programs. This case study can be used in strategy, supply chain and marketing courses at Bachelor of Business Administration and Master of Business Administration levels.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS11: Strategy.