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Following are the learning outcomes: to understand how the tools and frameworks of strategic analysis can be applied to understand the evolution of value creation and capture in the FMCG industry; to analyze the core competencies of a company and understand their relevance in this fast-changing industry; to understand how to evaluate the pros and cons of a certain strategy and business model; and to develop strategic recommendations.

The case series traces the developments in China’s FMCG industry from the early 2010s to 2017, in general, and the efforts of Beijing WinChannel Software Technology Co., Ltd. (WinChannel) and its affiliated company, Huixiadan, in their attempt to apply new digital technologies to transform the traditional trade channel, in particular. The decision point of Case A, in early 2015, is how WinChannel can help improve the reach and efficiency of the traditional trade channel and wonders if the emerging online/mobile B2B FMCG platforms are the right solution for the increasingly digitized FMCG retail industry in China. The decision point of Case B, at the end of 2017, is how could Huixiadan’s business model be sustainable and what it should do to withstand the competitive threats even as it tries to exploit opportunities in the traditional FMCG industry in China.

It can be used with MBAs, EMBAs and senior executives.

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CSS: 11: Strategy.

The main theoretical models used in the instructor manual analysis are SWOT and institution-based view. Founder’s syndrome is also used as a foundation for analysis and discussion.

Primary source data acquired by the authors through one of the author’s actual experience working in the family business that is the subject of the case.

Classy Styles Ltd., Inc. is a small wholesaler of women’s apparel. It outsources production and sells to small retail stores. Classy Styles has grown steadily during its short existence, but is not on track to reach the CEO and majority shareholder’s profitability goal. The COO has determined that the only realistic way to achieve the goal is to shift manufacturing from North America to Asia. The decision creates tension between profitability and the CEO’s desire for tight supervision and control of the outsourced production shops.

Introductory undergraduate courses in general management would be sufficient, while a basic strategy course and/or entrepreneurial business course would be of benefit.

Mergers and acquisitions, corporate strategy.

This case could be applied in several courses: a mergers and acquisitions (M&A) course, to introduce the various motives for firms doing M&A, a strategy course exploring a company's strategy exploration and decision processes, or in a marketing course as an example about emerging and global market interaction. The target audience is primarily final year or Masters' and MBA students. It would also be useful for executive education seminars.

The Case provides learning opportunities about how companies encounter threats due to changing market or fiscal conditions, find ways to address their individual challenges yet achieve mutual benefit, by taking advantage of market-induced opportunities for strategic change, which have been triggered by a combination of situational factors.

The case can be used to illustrate and discuss several important aspects of the growth of companies in emerging markets, including: motives for making M&As; strategic options and selection in the emerging industry; and how regional firms can respond to globalization.

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Management, marketing and branding and strategy.

Undergraduate and postgraduate management courses.

This is a real-life case involving a confectionery manufacturer in Malaysia where it has grown over the years. As the market becomes more competitive, more challenges are confronting the company. Although there is still profit to be made, the margin is declining. Hence, the management of King's Biscuits Berhad must embark on the marketing environment scanning to prepare the company for future challenges and to ensure continued existence. As in the case of most strategy cases, little guidance was available for the students to reflect upon.

With the completion of this case study; student will be able to familiarize with the exercise of marketing environment scanning, determine the branding, product lines and positioning issues, adopt the marketing mix concept into real practice, and have the opportunity to visualize a true business scenario and simulate their minds and thinking towards managing a business.

Teaching note.

The case authentically illustrates a common problem encountered within the business scope of an agent who is representing a European food ingredients manufacturer in an emerging market. The case describes the kind of legal set-up and contracts that are necessary to safeguard the long-term prospective of the business for both parties, the agent and overseas supplier. It explains what each party has to observe in case of a termination of the agency agreement.

This is a longitudinal case study of a market entry by a European food ingredients manufacturer through a foreign-owned third agent. The authors studied how sales developed over the first few years and then concentrated the investigation on the fact that after the sales volume was reached, the overseas manufacturer wants to cancel the agency agreement and do the business directly without getting the agent involved.

This case describes and explains a common problem encountered frequently by overseas manufacturers who want to enter an emerging market through a third-party agent representation. The overseas supplier uses the agent’s service and solid reputation to enter an emerging market with limited exposure to costs and risk. The agent works towards guarding the relationship with the overseas supplier for as long as possible. The development of the relationship illustrates what kind of conditions have to be stipulated in advance to provide an acceptable solution to both parties concerned once they part ways.

This research is based on a European food ingredients manufacturer, who was expanding its business in different Asian emerging markets, namely, Vietnam and Cambodia. The agent was a long-time established trading house who acted frequently as agent for overseas companies that wanted to get a foothold in these promising Asian emerging markets.

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CSS 5: International Business

In July 2007, Mark-Hans Richer became Harley-Davidson's first chief marketing officer. Its riders were aging, which the company saw as an existential threat. Although Harley-Davidson had a record sales year in 2006 and had maintained a commanding share of the heavyweight motorcycle market for the previous decade, it needed to take new action to sustain its growth.

Richer needed to deliver a new generation of riders and a more diverse customer base, all without losing current Harley-Davidson customers. He also knew that he could not relax: the average tenure of a CMO in 2007 was only 27 months and a complete new product development cycle would take a minimum of four years.

After analyzing the case, students should be able to:

• Recommend marketing decisions for a brand with extremely high loyalty in light of various consumer behavior indicators gleaned from market research

• Understand the power of leveraging existing assets as opposed to innovating new products

• Understand the psychological basis of customer loyalty, including drivers and metrics of loyalty

Recommend marketing decisions for a brand with extremely high loyalty in light of various consumer behavior indicators gleaned from market research

Understand the power of leveraging existing assets as opposed to innovating new products

Understand the psychological basis of customer loyalty, including drivers and metrics of loyalty

Los estudiantes deben poder realizar un claro análisis competitivo con la información provista en el caso. Los estudiantes también deben desarrollar mapas de posicionamiento, análisis SWOT (debilidades, amenazas, fortalezas y oportunidades), visión, misión, análisis comparativo, segmentación, estrategias de focalización y posicionamiento para mercados internacionales. Los temas de efecto país de origen e imagen de país son relevantes también para el análisis y posicionamiento de los vinos chilenos en mercados internacionales.

La industria Chilena del vino ha atravesado numerosas y profundas transformaciones en los últimos treinta años. Estas transformaciones han permitido que una nueva generación de talentosos viticultores y vinicultores capitalicen el paraíso vitivinícola de Chile y produzcan vinos de clase mundial. Chile exporta el 70% de su producción vinícola, lo que la convierte en la industria vinícola más globalizada del mundo. A pesar de este éxito innegable, los vinos chilenos enfrentan altos niveles de competencia en los diferentes mercados globales, y sus precios promedio son sustancialmente menores que los de sus competidores. Por consiguiente, los niveles actuales de rentabilidad de la industria son bajos, y existe una urgente necesidad de elevar el posicionamiento premium y los precios promedio para lograr un retorno sostenible en el largo plazo. La industria chilena del vino está preparando un nuevo plan estratégico y una estrategia internacional de mercadeo para 2020, con lineamientos para un vigoroso camino de desarrollo internacional que defina la visión, misión, posicionamiento, objetivos estratégicos, oportunidades y planes de acción de la industria con una nueva perspectiva estratégica de mercadeo. El objetivo de este caso es desarrollar este nuevo plan estratégico y estrategia internacional de mercadeo para la industria vinícola de Chile.

MBA y maestría (negocios internacionales, mercadeo, mercadeo internacional).

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CSS 11: Strategy.

The ABB (A) case describes the situation leading up to a decision that has to be made concerning closing a manufacturing subsidiary of ABB and moving its operations to Thailand. The Plant/subsidiary manager is placed in a conflict position regarding this decision due to the matrix form of management structure employed by the parent ABB. His direct line manager in charge of the global product line wants the move to take place. He has the support of his supervisor, who sits on the Executive Committee of the parent company. The ABB Country Manager for Denmark wants the plant to stay where it is. The subsidiary manager also reports to him, as part of the matrix structure. The subsidiary manager has recently been promoted to his new position, with the support of the Country Manager. The previous subsidiary manager had been promoted to head up a larger, Danish subsidiary of ABB. The previous year, the Country Manager and the previous subsidiary manager had managed to over rule the same request, in no small part, due to their connections within ABB as well as within Denmark. The new subsidiary manager needs to make a recommendation as to what should be done. The ABB Transformers (A) case can be used separately, or in conjunction with the (B) case.

The (B) case follows up on the (A) case. The decision was made to leave the plant in Denmark. It was revisited one year later, and the subsidiary manager is in even more of a quandary. The former Country Manager has been promoted to the Executive Committee of ABB. At a meeting of the new Country manager (not previously from within ABB), the Product Manager, his supervisor from the Executive Committee, the former Country Manager, and the subsidiary manager, the discussion is primarily between the new Country Manager and the Product Supervising Executive Committee Member, who has also been given added responsibility for all of Asia and the Pacific region. The former Country Manager, now responsible for European operations, remains quiet during the discussions. He later notes that this is a relatively small decision in the context of European operations. The subsidiary manager still needs to make a decision, but is now unsure of what has happened during the past year to allow this issue to be raised for the third time. The (B) case can be used to demonstrate how politics, promotions, and transfers can radically alter the environment within the context of a strategic decision. The focus is now on organization culture and power, and on the problems of operating within a matrix structure. The (B) case should be used in combination with the (A) case.

Social enterprise, Social entrepreneurship.

PGDM, PGDM Executive.

The case is about the evolution of a unique social organization, BloodConnect, over its journey of four years. Initiated by two Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi students in 2010, the organization went on to be recognized for making leeway into the hitherto underserved need of blood security in India. The case describes BloodConnect's evolution with respect to different dimensions of blood shortages and the organization's acquisition of knowledge over the years. BloodConnect acted as a facilitator to bring multiple stakeholders, including potential donor segments, beneficiaries, hospitals, government and NGOs, on the same platform to collectively identify solutions, thereby increasing the ownership of each segment toward an issue of importance to the society. While the organization started gaining visibility and was on its way to making its operation structured, it desired to move beyond the confines of Delhi-NCR to raise the movement to the national level, but it was faced with challenges peppered with lack of resources, lack of funds, absence of a permanent leadership and complex dynamics between the multiple stakeholders. Donor dependency for funds and amateur management were the other major impediments for its sustenance. The case brings forth the major challenges threatening the very existence of the organization as it grappled to identify solutions that could provide revenue sustainability without dampening its mission of creating social value. The case is of relevance to social enterprises in the context of a developing nation as most of the low and middle income countries face similar challenges pertaining to blood security. It also brings forth the issues of survival, scalability and the concept of social value measurement. In what are the myriad hurdles faced by start-ups, the traditional metrics might not be enough while measuring the impact created by a social enterprise.

To develop an insight into the unique challenges faced by start-up social ventures and options available to them for growth and subsequent consolidation. To enhance the understanding of interrelationship between mission focus, scale of operations, revenue sustainability and social impact. To introduce students to the concept of social value measurement. The students would be able to appreciate the uniqueness of the metrics specific to a social venture.

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