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This study aims to investigate time-harmonic wave propagation in a chiral porous thermoelastic solid under strain gradient theory (SGT), focusing on identifying and characterizing distinct wave modes within the medium.

Using Iesan's gradient theory, which incorporates chiral effects and accommodates second sound phenomena, the authors derive mathematical formulations for the velocities and attenuations of eight propagating waves: four dilatational waves and two pairs of coupled shear waves (one left circularly polarized, the other right). Numerical simulations are performed for a specific model, exploring the influence of various parameters on wave propagation.

The authors establish that the medium supports four dilatational waves, including a microstretch-associated wave, and four shear waves, distinguished by their chiral-induced characteristics. The results highlight the frequency-dependent dispersive nature of all propagating waves and establish connections with existing theoretical frameworks, demonstrating the broader applicability of our findings.

The characteristics of wave propagation in chiral media examined here can enhance our understanding of chiral medium behavior. This knowledge is crucial for developing materials with pronounced chiral effects, surpassing those found in natural chiral materials like bone, quartz, sugar and wood. Advances in artificial chiral materials are driven by their superior toughness, durability and other beneficial properties. Consequently, this study has potential applications across various fields, including the design of chiral broadband absorbers and filters, the production of artificial bones and medical devices, aeronautical engineering and beyond.

This research extends existing theories and deepens the understanding by exploring wave behaviors in chiral media, advancing this emerging field.

The learning outcomes are as follows: determine the conditions founders encounter when their company is not on the right track; examine the importance of ethics in entrepreneurship; draw up a broad framework to understand the degree of trouble an organization is in and how far it has gone since the early warning signs of trouble; and formulate a comprehensive solution for entrepreneurial founders to extricate their ventures from a crisis.

India-based Edtech company Byju’s was facing a slew of challenges as of mid-2023. Its founder and CEO Byju Raveendran needed to steer the company out of trouble.

Post Graduate/Executive Education.

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CSS3: Entrepreneurship.

This hypothetical case study aims to revisit the classical model given by Henri Fayol whereby he put forward a set of 14 principles to guide managers in decision-making across organizations. The case study showcases the dilemma in which the top manager of an automobile company finds himself when some of the very basic principles – on which the whole discipline of management is founded – are ignored. It will also serve as an aid for faculty members in B-Schools to teach students the significance of basic management principles postulated many years back which stand relevant even in contemporary times.

This case study is based on a hypothetical scenario in the corporate world. Different incidents in a fictitious automobile manufacturing firm are presented and the corresponding principles given by Henri Fayol are inferred.

This case study highlights that decision-making gets complicated if fundamental principles of management are not complied with. The decision taken during each and every situation which has been discussed in this case study is contrary to the correct course of action as propounded by Fayol. Modern-day managers must acknowledge the relevance and importance of these principles for achieving success in business.

This case study underscores that even in this volatile business environment where most of the management practices are technology-driven, we cannot disregard the most elementary rules of management. The managers working at different levels in the organizational hierarchy may be guided to make the right decisions in situations similar to the ones described.

Purpose: The global financial services business has been transformed by Blockchain technology, making it safer and more efficient. Keeping this fact in mind, the authors will study how Blockchain technology improves financial services, including the banking and insurance sectors. The risks and roadblocks in the path of Blockchain adoption in financial services will also be discussed.

Need of the Study: Blockchain operates without any central authority. Instead, it could be understood as a transaction-containing ledger shared among many users. The adoption of Blockchain is gaining traction in every field, but still, a sense of doubt about its reliability can be observed among ordinary people. Thus, an investigation of the operational intricacies and technicalities could assist in clarifying the confusion associated with this technology.

Methodology: To achieve the aims mentioned above, an exploratory research design involving a review of the secondary data linked with the implementation and impact of Blockchain technology in the domain of finance is conducted.

Findings: The mode of operation of Blockchain technology is thoroughly explained, along with the influence it has exercised in the financial domain in recent years.

Practical Implications: The findings of this study can mainly assist global investors and users worldwide by clarifying the concept and operations of Blockchain technology. Also, it could guide future studies assessing the role of Blockchain in the financial domain.

With the growth in internet technology, the competition between the e-commerce firms has become fierce. This has forced these online vendors to consider customer-centric strategies apart from the retail strategies for generating revenue. The purpose of this paper is to propose a structural model to study the interrelationship between a formative endogenous latent variable (LV), i.e. e-commerce success, and other LVs representing the customer-oriented success factors such as website service quality (WSQ), customer support system (CSS), personalization and electronic word-of-mouth (EWOM).

The authors develop a structural model to validate the determinants of electronic commerce success. Survey-based data obtained from 265 respondents are used to validate the model hypotheses. To analyze the data, partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) is performed using smartPLS 2.0 software. The results on the interrelationships between the constructs are determined using path analysis.

The data analysis results infer the impact of these success factors on e-commerce success systems. After applying bootstrapping technique, the authors observed that WSQ, CSS, personalization and EWOM have a significant positive effect on e-commerce system success (ESS). Further studies can be performed considering mobile commerce and their critical success factors.

The findings of the study emphasize on the importance of these four exogenous variables for e-businesses in order to achieve a competitive edge over their competitors. The study provides a detailed managerial implication with respect to each causal relationship, so as to suggest some remedial measures to gain customer market.

Here, the authors consider an empirical model which shows the determinants of ESS. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, a distinctive system success framework is modeled considering a unique combination of exogenous variables not considered by previous studies.

The purpose of this study is to provide a comprehensive understanding regarding corporate turnaround. An integrated discussion regarding different corporate failure factors, conditions, symptoms followed by turnaround strategies and its results have been provided.

Authors have done a comprehensive systematic and integrated literature review study of research articles on corporate turnaround. The paper reviewed discussed different dimensions of turnaround management. The authors applied thematic reductionist categorisation with logical arguments to develop an integrated turnaround canvas (ICT).

An ICT has been developed. ICT is a holistic framework to comprehend turnaround strategy. Impact of precondition and turnaround levers on cash flow dynamics and the operational and strategic levers for successful turnaround performance of the firm has also been presented. Authors have also tabulated the entire spectrum of corporate turnaround.

This conceptual work would help researchers interested in turnaround research to anchor their study at different points in ICT canvas. This could be at the decline precondition stage, corporate failure state, turnaround levers (strategic and operational) application phase and in terms of turnaround performance.

The ICT canvas would help managers to identify the set of corporate failure preconditions which might lead their firm to decline phase. The ICT canvas would also help managers based upon the identification of decline preconditions to select an appropriate turnaround interventions required to arrest the corporate failure. Finally, the ICT canvas would help in identifying the operational and strategic levers for successful turnaround implementation and thus achieving the desired corporate performance.

This is one of the first studies to provide an integrated perspective on corporate turnaround as the developed ICT canvas consisted of identification of decline preconditions, corporate failure, turnaround levers (strategic and operational ) and turnaround performance.

Drawing insights from Piaget's theory of cognitive development and exploring their applicability to working adults while assessing the role of tenure, as appreciated by multiple studies associated with adaptability and openness, the current study examines the influence of work experience in the relationship between an individual's adaptability and openness to people's ideas in the context of the Indian workplace. The study followed a cross-sectional survey-based design, and data were gathered from 202 junior, middle and senior executives from Indian manufacturing and service organizations. Using PROCESS macro in SPSS, the moderating effect of work experience on the linkage between adaptability to situations and openness to people's ideas was examined. The study results depicted that adaptability to situations is positively associated with a person's openness to people's ideas. Such a result indicates that promoting adaptability among employees could lead to openness in behaviour towards ideas of their colleagues and other people, which may promote team cohesiveness and learning in the long run. Also, the work experience of employees was found to be moderating the relation between adaptability and openness such that the increasing years of work experience tend to enhance the positive relationship between adaptability and openness. These results suggest that as the work experience increases, the positive association between adaptability and tendency to be open towards people's ideas strengthens. Further, the implications for the domains of research and practice, limitations of the study and directions for future studies have been discussed.

This case study is designed to enable students to formulate the strategic planning process in relation to an organization’s resources; assess the critical tasks required for the company’s business planning for growth and market expansion; and examine the importance of the value delivery process for the company, its customer and its employees. At the end of the case discussion, students will learn how to plan their business in an emerging market by using their existing resources, where the business stands at present and where it may go in the coming future.

The case study discusses how Byju’s, an Indian multinational educational technology company, revolutionized student learning programs through its innovative strategic implementation. It explores the company’s growth and expansion strategy by considering a strength, weakness, opportunity and threats analysis. It elaborates on how Byju’s acquired various companies in India and other countries to become an international technology-based educational brand with 150 million users in 2022. The case study also highlights the marketing and promotional strategy used by the company on online and offline platforms. The case study elaborates on the value delivery process and its importance for customer and employee satisfaction. Despite its success in the Indian market, Byju’s faced tough challenges in the US and European markets, such as lower-than-expected growth rates and lower subscription numbers, even though it followed the same strategy as in the Indian market. The acquisition and celebrity strategy works in emerging economies such as India but not in developed countries. The company’s return on investment was down owing to the high costs it had incurred over the years on market acquisitions and marketing promotions. The growing competition was also expected to bring more challenges for Byju’s. New players such as Tata Studi and YouTube planned to enter the market. Byju Raveendran and his management group had to decide whether to maintain or change the current market offering to reflect market developments to satisfy their customers and employees. They also had to determine whether the main components of the marketing strategy, such as the company’s ongoing value delivery process and ongoing strategy toward the target audience, partners and rivals, are advantageous to the firm or not. The team was in dilemma whether the marketing planning process was going in the right direction and how to make all elements of its businesses more efficient in dealing with the issues. Raveendran kept asking questions about to what extent it is still possible to alter the marketing plan.

The case study is appropriate for discussion in courses such as marketing management, service marketing and strategic marketing management, whether they are part of an undergraduate program (Bachelor of Business Administration [BBA]), a postgraduate program in business management (Master of Business Administration [MBA]) or an executive-level program (executive MBA). The breadth of business topics addressed and the intricacy of the scenario make this case study best suited to be used after the semester as either a culminating project or as a seminar discussion for undergraduates (BBA). The case study can also be discussed in the marketing management course (graduation level) under the marketing and service strategy chapters.

CSS8: Marketing

Teaching notes are available for educators only.