Every year, tonnes of flower waste from religious places is dumped into India’s holiest river Ganges, polluting it to virtual death. Pesticides and insecticides used in growing…
Abstract
Every year, tonnes of flower waste from religious places is dumped into India’s holiest river Ganges, polluting it to virtual death. Pesticides and insecticides used in growing these flowers mix with the water, affecting millions of lives through water-borne diseases. Most others may just lament these facts, Ankit Agarwal and Karan Rastogi, childhood friends from Kanpur, used them as inspiration to innovate. Two years of relentless experimentation led to a brilliant idea; that of recycling the flower waste. They founded HelpUsGreen® in 2014 to convert the waste into bio-fertilisers and lifestyle products. Widely appreciated and heavily awarded now, success has not come easy for this well-educated duo. HelpUsGreen® processes hundreds of kilos of flower waste, creating employment for hundreds of underprivileged women. An entirely bootstrapped project with no carbon foot print, the venture hopes to revive the Ganges through Flowercycling®. Currently at 8.5 tonnes per day and at the tipping point of scaling, HelpUsGreen® hopes to process over 50 tonnes of flower waste per day by 2020. Apart from the environmental impact, HelpUsGreen® has achieved huge societal impact, employing over a thousand women who did not previously have formal employment. What also makes the social entrepreneurs stand apart is their entrepreneurial market savviness. They have positioned their products not at the sympathy market but at the high-end premium market. Their products sell under the name ‘Phool’. HelpUsGreen® has set its eyes firmly on spreading operations across 2,000 kilometres along the Ganges and creating over 25,000 jobs for women.
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After reading and discussing the case, the participants would be able to: apply 7S and VRIO framework for online furniture retail; evaluate the profitability of horizontal versus…
Abstract
Learning outcomes
After reading and discussing the case, the participants would be able to: apply 7S and VRIO framework for online furniture retail; evaluate the profitability of horizontal versus vertical marketplaces for selling furniture online; articulate the challenges faced by online furniture retailers; discuss the applicability of technology to enhance customer experience in online furniture retail; and discuss the omni-channel strategy which online furniture companies can adopt.
Case overview/synopsis
Although furniture has traditionally been an unorganized category, the online furniture platforms have been on an upward curve since past few years. Digitization of economy and usage of smartphones to access internet had given a thrust to online purchases. This case on Wakefit Innovations Private Limited is intended to provide the readers with the business and marketing insights of selling furniture using online platform. The readers will be able to understand how retailing furniture using e-commerce is full of challenges and how various marketing activities have helped Wakefit improve their customer base. The readers can discuss the advantages and disadvantages of horizontal versus vertical e-commerce marketplaces and various challenges associated with online furniture retailing. Whether Wakefit should continue setting up experience centres and the benefits that could accrue by usage of virtual reality, augmented reality and data analytics are additional dimensions which can be discussed by the readers. The case will benefit the professionals in understanding the challenges and marketing strategies used by online furniture retailers and the same can be replicated by other players in this sector.
Complexity academic level
This case is suitable for students enrolled for full credit course on e-commerce at post graduate level. The case can be discussed towards the middle of the course once the students have studied different formats of e-commerce marketplace.
Supplementary materials
Teaching notes are available for educators only.
Subject code
CSS 8: Marketing.
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Mohammad Rishad Faridi and Saloni Sinha
Appendix 1: Comic Frames A At the end of the case study discussion, students will able to as follows: Explain various growth strategies as a potential unicorn with the exponential…
Abstract
Learning outcomes
Appendix 1: Comic Frames A At the end of the case study discussion, students will able to as follows: Explain various growth strategies as a potential unicorn with the exponential growth mindset rather than linear growth mindset through adaptation of Massive Transformative Purpose (MTP) and Moonshot Thinking (MT). Demonstrate innovative and creative plans and ideas, with the ability to scale up in the circular economy. Review and summarize the power of Collaborative Innovation (CI). Compare and contrast different ways in dealing with Hedgehog and Fox style of leadership into the business. Appendix 2: Comic Frames B At the end of the case study discussion, students will able to as follows: Act with a growth strategy as a potential unicorn with the exponential growth mindset rather than linear growth mindset through adaptation of MTP and MT. Simulate innovative and creative plans and ideas, with the ability to scale up in the circular economy. Assess and leverage the power of CI. Decide and differentiate in dealing with Hedgehog and Fox style of leadership into the business.
Case overview/synopsis
Ankit Tripathi, was a compassionate 22-year-old, the typical lad from New Delhi, India, who seemed driven to change the world. His elder brother Atul Tripathi, a young, creative 25-year-old, was sat there next to him, beaming with pride and gratitude. Both brothers, being mechanical engineering graduates, had experienced the advancement of technology at the cost of Mother Earth. It pained them no end. It was the reason that Atul had refused to serve as an engineer in a government institution after graduating. The parents were shocked when Ankit followed suit. The brothers were poles apart in their personality and temperament, and it was rare to see them agree on anything in this way. Yet, they agreed to disagree with their parents and ventured into becoming entrepreneurs with a purpose and passion to salvage the environment. They had a vision, but without a proper roadmap, it would certainly be a tough game. Nevertheless, they boldly embarked upon their journey and established their start-up “Uneako” in 2019. “Uneako” was a calculated risk, taking into account family resistance (parents’ attitude/perception), personal conflicts (psychological), financial limitations (resources), shallow expertise (professionalism), social concern acceptability and low awareness (environment), government regulations (legalities/approvals), conflicts between brothers (personality issues), etc. Being from a nonbusiness family, the brothers had defied the wave of obstacles and challenges in daring to start their own business, putting at stake the hard-earned money of their father, Satendra Tripathi. Amidst so much social mockery, would Atul and Ankit succumb and become a laughing stock or would they find something that they could live and die for?
Complexity Academic Level
Appendix 1: Comic Frames A: This case has been particularly focused on undergraduate level students pursuing business or commerce programs. Especially those studying core courses, for example, entrepreneurial and strategic management. Appendix 2: Comic Frames B: This case has been particularly focused postgraduate-early stage or higher level students pursuing business or commerce programs. Particularly those specializing in entrepreneurial and strategic management courses. Also, can be taught in the entrepreneurial or start-up workshops.
Supplementary materials
www.pewresearch.org/topics/generation-z/ Paulynice. J.P., (2019) “From Idea to Reality: An Entrepreneur’s Guide to Meaningful Business Growth” Paulynice Consulting Group. Hardy.D., (2015) “The Entrepreneur Roller Coaster: It’s Your Turn to Join The Ride” Success Publishers. Wadhwa.V., Amla.I., Salkever.A., (2020) “From Incremental to Exponential” Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Sustainable Entrepreneurship: Business Success through Sustainability edited by Christina Weidinger, Franz Fischler, René Schmidpeter, Springer 2014. Teaching notes are available for educators only.
Subject code
CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.
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Divya S. and Mahima Sahi
The learning outcomes of this case study are to understand the business-to-business (B2B) consumer outlook on mental health care in emerging markets; analyse the challenges faced…
Abstract
Learning outcomes
The learning outcomes of this case study are to understand the business-to-business (B2B) consumer outlook on mental health care in emerging markets; analyse the challenges faced in creating a need for mental health care in Indian workplaces; explore the business attractiveness of the B2B model and understand the business potential of the B2B segment at heyy,; and contemplate different innovative strategies that could change consumer mindset on mental health care in emerging markets.
Case overview/synopsis
Ankit, the founder and CEO of heyy, was facing a conundrum. “heyy,” was built on normalizing mental well-being at workplaces. His mental health-care app heyy, had crossed 50,000 subscribers within a few months of launch. The mobile app was designed to spread mental health awareness and provide various levels of mental well-being interventions. Business-to-consumer and B2B customer segmentation had been targeted by this start-up. The B2B space consisted of employees working with partner organizations. The adoption rates of employees using the features of heyy, declined after the initial app download. The employees had yet to fully become acclimatized to the features of heyy,. Exploring the business potential and investigating the business attractiveness of the B2B segment were the focus of the present study. Ankit contemplated various strategies he could adopt to increase user adoption of “heyy,” services by employees in his partner organizations. The case study strives to address the question – “What are the risks faced by organizations when entering the mental health-care industry in emerging markets like India, where mental health care is still not openly discussed?”
Complexity academic level
This case study is designed to be taught as part of the “entrepreneurship development” and “strategic management” courses for undergraduates, postgraduates and students of executive programmes in management. Students need to be aware of basic strategic management concepts such as BCG matrix, SWOT analysis and business canvas before working on this case study, so they could dissect the case from multiple perspectives to get a comprehensive outlook on the case.
Supplementary materials
Teaching notes are available for educators only.
Subject code
CSS 11: Strategy.
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Ankit Agarwal and Peter John Sandiford
This paper proposes a dialogical approach for analyzing and presenting Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) data in organizational research.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper proposes a dialogical approach for analyzing and presenting Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) data in organizational research.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper explores the story behind a story, showing how qualitative research can be fictionalized and reflexively framed in contemporary organizational settings, illustrated by IPA research conducted by the authors, into selection interviewing in Australia. Drawing from researchers' narrative notes that reflexively interpret interview data in narrative form, the data were re-interpreted in fictionalized dialogical form, enabling findings to be analyzed and presented more interactively.
Findings
The application of new interpretative techniques, like fictionalized dialogue, contributes to a richer interpretation of phenomena in qualitative organizational and management research, not limited to IPA studies.
Originality/value
Fictionalized dialogue brings to the surface an additional level of analysis that contributes to thematic analysis in a novel manner, also serving as a communicative tool.
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Ankit Rathee, Kuldip Singh Chhikara and Poonam Solanki
The study aims to identify the major challenges encountered by Indian exporters of agricultural products in the course of fulfilling export orders.
Abstract
Purpose
The study aims to identify the major challenges encountered by Indian exporters of agricultural products in the course of fulfilling export orders.
Design/methodology/approach
To achieve the objectives, a questionnaire and interview method are used to gather data from a randomly selected sample of 300 agri-exporters in Haryana, India. The study categorizes the various perceived constraints into problem variables or factors using factor analysis. Then, the aggregated scales are regressed against predictors, to validate the proposed hypotheses.
Findings
The results demonstrate that the broad challenges faced by agri-exporters of India are related to logistics, technological and quality assurance, financial, supply-chain bottlenecks and customs-related documentation. Furthermore, the findings confirm that the predictors have a significant effect on the identified constraints. Notably, the export experience emerged as the most influential variable contributing to overcome the challenges faced by Indian agri-exporters.
Research limitations/implications
The study’s exclusive focus on the exporter’s perspective limits a comprehensive understanding. Incorporating data from logistics providers, customs agents and financial institutions could offer a more holistic view of the challenges.
Originality/value
The study offers new insights and contributes to the existing knowledge base by presenting a comprehensive analysis of the challenges faced by exporters and modeling them.
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Ankit Singh, Meenal Kulkarni and Avinash Poojari
This case is based on a project carried out in a tertiary care hospital of the Northeastern region of India for a period of eight months and is written by Dr Ankit Singh, Dr…
Abstract
Research methodology
This case is based on a project carried out in a tertiary care hospital of the Northeastern region of India for a period of eight months and is written by Dr Ankit Singh, Dr Meenal Kulkarni and Mr Avinash Poojari. The case was developed with the help of the hospital’s management team, disguised on request as Mr Raghugopal Ramalinga (Chief Hospital Administrator), Mr Suresh Kumar (Chief Engineer), Ms Linney Krubah (Chief Nursing Superintendent), Dr Premanand Ale (Chief Medical Superintendent) and Mr Srikrishna Shukla (Chief Finance Officer).
Case overview/synopsis
This case is about Trident Hospital, which faces issues pertaining to oxygen supply. Oxygen supply at Trident Hospitals is through three options as highlighted in the case, but due to the lack of preventive maintenance and no risk assessment done for the crucial medical oxygen, interruptions and additional work for the staff became a common phenomenon. The existing situation can lead to patient harm or death and can attract medico-negligence suit against the hospital, threatening the overall existence of the hospital. The hospital administrator is currently viewing the problem from only the cost perspective, which is a high-risk and a short-term approach.
Complexity academic level
Students pursuing full time/part time/diploma programme in health-care management, hospital administration/hospital operations; and undergraduate and post-graduate level students.
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Prakriti Dumaru, Ankit Shrestha, Rizu Paudel, Cassity Haverkamp, Maryellen Brunson McClain and Mahdi Nasrullah Al-Ameen
The purpose of this study is to understand user perceptions and misconceptions regarding security tools. Security and privacy-preserving tools (for brevity, the authors term them…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to understand user perceptions and misconceptions regarding security tools. Security and privacy-preserving tools (for brevity, the authors term them as “security tools” in this paper, unless otherwise specified) are designed to protect the security and privacy of people in the digital environment. However, inappropriate use of these tools can lead to unexpected consequences that are preventable. Hence, it is significant to examine why users do not understand the security tools.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted a qualitative study with 40 participants in the USA to investigate the prevalent misconceptions of people regarding security tools, their perceptions of data access and the corresponding impact on their usage behavior and data protection strategies.
Findings
While security vulnerabilities are often rooted in people’s internet usage behavior, this study examined user’s mental models of the internet and unpacked how the misconceptions about security tools relate to those mental models.
Originality/value
Based on the findings, this study offers recommendations highlighting the design aspects of security tools that need careful attention from researchers and industry practitioners, to alleviate users’ misconceptions and provide them with accurate conceptual models toward the desired use of security tools.
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Bijeta Shaw, Sanjit K. Roy, Ankit Kesharwani, Sebastiaan van Doorn and Arnold Japutra
The increased usage of smartphones has made mobile payment services (MPS) popular among millennials, but it is uncertain if this shift in behavior is temporary due to situational…
Abstract
Purpose
The increased usage of smartphones has made mobile payment services (MPS) popular among millennials, but it is uncertain if this shift in behavior is temporary due to situational factors like the pandemic or a long-term trend due to technological advances. This study uses the diffusion of innovation (DOI) literature to assess an integrated model including smartphone addiction, technology-related and consumer-related factors that influence consumers' intention to use MPS. It also explores the interplay of situational variables and smartphone addiction in shaping this relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors base the conceptual model on the theory of rational addiction and the theory of optimal flow. This model is then empirically validated through data collected from seven hundred users of MPS in India. Research hypotheses are tested using structural equation modeling and multi-group analysis.
Findings
The study finds that smartphone addiction has a positive impact on millennials' perceived advantages, compatibility, trialability and observability of MPS but does not significantly affect their perceived complexity or risk. The results also suggest that the relationship between smartphone addiction and MPS is moderated by situational factors. In low-priority situations, smartphone addiction strengthens millennials' perceptions and intentions to use MPS, while in high-priority situations, situational factors overshadow the impact of smartphone addiction.
Originality/value
The findings of the study enable organizations to capitalize on smartphone addiction-driven MPS adoption behavior to sustain long-term usage behavior by appropriately understanding the context/situation which drives MPS adoption.
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Jaspreet Kaur, Vikas Kumar, Ankit Goyal, Beenu Tanwar, Yogesh Gat, Rasane Prasad and Sheenam Suri
The purpose of this paper is to explore the health effects and safety aspects regarding the consumption of energy drink (ED).
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the health effects and safety aspects regarding the consumption of energy drink (ED).
Design/methodology/approach
A wide variety of publications was identified through electronic databases (ScienceDirect, PubMed, SciELO, Google Scholar, Link springer and ResearchGate) on the basis of different keyword such as composition, market status, consumption pattern, health effects, consequences and policies related to ED consumption.
Findings
Owing to its popularity, various brands of EDs have been introduced in the market along with a wide variety of modifications to attract the consumers of all age groups. EDs comprise majorly active ingredients such as caffeine, taurine, guarana, L-carnitine and glucoronolactone, ginseng and sweeteners. EDs are well known to have good taste, enhance energy levels, physical alertness and performance, but they also pose risk of certain health hazards, i.e. caffeine intoxication. Because of this, different policies have been formulated by various regulatory bodies of respective countries regarding the composition, labelling, distribution and sale of EDs.
Originality/value
This review will provide a brief overview of composition, market status, consumption pattern, health effects, consequences and policies related to ED consumption.