Kulwinder Kaur, Gautam Surendra Bapat, Gautam Gopal Dua, Lincy P.T. and K. Nageswara Reddy
After completion of the case study, students will be able to understand BRalu Profile’s product range, customer base and historical developments; analyze how BRalu Profile’s…
Abstract
Learning outcomes
After completion of the case study, students will be able to understand BRalu Profile’s product range, customer base and historical developments; analyze how BRalu Profile’s procurement strategy evolved and its impact on business profitability; calculate and compare procurement costs and evaluate their role in decision-making for different suppliers; examine how market conditions (includes domestic and international dynamics) and pricing strategies influence procurement choices; assess the pros and cons of different procurement options and make informed recommendations based on supply chain principles; and identify potential procurement risks (e.g. currency exchange rates and supplier reliability) and propose strategies to mitigate them.
Case overview/synopsis
This case study explored the challenges faced by BRalu Profile, a prominent aluminum profile products company based in Ahmedabad, India. It focused on the critical task of supplier evaluation, selection and the complexities of maintaining relationships with existing suppliers. This case study delved into the intricate dynamics of procurement decisions within the supply chain and their direct impact on the firm’s overall performance. It also emphasized the supply chain’s susceptibility to disruptions and their consequences on company operations and supplier selection criteria. The protagonist, Dhaval Choladiya, had to navigate the complexities of cost-benefit analysis to identify the most suitable supplier, maximizing the firm’s net benefit while considering nonpricing parameters. This case study revealed the critical importance of maintaining strong supplier relationships in a competitive market and offered insights into the complexities of sourcing.
Complexity academic level
This case study is suitable for an undergraduate or graduate-level course on strategic sourcing or supply chain management or a risk management module in operations, strategy or finance course (e.g. how to deal with input cost fluctuations).
Supplementary materials
Teaching notes are available for educators only.
Subject code
CSS 11: Strategy.
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Keywords
Anuj Kumar, Nimit Gupta and Gautam Bapat
This paper aims to explore ChatGPT’s (generative pre-trained transformers) potential as a tool for retailers to improve customer experience and boost sales. While it provides…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore ChatGPT’s (generative pre-trained transformers) potential as a tool for retailers to improve customer experience and boost sales. While it provides benefits like personalized recommendations and 24/7 assistance, there are limitations, like difficulty in understanding unconventional language. The paper stresses careful integration to overcome these limitations and create a better customer experience. Additionally, it discusses the potential for further development and integration of ChatGPT in retail, such as generating product descriptions and virtual try-on experiences. Finally, the paper encourages retailers to embrace ChatGPT to meet their customer needs.
Design/methodology/approach
Case-based methodology involves using specific cases or examples to explore a broader issue or phenomenon. Researchers have analysed real-world cases to identify patterns, themes and insights that can be applied to other contexts or situations. This was useful for understanding complex and multifaceted issues as it allowed us to delve deeper into specific examples and explore the nuances of the situation.
Findings
While ChatGPT is a powerful tool for retailers, limitations such as difficulty in understanding non-standard accents and unconventional language can arise, causing customer frustration. Retail managers must integrate ChatGPT in a way that enhances customer experience. In the future, ChatGPT has the potential to generate product descriptions, provide virtual try-on experiences and integrate with augmented or virtual reality technology to offer more immersive experiences. Careful consideration and integration can help retailers overcome these limitations and offer personalized recommendations, round-the-clock assistance and an engaging customer experience that improves sales.
Originality/value
The case topic is very much in a novel stage of research and writing.
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Gautam Surendra Bapat and Anjali Ajit Sane
This case study aims to study cost benefit analysis, economic evaluation and its types, study and understand different costs involved in logistics and to identify the role of…
Abstract
Learning outcomes
This case study aims to study cost benefit analysis, economic evaluation and its types, study and understand different costs involved in logistics and to identify the role of dynamic leadership in nonstructured organization.
Case overview/synopsis
This case study is about one such unique nongovernmental organization (NGO), which was working in commercial space but which did not work for profit. This NGO called Yuvashakti was a well-respected, nonprofit organization in Pune that promoted mountaineering, climbing and other outdoor adventure pursuits. About 30 years ago, a group of young adventure enthusiasts led by the late Dr Mohan Dharia, the organization’s founding president, established Yuvashakti with the goal of introducing young people to outdoor activities such as skiing, climbing and trekking. Since 1985, Yuvashakti had consistently organized several Himalayan trekking programs. Yuvashakti organized bike and motorbike tours, visits to wildlife sanctuaries and other types of excursions around India all year long. In the past 30 years, “Yuvashakti” had done a lot of good for the young people of Maharashtra. Their job was multifaceted.
Complexity academic level
This case study is suitable for undergraduate students.
Supplementary material
Teaching notes are available for educators only.
Subject code
CSS12: Tourism and hospitality.
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Keywords
Pratik Rajendra Satpute, Gautam Surendra Bapat and Shefali Joshi
After completion of the case study, students will be able to recall the fundamental concepts of group arrival and the check-in process within the hotel industry; explain the…
Abstract
Learning outcomes
After completion of the case study, students will be able to recall the fundamental concepts of group arrival and the check-in process within the hotel industry; explain the various operational procedures used to enhance a smooth group check-in in hotels; use the steps defined in group check-in procedure to improve service efficiency in hotel operations; and examine and evaluate the optimal solution for a smooth group check-in for hotels.
Case overview/synopsis
“The Big Fat Indian Wedding” delves into the challenges faced by Hotel Plaza Blu, a business hotel in Pune, Maharashtra, in 2023. A big wedding group was arriving at the hotel, which comprised almost 350 adults and 120 children. Mr Parag Patil, the front office manager, had done all the preparations for group arrival but just one hour before the arrival Mr Suresh Menon, the group coordinator, came and informed that 150 additional guests would be arriving, as the other hotel, where arrangements for these guests were made, had a major electricity generator breakdown and the hotel was in complete blackout. Patil had the challenge of formulating an action plan to achieve a smooth group check-in with the last-minute changes.
Complexity academic level
Executive development programmes and graduate-level courses in non-profit hospitality and tourism management might benefit from this case study. The operational management courses in the BBA, UG management programmes might all benefit from using this case study.
Supplementary materials
Teaching notes are available for educators only.
Subject code
CSS 9: Operations and Logistics.
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Keywords
Gautam Surendra Bapat and Varsha Shriram Nerlekar
The learning outcomes of this case study are to identify the role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in social upliftment of developing countries, understand the functioning…
Abstract
Learning outcomes
The learning outcomes of this case study are to identify the role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in social upliftment of developing countries, understand the functioning of NGOs, understand the challenges faced by the NGOs in day-to-day operations and discuss the probable solutions for the same, appreciate the role of leader and leadership in an NGO, study the working style of NGO leaders, appreciate the importance of having a formal organizational structure for these informal organizations (NGOs) to ensure the sustainability of their ventures and design a sustainable organization structure having a proper succession plan for the NGOs.
Case overview/synopsis
The case study is about one NGO – Mahesh Foundation – located in a small town named Belagavi, nestled in the state of Karnataka, India. Mahesh Foundation worked towards the upliftment of poor children infected with HIV. Today, fighting against all odds, Mahesh Foundation is a safe shelter home for 45 HIV-infected children in the age group of 6–18 years and has reached more than 2,000 beneficiaries from the time of its inception (2008). In addition, Mahesh Foundation also provides skill-based education to the HIV-infected, slum and underprivileged children. The foundation also supported the livelihood of underprivileged women and till date has supported more than 1,500 needy women. Mr Mahesh Jadhav, the founder member of Mahesh Foundation, has been successful in overcoming different challenges faced by the NGO, may it be the requirement for funds or shelters or social agitation. However, Jadhav was worried about the succession planning of his organisation. Mahesh Foundation, being run as a one-man show, Jadhav was bothered about its sustainability after him. The case study therefore highlights and discusses the importance of having a formal organization structure for such informal organizations, thereby having a proper succession plan to ensure their perpetual existence.
Complexity academic level
This case study is best taught as part of a graduate and postgraduate Business Administration (BBA/MBA) programme, Management Development Programme or Executive MBA Programme.
Supplementary materials
Teaching notes are available for educators only.
Subject code
CSS 11: Strategy.
Details
Keywords
Pratik Satpute and Gautam Surendra Bapat
The learning outcomes of this study are to recall the fundamental concept of revenue management in the hotel industry (remembering); explain the various performance measures used…
Abstract
Learning outcomes
The learning outcomes of this study are to recall the fundamental concept of revenue management in the hotel industry (remembering); explain the various performance measures used to evaluate room revenue in hotels (understanding); use revenue management strategies to improve room revenue in hotel operations (applying); and examine and evaluate the optimal solution for revenue enhancement, considering factors such as capacity management, duration control and differential pricing (analyzing).
Case overview/synopsis
This case study delves into the challenges faced by Hotel King’s Cross, a business hotel located in Pune, Maharashtra, in the year 2022. A week before Christmas Eve, Soham Dande, the hotel’s revenue manager, sought a meeting with Rohan Chopra, the director of sales and marketing, to discuss “revenue optimization for the hotel.”
During their meeting, Dande mentioned that the hotel had fallen behind its budgeted room sales targets for 2022 across various metrics, such as room booking nights, occupancy percentage, average room rate and revenue per available room. Furthermore, the hotel was trailing behind its competitors. The situation was compounded by the management’s decision to raise the targets for 2023 by 5%–7%, factoring in upcoming events, competitive performance and pandemic-related losses over the past two years. Chopra faced the dilemma of formulating an action plan to achieve the ambitious 2023 targets and establish Hotel King’s Cross as a market leader.
Complexity academic level
Students undertaking executive development programs and graduate-level courses in non-profit hospitality and tourism management, as well as revenue management courses in the executive MBA, management development and graduate MBA programs, may all benefit from this case study.
Supplementary materials
Teaching notes are available for educators only.
Subject code
CSS12: Tourism and hospitality.
Details
Keywords
Abdulfatah Abdullah Abdulkareem Shayf, Mohd Abdullah, Mosab I. Tabash, Shahrukh Saleem, Asiya Chaudhary, Ammar Ali and Mushahid Ali Shamsi
The study evaluates whether an application of Ind-AS that converged with IFRS in India has enhanced financial reporting quality (FRQ) and how that is reflected in financial…
Abstract
Purpose
The study evaluates whether an application of Ind-AS that converged with IFRS in India has enhanced financial reporting quality (FRQ) and how that is reflected in financial performance (FP).
Design/methodology/approach
Design/methodology/approach: The study uses discretionary accruals (DACC) to measure FRQ. In addition, it uses ordinary least square (OLS) regression to examine the association between Corporate Governance attributes, FRQ, and financial performance for a sample of 24 textile companies from 2010 to 2021.
Findings
The results indicate that adopting IFRS has a role in monitoring CG attributes to enhance FRQ; this means the financial reporting qualit improves somewhat with some CG attributes under Ind-AS. In addition, the results demonstrate that financial reporting quality positively influences FP.
Practical implications
There are significant effects on authorities and decision-makers. The findings from this research can benefit lawmakers by providing Ind-AS policy enforcement with more consideration. The results are also helpful for policymakers who want to improve CG and need proof of the significance of high FRQ in this respect.
Originality/value
Given the dearth of research on FRQ in India, the study extends prior literature on FRQ by examining the quality of financial reporting according to the transformation to IFRS in Indian textile firms. The theoretical contribution of the current study is the testing of agency theory towards practices of corporate governance mechanisms on FRQ and FP in the context of the textile sector.
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Subrata Deb Nath, Gautam Gupta, Martin Kearns, Ozkan Gulsoy and Sundar V. Atre
The purpose of this paper is to investigate effects of layer thickness on densification, surface morphology, microstructure and mechanical and corrosion properties of 420…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate effects of layer thickness on densification, surface morphology, microstructure and mechanical and corrosion properties of 420 stainless steel fabricated by laser-powder bed fusion (L-PBF).
Design/methodology/approach
Standard specimens were printed at layer thickness of 10, 20 and 30 µm to characterize Archimedes density, surface roughness, tensile strength, elongation, hardness, microstructural phases and corrosion performance in the as-printed and heat-treated condition.
Findings
Archimedes density slightly increased from 7.67 ± 0.02 to 7.70 ± 0.02g/cm3 and notably decreased to 7.35 ± 0.05 g/cm3 as the layer thickness was changed from 20 µm to 10 and 30 µm, respectively. The sensitivity to layer thickness variation was also evident in properties, the ultimate tensile strength of as-printed parts increased from 1050 ± 25 MPa to 1130 ± 35 MPa and decreased to 760 ± 35 MPa, elongation increased from 2.5 ± 0.2% to 2.8 ± 0.3% and decreased to 1.5 ± 0.2, and hardness increased from 55 ± 1 HRC to 57 ± 1 HRC and decreased to 51 ± 1 HRC, respectively. Following heat treatment, the ultimate tensile strength and elongation improved but the general trends of effects of layer thickness remained the same.
Practical implications
Properties obtained by L-PBF are superior to reported properties of 420 stainless steel fabricated by metal injection molding and comparable to wrought properties.
Originality/value
This study successfully the sensitivity of mechanical and corrosion properties of the as-printed and heat-treated parts to not only physical density but also microstructure (martensite content and tempering), as a result of changing the layer thickness. This manuscript also demonstrates porosity evolution as a combination of reduced energy flux and lower packing density for parts processed at an increasing layer thickness.
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Keshab Ray and Meenakshi Sharma
There is a lacuna in research work in terms of understanding how Indian IT organizations can become global brands. Benchmarking has not received much attention in marketing…
Abstract
Purpose
There is a lacuna in research work in terms of understanding how Indian IT organizations can become global brands. Benchmarking has not received much attention in marketing literature due to lack of benchmarking framework, and IT organizations are yet to make progress in benchmarking. The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of brand strength on global branding by developing a conceptual benchmarking framework for Indian IT organizations.
Design/methodology/approach
Semi-structured in-depth interviews are conducted with thirty middle-level managers from two Indian IT organizations, two US-based global IT organizations and one UK-based leading bank, which is a customer of these IT organizations.
Findings
Results show a positive relationship between brand strength and global branding, between customer loyalty and global branding, between brand loyalty and competitive advantage and between global branding and competitive advantage. Indian IT organizations can benchmark global IT organizations to improve delivering brand promise, positioning, awareness building and authenticity toward making Indian IT organizations future ready to address the entire breadth of opportunities in the evolving world of cloud and digital.
Practical implications
This research helps managers with a brand strength-based benchmarking framework toward global branding of Indian IT organizations.
Social implications
IT is instrumental for rapid growth of Indian’s economy. India should optimally utilize its greatest wealth, its human potential, with the latent global demand in IT through building global IT brands.
Originality/value
The originality of the study lies in conducting a qualitative study on global branding of Indian IT organizations and also proposing a conceptual benchmarking framework. The study further validates the model using qualitative analysis.
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Vibha Trivedi, Krishan Kumar Pandey and Ashish Trivedi
This paper is aimed at analyzing the inter-contextual relationships among the factors that led to inadequate management of electronic and electrical waste (WEEE) during COVID-19…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper is aimed at analyzing the inter-contextual relationships among the factors that led to inadequate management of electronic and electrical waste (WEEE) during COVID-19 using a subjective perspective.
Design/methodology/approach
Grey sets and a Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL)-based approach has been employed to identify the causal association of intertwined WEEE management barriers.
Findings
Results reveal the lack of implementation of the legislative framework, extended producer responsibility and lesser corporate initiatives are some of the most challenging WEEE management challenges during the current pandemic.
Practical implications
The findings of the study would enable stakeholders of WEEE management toward building resilient policies and effective implementation plans during as well as post-crisis situations.
Originality/value
COVID-19 led challenges related to healthcare waste have attracted a significant amount of scholarly attention, but there has been lesser attention toward e-waste management challenges during the pandemic. Negligence toward e-waste management can pose threats to the environment as well as human well-being.