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Innovation as a catalyst for Moonj artisans: a case of Rekhaakriti

Shubham Kumar (Amity Business School, Amity University, Noida, India)
Tanuj Mathur (Amity Business School, Amity University, Noida, India)
Himanshu Misra (Jaipuria Institute of Management Lucknow, Lucknow, India)

Publication date: 12 May 2023

Abstract

Learning outcomes

The readers will gain practical insights on the key attributes of a women entrepreneur, the role of innovative product design and usage, the core challenges and opportunities and the strategies to overcome entrepreneurial hurdles in the Moonj handicraft business.

Case overview/synopsis

The case is about “Rekhaakriti”, a handicraft artisan-oriented firm, which deals in the business of selling handicrafts items like traditional wooden toys, Moonj baskets, rice bowls and vermilion boxes, in both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) markets. Incorporated as a non-governmental organization (NGO) in the year 2014, “Rekhaakriti” was founded with the purpose of preserving, promoting and advancing the Moonj handicraft. Throughout its formative years, the organization experienced several organizational and operational challenges and got almost on the edge of collapse. The dilemma that surrounded Rekha Sinha, a key founding member of “Rekhaakriti”, was whether to carry or dissolve the organization. But, after much contemplation, she decided to convert the organization to a sole proprietorship firm in the year 2017. However, the restructuring decision was also proving to become less effective in attaining the objectives for which the firm got established. This led the owner, Rekha Sinha, to further dug deep to identify obstacles (both internal and external) that impede her firm’s expansion and growth. This case narrates Rekha Sinha's intricate entrepreneurial path in building an innovative handicraft organization and explains how she overcame the overall organizational and operational obstacles. The case provides the context for students to assume the role of protagonist and explore creative strategies for overcoming market obstacles through upskilling, design intervention and product innovation.

Complexity academic level

The case study is intended for the students pursuing their graduation and post-graduation courses in business, management studies, marketing and entrepreneurship. The case also provides suitable insights to management trainees and executives.

Supplementary material

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

Subject code

CSS 8: Marketing.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The authors are highly thankful to Rekha Sinha for her support and assistance. She was very humble and insightful while sharing her inputs throughout the entire case. Disclaimer. This case is written solely for educational purposes and is not intended to represent successful or unsuccessful managerial decision-making. The authors may have disguised names; financial and other recognizable information to protect confidentiality.

Citation

Kumar, S., Mathur, T. and Misra, H. (2023), "Innovation as a catalyst for Moonj artisans: a case of Rekhaakriti", , Vol. 13 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/EEMCS-08-2022-0266

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited

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