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The case was developed from two 2-h interviews with the Chief Operating Officer of A-Basin, Alan Henceroth; there is no CEO of A-Basin. The second interview was recorded on a Zoom call to provide accuracy of quotations and information. A variety of secondary sources were used in terms of better understanding the current state of the ski industry, as well as its history.

Arapahoe Basin (A-Basin) is a historic, moderately sized, ski area with proximity to metropolitan Denver, Colorado. For over 20 years A-Basin partnered with Vail, allowing skiers to use the Vail Epic Pass, for which A-Basin received some revenue from Vail for each skier visit. The Epic Pass allowed pass holders unlimited days of skiing at A-Basin. More and more skiers were buying the Epic Pass, thus increasing the customer traffic to A-Basin. However, the skier experience was compromised due inadequate parking, long lift lines and crowded restaurants. The renewal of the contract with Vail was coming due, and A-Basin had to consider whether to renew the contract with Vail. The case is framed primarily as a strategic marketing case. The authors use Porter’s five forces model to assess the external environment of A-Basin, and the authors use the resource-based view and the VRIO tool to assess A-Basin’s internal strengths. Both frameworks provide useful analysis in terms of deciding whether to continue A-Basin’s arrangement with Vail or end the contract and pursue a different strategy. In 2019, after consultation with the Canadian parent company Dream, A-Basin made the decision to disassociate itself from the Epic Pass and Vail to restore a quality ski experience for A-Basin’s customers. No other partner had ever left its relationship with Vail. An epilogue details some of A-Basin’s actions, as well as the outcomes for the ski area. Generally A-Basin’s decision produced positive results and solidified its competitive position among competitors. Other ski areas have since adopted a similar strategy as A-Basin. A-Basin’s success is reflected in a pending offer from Alterra, Inc., to purchase the ski area.

The A-Basin case can be used in both undergraduate and graduate strategic (or marketing) management courses. It is probably best considered during the middle of an academic term, as the case requires students to apply many of the theoretical concepts of strategy. One of the best books to enable students to use Porter’s five forces is Understanding Michael Porter by Joan Magretta (Boston: Harvard Business Review Press, 2012). Magretta was a colleague of Porter for many years and was an Editor of the Harvard Business Review. For a discussion of the VRIN/VRIO concept, see Chapter 4 of Essentials of Strategic Management by Gamble, Peteraf and Thompson (New York: McGraw-Hill Education, 2019).

The case is written based on publicly available data from primary sources like the company’s annual reports and presentations and from secondary sources, as indicated in the references.

Barnes & Noble Inc. (B&N), one of the oldest and largest American retail booksellers founded in 1917, was facing a grim business situation underpinned by a fall in demand, a change in consumer preference and stiff competition. After almost a century of being in the business, B&N was experiencing a fall in market share and weak stock market performance. In 2019, the company was sold to Elliot Advisors – a hedge fund – for US$638m. With the appointment of new chief executive officer (CEO) James Daunt in August 2019, a man known for the turnaround of similar businesses, B&N expected its business’s revival and reorganization strategy to turn profitable. Its long-term strategy of beating competitors with its offerings’ sheer volume and low prices was no longer viable. The turmoil was compounded by top management crises with the repeated changes and ousting of several CEOs in a short span, alongside the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns in 2020 and 2021. Daunt was considering how to overcome the crisis and act fast to reposition the company and regain the loyalty of its customers. Was there more that the company could do to improve the company’s position and restore profitability?

The case can be used in strategic management and entrepreneurship classes at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The case can be used in an investment analysis and management course to teach students the industry analysis technique using Porter’s five forces model.

After completion of the case study, the students will be able to[1] review the industry analysis using Porter’s five forces and strength, weakness, opportunities, threats framework and understand how a firm can achieve a competitive advantage, analyze the stakeholder theory and the salience of stakeholder mapping for enterprises with large number of stakeholders, apply the Mendelow framework of stakeholder mapping in this context and integrate it with stakeholder engagement for small enterprises and examine and evaluate how new age enterprises can engage better with stakeholders to provide a higher value creation.

Ayushi Srivastava started her enterprise, Beeyond Foods, in early 2021 with the aim to provide unadulterated, raw honey to consumers. She also wanted to help the beekeeping community by providing the beekeepers with a fair price for the procurement of honey from the bee hives. Beeyond Foods was a small enterprise in India that sold two variants of honey to consumers. The first variant was sourced from the Himalayan region of India, whereas the second was sourced from the Western Ghats of India. The primary distribution channel was trade fairs, where Srivastava would assemble her stall and sell honey to potential customers. Furthermore, a part of the sales was also driven by an electronic channel, which was through the company website. Customers could place their orders, and the honey would directly be delivered to their homes. With a successful start to the business, Srivastava was interested to scale her business and reach more customers. However, she was mindful that there were multiple stakeholders involved in the business. Srivastava had to study the values and needs of each stakeholder, while simultaneously formulate a strategy to expand her reach. This case study is designed to teach the concept of stakeholder value creation for small business enterprises.

This case study is well suited for an entrepreneurship and strategy course at the postgraduate (Master of Business Administration) level. This case study can also be taught in a marketing course.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS3: Entrepreneurship.

The purpose of this paper is to unravel the specific service quality dimensions that significantly influence startup survival, providing actionable insights for service managers and entrepreneurs.

Empirical data were collected from 372 service startups over a period of seven years. The Cox proportional hazard model was used to analyze the data.

The results indicate that the tangible dimension of service quality emerges as the most critical determinant of startup survival. Additionally, the reliability and responsiveness of the service also significantly affect startup survival. Furthermore, the assurance and empathy dimensions have a positive, albeit modest, influence on the survival prospects of service startups.

This study contributes to the service literature by investigating the relative importance of each dimension of service quality in relation to the survival of service startups.

The empirical findings empower service startups to make informed decisions, allocate resources judiciously and prioritize aspects of service quality that have a significant impact on their survival and success.

The social implications indicate the significance of service quality dimensions not only for the success of service startups but also for the overall well-being of customers, local economies and the competitive landscape of the service sector.

This study contributes to service science by uniquely highlighting the critical role of tangibles in startup survival, challenging conventional beliefs about the primacy of service reliability.

The proliferation of industry platforms has disrupted several industries. Firms adopting a platform business model have experienced a substantial expansion in size and scale, positioning themselves as the foremost valuable entities in market capitalization. Over the past two decades, there has been a substantial expansion in the body of literature dedicated to platforms, and different streams of research have emerged. Despite considerable efforts and the significant progress made in recent years toward a comprehensive understanding of industry platforms, there is still room for further harnessing the field’s diversity. As a result, the aim of this article is to examine the field’s structure, identify research concerns and provide suggestions for future research, thereby enhancing the overall understanding of industry platforms.

We conducted a thorough examination of 458 articles on the topic using bibliometric methods and systematic review techniques.

Through co-citation analysis, we identified five distinct clusters rooted in various bodies of literature: two-sided markets, industry platforms, digital platforms, innovation platforms and two-sided networks. Furthermore, the examination of these five clusters has revealed three key areas that demand further consideration: (1) terminologies, (2) classifications and (3) perspectives.

While previous reviews have provided valuable insights into the topic of industry platforms, none have explored the structure of the field so far. Consequently, as a first step toward advancing the field, we uncover the structure of the literature, identifying three major areas of concern. By addressing these concerns, our goal is to converge different clusters, thereby harnessing the diversity in the field and enhancing the overall understanding of industry platforms.

This study aims to investigate the antecedents of corporate social responsibility (CSR) from the perspective of competitive dynamics and proposes a correlation of CSR between competing firms because rival firms’ engagement in CSR induces the focal firm’s catch-up to keep pace with them.

Using a sample of Chinese listed companies through the lens of firm dyads, and drawing on the awareness-motivation-capability (AMC) framework, a set of contingencies of firms’ competitive catch-up in CSR are examined, including the visibility of its competitors, the interdependence between the focal firm and its competitors and the focal firm’s resource slack.

The empirical results reveal that a focal firm’s CSR is in a positive relationship with that of its competitors, which is strengthened by the visibility of its competitors, the interdependence between the focal firm and its competitors, and is affected by the focal firm’s resource slack.

These findings uncover the interplay of CSR among competitors, enriching our understanding of its antecedents by extending the AMC framework to the CSR context.

This study examines the effects of CLS and DS on companies' WCME and analyses the differences in WCME at company and market levels.

This study adopts the DEA approach, regression, differences, and additional analyses to achieve its objectives. This study employs 235 non-financial companies and 1,175 company-year observations from eight active industries in the United States from 2016 to 2020.

The findings indicate that CLS and DS strategies positively influence companies' WCME. Additionally, WCME differed across size categories and industries, with large companies and those operating in the communication services industry showing better WCME. By contrast, WCME did not differ between the periods before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This study scrutinizes the impact of CLS and DS strategies on companies' WCME to bridge the gap in this field. It extends the investigation of competitive strategies as explanatory variables for a company's WCME and examines the differences in companies' WCME at the company and market levels, which may assist decision-makers in improving their strategies and efficiencies for continuous improvement.

This study enhances current knowledge by uncovering the influence of CLS and DS strategies on improving companies' WCME, an underexplored topic. It also explores companies' WCME trends and patterns regarding company size, industry type, and the pandemic period to draw interesting conclusions about the essence of WCME.

After completion of the case study, the students will be able to understand the complexity of diversification and market expansion strategies in a growing consumer-driven market context, apply strategic frameworks to analyze the Indian oral care market, analyze brand positioning principles to develop a marketing strategy for Aquawhite and evaluate and identify the pros and cons of the various decisions taken during market diversification.

This case study seeks to examine the market expansion dilemmas faced by Aquawhite, a brand in the oral health-care sector, and the role of key decision-makers in addressing these challenges. This case study aims to provide insights into the complexities of brand extension and market expansion strategies in the context of a developing consumer-driven market. This case study is structured as a qualitative analysis based on publicly available information, including Aquawhite’s historical data, market trends and industry reports. Additionally, insights from relevant interviews with key stakeholders within the company have been considered to present a comprehensive view. This case study highlights the dilemmas faced by Aquawhite as it navigates market expansion. It reveals the critical role of Nikhil Nanda, the managing director in addressing these dilemmas and shaping the brand’s future. This case study emphasizes the need for a strategic approach that balances market dynamics with brand identity.

This case study is suitable for use in undergraduate and postgraduate-level courses on marketing management and strategic management. This case study provides insights into brand development, market entry and expansion strategies. It can be used to discuss the marketing mix, segmentation and targeting, as well as competitive analysis.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 8: Marketing.

The research paper’s purpose is to contribute to the literature by analysing the essential resources and processes required for successful commercialisation, the contemporary challenges and opportunities of artificial intelligence initiatives in Türkiye, and the diverse models and methods employed by these initiatives.

Within the scope of the research, interviews were conducted with 10 entrepreneurs who established artificial intelligence-oriented enterprises in technoparks in Istanbul and Antalya. All 10 interviews were analysed using the MAXQDA20 software tool. Structured qualitative content analysis was used for the data analysis procedure.

Based on the research, external factors have a significant impact on the future growth opportunities of the market. Expanding the client base, gaining international recognition, and securing financing are crucial for success. However, the findings reveal challenges in the relatively young local ecosystem. One major criticism is the lack of support in marketing and sales activities for refined products. To address this, providing financial incentives and knowledge transfer to those in need is vital.

Since the research was conducted only with entrepreneurs who established and successfully commercialised artificial intelligence-oriented enterprises, it is recommended that future studies be performed with a widespread sample group, considering this limited situation. Furthermore, to overcome survivorship bias, it is recommended that posterior studies include failed commercialisation attempts in AI ventures.

It can be argued that there is no deliberate approach or model for commercialization. Entrepreneurs often draw from their own prior experiences or observe industry trends. Given the limited financial resources available in the domestic market and the challenge of attracting foreign investors to Turkish brands, entrepreneurs tend to rely on internal approaches for commercialisation.

This research delves into the commercialisation prospects and obstacles encountered by AI start-ups in Türkiye. It comprises qualitative insights into business models, commercialisation approaches, opportunities, and challenges. The data were obtained from interviews with entrepreneurs operating in the industry.

This study aims to explore the ways and contexts in which fintech firms are being developed, operated in the market and responds to competitive pressures and technological changes through isomorphism and decoupling mechanism.

How can new technology platform business successfully distinguish themselves from competitors while also ensuring that they are seen as legitimate and appropriate? This paper draws on a case study of fintech start-ups in Indonesia.

This study shows that managing market pressures for distinctiveness (customer-appealing) versus business pressures for profits (investor returns) drives firms’ quest for optimal distinctiveness. It is evident that fintech firms increase their control by consolidating themselves through their industrial association and by forming a close relationship with regulators. However, to escape the iron cage of the field, they increasingly control the coupling of profitability and compliance.

Through a qualitative-inductive approach, this study provides insights into technological development of platform business in the context of financial services and responsive movement towards cashless society.