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The learning outcomes of this paper are as follows: to define the scope of digital customer experience, why it is important and how it can be used to create a competitive advantage, to evaluate the various challenges for traditional retail businesses that undertake a digital transformation strategy, to critically assess a chosen digital transformation strategy, to identify the key features of a successful digital transformation strategy and to develop a crisis communication strategy.

The Cape Union Mart Group is a typical apparel retail company faced with the challenge of improving the digital customer experience and accelerating digital transformation in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Due to the pandemic, the demand for e-commerce increased dramatically. However, strict lockdown regulations forbade the delivery of clothing. When the lockdown was lifted, there was an order backlog of four weeks. To add to this challenge, the Group was in the midst of a technology update. They moved their entire information technology (IT) backbone to three clouds and, just a week before the lockdown, launched five new websites for its five different retail chains. The ultimate goal with the technology update was to give the company a competitive advantage by improving the customer experience. However, having to do this at an accelerated pace due to the pandemic posed a number of challenges. The case provides a vivid description of how the crisis unfolded and how Grant De Waal-Dubla, the executive of e-commerce and IT at the Group and his team responded to the challenges, together with the marketing team. Based on the success of e-commerce during the lockdown, the owners of the business then tasked Grant with new, aggressive growth targets. Whilst dealing with the aftermath of the lockdown, Grant’s main challenge is to develop a strategy to reach those targets.

The primary target audience for this case are postgraduate students enrolled on programmes such as Master of Business Administration or specialist masters in a business field such as marketing or strategy and also for Executive Education courses.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 11: Strategy.

After completion of this case study, students will be able to describe the funding path for start-ups, including the amounts and profiles of the usual investors or sources of funds, according to the moment in their life cycle and the characteristics of the initiative; highlight the challenges faced by start-up founders in weak entrepreneurial ecosystems and risky institutional environments; and argue in favor of or against different modes and typical instruments of venture capital (VC) investments in the early stages of new businesses, each of them different regarding dilutions, valuation potential, depth of negotiations and term sheets.

Asistensi, a technology and telemedicine start-up founded in 2020 in Venezuela by three entrepreneurs (Andrés Simón González-Silén, Luis Enrique Velásquez and Armando Baquero), raised US$3m in less than a year in a seed round in which it attracted the attention of professional VC funds such as Mountain Nazca, Alma Mundi Ventures and 468 Capital. Everything was set for launching operations in Mexico and the Dominican Republic in April 2021. However, a series of difficulties led to higher expenditure than planned, prompting the entrepreneurs to seek additional capital. The decision on the financial instrument to be associated with the potential valuation and shareholder dilution figures has been posed as a dilemma.

The case study focuses on understanding the start-up financing process. It can be used effectively in management- and finance-related subjects for graduate students taking introductory topics in entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial finance, as well as introductory executive education courses in entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial finance and VC.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS3: Entrepreneurship

This case was developed from a primary source and is based on interviews and personal evaluations.

Maria was at a scheduled lunch with her direct manager, John, who inquired about the privacy leak regarding employee data she had found a few months earlier. Upon discovering the issue, Maria took on the task of ensuring the privacy leak was dealt with and resolved. John knew it was a challenging interdepartmental task because other managers did not immediately recognize the seriousness and full impact of the issue on employee privacy. Plus, the belief was that the project to combine two software programs improving CRM functionality, causing the employee data leak, needed immediate release. During the lunch, Maria stated that the privacy problem was fully eliminated and that, in the end, it did impact a lot more than only a few employees. John actively encouraged Maria in the conversation to seek feedback from Richard, the managing director directly involved and responsible for the project, which Maria had already done. When the feedback arrived, Maria felt extremely hurt by the comments and began to question the validity of the company’s values. Now, she must decide what her options are.

This case study is about dealing with feedback, career development and how to receive and provide feedback. It presents a situation that allows for a variety of ways to address negative feedback and shows that different reactions can have broader consequences for career development. At the same time, the case illustrates how feedback is given in international teams and companies, and how intercultural or gender-relevant circumstances may have to be considered.

This case study was written for use in BA and MA classes to promote discussion regarding feedback. Relevant courses in business and administration or an international business study program could be organizational behavior, communication training, conflict management, an intercultural competencies course or in line with career management sequences.

Early program BA students, BA students in advanced semesters as well as MA students with work experience are all markets for the case. It has been class-tested with BA international business students. While advanced BA and graduate students are able to and expected to enrich discussions by contributing personal stories, early program BA students benefit from learning how to create feedback and how to read feedback – including from other students, instructors and managers, to use during their first internships.

The case deals with project management principles that are required for implementing a social project in India.

The study has been carried out at primary schools in an underdeveloped state, namely, Odisha, in India.

The case illustrates a project management approach for improving primary education in a government set up. The bureaucracy set up in education in a state like Odisha, India, needs to undergo radical changes. To be effective, an education system requires an optimal integration of the three main components, namely, people, infrastructure (this includes technology) and pedagogical processes. Using a public–private partnership model, American India Foundation (AIF) through its Digital Equalizer (DE) Program has been able to make a positive impact in an underdeveloped tribal dominated district like Keonjhar. The case study also illustrates the detailed execution plan predicated on total system planning, required to achieve this amount of success. The case study also explains how to measure success through different metrics where intervention has to be at multiple levels. The learning from the case study can also be adopted for designing an implementation strategy in other states.

Expected learning outcomes are as follows: how to approach implementation of technology-based intervention with involvement of all stakeholders; learn project management techniques related to digital learning model implementation; understand the DE methodology; and understand the challenges faced while implementing the DE Program.

Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

CSS 7: Management Science.

Emerging Markets.

Undergraduate, Masters.

Pacari Chocolate is the flagship brand of SKS Farms CIA Ltda., located in Quito, Ecuador. The company specializes in organic chocolate production which it sells in Ecuador and exports to other Latin American, European and North American markets. The company began operation in 2002, founded by Carla Barbotó and her husband Santiago Peralta. Carla is the Director of SKS and Santiago is General Manager. The case is set just after Santiago negotiated a deal to supply Emirates Airlines with mini bars to be distributed to flight passengers. Santiago is excited about this new deal, which will provide a new revenue stream, enhance brand image and potentially create new customers. Carla and Santiago pursue excellence with their products, as evidenced by over 160 awards, many globally recognized. However, their mission is also very much social in that they seek to improve the lives of Andean farmers, indigenous peoples and broader Ecuadorean society. The principle author uses this case in a course on innovative approaches to engaging emerging market opportunities, in which shared (social + economic) value and the formation of strong national industries are key outcomes, to be addressed through complementary market and non-market entrepreneurship strategies.

Expected learning outcomes are as follows: to identify the contextual challenges faced by an emerging market firm, and explain what must be done to overcome them; to identify the role of a firm in developing a national competency in an agricultural product industry; to demonstrate the creation of “shared value” and examine how the social mission of a company can reinforce and sustain its economic value creating activities; and to generate and evaluate options for developing international markets when a firm has limited resources to invest in marketing activities.

Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

Deutsche Bahn AG (Deutsche Bahn hereafter) was the former German railroad monopolist until deregulation in 1996. It was a well-known company that operated in worldwide markets for transport and logistics at the time of the case (late 2013). The case “Deutsche Bahn AG: a former monopoly off track?” focuses on the opportunities and challenges faced by Deutsche Bahn with regard to its position in the German individual transportation market. On the one hand, Deutsche Bahn is facing external problems. Increasing competition in short- and long-distance traffic threatens its strong business position. The competition emerged from a growing long-distance bus market and the increase in private railway companies. During the last few years before 2013, Deutsche Bahn has lost several public tenders for individual passenger travel in Germany. On the other hand, Deutsche Bahn has internal problems that endanger its image as a service company. A lack of service quality and the technical condition of its trains has led to rising numbers of customer complaints. In addition, staffing and punctuality problems have exacerbated the situation. One of the main technical issues the company faces is that ordered trains have not been delivered on time. Given the focus on Deutsche Bahn’s domestic challenges, its international business activities are tackled only briefly. While regulatory and political events have an impact on Deutsche Bahn, these are not the main subjects of the case.

This case has been written from public sources. Consequently, no company release is provided. None of the information has been disguised in any way.

The case is intended for use in a 90-minute strategic management class attended by students at the end of their undergraduate studies or in postgraduate study. Although the case relates to issues in strategic management, the special regulatory environment and some of the issues covered could make the case a useful complement in other classes as well, such as classes in supply chain management (procurement) or the management of public companies. Therefore, students should have basic knowledge in developing strategies, management, marketing, human resource management, and finance.

Strategic Analysis and Strategic Management, Railroad Logistics, Deregulation of a former Monopoly, Stakeholder Theory.

The case and discussion questions posed will allow the instructors the opportunity to introduce critical strategic concepts from strategic, nonprofit management and social enterprise literature. Specifically, (1) strategic transformation: countering drift and anticipating future trends and crises; (2) types of leadership: transactional versus transformational; (3) hybridity and mission drift; and (4) nonprofit funding models, the starvation cycle and the overhead myth.

Both primary and secondary sources have been used to prepare the case. The first two authors had the opportunity to interview Thomas Tighe, Direct Relief’s (DR) President and CEO in July of 2019. The interview lasted one hour and was transcribed by one of the authors and reviewed by the other two authors for accuracy. In addition, the authors conducted nonparticipant observations in DR’s headquarters in Santa Barbara (California). Given the longevity and media exposure of the organization, extensive internal and external archival data was also available for the analysis.

This real and undisguised case is based on DR, a +70-year-old humanitarian $1.2bn nonprofit organization headquartered in California (USA). From its headquarters in Santa Barbara, DR responds to emergencies and delivers medical support for vulnerable people affected by poverty, natural disasters and civil unrest in all 50 US states, six US territories including Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands, and in more than 90 countries.

The case presents Thomas Tighe, DR’s President and CEO, reflecting in late 2018 on the transformation and growth that the organization had experienced since he started his tenure in 2000. Specifically, he is considering the most effective way to allocate an unrestricted recent cash donation. Should DR spend that money on traditional fundraising, reducing its efficiency rate, or should DR take a long-term approach and use the funds to build long-term capabilities? In addition, the case outlines the history and evolution of DR over its more than 70 years of existence, the CEO’s background and motivations, as well as a detailed description of the organization’s revenue portfolio. Students will have an opportunity to learn about a unique nonprofit named among “the world’s most non-for-profit organizations” by Fast Company; DR was also included in the Charity Navigator’s list of the “10 Best Charities Everyone’s Heard of.” In addition, in January 2009, DR was designated as a Verified-Accredited Distributor by The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, which placed it as the first nonprofit to receive this designation to deliver prescription medicines to all 50 US states. Throughout Tighe’s tenure, DR had been lauded for its fundraising efficiency. The unique distinction to DR’s efficiency is its tradition of adopting new technologies and modern business practices for humanitarian purposes.

Students will learn how DR, under the leadership of Thomas Tighe, reinvented and reinforced the organization’s traditions to retain high levels of efficiency in the face of an ever-larger organizational scale, public scrutiny and demand for humanitarian support across the world. Students will witness many strategic and operational tenets that they may be more familiar with from the for-profit world. The case also will help students to understand the concept of hybrid organizations and different nonprofit funding models.

The case has been written to be used in graduate Nonprofit Leadership Management and Social Entrepreneurship courses. Given the scope and implications, the case could also be used on an upper-level strategy course. To maximize students’ learning, the case should be introduced halfway into the course after students have a solid understanding of what nonprofits are and how they operate. If students are not familiar with some of the concepts introduced in the analysis, the proposed readings will prepare them for a more fruitful discussion.

Marketing.

The case study is intended for undergraduate students pursuing grades in business, management, environmental, and sustainability areas. It can be used in marketing, entrepreneurship, market research and sales management courses.

This case deals with the events surrounding the sales patterns and the marketing practices at a firm that commercializes clean energy equipment, specifically, solar water boilers. Ren-Er Co was founded by Mr Vega and Mr Flores two year ago in a mid-sized city close to Mexico City. At first everything seemed to be going well but as time went by, sales were not reaching the stated objective. In a meeting called by Mr Vega to address this issue many ideas were delivered. Above all, Mr Vega had to collect all relevant information to design a feasible marketing plan that allows the firm to revamp its precarious competitive position. He needed to convince Mr Flores, his partner, to continue operations instead of getting out of the market.

These include: enhanced ability to perform marketing analysis; development of alternative approaches to selling and marketing problems; development of effective marketing campaigns.

Teaching notes are available; contact your librarian for access.

Discussing statistical error and research design problems and the organizational implications of delivering “good news” at all cost.

This case can be used on basic courses of Public Policy, Marketing Research and Quantitative Methods.

MIDEPLAN on July 2012 showed the results of the CASEN (Caracterización Socio-Económica or Socio-Economical Characterization) survey of 2011. The results showed that poverty was lowered by 0.6 per cent and was greatly highlighted by the media. Opposition coalition and academics started to ask questions about statistical error, which was not yet known. It was revealed that the government asked Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL), a public organization dependent on the United Nations (UN) that was helping Chile to manage the CASEN survey, to review the results and incorporate a variable “y11,” but academics questioned it due to comparability reasons. The statistical error was revealed and it was 0.8 per cent. On October 2012, CEPAL decided to stop helping Chilean institutions.

The key analysis and conclusions which should arise as a result of teaching this case are: The relevance of the statistical error as a key component of research to evaluate data; the importance of fully implementing research design and accuracy of every step to reach valid results; analyze and discuss organizational implications of delivering “good news” at all cost.

Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email pfarias@unegocios.cl to request teaching notes.

The Hotel Perennial case puts students in the shoes of Dan Jameson, founder and CEO of a boutique real estate private equity firm called EL Investments (ELI), as he wrestles with the decision of whether or not to acquire the distressed Hotel Perennial, a 194-room hotel on the north side of Chicago, Illinois. When making the investment decision, Jameson (and students) must consider various factors: What is ELI's implicit investment strategy, and what are the firm's core competencies? What are Jameson's goals for growing ELI, and how might the acquisition of the Hotel Perennial fit with those goals? What opportunities and challenges might ELI face if it decides to acquire the hotel? How much would a buyer likely have to pay for the Hotel Perennial to achieve an attractive return? In addition to containing a hotel valuation and modeling exercise, the Hotel Perennial case also exposes students to several real estate industry concepts and terminologies, including those regarding the hotel sector, equity sourcing, and distressed investing. The case material assumes that students have taken an introductory real estate finance course or have relevant work experience.

-Show students how an investment decision can go beyond simply “crunching numbers” and projecting an internal rate of return to include considering an individual's or firm's strategic objectives and core competencies. Students should think through how to