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The Olympic Gold Quest (OGQ) was founded as a Non-profit to support Indian athletes in their quest to win Olympic Gold medals by bridging the gap between the best athletes in India and in the world. The support from OGQ has been instrumental to India in winning its highest number of medals at any summer Olympics. Buoyed by this success, OGQ has set up a target of achieving eight Olympic medals at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. With OGQ relying on donations to support the athletes, the challenge is to market the Olympic cause by creating, communicating, and delivering the right offering for its donors.

OGQ was founded by Geet Sethi and Prakash Padukone with the mission to support potential Olympic medal winners, in achieving their dream, with the help of all the stakeholders; and the vision to scout for potential talent and identify their needs. It had eminent personalities from sports who understood the problems with Indian sports and from industry who had a passion for sports and supported it. OGQ supported its athletes for the 2012 London Olympics through voluntary contributions and its athletes won four medals. For the 2016 Olympics, OGQ had a target of eight Olympic medals and was scaling up its support to athletes. Viren Rasquinha, the CEO of OGQ, knew that he had to focus on getting more contributions as he needed more resources to support the athletes. For this OGQ needed to review its communication strategy to the current and potential donors.

Over the last two decades, Under Armour (UA) has emerged from being the “underdog” in the sports apparel and footwear industry to being a leader in the industry, with a fierce attention to performance and great skill at picking up-and-coming athletes who emerge as superstars. This case underscores its administrative heritage, competitive strategy, and growth potential as a global player in a highly competitive industry. It addresses the tension between being a performance brand while launching lines for women vs technology applications and conflicts between its growth strategy and macro-economic forces. It highlights areas in which it has succeeded against macro-economic forces and where it has not.

The research relies primarily on secondary sources and countless studies of UA and its major competitors. Primary research is based on databases, videos of UA’s Chief Executive Officer, Kevin Plank, and articles from Bloomberg to The Baltimore Sun (UA’s headquarters) on the history, growth and future of UA. It also includes observations and site visits to one of its signature brand house stores as well as intensive research and directed studies with students in the USA and China.

The case can be applied to undergraduate, graduate or executive business classes in: business policy and strategy; general management; (sports) marketing; leadership or organisational behaviour classes.

The key learning from this case study include the following: first, there are various leadership types that leaders can exhibit, such as servant leadership and transformational leadership, and an individual’s leadership style can be evaluated by analysing his/her traits and behaviours. Second, decision-making is much more critical for leaders than for anyone else, and there are different approaches, such as rational and intuitive decision-making, that leaders can apply when making a decision. Third, in male-dominated work environments such as the sports sector, female executives should carefully weigh the risks and opportunities of leadership positions while being promoted.

The UPS Sports and Culture Club was founded in 2003 by Haluk Ündeğer in Zeytinburnu district, one of the most dangerous neighbourhoods in Istanbul that had a bad reputation for being high on crime and drugs. The club’s main goal was to train children from disadvantaged groups to develop a career in sports. Shortly after the club’s founding, Semra Demirer, a physical education teacher who had devoted her life to children’s physical, cultural and personal development, crossed paths with the UPS Club. In 2004, Demirer started to work at the UPS Sports and Culture Club as the general coordinator. She played an important role in the growth and development of many children over the years and helped raise very talented athletes such as Simge Aköz. In 2020, on the heels of financial and administrative difficulties, the club was at the risk of being shut down. Hence, Demirer grappled with the decision of whether to share this information with the employees and players in the club. She deeply considered how she could overcome the conflict between transparency and confidentiality she was experiencing.

The case study is suitable for undergraduate students.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 6: Human Resource Management.

Ethics in IT, community informatics, management.

Undergraduate and postgraduate information technology and citizens' rights, strategic decision making.

This case spotlights Athlete Sports in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). It focuses on the malfunction of the company's equipment that is rented from ABC Sports Equipment. Athlete Sports has been in the UAE over a decade and has positioned itself fairly at the top due to its qualified coaches and quality of facilities it provides. The case highlights the company's transition from owning equipment to leasing equipment that increases profits. However, it also sheds light on ABC Sports' venture into code reusability in order to upgrade equipments faster. The case looks closely at the ultimate consequences of ABC Sports' practice and the impact it has on Athlete's Sports' clients and the subsequent decisions the managers are expected to make.

This case can be used to teach strategic decision making, and ethics in information technology.

A teaching note is available on request.

The 12^th South Asian Games were held in India in Guawhati and Shillong in February 2016, after repeated rescheduling. There were a number of challenges to organizing the games such as lack of infrastructure, legacy of corruption from past games, shortage of time etc. However, the games were held within 90 days of the announcement of venues and final dates. Sri Yadav, the Secretary, Department of Sports wants to understand the key drivers of success behind organizing the event. He also wants to understand how the success of Indian athletes at SAG could be leveraged for success at larger events.

This case traces Under Armour from its founding in 1996 through 2008 when the company entered the hyper-competitive non-cleated athletic footwear market. In 1996, with an innovative product and locker room access to college and pro players, Kevin Plank started Under Armour. He turned a struggling t-shirt company into a dominant player capturing 75% of the performance apparel market. In 2006, Under Armour successfully entered the athletic footwear market with a line of football cleats. Under Armour was the first company to disrupt Nike's dominance of the football cleat market by gaining 25% of the market within a year of introduction. In 2008, Under Armour entered the non-cleated athletic footwear market with a cross-trainer sneaker line and a $4.4 million Super Bowl ad. Unlike prior introductions, Nike responded aggressively to Under Armour's move into sneakers. Despite increased sales, Under Armour's costs increased, and profits and stock price decreased. The case concludes by asking students to evaluate Under Armour's next move. An extensive exhibit provides an overview of the athletic footwear industry in 2008.

A secondary research method was used to collect data for this case. The authors have made use of newspaper articles and published articles written by journalists and experts which are available in the public domain.

Instances of celebrity activism such as athlete activism are rising. Social media has amplified the voice of celebrities and given them a personal channel to directly communicate with their fans without any media censorship. The same is true especially concerning endorsement by sports superstars, who now seem to have a mind of their own, independent of the official line of clubs, tournament organizers or sponsoring companies. This case discusses the embarrassment and financial loss faced by soft drinks giant Coca-Cola due to the public snub by football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo during an official press conference of the EURO 2020 championship.

Undergraduate and postgraduate students studying marketing management and brand management courses in business management and commerce streams can use this case. This case can also be used for marketing specialization students at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

This case study is a compilation of data gathered from secondary data sources.

Roger Federer has won a record setting 20 grand slam titles in his career and has an impressive 103 ATP singles titles to his name. He has stood the test of time and is widely acknowledged as one of the most distinguished players of all times. His personal charisma, classic shot making abilities and consistent stylish on-court performance over a long period of time has created a brand – Roger Federer. Inevitably, as he will have to wind down his career, it would be challenging to brace the brand and identify ways for its endurance. Various models of brand management, namely, Brand Identity Prism and Customer-Based Brand Equity model, have been applied for the brand – Roger Federer. An analysis of brand-building practices can help to understand how sportspersons build brand equity and factors which characterize personal brands that develop in a professional arena. This case study also helps to dwell on how human brands will sustain themselves after the players retire.

This case is designed to teach the concepts of brand in courses such as brand management, marketing management and sports marketing to both undergraduate and postgraduate classes of business management. This case can also be used in various executive programs and in customized short-term courses.

The case traces the development of the Under Armour (UA) brand, product, and market growth under CEO and founder Kevin Plank from its inception in 1996 through 2016. UA provides a cohesive case study of how to launch and sustain a consumer brand even in the face of its third-party manufacturing approach, which gives its apparel no patentable design or fabric technologies. The case uses UA's brand and advertising development as a backdrop for the current pivotal issue of how to target women to sustain growth. UA's stated goal is to build a $1.9 billion women's business by 2019.

In laying out UA's growth and competitive moves, the case lets students analyze broadcast, social media, and other digital advertising campaigns in view of the company's brand development and strategic targeting. The case also highlights the importance of leveraging brand heritage and historical differentiation while respecting key nuances when extending into new markets (i.e., moving from a predominantly male-driven audience to female). It also allows an exploration of how to use consumer insight and broader cultural attitudes and trends to support extending a position into new markets.