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This case features a county planning director as he approves or turns down a permit application for the Harvest Wind Farm Project, located in Klickitat County on the Columbia Plateau in Washington State. The utilities involved and Klickitat County stood to benefit through new revenue generation and a favorable federal construction grant associated with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, and certain landowners stood to make substantial royalties. However, other landowners were also worried about declining property values, environmental groups had raised objections to the effect of turbines on the pristine Columbia River view, and uncertainty about health effects had recently become more of an issue. Nationally, “wind turbine syndrome” and “shadow-flicker” effects had been linked to wind farm operations. Given these concerns and the uncertainty, would the gains to stakeholders justify signing off on the project?

Learn the application of important strategy frameworks such as PESTLE, SWOT and Porter’s five forces. Understand the theoretical underpinnings of services marketing and learn the art of developing service blueprints. Critically evaluate the use of change management strategies to induce behavioral change among employees. Appreciate the balance that social enterprises need to achieve between their commercial and social impact goals. Critically evaluate the decision of outsourcing core competencies.

In 2019, Abbas Jaffery and Sumair Saleem, founders of Washup, Pakistan, a young venture providing on-demand, high-quality and cost-effective laundry service faced a critical management dilemma as their supply chain collapsed due to a rampant surge in demand. The demand surge had been the outcome of Washup’s effort to push its services to the customers by getting vetted by a social media influencer. However, the duo was caught off guard when their supply chain could not meet the sudden increase in demand. The hesitant behavior of the informal workers to join hands with Washup had not only cost Washup this management nightmare but even left the duo at wits ends to develop a strategy that would help gain business idea acceptance from the grass root workers to whom the core competencies of washing and ironing were being outsourced. This case is a rich description of the nuances of operating an unconventional social enterprise in an emerging market and gives an insight on how behavioral change among key workers is critical in ensuring the success of ventures.

This case is geared toward undergraduate students enrolled in courses of entrepreneurship, strategy and services marketing.

Teaching Notes are available for educators only.

CSS 11: Strategy.

International business and strategy, strategies in emerging markets.

This case can be used in undergraduate, graduate and executive education courses in international business, strategy management and strategies in emerging markets. Further, the case may also be useful to teach sub-topics such as fit between external opportunities and internal strengths (resources and capabilities) and new business model challenges.

Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions (hereafter referred as RBEI) had been chosen by the Management of Bosch in India to engage in the Government of India (GoI) Smart City Business Opportunity. Dhiraj Wali, Vice President RBEI and the present head of RBEI Smart City Projects (RBEI/SCP) over the past few years had been prospecting the non-Bosch clients especially the GoI clients for RBEI. He understood the implications of this big-ticket business opportunity for RBEI. At the same time, he was worried about the complications involved in such large projects, how should RBEI position itself to make the most of this significant business opportunity?

The dynamics and internal challenges of an established captive division of a multinational (i.e. Bosch) venturing into business transactions with non-captive (i.e. non-Bosch) especially government sector clients. The new business opportunities facing a multinational in emerging markets such as India. Understanding the GoI Smart City Mission and its big-ticket business opportunity. To show how the captive units of MNC evolve over the years of operation leveraging, the competencies gained to succeed in the marketplace. The reasons for this range from internal needs to increase the gains from the past investments to exploiting the external business prospects available resulting in both new opportunities for specialization and customers.

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CSS 5: International Business.

The learning outcome of this paper are as follows: enabling students to learn about business and marketing issues of the natural gas distribution industry. To expose students to organizational processes aimed at finding solutions to customer issues. To make them appreciate the aspects of service quality and SERVQUAL model. To make the students aware of the significance of market research for problem-solving. How to use market research findings to address the customer issues? Enabling the students to learn how cross-functional teams contribute to addressing marketing and customer issues. Students should appreciate how to study towards creating a customer-centric organization with an organization-wide commitment including that from the top leadership.

Abhay Shankar, Sr. Manager-Customer Service at Reliable Gas Company Limited a state government piped natural gas (PNG) distribution utility whose customer service department is concerned about the provision of best service to its PNG domestic customers. Domestic customers are low volume but largest in numbers and are considered to be a tough, demanding customer segment. A general opinion among the marketing team of the company is that they are trying their best to serve its customers and that their efforts are no less than their private sector counterpart global gas customer service efforts. Abhay is in dilemma on what to do to improve customer services?

Masters students.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS: 8 Marketing.

The manager of engineering at Palm Oasis Engineering in Dubai expressed dissatisfaction with his compensation. The uncertainty of his continued participation at a key position came at a critical time for the company. This case provides an event for the analysis of HRM issues of a small company in a nontraditional, international context. Real and perceptual issues surrounding expatriate employee compensation, including wages and benefits relative to home country, cost indices, inflation, and currency fluctuations, are analyzed. Motivation and negotiation strategy are also examined.

This case has been disguised to protect the anonymity of the company and key individuals. The industry, name of the company, and names of personnel have been changed. The authors were granted access to key personnel at the company during a limited time frame.

This case is designed for upper level, undergraduate international management, international human resource management, and human resource management courses. The case is designed as a mid-semester decision-based case that allows students to apply concepts on motivation, human resource management, and negotiation.

Business ethics, corporate social responsibility (CSR), corporate strategy and public administration.

Undergraduate (final year) and Master level course (e.g. MBA, EMBA, Master in management and Master in public administration).

This case accounts the experience of a Malaysian Governmental Development Agency cum City Council, Bintulu Development Authority (BDA), in organizing and strategizing its CSR initiatives so as to discharge its self-interests and societal expectations. BDA was established following the discovery of huge reserves of natural gas and oil offshore in Bintulu, an industrial town in the state of Sarawak, Malaysia. It serves as the governmental instrument to undertake and coordinate development initiatives in Bintulu. There have been several driving forces prompted BDA to be more vigilant in discharging its social obligations along with its statutory obligations as a development agency and municipal services provider. They are, namely, the BDA Ordinance 1978 that governs its legitimate existence, the emergence of social media era that alters the access of people to information, the growing ecological and social concerns, and the unpredictable geopolitical environment that makes the logic of long-term strategic planning questionable. To ensure discharging its statutory and social obligations, BDA articulated vision and mission statements with strong social orientation. Two master development plans, embedded with social and environmental considerations, have guided BDA in translating its strategic mission into real structured development and action plans from 1978 to present. Through institutionalization of CSR elements as part of the organization's core business routines, annual budget allocation, performance control and reward mechanisms, CSR becomes an organizational routine of value to BDA.

This case has three learning objectives: it assists students to understand the contextual background of the case so as to establish the strategic position of CSR initiatives within the organization; it assists students to assess the embeddedness of CSR in an organization's core business routines and its potential sources of value creation; and it encourages students to examine the possible critical factors that enable or impede the initiation and implementation of regular CSR programs in an organization.

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

Entrepreneurship, Strategic Marketing, Innovation, New Product Development (NPD).

This case is suitable to be used in advanced undergraduate and MBA/MSc.

This case illustrates the challenges related to designing and launching an innovative product in the market. It revolves around the issues pertaining to smart organic fertilizer's (SOF) pre- and post-launch experiences. Haji Sani Kimi, a Senior Research Officer of the Strategic Research Centre at MARDI, had developed a zeolite-based organic fertilizer which he believed to be the first of its kind in Malaysia. He had taken five years to complete his research in developing SOF. Seeing its potential benefits for the land and farmers, the then Director General of MARDI asked Sani to speed up the process of technology transfer to be the first to launch the product in the market. In 2005, MARDI established a five-year agreement with Hicotech Sendirian Berhad to license its intellectual property rights (IPR). Adnan, a successful automobile business entrepreneur, ventured into the organic fertilizer business, as this product was in high demand and extensively used by paddy farmers in Malaysia and was subsidized by the government. However, Hicotech failed to get government contract to supply organic fertilizer under the government subsidy program. As such, it had to compete in the open market which was dominated by already-established Chinese entrepreneurs. At the beginning, SOF was doing well in the market, but, during 2007, Hicotech experienced great financial loss due to its mismanagement of collecting payment from its customers. Hicotech tried to work in partnership with ABH Mega Sendirian Berhad to overcome its financial difficulties. However, due to some disagreements, the collaboration was terminated within a short period of time. From 2005 to the end of 2009, Hicotech was not able to pay any royalties to MARDI and the license of Hicotech was to expire in February 2010. Haji Sani was trying to get a solution to revive SOF in the market. Moreover, he was confused whether to renew the license of SOF IPR with Hicotech or to search for another company.

Using this case, students can learn how a small- and/or medium-scale companies can strategize their new product launch. Based on the given industry scenario, students can realize the potential challenges that are related to launching a new product. Furthermore, this case demonstrates that producing a high-quality product is not enough to succeed in the market; the right strategy also plays an important role in making it successful. Last, it can be also learned that proper managerial control and financial support are two important factors that contributes in any business success. Overall, strategic marketing/management students will learn the importance of adopting proper strategy, while the students who are undertaking the new product development course benefit by seeing the practical situation of a new product launch, its rise and its fall.

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

Entrepreneurship.

First year undergraduate students in business and management.

“The Misadventures of Amy and Azi” case presents a brief historical perspective of two partners' venture into the aerobic and fitness industry. The case discusses the partners' foray into the business world armed with great determination and a one year business plan but without proper understanding of the operational requirements of running a business. Though successful in the launching of the first studio, the initial success had blinded the vision of one of the partners, Azi who wanted to open another branch quickly. After a few months of operation, they realized that the second studio was a failure and had sapped the profit from the first centre. To make matter worse, the two partners are stuck with the second studio and have to find another premise for the first studio due to short-sightedness when signing the rental agreement.

The case study enables the students to: understand the current business environment of fitness industry in Malaysia, appreciate the need for proper planning and control in starting a business, to be aware of the importance of understanding legal implications in starting a business, the need to conduct proper market research before starting and to understand multi-cultural and multi-religion issues in Malaysia.

Teaching note.

The subject areas are strategic management, international marketing business-to-business marketing.

The study is applicable to undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

Dalmec Industries Manipulators India Pvt. Ltd. was incorporated in 2011 as a private limited company under the Companies Act, 1956. The company was formed to carry on importing machinery and distributing it to the clients. This case focuses on the dilemma faced by the company: whether it should establish a manufacturing unit in India or continue with the current operation procedures. Dalmec has faced various problems in India regarding local players, low-cost material handling equipment and the nascent stage of material handling industry. In Europe and the Middle East, the industries are more focused on safety standards and provide high quality material handling products to their workers, compared to the Indian industries. As local players in material handling sectors price their product very low, to compete with them with quality products is a major challenge for foreign companies. The company needed to build a strong and unique brand for non-European markets. In India, the material handling equipment market is crowded with local players. So, Dalmec needs to establish its reputation as a reliable partner and create a distinct identity. It has to create brand awareness among Indian companies and influence the decision makers of the corporates. The case discusses the impact of Make in India campaign on Dalmec and examines whether the Make in India initiative will prove helpful to Dalmec.

This study enables to familiarize students with the expansion strategy of a company; help students understand the international market entry strategies frequently used by multinationals to expand their business.; examine the feasibility of entering into emerging markets like India; and make students understand the relevance of the Make in India campaign for foreign corporate players.

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 11: Strategy.

The learning outcomes of this paper is as follows: understand the impact of macroeconomic challenges on startups; gain insights into the effects of self-management attribute over entrepreneurial effectiveness and performance; create a conceptual framework for customer satisfaction; analyze the internal and external factors affecting the entrepreneurial journey of new startups.

This case revolves around the entrepreneurial journey of Mr Khursheed Chohan who belonged to Sukkur (Pakistan). He started his journey as a daily wage worker in the year 2002 at the age of 17 years. After one year he acquired a rickshaw on rent and would drive the same as a taxi. In the year 2006, he started the job as a private driver. For achieving his dreams, he moved to Karachi (the land of opportunities) at the age of 27 years. During his stay in Karachi, he learned about insights into the wedding decoration industry. Keeping in view the market requirements, he also took some training courses on learning computers. By the age of 34, he returned to his hometown with the will to start his business venture of wedding decoration services. It had been around one year, he was successfully running his business. However, the emergence of Coronavirus (COVID-19) and the imposition of lockdown over businesses were his most recent challenges. While Chohan had pre-booked several orders and secured advance money, shall he be able to survive the COVID-19 effects? Shall he be able to continue his entrepreneurial journey?

Undergraduate.

Teaching Notes are available for educators only.

CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.