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The key teaching objectives of the case are the following:▪ to develop an awareness of a megaproject’s external environment (through PESTLE) in terms of challenges from each source;▪ to introduce theory that allows students to identify, characterise and describe factors that can lead to inter-organisational conflict during construction projects;▪ to develop the ability to apply the typology of causal factors (identified in Objective 2) to a given context, answering why each factor may have contributed to the given contractual dispute;▪ to develop an understanding of the procurement and contract management process wherein contracts are not only the logical outcome of the procurement process but also the primary vehicles for clarifying responsibilities (for task completion) and risk transfer; and▪ to understand specific dynamics of construction projects that make disputes inevitable and ways to overcome these.

Priced at US$1.63bn (in 2015), the Orange Line Metro Train (OLMT) project in Lahore was one of Pakistan’s earliest (and costliest!) transport infrastructure megaprojects ever undertaken. Devised to ease congestion in Lahore, promote ecofriendly, efficient, modern and affordable transport systems and lead to improved mobility across Lahore, the OLMT was a socially, politically and economically important project.The case is seen through the eyes of the protagonist, Uzair Shah, a seasoned public servant and an experienced Transport Engineer. At the time of the decision, Shah was General Manager – Operations at the newly established Punjab Metrobus Authority (PMA – the project sponsor) and was also the project lead of OLMT’s Project Management Unit (PMU). Through Shah’s eyes, students approach the project at a juncture when the most serious contractual dispute in the project’s history has erupted. The parties at the interface were Lahore Development Authority (LDA), PMU’s technical interface with contractors and consultants and Maqbool-Colson Joint Venture (MCJV), one of the two civil work contractors hired for OLMT’s civil works.While quality issues had been emerging with MCJV for a few months, LDA had maintained unilateral communications and remained considerably adversarial in their dealings with MCJV. Eventually, in October 2016, this relationship had soured to such an extent that it appeared irreconcilable. It was only then that LDA had recommended Shah to take the contractor to court for non-performance.The decision that Uzair faced was whether to take LDA’s advice and take the contractor to court (terminate the contract, claim performance guarantee and appoint a new contractor) or negotiate and continue with the current contract. The decision had huge financial, legal, reputational, political and schedule-related implications. The decision needed to be taken by the protagonist in the context of all these factors.

The case was initially developed for use within a Procurement and Contracts Management course for a (business) executive audience. The case is intended for the business school audience or students enrolled in courses related to the construction management discipline.Courses where the case can be used include Construction Project Management, Public Sector Projects, Contracts and Procurement and Strategic Projects and Practice (or similar). The case can also be used within an MBA setting.

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CSS: 9: Operations and Logistics.

Learning outcomes (objectives and outcomes) are as follows: to understand the brand positioning, brand building and category extension decisions of a pharmaceutical brand (operative in one of the most competitive and regulated industries in a developing country); to analyze the outcomes of decisions pertaining strategic sales, branding, marketing and strategic restructuring to overcome the challenges of growth; and to design strategic solutions for developing brand equity.

This case explores the strategy of launching and establishing a pharmaceutical brand in an industry that tends to be a highly technical and the most regulated industry. It depicts market research data, industry analysis, stiff competition and regulatory affairs, and elaborates various strategic decisions taken by the company. The primary data for the case is accumulated through in-depth interviews from six industry experts on pharma marketing who were well acquainted with Maple Pharma and secondary data is gleaned from substantive literature. Maple Pharmaceuticals launched Starpram, a high-growth, high-potential generic antidepressant brand (in the central nervous system category) containing Escitalopram molecule/chemical. It had expertise cum competitive advantage in cardiovascular and anti-diabetic streams, but such initiative appeared category extension, with the intention to diversify risk and expand the company to achieve greater economies of scale. The first year sales revenue for Starpram appeared too bleak to spur further product inaugurations. Consequently, strategic overhaul transpired to establish the brand in the highly fragmented pharmaceutical industry. The firm lacked experience in anti-depressants category, coupled with poor sales, marketing mix and overall marketing strategy. Eventually, the management exercised strategic restructuring to establish brand equity and observed growth.

Study levels/Applicability graduate (MBA), MS, PhD (management sciences).

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CSS 8: Marketing.

This case study has been written to illustrate the basic difference between goods and services, the difficulties of customer education in a developing county and the transition from goods to goods-cum-services for a company.

This is an ideal case to be taught in the second class of service marketing at the BBA level and will highlight the differences between goods and services in the same company.

Haseen Habib is a company selling a combination of products and services in Pakistan. It is involved in the supply of fire protection equipment together with the provision of training and other facilities to enable organizations to take a proactive approach to disasters caused by fire and the appropriate response in case of a fire related disaster. This dimension of business is still in the infancy stage in Pakistan, and few people actually realize the need for fire protection services. Safety, risk management and risk prevention are often matters which take a backseat in the corporate, industrial, residential and commercial spheres. The emphasis is on dealing with the aftermath of events rather than to prepare them in advance. The company has a very clear vision and mindset which aims at taking a proactive approach toward managing and preventing risk. They are the pioneers of the safety industry in Pakistan and hold a strong work ethic. The company imports its equipment from the USA, China and Europe. Their target market mainly includes high risk sectors including oil and gas, chemicals, textiles, paint, nuclear and defense. The product portfolio included firefighting equipment like fire extinguishers, safety items which included head-to-toe safety attire for industrial workers and fire alarm systems including smoke detectors. The company also provides different levels and kinds of training and has experienced staff trained abroad in state-of-the-art techniques. However, in Pakistan, investment in risk management is often considered unnecessary, and in such a situation, imparting knowledge is a considerable challenge. The case can be used to study a number of topics. It can be used in a services marketing class to highlight the ways in which services marketing differs from conventional marketing of goods. It can also be used in disaster management courses or to reflect the status and position of developing countries, such as Pakistan, in dealing with unexpected disasters and catastrophes.

Following are the expected learning outcomes: to appreciate the difference between goods and services; to understand the issues in moving from a goods-oriented to a service-oriented company; to understand the challenges facing Haseen Habib in the context of customer education, keeping in mind it is functioning in an emerging marketing with a particular socio-cultural context; and to propose a way forward for Haseen Habib.

CSS 8: Marketing.

At the end of the case discussion, students should be able to:

▪ Evaluate the relevance of community and networks to immigrant entrepreneurs.

▪ Appreciate the entrepreneurial journey of immigrant entrepreneurs in the South African context.

▪ Consider the challenges of the socio-economic environment affecting businesses in South Africa.

▪ Make an informed decision regarding how creating a family entrepreneurial ecosystem can mitigate business risk.

▪ Critically evaluate which strategies could exploit any further opportunities and grow the businesses.

In April 2022, Ahmed Mujtaba Razzak, director of Montage Interior Solutions, a design, building and construction company based in Mayfair, Johannesburg, was preparing for the official opening of the company’s newly-built Clifton Mall. Ahmed, whose family had immigrated to South Africa from Pakistan in 2004, had big goals for the mall: he wanted it not only to be profitable for his family, but also to help uplift the lives of the shop owners and the members of the surrounding community, many of whom were also from Pakistani immigrant families. Thus, instead of having to rent the units, shop owners were able to buy them under sectional title. The model promised the benefits of unit ownership for the shop owners and a quicker return on investment for Montage. As he prepared for the opening, Ahmed wondered whether he had set everything up for the venture to be able to achieve his goals.

The case study provided a deeper understanding of different challenges, approaches and strategies used in immigrant start-ups. The case study included various business and entrepreneurship themes focused on immigrant start-ups, strategy and diversification, family business and business growth. It also considered both individual and contextual factors influencing immigrant entrepreneurship, insofar as family and the business are “inextricably intertwined”, where the effects of social exchange between generations meant that successful enterprising families showed tremendous respect for the sensitive relations between the business and the family.

Postgraduate Diploma, MBA, Masters, Executive Education

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CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

The learning outcomes are as follows: to analyze the multidimensional and complex crises, and market stature of a company that was a market and industry leader in a developing country; to evaluate and interpret the outcomes of decisions pertaining declining profits, outstanding receivables, branding, marketing and radical reforms to overcome the challenges of sustainable growth, customers and employees’ loyalty, market stature and leadership crises; and to design strategic solutions for sustaining its leadership position and combating severe challenges.

The purpose of this paper is to ponder upon various crises that Pakistan State Oil (PSO) was facing, so that learners can critically analyze, assess and design strategic solutions for it. PSO was the state-run market leader in the petroleum industry. The company had been struggling to combat multiple types of turmoil at a time. Its huge fund of receivables was blocked in circular debt that caused the company budget constraints and deficits. Due to a government policy shift, the demand for its furnace oil substantially reduced and profits plummeted. The countless internal and external crises posed severe menace to its competitive position vis-a-vis its rivals. This qualitative case study garners data from eight interviews from senior managers in the petroleum industry and adds content analysis technique to acquire pertinent data from renowned media sources and subsequent analysis. The drastic crises left PSO with dearth of funds and declining profitability. Consequently, due to limited marketing budget, creativity of its marketing team for devising effective marketing programs to raise market share was compromised. PSO underwent the issues of brand sustainability, sustainable growth, customers and employees’ loyalty, and market stature to financial and leadership crises. However, despite limitations, it still enjoyed a market leadership position among its rivals in the industry by occupying more than half of the chunk of market in the petroleum industry. This is a unique case study of a state-owned giant company facing multidimensional menaces. It offers tremendous learning opportunities for students who can devise creative strategic solutions and link theories and models with practice.

Graduate (MBA), MS, PhD (management and administrative sciences); Suitable for teaching in chapters: Anywhere but ideally near the middle or end of the above courses.

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CCS 11: Strategy.

Entrepreneurship.

Undergraduate – Entrepreneurship.

The case concerns to an entrepreneur named Aamir Ghouri, a US graduate, who is concerned about managing the growth of his newly established venture named ICON Stores. The case presents the idea of entrepreneurial mindset characteristics and motivation besides which, it also explains the typical venture creation process in Pakistan and the general rubrics used to measure the entrepreneurial success in the economy.

The case is designed to help students to understand entrepreneurial mindset, characteristics and motivation; to understand entrepreneurial venture creation process; to learn the common practices regarding the measurement of entrepreneurial success of new venture; and to outline as to how growth of a new venture could be managed profitably.

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CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

Marketing: New Service Launch; Relationship Marketing; Direct Marketing.

This case could be taught in marketing management, services marketing or strategy courses, in the product development or service launch modules at the graduate level; alternatively it could also be used in the promotion module for the illustration of direct marketing (DM) tool application; and it could also be used as a capstone case for the introductory Principles of Marketing course at the undergraduate level.

The case examines the launch of a new air ambulance service in Karachi, Pakistan; a venture of Akbar Group Jet services; Princely Jets (Pvt) Ltd. The case describes the first mover advantage of the service and the marketing strategy recommended by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr Ghouse Akbar. The major concern is whether the strategy is forceful and compelling enough to secure approval from the board. The major issues include the role of DM processes and relationship marketing tools to encourage a value-added premium service which had no precedence of demand and practice. Concepts to thrash out in class also include customer profiling and segmentation along with how best to create awareness and generate a sustainable basket of customers for the high-price value-added low-use service.

Discuss and illustrate the importance and benefit of market research information for making a decision; how to create awareness and customer recognition and cultivate demand for a new and unsolicited service; identify appropriate and effective promotion tools to achieve required customer demand, brand recognition and customer value; how to launch a premium priced unsolicited service in a niche market?; and exhibit the synthesis of the four P's in a new product launch marketing strategy.

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The learning outcomes are as follows: to understand the strategic importance of location selection within the organization and how it influences other’s performance; to understand the impact of supply chain drivers on sales performance and to understand the role of other stakeholders in location selection strategy; to analyze the constraints in decision-making for selection of warehouse location and its remedies; to analyze the alternative options for warehouse in the light of top level management’s instruction or organizational strategies; to select the best possible alternate for long-term sustainability of warehouse location.

Ishaq Bashir, who has recently joined Super Distribution Services as Facility Manager, is indecisive in selecting a rental location for its offices and warehouse, either SDS had to move back to the old location or continue with existing warehouse facility. This existing location was selected by Ex Facility Manager around six months ago because SDS had to vacate their old location due to graving concern the owner of the premises. SDS had to search for a new facility and vacate the older premises within three months’ time as per “evacuation notice” received from the owner, and finally, the company shifted to the new location by 28 February 2017. After six months in September 2017, sales team realized a serious dip in sales by 1 per cent, and they claimed that this had happened due to wrong selection of the location of the warehouse which was far from the city. Now Bashir had to decide either to continue with the existing facility or move to the previous one or search for any third feasible location.

BBA and MBA.

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CSS 9: Operations and Logistics.

HRM, training, strategic HRM.

The case is designed for undergraduate and graduate level business students (BBA and MBA) in human resource management, organizational behavior, strategic HRM, corporate leadership and general management. The case provides an overview of the importance of diffused HRM practices in developing countries on the basis of standardized rules and cultural values defining these rules. The case presents the situation of HR management practices in SIH, Islamabad on the basis of different styles followed by HR managers to develop an egalitarian model aspired on the basis of local values but at the same time is on the line of international standards.

In Shifa, It was observed that locally trained HR managers could better synchronize employees' aspirations with standards of diffused model as compared to foreign trained managers. It was found that the former group of professionals appreciated local values; therefore they considered these values while following standardized rules and regulation; whereas the latter group took it as a bunch of obsolete concepts which had nothing to do with employee management practices in urban/modern organization. Therefore, positive perception of locally trained managers' about the indigenous' wisdom and its consideration in employee management decisions enabled them to play a proactive role in developing cultural fit HR practices, besides winning the support of both, management and the workers. This also allowed them to “maintain balance” between local aspiration and international standards of operations. Although SIH is unique in terms of its mission, services, organization, and its use of technology, it is believed that this unique case may provide useful insights for organizations in similar situations. Many of the difficulties faced by SIH either support or help to understand situations prevailing of other organizations working in the context of Pakistan. For instance, any public or private organization or multi-national corporation following Western (diffused) HR model to regulate workforce in the local setting can get benefit from this research.

The teaching objectives of the cases are apprehend the importance of diffused HRM practices in developing countries context. importance of indigenous wisdom of flexibility and culturally fit HR practices as a proactive approach towards HR issues handling the case of Mr Shahbaz and Ms Aysha Ahmad. Importance of social networking and controlled personalized models for employee regulation, e.g. case of Mr Abid Elahi.

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The learning outcomes are as follows: to teach the concept of mutual fund as whole, how mutual fund works and who are the investors; discuss how any asset management company can work and what is their investment process; discuss how mutual funds are affected by changes in economic outlook/macro-economic variables; discuss the alternative risk-adjusted measures of performance evaluation, such as the Sharpe ratio, Treynor, Jensen’s alpha and measure of risk-adjusted performance; and discuss which index to use as a benchmark and how to improve funds’ performance.

In April 2019, Khaldoon Bin latif, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Faysal Asset Management, reflected on the changes that had occurred during his two and a half years at Faysal. He was quite pleased with the recent performance of Faysal Funds and the company’s relationship-oriented approach to money management for individuals with high net worth. Yet, he wanted to ensure that both the investment-process and performance-evaluation measures that he had implemented at Faysal would continue to provide superior returns. Latif also wanted Faysal to outperform the relevant indices, not only on an absolute basis, but also on a risk-adjusted basis. He pondered which indices and models Faysal should use in the future based on their performance.

Undergraduate/graduate

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CSS 1: Accounting and Finance.