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Key State Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plan (a disguised case of an actual BCBS Plan) is the merged product of three state plans. Initially burdened with a reputation of poor customer service, Key State's executives decided to invest heavily in service improvement, eventually achieving superior levels. Key State's high-quality customer service emerged as a true competitive advantage for its customers, who were primarily businesses and health benefits consultants who influenced corporate purchasers of health insurance. The Key State brand came to be synonymous with personal service, security, choice, and dependability. But the health care insurance market was changing under Key State's feet. Spiraling costs meant that high-quality service became less of a competitive advantage as employers were lured by low-cost, low-service providers. Many employers cut or dropped health care benefits entirely, swelling the ranks of the under- and uninsured, who in turn were extremely price-sensitive when shopping for health insurance on their own. Finally, the health care insurance market was being revolutionized by financial institutions willing to hold health benefit accounts and pay providers directly, thereby eliminating the need for Key State as a mediator. Key State executives were aware of these changes but were challenged by the mindset, culture, and organizational design custom-fit to their business accounts. The case asks the reader to consider whether Key State has the right number of target markets, whether it should have one brand or several for its different target markets, what it should do for the uninsured, and how it should improve its brand experience in light of the industry's changing landscape. All of these decisions will have significant implications for the organizational design of Key State.

To better understand the challenges involved in a successful health insurance company to cope with a rapidly changing and unpredictable environment; to formulate a new strategy and a new organizational design to accomplish this adaptation.

International Marketing, Marketing Strategy.

Postgraduate Programs.

This case investigated the effectiveness of experiential marketing on Indian customers and how it can be used to bring about significant positive change to the perception of a brand and its brand promise in emerging markets. Polaris India was a wholly owned subsidiary of Polaris Industries USA Inc. it was founded in India in 2011 with Mr Pallav Dubey as Head of the organization. Polaris specialized in building world class off road vehicles (ORVs) and was a global leader in the same. India did not have a ready-made market for ORVs as such. Mr Dubey was entrusted with the task of creating a market for the product and successfully sell it in the Indian market. There was no production facility in India and all the products were imported as Completely Built Unit (CBU) from US-based production facilities. Mr Dubey tried different communication adaptation methods using traditional styles of marketing which gave limited success. However, the concept of Polaris experience zones, which used the concept of experiential marketing was a hit and started yielding returns. The case study provided an opportunity to explore the reasons behind the success of Polaris India despite having a product whose price was affected by currency fluctuations, a product which was majorly used in agricultural areas in USA but was perceived as a premium product in emerging markets. The case also looked into the question of product adaptation and communication adaptation for successfully selling a product in the global market especially in emerging markets. The role of the chief protagonist Pallav, his contribution to the previous stints at different organizations and the role of a leader in this scenario has been brought to the forefront.

The case is expected to deliver answers to the following questions in an effective manner: How to price a product effectively in the International Market? What is Experiential Marketing? How is International Marketing strategy different in an emerging market?

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 8: Marketing.

The case would be relevant to undergraduate level or an introductory master's level course in operations management (OM), supply chain management and production.

The case can be used as part of a core OM course in the MBA curriculum or any OM or supply chain elective.

As a highly diversified manufacturing services company, Jabil's S&OP solution supports customers across many industries such as automotive, cloud computing, consumer packaging, healthcare, mobile, retail and telecommunications. Jabil's customers expect a rapid and accurate response to their demand within hours. Previously, Jabil used a series of legacy disconnected planning tools, unsynchronized data required time-consuming manipulation with Excel. Processes were conducted in siloes leading to a “load and chase” approach, which resulted in excess inventory, component shortages and inadequate capacity. The case focuses on one of the Jabil executives, Lizet Tymon (she). Struggling with the issues caused by the disconnected planning tools, Lizet champions implementing a fully integrated suite of services (built on top of the Kinaxis' RapidResponse software platform). The technology solution proposed by Lizet was ultimately implemented across the company, and the project received high marks, and it opened up career opportunities for her. However, it was not a smooth ride at the very beginning. The case focuses on the issues experienced by Lizet, as she is introducing a new technological solution approach and trying to earn support from her team, her peers, her immediate supervisor, her customers and her higher-level executives.

The teaching objectives include: understanding and appreciating the supply chain complexities experienced by a global contract manufacturer; helping students think critically regarding the issues around the sales and ops planning; identifying the data needs for the operation and management of a worldwide, connected supply chain; investigating agile solution approaches for information sharing, decision-making and decision-sharing; and exposing the challenges associated with a large-scale technology adaptation.

This case study describes the supply chain challenges experienced by a global manufacturing solutions provider and illustrates the technology adaptation led by a female executive.

Teaching Notes are available for educators only.

CSS 9: Operations and Logistics

Strategic and organisational change, adaptation responses under competitive pressure and uncertainty and transformational process.

For Executive MBAs or MBA programs.

Founded in 1948 by Adrian Urquía, Aceitera General Deheza (AGD) transformed itself from a small oil-processing factory into the biggest indigenous firm in the industry. Nowadays AGD is a leading edible oil export company and also one of the frontrunners on the retail market for bottled oil with several successful brands. It ranked 40th among the 1,000 top companies in terms of turnover in Argentina in 1999 (Revista Mercado, 1999), and it is considered the fifth most important exporter in the country (Revista Mercado, 1999).After the changes the country went through in the 1990s, the company was able to adapt and thrive in an industry in which most indigenous businesses did not manage to survive. Nevertheless, the roots of AGD's success do not date from the 1990s but long before, in their thinking ahead about ways of improving technology, scale and cost-effective measures – a trio of decisions that would prove to be the right combination for survival and success.

An understanding of the process of business transformation: type and pace of change. The study of the transformation process of a firm will be complemented conceptually with the understanding of the adaptation process under the Argentinean context characterised by uncertainty. Students will also examine organisational flexibility. Defining organisational flexibility, the determinants of whether a firm is flexible or not and why we can consider AGD as a flexible firm.

Teaching note.

To familiarize the students with a process of international expansion within an emerging market scenario encompassing countries such as India, Sri Lanka and a developing country like Kazakhstan. Mostly cases in international marketing are central to developed nations, as that is where the MNCs emerge and grow. In this case study, though Polaris originally is an US-based MNC, the focus lies on Polaris India going international. Hence, it looked at empowering an emerging market for regional development. To provide a situation for choice of entry mode strategies involving strategic alliances and various kinds of non-equity based partnerships. Here there is scope for tremendous learning with reference to institutional voids and market failures prompting a certain mode of entry strategy versus another in international marketing. Though this topic has been researched widely, this case is the first ever tribute to a real-life situation in an emerging market. The case is focussed on experiential marketing as the new tool for sales and communication. This is unique to Polaris, and worth replicating in its internationalization. The crucial question emerged: adaptation of experiential marketing techniques as per local market.

synopsis This case investigated the process of internationalization for Polaris India, a US-based MNC, making for an interesting study in how emerging markets can become hubs for effective regional market expansion. The case simultaneously explored the concept of experiential marketing in a new light referring to the issue of communication adaptation in international marketing. The company had successfully used Polaris Experience zones as their promotion and distribution tools. The PEZ had weaved its magic on Indian customers to bring about significant positive change to the perception of a brand now extending the brand promise to other emerging markets. Polaris India started as a wholly owned subsidiary of Polaris Industries USA Inc in 2011 with Mr Pankaj Dubey, as the Country Head. Polaris specialized in building world class off-road vehicles and was a global leader in the same. The case study provided an opportunity to discuss behind the scenes role played by channel partners in targeted foreign markets – Sri Lanka and Kazakhstan. In international marketing, strategic alliances are of tremendous significance as a method of entry strategy and the knowledge, depth, expertise can make all the difference to achievement of success in the local market. Polaris despite having to market a product with no readymade market and combating the perceived notion of a super-premium product in emerging markets, managed to weave its own success story. The case is about, how Polaris India went International with its choice of strategic partners and communication tools.

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

Marketing.

The learning outcomes are as follows: to demonstrate the phenomenon of strategic inertia in organizations and the impact this has on the type of renewal process that is undertaken; to differentiate between environmental and organizational adaptation strategies and synergies; to apply practical steps of renewal by outlining the influential forces and distinct stages of the process; and to create a practical framework that organizations can use as a guideline for sensing and reacting to changes in the business environment.

The case study examines the strategic renewal processes of Anglo American Platinum (Amplats) for the period 2012–2019. Amplats is the world’s largest producer of platinum group metals (PGMs). Despite the adversarial business environment of the South African PGM mining industry, six years into its new strategy, the organization had emerged debt-free and was poised to be sustainable. This posed a unique dilemma in strategic decision-making, namely, how to maintain a strategic renewal process. Chris Griffith, CEO of Amplats, was about to retire, but realized that the organization had yet to fulfil its potential. The ambition of the organization was to redefine the industry benchmark for performance across multiple pillars of value for different stakeholders, and to become the most valued mining company by 2023. Set in 2019, the case invites students to look back at the symptoms of strategic inertia at the time of Griffith’s appointment as CEO, and to define the nature and stages of the renewal that the organization underwent. This will provide insights that will enable an examination of the application of a framework for continual strategic renewal.

Postgraduate business students

Teaching Notes are available for educators only.

CSS 11: Strategy

Strategic market entry; international business; marketing.

MBA/MA in management; international business; postgraduate.

This case is based on a real-life situation of an existing transnational firm contemplating to enter a new market in a developing country. It involves a gamut of issues ranging from firm-strategic market entry, competitive positioning, international marketing strategies (including international market segmentation) and international product lifecycle. These issues revolve on numerous theories namely theories on internationalization (motive, scope, process, scale and timing of entry) and globalization of markets (standardization versus adaptation). In the past, the market was heavily regulated and protected which makes market entry simply impossible. However, a change in government policy is opening up new opportunities for foreign providers to participate in the host country. Although the market potential is enormous, there are various factors that concern the firm in determining its market entry and marketing mix decision.

After carrying out this exercise, students are expected to be able to: evaluate a firm's internal and external position in market expansion decision; assess a country's attractiveness in terms of its potential, competitive intensity and entry barriers; identify and discuss the factors that influence firm's marketing mix decision (standardize/adapt); and determine the firm market entry and the tactical decisions.

Teaching notes.

Appendix 1: Comic Frames A At the end of the case study discussion, students will able to as follows: Explain various growth strategies as a potential unicorn with the exponential growth mindset rather than linear growth mindset through adaptation of Massive Transformative Purpose (MTP) and Moonshot Thinking (MT). Demonstrate innovative and creative plans and ideas, with the ability to scale up in the circular economy. Review and summarize the power of Collaborative Innovation (CI). Compare and contrast different ways in dealing with Hedgehog and Fox style of leadership into the business. Appendix 2: Comic Frames B At the end of the case study discussion, students will able to as follows: Act with a growth strategy as a potential unicorn with the exponential growth mindset rather than linear growth mindset through adaptation of MTP and MT. Simulate innovative and creative plans and ideas, with the ability to scale up in the circular economy. Assess and leverage the power of CI. Decide and differentiate in dealing with Hedgehog and Fox style of leadership into the business.

Ankit Tripathi, was a compassionate 22-year-old, the typical lad from New Delhi, India, who seemed driven to change the world. His elder brother Atul Tripathi, a young, creative 25-year-old, was sat there next to him, beaming with pride and gratitude. Both brothers, being mechanical engineering graduates, had experienced the advancement of technology at the cost of Mother Earth. It pained them no end. It was the reason that Atul had refused to serve as an engineer in a government institution after graduating. The parents were shocked when Ankit followed suit. The brothers were poles apart in their personality and temperament, and it was rare to see them agree on anything in this way. Yet, they agreed to disagree with their parents and ventured into becoming entrepreneurs with a purpose and passion to salvage the environment. They had a vision, but without a proper roadmap, it would certainly be a tough game. Nevertheless, they boldly embarked upon their journey and established their start-up “Uneako” in 2019. “Uneako” was a calculated risk, taking into account family resistance (parents’ attitude/perception), personal conflicts (psychological), financial limitations (resources), shallow expertise (professionalism), social concern acceptability and low awareness (environment), government regulations (legalities/approvals), conflicts between brothers (personality issues), etc. Being from a nonbusiness family, the brothers had defied the wave of obstacles and challenges in daring to start their own business, putting at stake the hard-earned money of their father, Satendra Tripathi. Amidst so much social mockery, would Atul and Ankit succumb and become a laughing stock or would they find something that they could live and die for?

Appendix 1: Comic Frames A: This case has been particularly focused on undergraduate level students pursuing business or commerce programs. Especially those studying core courses, for example, entrepreneurial and strategic management. Appendix 2: Comic Frames B: This case has been particularly focused postgraduate-early stage or higher level students pursuing business or commerce programs. Particularly those specializing in entrepreneurial and strategic management courses. Also, can be taught in the entrepreneurial or start-up workshops.

www.pewresearch.org/topics/generation-z/ Paulynice. J.P., (2019) “From Idea to Reality: An Entrepreneur’s Guide to Meaningful Business Growth” Paulynice Consulting Group. Hardy.D., (2015) “The Entrepreneur Roller Coaster: It’s Your Turn to Join The Ride” Success Publishers. Wadhwa.V., Amla.I., Salkever.A., (2020) “From Incremental to Exponential” Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Sustainable Entrepreneurship: Business Success through Sustainability edited by Christina Weidinger, Franz Fischler, René Schmidpeter, Springer 2014. Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

Digital skills change management skills problem solving skills.

Al-Rumman Pharma is headquartered in Dubai, is an integrated international pharmaceutical company providing a wide range of pharmaceutical solutions to manufacture high quality and affordable generic medicines. It holds credibility amongst healthcare professionals and patients, across the Middle East and North African (MENA) markets. Their quality assurance is fostered by high levels of reliability and order fulfillment, which differentiates them from their competitors. Recently, they have been facing technology fatigue meant as an organization suffering from overwhelming options and choices in technology, this contributes to turbulent and confused states of mind when considering technology adaptation. This case evolves specifically from a procurement perspective, the pressure of high expectation and severe compliance clauses from key suppliers, particularly large corporations with monopolies in supplies who have the tendency to dominate and dictate terms to the small and medium enterprises (SMEs). For example, forcing SME’s to adopt specific technological frameworks to be trade partners. Another conflict is that while the SME’s do value the contribution of the procurement function, the shift from tactical to strategic mindset is not robust enough. Is this a dilemma? Ms Mary buyer at Al-Rumman Pharma, which is SME in operation, is facing challenges from key suppliers because of her tactical buying approach and adoption of multiple technological frameworks from various key suppliers, which are neither integrated nor compatible with each other. Her transition from traditional buying to a more strategic sourcing approach is what the need of the hour is. Prior information technology role was more as support at Al-Rumman Pharma and Chief Executive Officer Dr Mubeen Ahmad Khan did technology adopted decisions in isolation but today the company needs an integrative approach with forward thinking and also kept the legacy intact. Resistance to change was very inevitable once it was integrated.

This case has been particularly focused on undergraduates in the final semester of management courses, as well as masters level students specializing in supply chain and operation management courses. It is also for practitioner procurement and supply chain managers going for various supply chain management related certification courses. Students who have studied procurement management are most suitable to accomplish this case study. Executives pursuing a business program are also recommended to study this case.

Teaching Notes are available for educators only.

CSS 9: Operations and logistics.

One of the major issues present in this case is whether there is significant industry pressure to internationalize. Yip’s (1989) global strategy drivers are a helpful approach for examining this issue. This case also applies two important marketing concepts – the product life cycle and diffusion of innovation theory – and how differences across international markets impact these concepts. Finally, there are significant cultural issues at play in this case as well. Theoretical models of national culture, such as Hofstede, Hall and others, can be used to examine cultural influences on an industry that is not often associated with culture.

The case is based upon a combination of secondary research and primary research. The lead researcher and a team of graduate students conducted interviews with Louisiana-Pacific Corporation (LP) executives in the USA and Chile in 2017.

This three-part case examines the internationalization of LP into South America. Case A begins in 1999 as LP attempts to decide whether to take its oriented strand board product international. The reader is asked to consider where LP should go in South America. Case B examines the factors LP used to decide to enter Chile and then outlines the key decisions that led to its impressive growth between 2000 and 2015. Case C begins in 2015 as LP now considers whether to expand its markets into Argentina or Colombia.

Given the complexity of issues raised in the case and the need to narrow these issues down to an implementable decision, this case is most appropriate later in the schedule of a graduate or executive-level business course in international business or international marketing.