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1 – 10 of 25David Besanko and Saahil Malik
Although the federal gasoline tax played multiple roles in financing surface transportation infrastructure in the United States, experts did not agree on the tax's purpose. Some…
Abstract
Although the federal gasoline tax played multiple roles in financing surface transportation infrastructure in the United States, experts did not agree on the tax's purpose. Some argued that it was essentially a fee for users of the nation's federally supported highways. Others suggested that it should play a more prominent role in environmental, energy, and transportation policy by correcting for driving-related externalities. Still others suggested that it should be used to reduce the federal budget deficit. Finally, the tax itself had remained at the same level since 1993, and with the Highway Trust Fund virtually insolvent, many experts believed it was time for an increase. The case presents a background on the U.S. federal gasoline tax, an overview of the market for gasoline in the United States, and survey of gasoline taxes in U.S. states as well as several other countries around the world.
The case can be used to discuss the incidence of the gasoline tax, as well as its role as a Pigouvian tax to deal with negative externalities related to gasoline consumption and driving. There is sufficient data in the case to enable students to analyze the incidence of the federal gasoline tax and to determine the socially efficient level of the tax in light of externalities related to gasoline consumption and driving.
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Ritu Srivastava and Akhil Mangla
The learning outcomes are as follows: understand the challenges and opportunities of an unorganized business/informal economy; compare and contrast the applications of customer…
Abstract
Learning outcomes
The learning outcomes are as follows: understand the challenges and opportunities of an unorganized business/informal economy; compare and contrast the applications of customer engagement frameworks between small and big businesses; outline the steps in product design in a services context; discuss the services marketing mix as a part of the marketing strategy; and understand the need of scaling up the business operations in wake of new opportunity.
Case overview/synopsis
Sukhpal Dairy Farm (SDF) is a case of unorganized milk marketing in the Indian Emerging Market. Milk was sold as a commodity with a fragmented set of suppliers to only a small population. Changes in consumer demand, technology and supply chain presented huge opportunities to the small dairy farmer. But it was also a threat to him. The large corporater, players backed by strong logistics and supply chain operations support posed a big challenge to the small farmer who lacked scale and reach. Sukhpal, owner of SDF, struggled while considering the options to grow his business. He did not want to change the success factors of his existing business model that was based on word of mouth and customer engagement.
Complexity academic level
MBA students.
Supplementary materials
Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.
Subject code
CSS: 8: Marketing.
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David Besanko and Brett Burgess
The case describes the competitive advantages that U.S. farmers enjoy in the global cotton industry and the subsidies they receive from the U.S. federal government. Arguments for…
Abstract
The case describes the competitive advantages that U.S. farmers enjoy in the global cotton industry and the subsidies they receive from the U.S. federal government. Arguments for and against the subsidies are presented in the context of global competition. The case includes the data needed to estimate a supply curve for 2004 cotton production and predict the average 2004 cotton price using total cotton consumption for 2004. Students can also estimate the result of eliminating the U.S. cotton subsidies on the average 2004 cotton price.
Students have the opportunity to learn about the history and structure of U.S. cotton subsidies as well as their impact on global cotton prices. Students also are able to practice building and interpreting an industry supply curve.
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John E. Timmerman, Al S. Lovvorn, Michael M. Barth and R. Franklin Morris
Dean Lynn, of Augustine State University's School of Business Administration, has been asked to develop online offerings as a prototype for the rest of the university. The…
Abstract
Dean Lynn, of Augustine State University's School of Business Administration, has been asked to develop online offerings as a prototype for the rest of the university. The decision he faced was whether to (A) take on the project alone or (B) make a ten-year commitment to a specialized vendor. If option B was selected, the further choice was whether to allow the vendor to handle everything short of instruction with a customized program or to handle only the marketing elements of the task. In the course of considering what to do, Dean Lynn was faced with the financial as well as the qualitative dimensions of the choice. The purpose of this case is to provide students a vehicle to explore the myriad considerations inherent in every organization's decision making process… qualitative as well as quantitative.
Veena Vohra, Animesh Bahadur and Vishwanath Lele
Human Resource Management/Change Management.
Abstract
Subject area
Human Resource Management/Change Management.
Study level/applicability
MBA 1st Year students or in Executive Programs on managing change.
Case overview
This case describes the dynamics of managing employees and productivity in a difficult scenario of low demand and a global recession. Soon after Trident Chemicals acquires Noble Chemicals, restructuring is undertaken to align production as per the market requirements. This gives rise to a whole gamut of issues ranging from a potential problem with the union to how employees would be incentivized in the changed scenario. A change in the working styles and organizational culture only adds to the complexity for the management. The issues seek an early and sustainable resolution as the company is losing money every day. The management has to pay attention to the employee needs as also meet the business challenges embedded in the context.
Expected learning outcomes
To help participants to look into the factors that impact complex change processes; to highlight factors responsible for inducing changes in strategy and culture; and to introduce to participants employee reactions towards complex change efforts in organizations.
Supplementary materials
Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.
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Mitchell A. Petersen, Alex Williamson and Rajiv Chopra
At the end of 2011, one of the largest food retailers in Brazil, Grupo Pão de Açúcar, or GPA (a subsidiary of Companhia Brasileira De Distribuição, or CBD), was reviewing its…
Abstract
At the end of 2011, one of the largest food retailers in Brazil, Grupo Pão de Açúcar, or GPA (a subsidiary of Companhia Brasileira De Distribuição, or CBD), was reviewing its accounts payable terms with suppliers in search of additional value. Manager of analytics Maria Cristina Santos was examining the trade credit terms GPA had with Oalem Ltda, a family-owned melon grower located in northeastern Brazil. Oalem, like most small family businesses, was financed with bank loans and equity that was held predominantly by the family. The case examines how accounts payable (trade credit) terms should be set or negotiated between a large retailer and a small supplier, especially when the bargaining power between the two may not be equal. The case demonstrates that trade credit terms can be as important as the terms of more traditional forms of financing.
After analyzing and discussing the case, students should be able to:
Determine when it is efficient or value-increasing for one nonfinancial firm to borrow from another nonfinancial firm through trade credit, as opposed to borrowing from financial institutions (e.g., banks) or financial markets
Understand how competition or relative bargaining power can influence feasible and optimal trade credit terms
Explain why trade credit can be a cheaper form of financing than the alternative forms of financing available to small family businesses like Oalem Ltda
Determine when it is efficient or value-increasing for one nonfinancial firm to borrow from another nonfinancial firm through trade credit, as opposed to borrowing from financial institutions (e.g., banks) or financial markets
Understand how competition or relative bargaining power can influence feasible and optimal trade credit terms
Explain why trade credit can be a cheaper form of financing than the alternative forms of financing available to small family businesses like Oalem Ltda
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G Raghuram, Satyam Shivam Sundaram and Himanshu Patni
Towards the end of 90s, mounting losses forced Madhya Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (MPSRTC), the sole provider of public transport in Madhya Pradesh, to suspend their…
Abstract
Towards the end of 90s, mounting losses forced Madhya Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (MPSRTC), the sole provider of public transport in Madhya Pradesh, to suspend their urban services. As a consequence, organized public transport services ceased to exist in Indore, the largest metropolitan city of the state of Madhya Pradesh. This void was filled by Intermediate Public Transport (IPT) consisting of minibuses, tempos and auto rickshaws. As of January 2004, 300 private minibuses, 150 tempos, and 10,000 auto rickshaws were plying as IPT, but with poor service levels. Lack of public transport was a catalyst for rapid increase in personalized vehicles, and high level of pollution and accidents. Worried over the rapid growth of personalized vehicles, and high levels of pollution and accidents in Indore, policy makers and administrators had made several attempts of reviving the public transport system in the city. In 2005, the Collector and District Magistrate of Indore decided to make another attempt of reviving the public transport. The two cases, Indore City Bus Transport Service (A) and Indore City Bus Transport Service (B) discuss the complexity involved in the planning, rolling out, and running of public transport services in Indore on a sustainable basis. Case (A) details the prevalent socio-economic condition, travel characteristics, and positions taken by various stakeholders on provisioning of public transport service in Indore as of November 2005. Case (B) discusses the challenges during the growth and operation of the services as of June 2008. Unprecedented rise in crude oil prices along with (i) increase in maintenance cost of buses, price of new buses, and bank interest and (ii) decrease/marginal increase in the fare box revenue (more people were shifting to passes) and advertisement revenue depleted the margin of the operators. The fares had not been increased since the launch of services in February 2006. It was clear that Indore City Transport Service Limited (ICTSL), the SPV created to run the transport system, would survive only if operators were able to survive. The readers have to take the position of the board of ICTSL and consider various options available to them for running the services on a sustainable basis.
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A new director of this small brewery must prepare to vote on three issues coming before the board of directors the next day: (1) approval of the financial plan for 1993, (2…
Abstract
A new director of this small brewery must prepare to vote on three issues coming before the board of directors the next day: (1) approval of the financial plan for 1993, (2) quarterly dividend declaration, and (3) incentive-compensation plan for the marketing manager. The tasks for the student are to evaluate the past and prospective financial performance of the company and to assess the extremely liberal credit and inventory terms the company is extending to its distributors. The objective of the case is to introduce and exercise tools and concepts of financial-statement analysis. Perhaps the biggest insight gained by students concerns the link between incentives and financial performance: in this case, the marketing manager is motivated to build sales volume, which he accomplishes by a dramatic buildup in receivables and inventory.
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Anyu Wang and Nuoya Chen
This case is about “Red”, a cross-border e-commerce platform developed from a community which was built to share overseas shopping experience. With sharp insights into the…
Abstract
This case is about “Red”, a cross-border e-commerce platform developed from a community which was built to share overseas shopping experience. With sharp insights into the consumption behavior of urban white-collar women and riding on its community e-commerce advantage, “Red”, a cross-border e-commerce startup, pulled in three rounds of financing within just 16 months regardless of increasingly competitive market. On the other hand, well-established platforms such as T-mall International and Joybuy also stepped in, and their involvement will also speed up the industry integration and usher in a reshuffling period. Confronted with the “price war” started by those e-commerce giants, in what ways can “Red” adjust its shopping experience and after-sales services to enhance the brand value and sharpen its edge?
Manoj Gour Chintaluri and Bala Subramanian R.
This case study exposes students to conflicts with distributors, escalated scenarios of a trade association and the possible repercussions of such a scenario. Upon completion of…
Abstract
Learning outcomes
This case study exposes students to conflicts with distributors, escalated scenarios of a trade association and the possible repercussions of such a scenario. Upon completion of this case study, the students will be able to understand the critical success factors for a distribution setup and alignment of channels for driving growth; understand and manage the power dynamics with a stakeholder, like trade associations, distribution reach, fallacies in managing the distributors and identifying the gaps; critically evaluate negotiation opportunities when a trade association is not directly related to the principal organization.
Case overview/synopsis
This case study showcased a conflict between the distributor and Universal Heater Industries (UHI), a leading player in the water heater business in India. In 2015, the global leadership of UHI identified India as an emerging market and undertook a complete management overhaul to implement a new growth plan. Several measures were put in place that leveraged the global product portfolio and new people were appointed to push the agenda. Manish Singhal, the national sales head of UHI, selected Kerala as the pilot state to implement the new plan. However, the projects failed, as the distributor escalated the treatment meted out by UHI to the Electrical Trade Association (ETA). Trade associations have had a history of playing truant with players like UHI, and because of this, business came to a complete halt. The UHI and ETA teams met once; however, the suggested closure by ETA needed to be aligned with UHI’s interests. Singhal’s dilemma deepened, and they had to decide the next steps.
Complexity academic level
This case study is suitable for a postgraduate marketing course in a segment on managing channels, intermediaries, distribution management and channel conflicts. The uniqueness of this case is in the dimension of the trade association and managing the stakeholders.
Supplementary material
Teaching notes are available for educators only.
Subject code
CSS8: Marketing.
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