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Teaching objective 1: To flourish and explore the current business model to get socioeconomic benefits from organic farming compared to conventional farming; in the context of hill farming. Teaching objective 2: To explore and design innovative entrepreneurship opportunities in the field of organic farming and how these opportunities can be seized by using managerial skills. Teaching objective 3: To analyze the economic benefits of organic farming compared to conventional farming.

Manj Gaon is a small village in the Tehri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand. This village serves as the Uttarakhand Organic Commodity Board’s training facility. Organic farming was the primary source of income for farmers in the late 1970s, but the Green Revolution in India had a negative impact on agriculture, the environment and the economy of the country. After the Green Revolution, the agriculture sector was completely dominated by conventional farming, and the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides affected the village to some extent. But farmers like Bhagchand Ramola paved the way for other farmers to grow and shine through organic farming. The organic farming model developed by Ramola was helping farmers and society in several aspects, such as the economy, health and the environment. A self-developed organic farming model had been generating fair revenue for the farmers and uplifting their socioeconomic status as compared to conventional farming. Complete adoption of organic farming in the village requires an analysis in terms of sustainable economic growth. However, there was a certain dilemma that was stifling the growth of the newly adopted business model because farmers were dependent only on Japanese buyers and input providers. So, there was a huge need to tie up with other consulates across the country. Secondly, expanding a business model requires more input and output in terms of manpower and revenue, so persuading conventional farmers to adopt the organic farming model was quite a challenge for Ramola.

The case can be taught to the MBA-level students.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 11: Strategy.

This case asks the student to take a stance on whether an portfolio manager should take a long or short position in the equity of Universal Display Corporation (PANL). The stock is polarizing, in that reasonable arguments could be made for both long and short positions. The case suggests a number of steps that an analyst might follow when valuing a company

Discounted cash flow valuation, comparables valuation, short selling. After students have analyzed the case they will be able to value the equity of a publicly traded company and take a position on whether a portfolio manager should buy or sell the stock.

In August 2007 the Mainsail II SIV-Lite was frozen by its trustee as a result of the ongoing credit crisis. The state of Maine held $20 million of Mainsail commercial paper in its Cash Pool portfolio, a short-term portfolio that puts temporary, excess state revenues to work. When word of the potential loss became public, the Treasurer came under attack. The case introduces the functions of a state Treasury department, with particular emphasis on the investment objectives and guidelines for the cash pool as well as its composition. The case reviews the events leading up to and including August 2007, the month when the credit markets first began to seize and when the financial crisis effectively began. It examines securitization, structured finance, and the Mainsail SIV-Lite structure in some detail.

In the summer of 2013, Whitney DeSoto had just been hired as managing director for real assets at the Overton Pension Fund (OPF). Her task was to provide recommendations to the board of trustees to introduce real estate into the fund's portfolio, which to date had been invested solely in stocks and bonds. Combining her knowledge of modern portfolio theory with her institutional expertise in real estate, DeSoto needed to decide what fraction of the fund should optimally be invested in real assets. She then faced the task of deciding whether to invest in public or private real estate. If she thought private real estate belonged in the portfolio, she would need to identify the best investment strategy, the best vehicle, and ultimately the specific investments to recommend.

• Apply modern portfolio theory to the investment decision of an institutional investor allocating its assets between stocks, bonds, and real estate

• Understand the limits of portfolio theory in a real estate context

• Analyze the benefits/costs of investments in both public and private real estate

• Understand the various vehicles in which one can invest in private real estate

• Argue for a set of investments that offer individual benefits/costs relative to a theoretically ideal investment

Apply modern portfolio theory to the investment decision of an institutional investor allocating its assets between stocks, bonds, and real estate

Understand the limits of portfolio theory in a real estate context

Analyze the benefits/costs of investments in both public and private real estate

Understand the various vehicles in which one can invest in private real estate

Argue for a set of investments that offer individual benefits/costs relative to a theoretically ideal investment

HP sells configure-to-order products. With millions of part combinations going into an order, the challenge is deciding which parts to keep in the portfolio to balance costs with revenues. The case explains how one would approach this problem before product introduction, but focuses on managing the existing portfolio.

Students will develop a systematic, data-driven approach to decide on the best product portfolio to sell for a configure-to-order business. Which SKUs are candidates for a “global core” product offering? For an extended offering? For elimination?

In December 1999 Thomson Financial (TF) began a radical transformation from forty-one divisions toward a more integrated firm organized around customer segments. This required active, coordinated involvement from business, organization, and technology functions, as well as sustained investment and execution through the crises of the technology market crash and September 11, 2001. By 2005 TF had emerged as one of the top three financial information firms globally (with Bloomberg and Reuters).

Understand: 1. Building the customer-centric firm; “synchronizing” marketing (branding and sales), organizational, and technological infrastructure to focus on customer segments rather than products. 2. Making transformative, long-term investments under difficult circumstances. 3. Coordinating business, organization, and technology strategies throughout a long-term transformation process.

Target Corporation is concerned that the company might be left out of one of its most lucrative and attractive product categories, video games and game players, as these products increasingly migrate to digital distribution models. What steps should the company take to maintain its relevance and build sustainable competitive advantage as these trends play out? What are the implications for the company's multi-channel online and offline format portfolio going forward?

Students will develop a keen understanding of the challenges faced by contemporary retailers as consumer needs change, new product innovations emerge, market structures evolve, and format pressures escalate.

“MDCM, Inc. (B): Strategic IT Portfolio Management” examines the steps involved in developing a portfolio of IT projects aligned with a company's strategic objectives. Specifically, the case describes a situation where a firm has launched a transformation strategy but has yet to develop a complementary IT strategy. Students must select the optimal portfolio of projects aligned with the strategic objectives and define the global project execution strategy. The projects have both risks and dependencies. U.S.-based MDCM, Inc. specializes in medical device contract manufacturing and assembly. For the past five years, MDCM had grown by making more than twenty acquisitions of companies based outside the United States. This growth strategy enabled MDCM to better match its services to its customers, who had become larger and more global. In MDCM (A), the CIO of MDCM needed to determine the company's IT strategy and objectives. In doing so, he needed to ensure that they were properly aligned with the company's overall strategy and the new organization developed under an initiative called Horizon 2000. In a lecture prior to the cases, students should be introduced to the framework of IT portfolio management and how it can help focus IT efforts. In MDCM (B), the CIO has performed an audit of MDCM's IT and found twelve projects that are potential investment candidates for the next three years. The challenge for the IT Portfolio Management team is to identify the priority and appropriate sequence of investments to be made. The case assumes that students have knowledge of corporate IT. More specifically, the case is targeted for those who are or plan to become executives who would manage IT strategy and IT investment decisions either directly or in an oversight role. This case is the second in a series; the first is the case “MDCM, Inc. (A): IT Strategy Synchronization.”

For this case, students create a portfolio management process and apply it to the IT project portfolio of a global manufacturing company. Students will learn how to balance risk and return of projects and short-term vs. long-term wins. They also create an activity network diagram, stressing the importance of understanding global resource constraints and execution timing. Students also learn the nuances of portfolio selection, e.g., outsourcing decision making and build vs. buy for a global firm.

Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are often very complex management endeavors. Analyzes the IT component of M&A for two financial institutions. Students are tasked with assisting Mike Farrell, the CIO of New Millennium Financial (NMF), a new company created through the merger of FinStar Financial and D&L Bank, in determining the optimal combined IT portfolio. To accomplish this task the strategic business objectives of the firm must be clearly understood and the IT projects in the pipelines of both institutions analyzed. Students must make an IT portfolio management decision and answer the question: What is the optimal IT strategy and project portfolio for NMF?

To apply a framework to manage a company's IT portfolio, i.e., understand the company's strategic context, develop business objectives that align with its strategy, assess IT investments, and develop a portfolio of IT projects that support the objectives. The framework is iterative, i.e., IT investments are assessed on a regular basis based on their performance and risk/return tradeoffs. Also to introduce a leading Web-based tool, ProSight, that helps managers organize IT portfolios.

Marketing.

Target audience this decision case has been tried and tested in a classroom setting with final-year undergraduate BBA students and postgraduate students studying an MSc in marketing. The specific course in which this case was used was marketing management in China. This case may also be suitable for an undergraduate or masters level courses in consumer behaviour, distribution management or marketing in China. The case covers environment analysis, market segmentation, consumer behaviour and distribution channels.

Skyworth, a Chinese manufacturer of television sets, was faced with some major decisions. Government subsidies on consumer purchases of household appliances had stimulated demand for TV sets especially in rural areas. However, there were limited distribution channels serving rural areas. Large-scale nationwide chain stores like Gome and Suning served mainly urban areas and top-tier cities. These retailer chains were less interested in selling TV sets as their profit margins were lower. How should Skyworth set up its distribution network to take advantage of the growth in rural markets? Establishing its own channel network would involve huge investments that would affect Skyworth's profits in the next few years. Relying on existing retailer chains may not give it the coverage it wanted. Skyworth's brand reputation had also suffered because of poor product quality and customer support. Can the distribution channel network help to improve its brand reputation and customer loyalty? This case highlights how government policies in China can shape the growth of the household appliance market and change consumption patterns.

By studying this case, students will: 1. Examine how environmental factors affect television manufacturers in China; 2. Understand the buying behaviour of rural households for household appliances; 3. Examine distribution channels in an emerging market; 4. Evaluate a company's product portfolio strategy; and5. Suggest segmentation bases for the market for television sets in China.

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