Search results

The case builds upon the theoretical literature in strategy and decision-making under uncertain, complex and ambiguous situations inherent in nascent industries (Eggers and Moeen, 2019). It also bases its analysis of the central decision in the case, the merger between Aphria Inc. and Tilray, on the pertinent literature on mergers and acquisitions (DePamphilis, 2015). DePamphilis (2015). Mergers, acquisitions, and other restructuring activities: An integrated approach to process, tools, cases, and solutions. 8th ed. Academic press, San Diego, CA. Eggers and Moeen (2019). Entry Strategy for Nascent Industries: Introduction to a Virtual Special Issue. Strategic Management Journal. 42 (2), pp. 1–15.

Assessing/reassessing sources of competitive advantage and recognizing how changes in policy and technologies and globalization can change industry dynamics. Identifying the challenges that companies face when developing strategy in nascent and emerging industries and the related (sub)sectors. Analyzing a merger and deciding if it is warranted, financially and strategically. Applying industry analysis to understand dynamic forces impacting an industry, the attractiveness of an industry and how industry structures affect a company’s strategy.

The global cannabis industry emerged after Canada, selected states in the US and some other countries across the world started to legalize recreational and/or medical cannabis. Similar to any industry in its nascent stages, the industry structure was undefined, product definitions and categories were unclear and competitive landscape was evolving. It was key for decision makers such as Irwin Simon, the CEO of Aphria Inc., to devise a strategy that would enable the firm to navigate the tides of the nascent industry. Simon had a background in consumer packaged goods industry and was a proponent of gaining market power through industry consolidation moves such as mergers and acquisitions. In 2020, encounters with Tilray’s CEO presented Simon with a merger opportunity with potentials for complementarities and cost savings. The challenge for Simon was to convince the Aphria’s shareholders that the potential gains from this move outweighs its challenges.

Strategy courses (undergraduate and graduate level) • During a session on nascent industry analysis, to illustrate how companies decide whether to enter a market, how to grow and position themselves. • During a session on mergers and acquisitions, to illustrate how a company can use such strategies to gain market power and pursue consolidation. International business courses (undergraduate and graduate level) • During a session on navigating the tides of an industry that is in its nascent stage, both at the individual country level and at the global level. Cannabis industry courses (undergraduate level) • During a session on the national and global prospects of the industry from an investment, entrepreneurial or policy-making perspective. • During a session on mergers and industry consolidation strategies.

The case is derived from secondary sources, including publicly available reports and information about all companies directly or indirectly engaged in the industry. No primary sources were available.

This teaching case is designed for students to demonstrate their mastery of industry-level analysis in the emerging space tourism industry. It allows students to understand what constitutes the industry within the broader space sector and to apply analytical tools such as PESTEL and Porter’s Five Forces, with the option to discuss strategic groups. Students gain insights into how the industry is evolving within its broader environment and how companies could respond or differentiate themselves. Information is also provided for students to consider the broader social impact of a relatively new industry from the perspective of sustainable development.

The case is written for undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in strategic management courses. The case placement is ideally in conjunction with industry-level analytical frameworks such as Porter’s Five Forces, PESTEL analysis, strategic groups (optional) and industry life cycle. Most strategic management textbooks cover these concepts in the first few chapters. For example, “Strategic Management, 14th edition” by Hill, Schilling and Jones (2023) covers these topics in chapter 2. Given that space tourism is an embryonic industry dependent on technological innovation, instructors might also use this case in innovation or entrepreneurship-related courses. This case could also be used to address critical issues, such as sustainability, in tourism management courses.

This case study discussion will enable students to: • Understand and evaluate the steel industry’s nature, opportunities, threats and challenges in an emerging market such as Bangladesh.• Review the techniques used to analyse competition and attractiveness of an industry using Porter’s five forces model. • Identify the corporate-level strategic decisions that can impact the survival and growth of a single business/product company in a highly competitive market. • Evaluate amongst different types of corporate-level growth strategies and their appropriate applications. • Synthesise various internal, industry and market-related information into the selection and justification of any particular corporate-level growth strategy.

BSRM group established Bangladesh’s first-ever steel mill in 1952. For around 70 years, BSRM had been leading the steel industry of Bangladesh with a single product – long steel. Over the recent decade (2010–2020), Bangladesh had been one of the world’'s fastest-growing economies. As the economic development was closely tied with the consumption of steel products, per capita steel consumption in Bangladesh became more than double. Moving from 24 kg in 2010, per capita steel consumption became 55 kg in 2021. Industry experts predicted the per capita steel consumption to be 75 kg by 2024, indicating an enormous scope for the steel industry to grow. Moreover, the industry’s growth momentum was predicted to continue until the nation became a developed one in 2041. This growth momentum kept attracting new competitors to this business. Nevertheless, BSRM maintained the market leadership by dint of its first mover’s advantage, superior quality, branding, innovation and large-scale operations and ultimately accumulated substantial free cash flow over the years. Now, Aameir Alihussain, the Managing Director and CEO of BSRM, was concerned about managing the growth of his business. Would BSRM continue to concentrate on producing steel and building forte by the backward and forward integration of the value chain? Or should the firm opt for some related diversification? Alternatively, was it the right time for BSRM to consider opportunities for unrelated diversification? While opportunities were many, the amount for investment was limited. Thus, Alihussain was in a dilemma pursuing the right corporate-level growth strategy for the overall sustainability of his business in the long run.

This case can be taught in the corporate-level strategy chapter of a core course on strategic management at the undergraduate programs. This case would facilitate students to comprehend the context of corporate-level strategies in managing the growth of a business in an emerging market.

Teaching Notes are available for educators only.

CSS 11: Strategy.

Entrepreneurship.

This case is designed for teaching entrepreneurship at master’s level. Depending on students’ interests and exposure levels however, it can be applied to teaching undergraduate entrepreneurship courses that are taken after at least the two basic entrepreneurship courses.

Nigeria’s tomato industry is one of the most dysfunctional in the entire nation’s economy. Although the country is West Africa’s largest tomato producer, nearly half of the produced tomatoes rot on the way to the market, which makes Nigeria heavily reliant on imported tomato paste. Amidst growing concerns among stakeholders of the need to address the dysfunction of the tomato industry, Tomato Jos emerged as the earliest social impact venture in the tomato paste industry. Nigeria’s changing macro-economic conditions clearly call for a tomato processing industry and the entry of Tomato Jos is well timed. Within a span of two years, the company successfully raised $600,000 in equity, debt and grant financing that has catered for start-up expenses and expansion to 150 hectares of farmland. The company plans on raising an additional $25m to cater for their planned Stage III growth. Amidst growing excitement over the entry of Tomato Jos in the industry with a social enterprise, Africa’s top business tycoon, Aliko Dangote, announced entry into the tomato processing industry with a major tomato processing facility in the same region as Tomato Jos. The Dangote Group of companies is seen as very tough competition to contend with, due to their sheer size, political leverage and financial capital. This case study primarily teaches how multiple aspects of start-up entrepreneurship may be handled rather than being taught separately as is often the case in mainstream business education. Entrepreneurs in the field rarely confront real challenges in this way. This case study introduces a practice of teaching a collection of key aspects of entrepreneurship, their nuances and inter-relationships in an integrated fashion.

The overarching objective of this case is to teach students how to interpret the shifts in industry position resulting from the entry of an important competitor within the larger context of growing a social venture. At the end of the case study analysis, students will be able to analyze the effects of changing forces and conditions in a country’s business environment on a start-up social enterprise; interpret the shifts in a venture’s industry position after the entry of an important competitor; identify appropriate funding sources and financing strategies to fuel the growth of a social enterprise; identify areas of a start-up’s business model that need improvement and/or iteration to support faster growth; and develop an effectuation-based strategy for a growing venture.

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 3: Entrepreneurship.

After working on the assignment questions, the learners can achieve the following learning outcomes: understand the buying behavior towards sustainable products in the context of mindful consumption and product characteristics, appraise the market segmentation and positioning strategy of a sustainable business, understand the application of 5C’s framework for a sustainable business and critically evaluate a new sustainable business’s challenges in the emerging business environment.

Dr Joe Fenn, founder and director of PFoods, with extensive experience in the pharma industry overseas, observed a decline in the consumption of traditional dairy foods. Alternative plant foods come as a savior to people who are lactose intolerant and offer a host of health benefits with low environmental impact. Riding on the waves of veganism and sustainable foods, he saw an opportunity in India. PFoods developed and launched two products, namely, Just Plants (plant-based milk alternative) and Plotein (plant-based protein alternative), in collaboration with scientists at the Indian Institute of Science, a premier scientific institution in India, and PMEDS (PreEmptive Meds), a US-based nutraceutical Company. PFoods launched and pilot-tested Just Plant, a dairy alternative substitute for milk in select reputed organizations in Bangalore. The upcoming challenges for Fenn would be to select the right segment, educate the market and position the product that would resonate well with the target customers.

The case study suits undergraduate and graduate courses such as marketing management, sustainable marketing and sustainable business. The case study can also be used in entrepreneurship management and entrepreneurial marketing courses to introduce the challenges of a sustainable startup. The case study highlights the marketing challenges faced by the disruptive and growing plant-based foods or alternative dairy industry in emerging markets.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 8: Marketing.

This case study is designed to enable students to formulate the strategic planning process in relation to an organization’s resources; assess the critical tasks required for the company’s business planning for growth and market expansion; and examine the importance of the value delivery process for the company, its customer and its employees. At the end of the case discussion, students will learn how to plan their business in an emerging market by using their existing resources, where the business stands at present and where it may go in the coming future.

The case study discusses how Byju’s, an Indian multinational educational technology company, revolutionized student learning programs through its innovative strategic implementation. It explores the company’s growth and expansion strategy by considering a strength, weakness, opportunity and threats analysis. It elaborates on how Byju’s acquired various companies in India and other countries to become an international technology-based educational brand with 150 million users in 2022. The case study also highlights the marketing and promotional strategy used by the company on online and offline platforms. The case study elaborates on the value delivery process and its importance for customer and employee satisfaction. Despite its success in the Indian market, Byju’s faced tough challenges in the US and European markets, such as lower-than-expected growth rates and lower subscription numbers, even though it followed the same strategy as in the Indian market. The acquisition and celebrity strategy works in emerging economies such as India but not in developed countries. The company’s return on investment was down owing to the high costs it had incurred over the years on market acquisitions and marketing promotions. The growing competition was also expected to bring more challenges for Byju’s. New players such as Tata Studi and YouTube planned to enter the market. Byju Raveendran and his management group had to decide whether to maintain or change the current market offering to reflect market developments to satisfy their customers and employees. They also had to determine whether the main components of the marketing strategy, such as the company’s ongoing value delivery process and ongoing strategy toward the target audience, partners and rivals, are advantageous to the firm or not. The team was in dilemma whether the marketing planning process was going in the right direction and how to make all elements of its businesses more efficient in dealing with the issues. Raveendran kept asking questions about to what extent it is still possible to alter the marketing plan.

The case study is appropriate for discussion in courses such as marketing management, service marketing and strategic marketing management, whether they are part of an undergraduate program (Bachelor of Business Administration [BBA]), a postgraduate program in business management (Master of Business Administration [MBA]) or an executive-level program (executive MBA). The breadth of business topics addressed and the intricacy of the scenario make this case study best suited to be used after the semester as either a culminating project or as a seminar discussion for undergraduates (BBA). The case study can also be discussed in the marketing management course (graduation level) under the marketing and service strategy chapters.

CSS8: Marketing

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

Trade Finance, International Trade, International Business, Emerging Markets, Textile Industry.

This case has been designed for the students studying courses on International Business during their graduation/post-graduation. Students are expected to have basic knowledge of International Trade and are also expected to study the different ways of financing the foreign trade to appreciate the case.

The case describes the various ways of financing of foreign trade. The case has been designed in the context of an Indian Textile Exporter who has grown steadily over the past years. As business has increased, simultaneously the requirement of funds for the exporter has also increased. Through the medium of conversations, the different ways of financing the foreign trade have been explained in detail. Equipped with this knowledge, students are required to discuss the pros and cons of the different ways of financing the foreign trade. The case also discusses the dilemma of foreign currency hedging. This is a common dilemma faced by importers and exporters as they grow over a period of time.

This case has been designed to: understand the various ways of financing the foreign trade and understand their merits and demerits; understand the difference between factoring and forfeiting understand how the Exim Bank of India plays an important role in supporting exporters and importers in India; and understand the various ways of hedging the foreign currency risk.

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

Expected learning outcomes are as follows: to understand the nature of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) manufacturing industries based on Al Junaid Industrial group when considering entering such businesses. To understand how unexpected short-term shocks such as a global pandemic may require long-term changes in a company’s outlook and planning. Discuss the marketing mix strategy that the Al Junaid Industrial group business products and services elements follow. To understand the competitiveness of Al Junaid group’s business environment and to identify the potential for business growth. To gain skills at developing a marketing strategy using the products, price, place and promotion model.

Al Junaid Industrial group is a small to medium-sized HVAC manufacturing company created over 12 years ago, in the United Arab Emirates. It has a production line company in the Sharjah industrial area with a capacity of 5,000 ft. The company not only manufactures air conditioning and its accessories but also provides installation and maintenance services. As for its international connections, it imports raw materials such as aluminum and exports air conditioning grills and accessories, offering installation services to many destinations, including Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and the Gulf Cooperation Council. The company has recently suffered a setback due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2020 its net revenue and profits decreased by an average of 40%. As a result, Al Junaid Industrial group currently faces several internal and external challenges affecting its business performance such as high operating expenses, low market demand and stiff competition. Due to these challenges, this case study argues that Mr. Obaid Al Junaid, the Chief Executive Officer, should develop a new marketing strategy aimed at raising revenues to levels closer to those observed before the onset of the epidemic.

This case could be used in undergraduate and graduate classes of the business management field, as well as in development programs for managers in small to medium-sized enterprises (SME). Students (final year students of an undergraduate program for a bachelor’s degree) are expected to have a basic knowledge of Strategic management and business in general. It is preferred that the students have basic knowledge about small-to-medium businesses. Additionally, the managers in SME should be familiar with operational management, business management and marketing strategy and some of the challenges faced by managers in industrial businesses.

Teaching Notes are available for educators only.

CSS 11: Strategy.

Strategic Management, Entrepreneurship, Business Management.

This case is of medium level of difficulty and is designed for students in School of Economics and Business Management, also an optional course for students in other majors who have strong interest in strategic management and entrepreneurship. Students from all disciplines are welcomed and encouraged to take this course; however, it will be better if registered students have already gained basic ideas about industry, company analysis and marketing.

In 2010, Hangzhou Wahaha Group (The Group), a leading Chinese beverage company launched its new brand – Edison milk powder. Meanwhile, people were concerned about food security because of several scandals and Wahaha had to convince the mass public during the high time. The decision makers had to balance various options besides Edison. In this case, we would mainly discuss several possible long–term strategies of this eye–catching private enterprise. The Group intended to carry out diversification strategy in several industries domestically and internationally to maximize its profit.

Have an insight into China's beverage industry and dairy sector, with the representative Hangzhou Wahaha Group., Know how to develop analytical and decision skills facing multi–choices. SWOT model is recommended here., Have a comprehensive understanding of diversification strategy and how to make priorities.

Teaching notes.

Marketing management.

Undergraduate/Postgraduate.

The present case is a disguised one and is meant to enable students to critically analyse the operations and functioning of a fitness centre located in a city. Despite a runaway success, “Fit in” was facing problems of time-management and members’ management. Thus, catering to the members was becoming unwieldy, especially with respect to providing the personalized experience to the members, which was their forte. Thus, Mukesh and Naina faced the challenge of motivating their existing members and getting fresh referrals. Should they cut some of their services? Should they make some changes in manpower management? Or, should they change the operating strategy for their business?

Expected learning outcomes are as follows: how to ensure customer loyalty in service organization settings and how to enhance motivation among the service customers.

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: 3: Entrepreneurship.