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The learning outcomes are as follows: factors to be considered in devising the best post-acquisition brand identity and outline market research techniques, which can be used to identify the best-suited post-acquisition brand identity strategy.

The case study discusses the brand strategy, which Walmart Inc needs to adopt post its acquisition of Flipkart Pvt. Ltd (Flipkart) Group in India. Flipkart had acquired Myntra Designs Pvt. Ltd (Myntra) and Novarris Fashion Trading Private Limited (Jabong), but had kept their brand identity intact; Walmart Inc was faced with the decision on moving ahead with the brand strategy of keeping individual brand identities or merging all of these into a single brand identity. The study aims to provide valuable insights into the decision-making process adopted by Walmart Inc. It includes also the role of cause-related marketing in the positioning of Myntra as a socially responsible brand. The case study opted for an exploratory research design study using the qualitative research method of in-depth interviews. In total, 10 experts in the area of marketing, market research and marketing communication were interviewed. The qualitative data were analyzed using a template approach, which analyzes the text using a codebook or an analysis guide. The analysis guide already has clearly defined themes or categories. As the qualitative interviews progress, these themes get revised. These themes are analyzed qualitatively rather than statistically. The case study suggests to the management of Walmart Inc that they need to merge Myntra and Jabong based on the degree of similarity of consumer demographics, income/social class of buyers, brand identity and buying behavior. Myntra needs to retain as opposed to Jabong, as Myntra is perceived to be a socially responsible brand that creates a purchase disposition in the minds of the consumers. A more extensive quantitative study would offer better generalizability. It was not feasible to conduct a quantitative study due to time constraints. This research would have used advanced brand imagery assessment techniques such as multi-dimensional scaling to suggest if an overlap exists between consumer segments of Myntra and Jabong. The case study provides a decision-making framework to firms and individuals who are part of organizational teams to create a post-acquisition brand strategy in the e-commerce market. The case study fulfills a need for many academicians and practitioners to understand the decision-making process followed in devising a post-acquisition brand strategy in India.

Senior undergraduates; Master of Business Administration; Executive Master of Business Administration.

Teaching Notes are available for educators only.

CSS 8: Marketing.

The case ties together a number of marketing concepts and theories within the context of a startup which might be addressed in an entrepreneurship or marketing course. The case focuses on niche, digital, and social media marketing and utilizes fundamental marketing concepts such as target market, value proposition, brand positioning, the marketing communications mix and the adopter categories of the diffusion of innovation theory.

The case is based on interviews from 2014 to 2017 with the founder of Lammily, Nickolay Lamm, supplemented by internet research.

Lammily is a startup company in its second year of existence which produces toys that embody realism: a fashion doll with proportions based on an average 19-year-old American woman, a sticker set of common body markings such as booboos and cellulite to make dolls look realistically, and doll outfits. After the company’s initial success in 2014, fueled by positive publicity from online media eager to share information about the average doll project, sales were flat. Nickolay Lamm, the founder of Lammily, started to feel the heat to acquire new customers in ways that did not rely solely on digital word-of mouth. In response, Lammily commissioned a direct response TV commercial in the Summer of 2015, but it failed to lead to significant new customer growth. This case describes how Nickolay struggles to move beyond the launch phase of his entrepreneurial venture and turn his startup into a business with a sustainable customer base. Facing stagnating growth and established competitors with deep pockets, Nickolay needs to figure out why the TV commercial did not work for Lammily and what his new plan to acquire new customers will be.

This case would be well-positioned in an undergraduate or graduate-level entrepreneurship course that exposes students to the challenges of promoting a new brand and marketing a new line of products in a competitive market with established competitors. It is also good a good fit for a general marketing or entrepreneurial marketing course. The case focuses on how a startup can optimize its advertising strategy for a niche market to stimulate growth with a limited budget by using digital marketing techniques.

Corporate social responsibility, sustainability and business ethics.

This case has been designed for undergraduate students, with two target audiences. The first is business and management students following modules in corporate social responsibility (CSR), sustainability and business ethics. Here the accent is on allowing the students to explore and debate how CSR agendas are emerging within a specific sector of the retail economy. The second is students pursuing fashion, clothing, textile, retailing and consumer studies degrees and here the focus is on how some of the leading fashion goods retailers are addressing CSR. More generally the case can also be used on “Contemporary Issues” modules within general business and management programmes.

This small case offers an exploratory review of the emerging CSR issues currently being publicly addressed by the world's leading fashion goods retailers. It includes a brief introduction to CSR; a brief thumbnail sketch of the fashion goods industry; details of the method of enquiry; a description of the CSR issues currently being publicly addressed by the top ten fashion good retailers on their corporate web sites; and some critical reflections on the CSR agendas being pursued by these retailers. The case study is novel in two ways. First, it focuses upon what is an emerging market issue rather than on emerging markets per se though a number of the issues raised in the case have major implications for emerging economies. Second, it addresses the CSR issues being addressed by a number of the leading fashion goods retailers and as such it a not a case which relates to individual decision making. While the case is principally focussed upon the retail sector it ranges across the whole of the supply chain.

The paper provides an accessible review of the CSR issues and agendas currently being pursued by the leading fashion goods retailers and as such it will be of interest to academics, students and practitioners who are interested in both the fashion industry and corporate sustainability.

Teaching notes are available, please consult your librarian for access.

The authors analyzed data and information mainly from the company’s annual reports and the books written by the CEO.

How and when can a “value” brand upscale its brand image? In the wake of the financial crisis of 2007–2008, UNIQLO – Japan’s street fashion brand – considered introducing a new brand collaboration. They needed to capture the attention of younger, more fashionable consumers. However, people were tightening their spending as they faced uncertainties related to their jobs and wealth. Even though UNIQLO had had a steady growth in sales for the previous 24 years, it was questionable whether it was strategically a good time to launch a premium brand collaboration. And if so, who was the right partner? High-end designer Jil Sander, fashionable New York-based Theory or emerging French “casual luxury” brand Comptoir des Cotonniers?

This case is about the challenges faced by a low-priced brand to collaborate with a high-end brand to enhance the brand image. It explores the important elements to take into consideration when evaluating launching collaboration using the high-end brand’s name. The students will learn how to examine the risks and benefits of creating a new image for the core brand. If the students had learnt branding or brand extension before, this case can be used to teach how consumer’s perception affects brand extension and the target market’s impact on pricing and distribution strategies. It can be used for a marketing course at the MBA level to explore the concepts in a growing company’s brand image or an undergraduate specialized course in brand management or marketing management. The students also learn how the fashion industry’s supply chain management works to adapt to rapidly changing fashion trends.

To enable the students to appreciate the importance of the retail business environment and identification of opportunities set in the context of an emerging market. To make students understand how a value proposition (product) is crafted in a retail organisation. To introduce the technique of developing a service blueprint for designing the retail consumption experience. To induce students to analyse on what criteria should retail business models be evaluated. To introduce the students to the concept of omnichannel retail strategy.

The case is about a value-retail chain We Mart India facing the sudden lockdown situation in April 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic hitting India. Shailesh Mehta, the Chief Operating Officer of We Mart is wondering what he should do post the lockdown to bring back the retail chain to its pre-Covid fast-paced growth of 25% YOY in June 2019. We Mart focussed on physical stores as a part of its strategy with an emphasis on the in-store experience. The company catered to the aspirations in fashion for the youth through a series of fashion apparel and accessories in Tiers 2 and 3 cities. The company had grown successfully in two decades and had expansion plans for 2020, which now seemed hazy because of this unpredicted biological disruption impacting businesses. Mehta’s worries were intensified by the change in the consumer trend that was witnessing a shift from offline to online. He wondered about how to incorporate this change and also realign the corporate growth plans in amidst of a challenging situation. To add to his woes were thoughts about established competitors online already apart from the existing offline ones. Research methods: This case is based on primary and secondary data gathered through interviews and publicly available secondary sources. The name of the company and protagonist have been disguised.

The case is suitable for post-graduate (masters in buisness administration) level courses on retail management. The length of the case enables the participants to even read in the class.

Teaching Notes are available for educators only.

CSS 8: Marketing

The learning objectives of this case are as follows: identify and understand the major challenges/problems faced by a social enterprise in promoting handicraft business; examine the value chain architecture of handicraft products; assess the role of the protagonist (Sanjay) as a social change agent in shaping a successful social enterprise; assess Sahaj Crafts' initiatives and analyze whether the key intervention/s planned/executed were required for skilling up of rural artisans and upgradation of handicraft business; know the marketing strategies for handicraft products; and understand the “strategies” which need to be applied for uplifting people's lives at the bottom of pyramid in general and for enlivening of artisans’ clusters in particular. The outcomes are as follows: examining the value chain architecture of handicraft product; understanding the difficulties and challenges of structuring a viable social business model; examining the role of Sanjay as a social change agent in shaping a successful social enterprise; and examining the model of Craft Incubation Center and design education proposed by Sahaj Crafts for improving rural artisans’ livelihood and skills upgradation.

Sanjay Joshi – the promoter and CEO of “Sahaj Crafts” (a social enterprise established in Western Rajasthan, India), an initiative to strengthen indigenous skills and mainstream rural craft products and artworks – is faced with the question of how to scale up his organization’s operations. Doing so requires that he address these fundamental challenges in terms of – how to deal with unorganized craft communities; match up product orientation to market demands; integrate modern technology / processes in craft business; combat restricted mobility of women artisans; and make effective interventions so that the artisans learn and enjoy working in the current model and solve the financial issues faced by the social enterprise. Providing effective and implementable answers to those questions is vital to Sahaj Craft’s development in attaining its mission to alleviate poverty in the region. Failing to expand operations above a critical scale may leave Sahaj Crafts vulnerable in meeting sufficient demand for contemporary craft products in the mainstream markets.

This case study is primarily suitable for post-graduate level management students to teach the concepts of designing and operationalizing a “social” business model in a social entrepreneurship module. This case study can also be used for highlighting business model innovations in the social sector of emerging markets. The case could be taught in the following academic domains: social entrepreneurship; bottom of the pyramid; social inclusion; supply chain consolidation (vertical integration in a value chain); marketing strategies for handicraft products; branding; brand positioning; cost and management accounting.

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

Describes the winning formula at Neiman Marcus that has made it the No. 1 luxury retailer in the United States in terms of sales per square foot and profitability. Highlights Neiman Marcus' efforts to define who its customers are and are not and to achieve superior focus on its customers by aligning location, price, service, and merchandise to fulfill these customers' every need. Describes ways in which Neiman Marcus prevents typical silo behavior between merchandising and selling and how it ensures that the right merchandise gets to the right customer, despite the challenge of doing this in 36 micromarkets.

To show how a company integrates two strong high-performance functions—merchandising and sales—to get the right merchandise to each customer in more than 30 diverse selling locations while consistently providing exceptional customer service.

The case of Bertelsmann China: Supply Chain for Books (A) focuses on one the world's leading media companies to illustrate a widespread problem in the supply chain strategy in extremely fast growing markets. Students learn about the basic challenges of supply chain strategy in an international context. The case covers important fields of management theory. Supply chain designs well as cost and performance drivers are revised by the use of frameworks.

Learning outcomes can only be achieved through using case-based pedagogy. Instructors must encourage students to dive deeply into the case dilemma, so they are able to engage with the case objectives and questions, applying the appropriate theory. By doing so, students can provide solutions based on five core objectives. These are the objectives that students should learn after completing the case discussion: ■ Critique the marketing activities for implications of global branding. ■ Understand the turnaround strategies in the context of the digital economy and COVID-19 crisis to build a global brand and drive B2C customers from awareness and advocacy. ■ Suggest a map of traditional and digital marketing strategies to enhance the company’s efficiency and effectiveness. ■ Discuss the three main sources of influence marketers can implement to drive customers from awareness to advocacy across the customers’ path. ■ Discuss the application of the UN 17 SDGs practices in today’s fashion industry.

In 2018, Ali El Nawawi and Mai Kassem decided to start up the Scarabaeus Sacer brand to take their passion for social and human development and create ethical fashion streetwear. Scarabaeus Sacer was an Egyptian brand that sold 100% organic Egyptian cotton fashionable streetwear, and the core mission of the fledgling company was “promoting Egyptian organic cotton textiles with a premium quality globally” (Al Nawawi, 2021). While Scarabaeus was mainly guided by the well-being, sustainability, and mental health goals of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) numbers 3, 8, 11 and 12 (good health and well-being; decent work and economic growth; sustainable cities and communities; and responsible consumption and production), their position as an advocacy brand was only beginning to be understood by their customers in Egypt. With the rapid increase of e-commerce during the COVID-19 crisis and their previous international experience, the co-founders wanted to achieve their mission of building a global brand that promotes Egyptian organic cotton and sustainability while offering unique designs of fashionable streetwear. To achieve this mission, the co-founders El Nawawi and Kassem faced major decisions related to marketing strategies at the beginning of 2020. These included how to build global brand awareness and brand advocacy for well-being, sustainability and mental health with a special focus on penetrating new markets (namely, Europe and the USA) to stock their products on e-commerce platforms and advocating their cause and increase their sales.

This case is suitable for graduate-level marketing courses in which it allows students to engage with classical marketing strategies, digital marketing, global branding, communication, media and sales within a management framework.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

The case’s learning objectives to work on can vary according to the topic selected by the teacher. This case has been put forward with a particular interest in corporate strategy issues, specifically, on the joint management of businesses (in this case, academic programs). Therefore, students are expected to be able to understand the managerial dilemma on centralization and decentralization; recognize the peculiarities of a shared services center (SSC); and decide on which services to centralize in an SSC.

Centralizing or not centralizing is a frequent managerial dilemma. This is a challenge faced not only by business managers but also by corporate level areas responsible for jointly managing various businesses. Resources and capabilities allocation is an essential process for strategy execution, specifically in corporate strategy that must answer the question: How to jointly manage businesses? Sharing services is a collaborative strategy which aims to increase efficiency by centralizing some processes related to this joint business management. Mario, Dean of the Escuela de Administración in Medellín, Colombia, intends to optimize the school resource allocation processes so that there is more equitable support between the different academic programs. For this, he has thought of creating an SSC as it is a practice that he has seen in prominent companies in the city. His idea is to start operating the SSC in early 2018; however, the particular character of a management school leads him to ask himself: What to centralize and what not to centralize?

This case of decision (Ellet, 2007; Sánchez et al., 2013) can be used to promote student learning of strategy courses both at advanced undergraduate levels and in graduate programs. Likewise, it can be used in workshops with executives and administrative personnel of companies that face the centralize–decentralize dilemma. These types of topics are the subject of study by both corporate strategy theorists who address the question of how to jointly manage business (Menz et al., 2015; Michael Porter, 1987) and consultants (Deloitte, 2012). It is desirable, although not mandatory, that students have some knowledge or experience in strategic issues and challenges associated with the administration of companies made up of various businesses (multi-business firms).

Teaching Notes are available for educators only.

CSS 11: Strategy.