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1 – 10 of 87Melodena Stephens Balakrishnan
Marketing, International Business, Strategy, Packaging, Promotion.
Abstract
Subject area
Marketing, International Business, Strategy, Packaging, Promotion.
Study level/applicability
Graduate students.
Case overview
This case is recommended to master's students studying consumer behaviour, products strategy, brand activation and international business. Practitioners in the food industry, design and advertising industry may also find this case interesting. Policymakers looking at mobility of products across borders may also consider this case interesting.
Expected learning outcomes
This paper explains the role of packaging in brand and product strategy; describes how packaging can give a competitive advantage in the fast-moving consumer goods category; relates consumer insights to strategy using packaging to achieve market objectives like penetration, market share increase, engagement and loyalty.
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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Keywords
Syeda Ikrama and Syeda Maseeha Qumer
This case study is intended to help students to evaluate Kavak’s business model, examine the global expansion strategy of Kavak, analyze the competitive strategy adopted by Kavak…
Abstract
Learning outcomes
This case study is intended to help students to evaluate Kavak’s business model, examine the global expansion strategy of Kavak, analyze the competitive strategy adopted by Kavak, recognize the ways in which Kavak leveraged technology in all its business operations, examine the key challenges faced by Kavak in the fragmented Latin American as well as global used car market and explore strategies that Kavak can adopt in future to maintain its dominance in the global used car market.
Case overview/synopsis
This case study is about the meteoric rise of Kavak, a Mexican used car retailer that aimed to disrupt the emerging pre-owned car markets with its unique value propositions and compelling global expansion strategy. Co-founded in 2016 by Carlos García Ottati (Ottati), in Mexico City, Kavak emerged as an end-to-end solution to buy, manage, sell and finance pre-owned cars. Using pricing algorithms driven by artificial intelligence and machine learning-based inspection tools and personalized recommendations, Kavak reshaped the mobility sector in the Latin American and Middle Eastern regions. In a mere six years of operation, the company established its presence in nine countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Turkey, the UAE and Oman. Kavak’s innovative yet simple business model ensured transparency and guarantees in all its transactions where reconditioned vehicles were sold to thousands of customers through its e-commerce platform as well as a network of brick-and-mortar hubs. Its in-house financing arm Kavak Capital was at the core of its business model, as it offered affordable leasing options, making car ownership possible for both first- and second-time car owners within just a few minutes of applying. The platform had an inventory of 40,000 vehicles as of 2023 with more than 50% of Kavak’s sales being financed by Kavak Capital. The case study discusses the challenges faced by Kavak in the fragmented used car market including rising interest rates for vehicle loans, managing capital-intensive operations, rising competition and external economic headwinds such as inflation and slowing economic growth. Going forward, the challenge before Ottati and his team was how to make profits, build customer trust, attract customers and achieve global success.
Complexity academic level
This case study is suitable for MBA/MS level and is designed to be a part of the business strategy/and international business curriculum.
Subject code
CSS: 5: International business.
Supplementary materials
Teaching notes are available for educators only.
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Keywords
Digbijay Nayak and Arunaditya Sahay
The case study has been prepared for management students/business executives to understand electric vehicle (EV) business, business environment, industry competition and strategic…
Abstract
Learning outcomes
The case study has been prepared for management students/business executives to understand electric vehicle (EV) business, business environment, industry competition and strategic planning and strategy implementation.
Case overview/synopsis
The size of the Indian passenger vehicle market was valued at US$32.70bn in 2021; it was projected to touch US$54.84bn by 2027 with a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of more than 9% during the period 2022–2027. The passenger vehicle industry, a part of the overall automotive industry, was expected to grow at a rapid pace, as the Indian economy was rising at the fastest rate. However, the Government of India (GoI) had put a condition on the growth scenario by mandating that 100% of vehicles produced would be EVs by 2030. Tata Motors (TaMo), a domestic player in the market, had been facing a challenging competitive environment. Although it had been incurring losses, it had successfully ventured into the EV business. TaMo had taken advantage of the first mover by creating an electric mobility business vertical to enable the company to deliver on its aspiration of providing innovative and competitive e-mobility solutions. TaMo leadership had been putting efforts to scale up the electric mobility business, thus, contributing to GoI’s plan for electric mobility. Shailesh Chandra, president of electric mobility business, had a big task in hand. He had to scale up EV production and sales despite insufficient infrastructure for charging and shortages of electronic components for manufacturing.
Complexity academic level
The case study has been prepared for management students/business executives for strategic management class. It is recommended that the case study is distributed in advance so that the students can prepare well in advance for classroom discussions. Groups will be created to delve into details for a specific question. While one group will make their presentation, the other groups will question the solution provided and give suggestions.
Supplementary materials
Teaching notes are available for educators only.
Subject code
CSS 11: Strategy.
Details
Keywords
Aashish Mehra, Nidhi Mathur and Vaibhav Tripathi
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…
Abstract
Learning outcomes
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.
Case overview/synopsis
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.
Complexity academic level
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.
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 3: Entrepreneurship
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Keywords
Ujvala Rajadhyaksha, Neharika Vohra, Deepti Bhatnagar and Ravi Moorthy
This case is in four parts, highlighting the crossroads at which the protagonist Savita finds herself in and the difficulties she faces in balancing her career aspirations with…
Abstract
This case is in four parts, highlighting the crossroads at which the protagonist Savita finds herself in and the difficulties she faces in balancing her career aspirations with family responsibilities. A Fellow of Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad, Savita's dilemmas concern working in a prestigious management institute in Kolkata versus getting a job in Mumbai in order to psychologically and financially support her family and get married; joining her husband in China on his posting versus going to the US on a prestigious fellowship prioritizing her career, and finally, starting a family versus postponing the decision till the couple were together and reasonably settled in their respective careers.
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Mohanbir Sawhney and Pallavi Goodman
PageWell, an e-reading platform provider, was preparing to launch PageWell 2.0 to the larger full-time MBA student market after a successful trial of PageWell 1.0 in Executive MBA…
Abstract
PageWell, an e-reading platform provider, was preparing to launch PageWell 2.0 to the larger full-time MBA student market after a successful trial of PageWell 1.0 in Executive MBA (EMBA) classes at the Kellogg School of Management. Research had shown that full-time MBA students would be very interested in using products that allowed electronic access to course materials everywhere and across many platforms and that allowed electronic note-taking and storage. To better understand this user group, PageWell conducted a market research survey of students, faculty, and administrators to gauge their needs, preferences, and potential interest in the PageWell product. The study revealed that MBA student usage patterns, scenarios, and behavior varied significantly from EMBA student needs and perceptions. PageWell now had the task of prioritizing the product requirements and recalibrating the market requirements document to more accurately reflect student needs and thus create a viable product
After students have analyzed the case, they will be able to:
Use customer feedback to help define requirements for a new product
Understand the role of personas and scenarios in defining requirements
Understand how to use scenarios and scenario templates to derive scenario implementation requirements
Understand how to prioritize scenarios based on customer, company, and competitive criteria
Write a market requirements document for a next-version technology produc
Use customer feedback to help define requirements for a new product
Understand the role of personas and scenarios in defining requirements
Understand how to use scenarios and scenario templates to derive scenario implementation requirements
Understand how to prioritize scenarios based on customer, company, and competitive criteria
Write a market requirements document for a next-version technology produc
Details
Keywords
Wiboon Kittilaksanawong and Huijing Liu
Students will be able to analyse competitive situations of the focal firm in the platform market, factors that make the focal firm become dominant in the sharing economy through…
Abstract
Learning outcomes
Students will be able to analyse competitive situations of the focal firm in the platform market, factors that make the focal firm become dominant in the sharing economy through the technology platform and the focal firm’s motives and growth strategies through mergers and acquisitions and overseas expansion, as well as give recommendations on the focal firm’s strategies to move forward to achieve and maintain its competitive position in the platform market.
Case overview/synopsis
On 4th April, 2018, Meituan-Dianping (Meituan), a Chinese group-buying website for consumer products and retail services acquired Mobike, a Chinese dockless bike-sharing platform for US$2.7bn. Mobike had raised several rounds of funding for its large investments and operations in this highly competitive and cash-intensive industry. However, it was still struggling to survive and make a profit in the Chinese and overseas markets. It was believed that the merger between the companies was the only viable alternative. Had Meituan’s Chief Executive Officer made the right decision in acquiring Mobike? After Mobike became an integral part of Meituan, what should be done to turn this technology platform to be profitable in the Chinese and overseas market?
Complexity academic level
The case is intended for senior undergraduate or graduate-level courses in business schools.
Supplementary materials
Teaching Notes are available for educators only.
Subject code
CSS 11: Strategy.
Details
Keywords
This case presents some of the entrepreneurial challenges faced by a female leader in the technology sector who conceived a new product based on her passion to help others…
Abstract
Social implications
This case presents some of the entrepreneurial challenges faced by a female leader in the technology sector who conceived a new product based on her passion to help others especially those most disadvantaged.
Learning outcomes
Upon completion of this case study, students should be able to prepare supply chain and distribution analysis that considers ethics and sustainability, integrate philanthropic efforts as part of an organizational strategy and recognize strategies to promote equity within and beyond an organization.
Case overview/synopsis
Connie Stacey (she/her) is an entrepreneur and president of Growing Greener Innovations, an award-winning battery energy storage company based in Alberta, Canada, with a mission to end energy poverty globally. With the emergence of COVID-19 as a global pandemic in 2020, Stacey turned her attention to an innovation called Project Rescue, a ventilator that uses non-identifying patient vitals to track data. It serves as a pandemic early warning system, addressing two key challenges: pandemic data are prone to error, and real-time information is non-existent after the pandemic has spread. This new product was conceived based on her passion to help others, especially those most disadvantaged. This multi-faceted case focuses on the many challenges that Stacey and her team needed to address. The dilemma in this case centres on establishing supply chains amid a pandemic, as well as prioritizing the corporate social responsibility elements of philanthropy and equity within her organization (and beyond).
Complexity academic level
This case is appropriate for third- or fourth-year undergraduate or graduate-level students.
Supplementary materials
In addition to “call out boxes” throughout the case and teaching note, additional readings/links/videos are outlined below. (These supplementary materials, “Teaching Tips”, are included in the teaching notes as well.)
Subject code
CCS 11: Strategy.
Details
Keywords
Mohanbir Sawhney, Ben Cooley, Jeff Crouse, James Dougan, Jh Johnson, John Johnson, Kumar Venkataraman, Shun Zhang and Andrew Malkin
Chris Barnett, director of global business solutions for Rand McNally, was deliberating how Rand McNally should respond to the emergence of wireless technologies for its…
Abstract
Chris Barnett, director of global business solutions for Rand McNally, was deliberating how Rand McNally should respond to the emergence of wireless technologies for its traditional business of providing static maps and route-planning services. As maps became electronic, interactive, mobile, and enhanced with value-added features, Rand McNally's mapping business was gravely threatened. The opportunities for Rand McNally weren't obvious, and the pace at which wireless technology would disrupt its traditional business was also unclear. Barnett was considering three opportunities: syndicate Rand McNally's brand and mapping content to popular Web sites, become a provider of value-added services to businesses, or focus on automobile manufacturers and try to forge relationships for providing in-car mapping services.
To discuss organizational design, potential responses to disruptive technologies, and market opportunity analysis in order to identify the kind of technology, organizational, and sales force restructuring required to align Rand McNally's organization with the new environment.
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Keywords
With the development of inclusive financial business in China in recent years, this case describes the credit risk control of “mobile credit”, a smart online credit platform…
Abstract
With the development of inclusive financial business in China in recent years, this case describes the credit risk control of “mobile credit”, a smart online credit platform launched by Shanghai Mobanker Co. Ltd. (referred to as “Mobanker”, previously named as “Shanghai Mobanker Financial Information Service Co., Ltd.”) which provides technical services for inclusive finance industry.