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Leadership, change management, knowledge transfer, quality, car manufacture, organisational culture, staff training and development.

This case study is intended for undergraduate courses on principles of management, cross-cultural management and organisational behaviour; postgraduate and MBA courses as above in addition to leadership studies and change management courses.

Globalisation inevitably led to attempts to transfer know-how and expertise to markets in different locations and cultures, where the particular organisation is willing to begin to operate. Hence, the need for understanding the conditions for successful knowledge transfer is especially important. The globalisation process in the Eastern bloc, which began in 1990, is a good example of knowledge transfer where the mutual meaning creation played a crucial role. This case study illustrates the process of international knowledge transfer between Western Europe and an emerging economy using the example of DAK Corporation and quality transfer to Poland. The case is especially useful for undergraduate and postgraduate students, including MBA students, studying general management as well as more specialised courses stemming from international management, for example, cross-cultural management and organisational behaviour. Since the material focuses on people management and development as well as organisational culture creation, current and future practitioners from the human resources department will find it particularly useful. Students considering a career in a multinational company can also use this case in their preparation for the challenges of operating in a global business environment.

These include: understanding of the process of international and cross-cultural knowledge transfer; identification of key cultural and organisational factors contributing to the success of international knowledge transfer; understanding of the organisational culture creation process; and exploration of the process of new staff development and training.

Teaching notes are available.

Entrepreneurship, organizational behaviour, managerial decision making, strategic management, leadership and managing change.

Undergraduate business and management and MBA/Master's level management courses.

The case, “Vasili” examines the life, career, and leadership style of a successful entrepreneur like Mr Vasili Naci.The case illustrates the management challenges faced in moving from a very centralized economy to a free market one. It also raises issues having to do with the management of changes that are viewed as radical by those being affected. There were significant changes taking place in early years of the twenty-first century in Albania. Vasili was determined to make the necessary changes to confront and respond better the challenges opposed to him by the new environment. In addition this case examines the importance of a right balance between education and experience in successful leadership.

The case is written to serve a number of purposes: Understanding the entrepreneurial mindset and what it takes to start an enterprise (especially in a post communist emerging economy like Albania). The transition/changes that all entrepreneurs have to go through as they grow and develop their business. Examining ways to foster leadership skills through organization and training the next generation of leaders.

Teaching note.

Strategic management is the focus area in this case study, so it is important to consider different sources of information to make strategic decisions. Considering the different options of Wine Cooperative of Vidigueira Cuba & Alvito (ACVCA), it is necessary to know the strengths and weaknesses of each option and identify respective opportunities and threats. Additionally, it is important to know the case study object (such as operating specific characteristics, products and management model); the competition; the evolution of the wine sector in Portugal and worldwide; the evolution of the tourism sector in Portugal and worldwide; and new trends in wine and tourism.

In January 2018, Mr Jose, leader of the Board of Directors (BD) of the ACVCA, one of Portugal’s oldest wine cooperatives, located in the south of the country, in the Alentejo region, is preparing the first meeting with the newly elected BD. Addressing the strategy and sustainability for the next term of the BD is mandatory! Mr Jose will have to open the game and lift the veil. Should all their eggs be put in one basket? Or could diversification be the way? Sustainability, in its three pillars (economic, environmental and social), is mandatory, never forgetting that the cooperators want respective income guaranteed. “We can’t risk everything”, thinks Mr Jose! But ACVCA’s affirmation undoubtedly depends on its ability to take risks, to innovate and seek new answers for new audiences! The BD will have to make decisions that lead not only to the affirmation of the brand but also to its renown and to the ACVCA’s sustainable growth. There are several possible options. However, it is necessary to define a path that guarantees the stability achieved, but that allows new markets to be reached and new challenges embraced: increase production capacity, invest in internationalisation, focus on segmentation through innovation, diversification of product or diversification of business area. Wine tourism is a possible way, but how can it be done sustainably and differently? We will have to use creativity and take advantage of our strengths, traditions and customs, intangible and tangible capital and our material and immaterial heritage. It can be done through Amphora wine, produced from its exclusive centuries-old grape varieties. These issues will have to be discussed with all the BD members in the next meeting. Considering the crucial role of cooperatives in the development of the regions where they are located, the success of the strategy is extremely important not only for ACVCA, but also for all its stakeholders. Strategic management decisions in a cooperative always have a double objective: on the one hand, to satisfy the interests of the cooperators and, at the same time, to meet the interests of the market and assert its positioning in an increasingly competitive sector.

This case study is intended for:▪ undergraduate students in management, agricultural economy and tourism;▪ executive management course students;▪ Master’s students in strategy, marketing, tourism and agricultural economy; and▪ PhD students in social economy and tourism.This case can have different levels of difficulty depending on the scientific area of the students and whether the cycle of studies is more or less advanced. Resolution of the case may require the following pre-requisites:▪ basic-level knowledge on statistics;▪ medium-level knowledge on managerial accounting, economics and finance; and▪ good level of knowledge on strategic management and on cooperativism theories.

This study aims to build on the human capital development theory that focuses on the education and development of individuals considering their spillover impact on the organization’s and community’s improvement. Through examining the efforts put in by the Ministry toward developing its nationals to convert its economy into that of a knowledge-based one, this case shows a practical application of the human capital development theory.

To attain a more comprehensive understanding of how the Ministry underwent the implementation of educational and employment reforms, this study carried out a mixed methods study that pertained conducting interviews and collection of secondary data such as reports, minutes of meetings and publicly available date. First, four top management and executives were interviewed from the Ministry to gain deeper understanding on the planning of educational and employment reforms being implemented by the Ministry, its implementation and the challenges that the Ministry faced in doing so. Additionally, top management and executives from higher educational institutes in Qatar were also interviewed to attain a more comprehensive understanding of how they worked with the Ministry to implement the educational and employment reforms. The interview participants held key positions within the Ministry and education institutes in Qatar. As a result, they were directly involved in driving strategic decision-making in various areas relating to education at all levels (primary, secondary and tertiary). Further, they were directly involved in the establishment of Qatarization initiatives in the education sector within Qatar. Below is a list of the interviewees:

1. Mr Ahmed, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (formerly Qatar University President and Community College of Qatar President);

2. Mr Saad, Higher Education Consultant at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (formerly the Dean of Community College of Qatar);

3. Mr Ali, Assistant Undersecretary of Shared Services Affairs, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education;

4. Mr Abdulla, Acting Assistant Undersecretary for Higher Education, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education;

5. Mr Jassim, Vice President of Academic & Student Affairs at Community College of Qatar;

6. Mr Bilal, Vice President of Academic & Student Affairs at College of the North Atlantic-Qatar;

7. Mr Mohammed, Chief Strategy and Development Officer at Qatar University; and

8. Mr Yasin, General Manager of Qatar Learning Center.

Each participant was first contacted to inform them about the nature of the study and to gain their consent to conduct an interview. The interview protocol contained closed- to open-ended questions, aimed at providing in-depth information on Qatarization practices and the efforts to reform the education sector in Qatar. As a result, a semi-structured interview was conducted. The participants were posed with several questions that included but were not limited to these. For instance, the participants were asked with questions like what steps are being taken by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education to improve the education system in Qatar? and What are the current Qatarization practices that have been implemented in the Ministry of Education and Higher Education? Upon attaining answers for these questions, the interviewer was able to follow up with more specific and relevant questions like how does the Ministry engage Qataris to take up science, technology, engineering and mathematics programs?, what are the methods employed to attract Qataris toward pursuing higher education?, what are the different types of scholarships being offered to Qataris? and hat are the programs that the Ministry of Education and Higher Education implements to train/employ young Qataris to be qualified for work in the education sector? The interviews lasted about 30–45 min. In addition to interviews, several secondary sources were used from the Planning and Statistics Authority, the World Bank and the Ministry of Education and Higher Education.

Human capital development is regarded as a fundamental pillar that leads to the sustainable economic, political and social progress of a society. Given the foundation of human capital development is based on educational capacities, Qatar has regarded education as its national and foremost priority and the key to maximizing human potential toward building a sustainable knowledge-based economy in the long run. This case study portrayed the works of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education in the state of Qatar. The Ministry had been tasked with the mission to support the government’s national strategy of transforming Qatar’s economy from a resource-based economy into a knowledge-based economy. As such, this case sheds light on the Ministry’s strategic initiatives toward developing the local human capital. The Ministry governs over the education sector, and in providing the Ministry’s point of view, the reader is able to get a grasp on the inner workings of a government entity. In addition to providing an overview on the strategic initiatives employed by the Ministry to enhance the quality of education for Qataris, this case study also examined the Qatarization initiatives taken up by the Ministry. Qatarization is a national strategy implemented by the state of Qatar to nationalize the workforce. In other words, through Qatarization, the government intended to increase the employment opportunities available for Qataris and enhance their professional skill set through training and development efforts. Accordingly, this case also illustrated the Ministry’s role in Qatarizing its workforce successfully. In understanding the challenges faced by the Ministry toward enhancing the education services and employment opportunities being offered to the nationals, students can attain a refined perspective on the real-life challenges that government entities face in implementing strategic initiatives. Through this case, students in graduate and undergraduate courses relating to business, strategy, economics, public policies and education can also attempt to engage in decision-making activities that involve overcoming the challenges faced by the Ministry through devising action plans or revising the strategic initiatives. The issues discussed in the case delve into how Qatar government’s initiatives for economic transformation via educational reforms impacted educational institutions, students and the workforce.

This case is intended to be studied by students in graduate and undergraduate courses relating to business, strategy, economics, public policies and education where they can engage in realistic decision-making activities that involve overcoming the challenges faced by the Ministry through devising action plans or revising the strategic initiatives.

Teaching formats for both BA/MA students and MBA/PhD students in sustainable entrepreneurship and strategic management are offered in the teaching notes.

This case juxtaposes the company’s core values of gender equality, sustainability and inclusivity, with the financial pressures of expanding global operations in COVID-19 times.

This case illustrates the founding and growth of i-did in the broader context of the global circular textile industry. Being the first company that reclaims value of discarded textiles by making design products out of felt, the dilemma is on how i-did can create a blueprint for sustainable leadership in a scalable (financial) business case.

The learning outcomes of this case are as follows: to understand the concepts of circular economy and social impact and how they can be translated to business; to apply their knowledge of strategy and entrepreneurship for sustainable business innovation; to be able to analyze a company according to the Sustainable Development Goals, specifically around gender issues, inclusivity and diversity; to evaluate opportunities for multiple value creation in business; and to have the knowledge and capacity to create a circular business with the help of the Business Model Template.

This case engages students in critically reflecting on sustainability concepts in relation to i-did (theoretical value) and applying novel business model innovation tools to a real-world enterprise (practical value). The students get the chance to explore the ethical challenges the two entrepreneurial leaders face between short-term economic gains (or maybe even survival) and their core values of (gender) inclusivity, circularity and diversity.

Teaching notes and a summarizing two-pager are available for educators.

CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

PT. Bank Central Asia, Tbk. (BCA), the largest national private bank in Indonesia, won an award for the Best Bank at the Euromoney Awards for Excellence (Asia) 2014. During the same event, in several categories, haloBCA^TM and BCA employees also won several awards. Previously, a number of awards were received by BCA such as: Best Indonesia Local Private Bank in 2010, Contact Center World Champion in 2012 and 2013, and Best Mega Contact Center in Asia Pacific Region in 2014. BCA is currently facing a problem of an aging population. Since the economy crisis facing the country in 1998, BCA has recruited fewer employees. The company resumed recruiting in 2010. BCA’s human resource (HR) profile in 2013 showed that nearly half of BCA’s permanent employees were aged 45 years or older, 40 per cent of whom have been working for more than 20 years. At the time of their retirement, the Bank faces the potential of losing a significant number of employees from three different generations. BCA has raised its efforts to recruit new talent. However, recruitment is not easy, as BCA wants its new employees to continue maintaining BCA’s heritage, building the Bank to become an Indonesian company that they can be proud of. How have these values, which have been a common belief, a foundation to work passionately and the glue that bonds the Bank’s employees, executives and owners, been communicated outside of the BCA and have been used to attract the future successors of BCA in Indonesia?

Master Degree in Human Resources Management or MBA Program.

PT Bank Central Asia Tbk (BCA), which was established on February 1957, is Indonesia’s largest lender by market value and the second largest bank by assets. The bank has experienced a remarkable recovery from the Asian Financial Crisis in the late 1990s when the Indonesian banking system became almost bankrupt. It provides both commercial and personal banking services through its 1,000-plus branches across the country. As the largest national private bank, BCA is a well-known bank in Indonesia. BCA is managing more than 12 million customer accounts, processing hundreds of millions of financial transactions and fulfilling the needs of individual and corporate customers through various products and services. BCA Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs) are located virtually and BCA’s Electronic Data Capture (EDC) machines are available at many merchants both in big cities or small towns across Indonesia’s archipelago. However, for a nation with a population of more than 240 million spread out over 34 provinces, the presence of BCA is still deemed unevenly distributed. In the next 10 years, BCA has no plan yet of expanding outside of Indonesia. BCA put its attention on developing its market in Eastern Indonesia. Funding sources, which usually becomes an issue for expanding companies, are not a source of concern for BCA. BCA is currently facing a problem of an aging population. Since the economy crisis facing the country in 1998, BCA has recruited fewer new employees. The company had recently resumed recruiting in 2010. BCA’s HR profile in 2013 showed that nearly half of BCA’s permanent employees were 45 years of age or older, 40 percent of whom have been working for more than 20 years. At the time of their retirement, the Bank faces the potential of losing a significant number of employees from three different generations. Currently, BCA has raised its efforts to recruit new talent and its future leaders through various programs, such as: BCA Development Program (BDP), one of the most acknowledged management trainee programs in the Indonesian banking industry, provides intensive and rigorous training to selected new recruits to ensure development of BCA key talents and future leaders. HR business partners that actively visit campuses in the eastern region of Indonesia. Socialization programs in state and private universities. Job fairs, Web recruitment, internships and employee referrals, job opportunity advertisements posted at BCA branch offices located near universities and in the leading mass media. Utilization of recruitment consultant services, especially to find candidates with specific qualifications. Utilization of communication media printed (poster, flyer, booklet, banners) and electronically. Provision of scholarships to high school graduates with excellent academic records but facing financial difficulties. However, recruitment is not easy for BCA because – like other well-known companies in Indonesia – the Bank only recruits the best people based on the prospective employees’ hard and soft competencies. BCA’s aim to project a positive perception toward its employees as “a fun workplace with family-oriented atmosphere, and commitment about employees’ development” has yet to strongly resonate in Indonesia’s labor market. BCA wants its new employees to continue maintaining BCA’s heritage, building the Bank to become an Indonesian company that they can be proud of. How have these values, which have been a common belief, a foundation to work passionately and the glue that bonds the Bank’s employees, executives and owners, been communicated outside of BCA and have been used to attract the future successors of BCA in Indonesia? How should BCA obtain a large number of qualified talent pools through an effective Employer Branding strategy?

By the end of discussing the case, the learner will be: conceptually: able to explain what is meant by employer branding, internal and external approach and able to explain the relationship of employer branding with business strategy, talent management strategies and HR management functions as a whole; practically: able to identify and analyze BCA Recent Condition – able to explain the BCA brand image in the eyes of public/external/job seekers in Indonesia and internal/current employees of BCA – able to identify strategies that BCA does to recruit potential job seekers – and able to explain the influence of innovative products and services that BCA has currently on BCA employer branding; able to identify BCA goals/needs; able to identify the characteristics, needs and preferences of BCA target group of workers, concerning to the latest issues arise such as: Gen Y and AEC (ASEAN Economic Community); able to evaluate the effectiveness of BCA employer branding strategy and communications and to identify the problems faced by BCA related to employer branding; able to generate ideas related to the improvement of BCA employer branding strategy and programs – what message to be branded (company unique employee value propositions – tangibles and intangibles) – what program to be implemented (internal and external) – and how is the integrated marketing communication strategy (segmenting-targeting-positioning, channels).

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:6: Human Resource Management.

This case describes the knowledge management (KM) initiatives at the level of a unit of one of the largest chemical companies in India. The unit, Tata Chemicals Ltd, Mithapur, has a unique knowledge base accumulated over generations of experiments, trials, and errors. It is in the midst of implementing a rejuvenation plan that has created opportunities for external knowledge assimilation and new knowledge generation. With details on the initiatives for knowledge collection, sharing, measurement of performance and the systems for rewards and recognition, the case provides an opportunity to the participants of a programme on Knowledge Management to analyze the initiatives and make recommendations for the future to the head of Knowledge Management function at the company. The participants would be able to map the realm of knowledge management in an organization and discern - how KM initiatives contributed to the transformation of the organisation from manufacturing centred mind-set to customer focused one.

Public sector management, policy-making, sustainable development, post-Communism.

The case is designed to be used with undergraduate-level and MBA/MPA students. With undergraduate levels, the case can be used on the subject strategic management. In MBA/MPA programs, this case can be used in subjects such as strategic planning for public administration. Here, it can be stressed as being about the problems faced by a country on the long road toward democracy. Issues to be discussed in class include: environmental scanning, competitiveness, public policies and strategic agenda.

At the most general level, the case allows for the analysis and evaluation of the strategy and performance of the Albania from 1928 to 2014 along economic, political and social dimensions, using the techniques of country analysis (see Country Analysis Framework, HBS No. 389-080). Depending on time limitations and the particular objectives of the individual instructor, the case can be used to explore all phases of the nation's development or, alternatively, to focus on a specific era, such as Albania, in the way toward a free market economy. The case provides a setting in which to explore the diamond model as a tool for analyzing competitiveness and setting the economic policy agenda. In the Albania case, we highlight diamond analysis in an emerging economy. Albania also highlights the transition from a planned economy to a market economy, and the importance of a cross-border regional integration in competitiveness.

The case is written to serve a number of purposes: Understanding the problems and challenges to sustainable development, especially in a post-communist emerging economy like Albania. The transition/changes that all policymakers have to go through in their efforts for sustainable development of the country. To discuss production factors and the importance of a growth model based on the production factors.

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

A Confrontation of Mindsets: French Retailers Operating in Poland traces the history of French retailers setting up operations in Poland in the mid 90s. The case, however, is set in 2006 when a top retailing executive recalls the important watershed period of 1996-97 when the expatriate managers in charge of setting up the first hypermarkets encountered great difficulties with their new Polish recruits. The managers were not succeeding in transferring the practices and routines that were an essential part of their business model on the home market in France: their Polish employees displayed work attitudes that were the contrary of the initiative and responsibility for enlarged jobs that characterized employees back home. This situation called into question the very viability of their business model in Poland. The case poses very clearly the question of what actions the expatriate managers should decide to take to ensure the store launchings in Poland and future growth. The issues raised concern global versus multi-domestic internationalization strategies, business models, paradigms, corporate culture, management of expats, knowledge transfer and the link between strategic implementation and organizational behavior.

This case study outlined the strategic and organizational issues faced by an entrepreneurial firm operating in an emerging economy. While the traditional view is “more for more” and “less for less” with respect to quality and price, the medical devices sector demands “more for less” in an emerging economy such as India, i.e. the market demands quality products at affordable prices. This case was written to equip students with the knowledge of how entrepreneurs can overcome certain barriers and use technology to recognize and exploit an opportunity, using the Indian health-care industry as an example. The key learning outcomes for the case include the following:

• Entrepreneurs define their own market, come up with innovations and create a completely new market with suitable customer value proposition.

• Entrepreneurial opportunity recognition comes from being prepared, having prior knowledge of customers and the market and having a strong network.

• An entrepreneurial preference for error of omission or commission is the determining factor when deciding whether to exploit a recognized opportunity or not.

• Entrepreneurs exploit an opportunity by giving special emphasis on their entry and risk reduction strategy.

• A technology-based product with a combination of services that will create its own product ecosystem with data is the primary goal.

The Indian health-care sector is one of the largest sectors in India and incorporates the medical devices sector, and the heart monitor segment especially represents a huge untapped opportunity. India has the highest number of deaths because of heart disease in the world, yet there is no mechanism for affordable heart monitoring, which results in large number of deaths. As existing products are either B2B or unaffordable, there is an opportunity to leverage technology to come up with cgiq products similar to blood pressure and sugar monitors. However, there are certain challenges unique to the market and product. The case described how two young entrepreneurs founded a company called Agatsa and overcame certain challenges to create a credit card-sized ECG device and the importance of building an ecosystem in a new market. Some specific issues that the case posed included the following: will it be possible for Agatsa to come up with an ecosystem to monitor heart functioning and will that be accepted by the stakeholders in an emerging market such as India? Should Agatsa have a product-driven strategy or a data-driven strategy? Will Agatsa be able to find the right business model to create and capture value?

MBA in courses such as entrepreneurship development, new venture creation and entrepreneurship in emerging markets.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.