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Suitable for MBA and executive learners, this case series presents a narrative that prompts students to discuss entrepreneurial thinking. An entrepreneur who loves his native Swedish Lapland uses his natural gift for effectuation to ask What? What next? And What now? As his ventures evolve, students will wonder how they would master similar challenges to their own entrepreneurial plans and expectations. The case can be taught in either one or two sessions of a 90-minute MBA course or a four-hour executive education class.

Students comprehend the importance of the transformational idea and apply it in their leadership. Students can analyze how to spread the transformational idea across the team and the organization. Students understand the value of working with different stakeholders (partners, headquarters). Students can analyze the role of focusing on a client and apply client-centric way of thinking. Students can apply the concept of the transformational idea to create (synthesize) possible solutions for the presented dilemma.

This case tells the transformation story of the logistics company Ekol Ukraine, which began in 2013. This company was the most successful branch of Ekol Logistics, an international corporation operating in 13 countries. From 2013 till 2021, Ekol Ukraine experienced a crisis related to the start of a conflict between Ukraine and Russian militants. It proved its ability to cope with challenges, gained almost complete autonomy from the head office, transformed the business model and culture and achieved considerable success in building an ecosystem.

Having this stage of transformation completed by 2021, the company reached a plateau and had to decide what the following changes would be. In 2021, only 14% of Ukrainian businesses used outsourcing logistics services (like the ones Ekol Ukraine provided). The remaining 86% had in-house logistics and were not ready to change the model. So, Ekol Ukraine faced a problem: how could a logistics provider grow in a market that was not mentally ready to outsource?

MBA programs.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 7: Management science.

Entrepreneurship, innovation, marketing and strategy.

Master's, postgraduate and executive level programs.

Deepak Ravindran, an engineering student at LBS College, Kerala, India, was attempting to launch Innoz. The company flagship product SMSGyan will allow users to access information on low-end mobile devices with no Internet connectivity. With the improvement in the Internet standards and rapidly growing smartphone users, selling SMSGyan never came easy to Innoz. The case explores challenges faced during the transformation of a start-up into a profit-generating business. The case describes the dilemma faced by Deepak Ravindran and key role players of Innoz to sustain in business in the scenario of dynamic technologies. Should they re-innovate the technology that was limited for low-end mobile users? Innoz being at the bottom of the pyramid innovation is the key competitive advantage. Low-cost or niche market or differentiation connects this case to the basic business strategy concepts. Through this case, students learn about many practical issues related to technology development in the global competitive environment. They are also exposed to broader trends and facets of start-ups and globalization. The Innoz case is designed to stimulate discussion of broad array of issues encountered by the early start-ups. In particular, it deals with introducing innovation and entrepreneurship skills leading to social change.

To identify new business opportunities for non-Internet mobile users. To explore various possibilities of application services for low-end mobile users. Evaluate the advantages and liabilities of expanding globally at a very early start-up stage. The case focuses on Innoz's early development with only concept in hand and transforming it into a profit-generating business. To develop and give exposure to entrepreneurship skill set in students. To understand learning and strategies behind setting up of start-ups and the motivating self-driven skills. Discussion on innovative use of technology as a stream of business. Silicon valley culture adaptation into Indian context. To highlight use of mobile technology for teaching and learning. To showcase how entrepreneur skill in business can lead to social transformation.

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Management: human resources management.

Undergraduate and postgraduate.

This case gives critical insights in the complex issues surrounding the management of employment relationship in Africa, specifically focusing on Botswana. It is set in the context of explosive industrial relations involving Debswana Diamond Mining Company and the Botswana Mine Workers Union over the contentious issues of pay bonus and collective bargaining. Failure to reach an amicable compromise by both parties' results in a debilitating strike which costs the company millions of funds and affected it's the corporate image contrary to its well crafted social responsibility. More painfully, the end game is a loss of employment and dreams shattered for 461 dismissed workers who depended solely on this work as their only source of income.

At the end of reading the case students are expected to: understand the limits of managerial prerogative and the right to manage; appreciate the inherent conflict of interests between labour and capital; consider more equitable compensation schemes in dealing with collective bargaining; and discuss the concept of social responsibility in the context internal customers-employees.

Teaching note.

The contribution of the present case lies in the critical view that every business actor should exercise – be it general manager, middle management, supervisor or executive – when building a strong organizational culture in corrupt political environments.

The purpose of this case study is to explore the dilemma in which Marcelo Odebrecht, once CEO of Odebrecht, found/determined whether to continue with the business model established by the founders of Odebrecht or take a new path for the organization. After exploring the corrupt acts of Odebrecht and the scope of Operation Lava Jato, the reader can reflect on the importance of organizational culture (according to the three levels proposed by Schein) in the face of the emergence of corruption. By generating discussions about organizational culture, business ethics, political culture and corruption, the organizational culture of Odebrecht is problematized in relation to its real behavior.

Students of administration, business and international business undergraduates and graduates, as well as members of senior management in companies in the infrastructure sector. Also, given the plurality of possible readings, it is recommended that the case also be used in courses or specializations in organizational psychology, organizational sociology or organizational anthropology.

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CSS 5: International Business.

This case can be used in courses on strategic management for second year masters’ level management students (with a focus on strategic analysis of internet-based business models in India) and entrepreneurship (with a focus on business growth). The primary focus of the case is how an internet-based business model in the food industry took shape.

The case enumerates how strategic analysis can be performed to analyze the firm based on topics such as the analysis of the mission and vision of Holachef based on the Ashridge mission model, examining strategy with Mintzberg’s 5Ps of strategy, performing a PESTLE analysis of HolaChef, evaluating Holachef with Porter’s industry analysis, performing Value net analysis for Holachef, examining Holachef’s business with strategy group analysis, examining the roots of core competencies of Holachef and explaining Holachef’s resource and capabilities with the valuable, rare, inimitable, non-substitutable (VRIN) Framework.

Saurabh Saxena and Anil Gelra co-founded Holachef, “a restaurant in cloud” in March 2014. In a city like Mumbai, there are many households where both partners work; this had led to difficulties for people finding time to prepare food at home. Holachef is an online delivery platform which aggregates chefs for home-like multiple cuisine preparation. Holachef’s vision is to satisfy the need for homemade healthy food. The three pillars of Holachef to provide such food are technology (orders are taken through a website, mobile application and phone calls), food (enlisted chefs on the website) and logistics. The food prepared by chefs is assembled at different distribution centres and routed to customers. The efficient logistics and storage system maintain the quality of food. These pillars help Holachef to serve customers with efficiency at affordable prices.

Performing strategic analysis from both an industrial organization theory and resource-based view (RBV) perspective with VRIN framework. This is in the context of online business models in a digitizing India. Entrepreneurial strategy concepts and challenges faced by entrepreneurs in an online business.

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CSS 11: Strategy.

The fundamental concepts in strategic management including vision, mission and setting objectives, external and internal environment analysis, SWOT, stakeholders in strategic management, deliberate and emergent strategy and strategic leaders have been addressed through the case.

The case was developed using primary data gathered from observations, interviews and the experiences of the authors at Chimanbhai Patel Institute of Management and Research (CPIMR) and published sources.

This case is about CPIMR, a management institute in Ahmedabad, India, which was required to recraft their vision and mission statements in light of the compliance requirements of the All India Council for Technical Education and the other challenges including new skills requirement especially because of Industry 4.0 changes and competition in the business education market. The case examines the external and internal environment challenges faced by the institute director and the emerging issues: how should CPIMR recraft the vision and mission? What could go wrong? How to make them actionable? How to disseminate them? The case would help the participants to understand the process of external and internal environment analysis, formulation of the vision and mission statements, their key purpose of informing stakeholders and setting objectives. The case also encourages the participants to put themselves in the position of the director for undertaking the process of recrafting the vision and mission statements of the management institute in the event of a strategic change. While the case setting is that of a management institute, it might also be useful for discussion in other organization settings.

Course: Strategic Management Level: Post Graduate Level.

The learning objectives of this case study are listed below: • What is corporate social responsibility (CSR)? • The role of CSR in creating opportunities to growth. • Distinguish the ways in which social marketing evolved differently in urban and rural areas. • Obstacles in CSR • CSR beyond the competition.

The case of CSR by Reckitt Benckiser (RB) follows the marketing practices through purpose-led marketing through CSR. RB Pakistan Limited is a fast-moving consumer goods provider in Pakistan following a vision of the world where people are healthier and live well. The purpose is to make a difference by giving people innovative solutions for healthier lives and happier homes. This means they are expending their capabilities and investing in innovation to stay ahead of the game. RB is trying to achieve this vision by following the strategy of health and hygiene awareness in rural marketing through various types of communications, by introducing low price products to reduce diarrhea and open defecation. In urban areas, the young generation is the trend creators and they are much involved in awareness of state of the world. RB is committed in providing innovative solutions with the help of well-organized programs such as reaching new moms, educating them and providing awareness sessions in schools to students for handwashing practices. RB carries these activities with the help of non-government organizations and small support of Government of Pakistan.

This case is appropriate for MBA (Marketing) courses. The case explains the significance of CSR in capitalizing the growing trend and unleashing untapped areas and remaining competitive by providing innovative solutions. The case can be taught to the strategic marketing students.

CSS 8: Marketing.

Teaching Notes are available for educators only.

This case uses concepts from Korten’s strategies of development-oriented four generations of non-government organizations (NGOs) and social psychology such as stereotypes, prejudices and actions to explain the social phenomenon. In furtherance, the case presents Aristotle’s approach to creating a message for masses that include use of ethos, pathos and logos. Stood’s (2017) narrative, engagement and technology (NET) model of social leadership was used to analyse the characteristics of social leaders.

Prima facie the case was developed from primary sources i.e. interviewing with Ashish Thakur. Literature from secondary sources was obtained to make teaching notes. List of references is presented towards the end that depicts the use of textbooks, research papers, websites and blogs. This case was tested in the classroom with MBA students learning business communication.

The case dealt with the challenges of an NGO that included conducting respectful last rites of unclaimed dead bodies. As the NGO grew, Ashish Thakur, the initiator of Moksh started facing resource management challenges, namely, volunteer induction, fundraising and managing non-human resources. These issues are deeply embedded in several social stereotypes about dead bodies. Learning covers strategies of four generations of NGO development, a NET model of social leadership, breaking social stereotypes related to dead bodies and last rites (necrophobia), designing social communication and opportunity to assess faulty rationalizations and do critical thinking around the socio-religious practices.

This case is intended to be used for the students of the social leadership or social entrepreneurship, social psychology, business communication or communication skills, organizational behaviour, advertising and social media.