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The learning outcomes of this case study are to understand the business model canvas and value propositions and apply advanced business innovation tools in electric vehicle business models; evaluate the current cargo vehicle scenarios at national and global levels and draw out the possibilities and costs for a new player; extrapolate the future scenario of the cargo economy, its electrification and positioning in a business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-customer (B2C) segment, especially for a developing economy; and improve the student’s ability to get organisational buy-in and execute new business models.

LoadExx is a fully electrified electric cargo service focusing on logistics in Kolkata, a metropolitan city in the eastern part of the country. The service of LoadExx commenced in January 2021 in the B2B segment after overcoming its then issues of driver hesitancy and customer anxiety and financial issues to adopt electrified cargo systems. The conundrum faced by LoadExx in its commencement thus had been solved under the able guidance of its owner Amit Arora. The case study was positioned four months after the commencement of LoadExx. To gain market power and traction, Arora and his team came up with the idea of market expansion. However, the current conundrum was whether LoadExx would enter the B2C segment in its current location or expand with the same business model to other parts of the country. The expansion was to be implemented in the immediate future to retain its rarity and reduce the imitability of the business model of LoadExx. This case study details the logistics and market operations of the cargo sector, especially electric cargo, in a developing economy, especially India. A teaching note supplementing the “Cracking the conundrum of e-cargo logistics: curious case of LoadExx” case study has been provided.

This case study is designed for undergraduate and postgraduate students and senior management professionals in executive education programmes undertaking courses in logistics management and supply chain operations and related cargo logistics courses. This case study denotes integrating key processes from end-users and gaining the trust of drivers, thereby showing the perspective of the plight and conundrums of a cargo aggregator working in the B2C segment. This case study could be used to discuss concepts related to not-for-profit firms, aggregators, policymakers and think tanks.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 9: Operations and logistics.

After completing the case study, the students will be able to explore, create and capture the dilemmas of a platform strategy; compare, contrast and configure strategies for successful platform adoption; develop fitting configurations for marketplace design; and use temple framework to evaluate the dilemma of the element of time (do it sooner, delay for later or dismiss forever) in launching a new marketplace.

Shoppre was a parcel-forwarding firm established in 2017. In a short period, Shoppre turned out to be one of the best parcel forwarding and cross-border commerce companies in India, thanks to the first-mover advantage it enjoyed. Shoppre had offerings of shopping and shipping of cross-border e-commerce. As a new firm looking forward to increasing its market power, Shoppre faced the dilemma of whether to launch the marketplace, and if yes, whether to do it soon or delay it for the future. There was also confusion in the marketplace’s design and implementation. Nikkitha Shankar’s (she/her) worry was that if Shoppre did not decide quickly on this, there would be possible crises in managing the partners and their financial performance. Shankar was brainstorming the issues with the founding partner and was gauging the dimensions. This case study presented new marketplaces’ dilemmas along with managing sellers, customers, markets, finance, logistics and digital transformation.

The case study is suitable for undergraduate- and graduate-level students pursuing courses in business programmes and senior management professionals participating in executive education programmes. The case study will also fit well for courses such as the “Platform strategy: building and thriving in a vibrant ecosystem” course [1], digital business models [2] and digital business strategy [3].

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 11: Strategy.

The subject areas are family-owned business, entrepreneurship and strategic management.

The target audiences for the case study are BBA and MBA students and management trainees who are interested in learning about family-owned business and the problems faced by them when generations change. This case can be used to teach concepts in family-owned business and strategic management courses in the context of emerging markets. The case also introduces the problems faced by a traditionally operating organization which has to change to survive in the market. The case can be used to teach senior management teams participating in executive education programs on how problems arise in family-owned business. To successfully work with this case study, students need to have the basic theoretical understanding of family-owned business.

Sree Subramania Ayurvedic Nursing home (SSANH), one of the most reputed Ayurvedic treatment centers in Kozhikode, Kerala in India, was converted into its present form in 1974 from Thekkayil Vaidyasala by Thekkayil Rajaratnam Vydiar. The latest addition to this family run nursing home is Dr Sananad Ratnam, who in continuity of his family tradition studied Ayurveda. Dr Sanand wanted to rethink the positioning of the 400-year-old family business system with an objective to increase the number of people served by SSANH. He is armed with ambitious plans to expand SSANH and increase the volume of patients served. Dr Sanand’s father, the second partner of SSANH, was not quite supportive of this idea. His father felt that the increase in scale without compromise in quality was impossible in Ayurveda. Dr Sanand felt handicapped with problems such as lack of marketing strategies, lack of standard managerial procedures, lack of innovation in processes and, more importantly, conflicting ideologies between father and son in the family-owned business. To address these problems, Dr Sanand has recently hired the services of a consulting firm. This case highlights how SSANH, in spite of being in an advantageous position, is unable to exploit its full potential. Further explaining the different ways in which different generations perceive business, this case invites the attention to the dilemma: Should the business proceed with its expansion plan? If it decides to expand, how it should convince the previous generation of the family that the expansion plan accommodates their concerns.

After completion of this case, students would be able to: gain a perspective on the problems faced by a family-owned business which has successfully survived for decades; understand how a family-owned business functions differently from other business models; evaluate different ways in which the organization can look to solve the dilemma by considering the different stakeholders in question; and apply the result of the literature on family-owned businesses to understand the dynamics of business of this specific setting, i.e. one that has a rich heritage, is in an emerging economy and is a family-owned business.

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.