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The learning outcomes are as follows: to understand and examine the strategies that help platforms fight competition and manage networks; to analyse the role of platform governance in the management of the networks and partners’ trust; and to evaluate the strategic risks of disintermediation and multi-homing firms face while trying to sustain profits and capture value.

The case presents the dilemma faced by Deepinder Goyal, the young founder and CEO of Zomato in formulating the growth strategy for its food delivery platform, struggling to retain its market leadership position amid intensifying competition and other challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Zomato has become a public company with an IPO announced in mid of July 2021. Therefore, there is growing expectation for profitability among its shareholders and investors considering tailwinds of COVID-19 crisis, which have given the push towards adoption of food delivery among the customers. This has also resulted in increased competition in the industry. On other hand, there is growing dissatisfaction among its restaurant partners who have been hit hard by COVID-19 and struggling for survival. CEO Deepinder has to find how he will ensure the long-term growth for Zomato to tap the growing food delivery market in India and regain its restaurant partner’s trust.

The case is intended for post-graduate courses (MBA, PGDM) on digital business strategy or strategic management of technology-oriented businesses. The case can be used to understand the nature of competition and different strategies for platform-based businesses in the digital world. The case can also be used to study the role governance can play in efficient value creation and capture on the platform by the partner entities. Finally, the case also highlights how are platform businesses are coping with the Covid challenge. There are no specific prerequisites but knowledge on basic strategy concepts and platform business concepts will be good for better understanding. Level of difficulty is medium.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 11: Strategy.

The case tracks Dineout's evolution into a full-scale tech solution provider for restaurants. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic struck the world. Several countries, including India, implemented complete lockdowns to control the spread of the virus. Stringent measures to ensure social distancing, night curfews and restrictions on social gatherings continued, which were a severe blow to the restaurant industry. The restaurants' revenue streams dried up as the diners avoided dining out and preferred food deliveries, which was against Dineout's core business model. The case ends with the questions on how Dineout should wade through the pandemic when its entire business model was being challenged.

This case allows students to critically analyse the business model of Zomato which is a multi-sided platform/in the foodtech industry. It helps students to critically analyse how firms enter into the global market to create value and maintain dominance over the local market (especially in a large market such as India). The case can also be used to introduce students to the business canvas model by analysing foodtech start-ups. The outcomes are as follows: to understand the Business Model Canvas as a tool to describe and analyse the foodtech business such as Zomato’s, based on its value proposition and the way it sells its services; to conduct a value chain analysis and analyse the business models adopted by foodtech companies; to understand how Zomato can aim at global value creation; and to design a clear growth strategy and evaluate Zomato’s options to internationalize or expand locally.

The year 2018 was an important year for Zomato as it geared up to chart new heights amidst the changing dynamics of the industry on one hand and a co-founder exiting the company on the other hand. Zomato was incepted in 2008 as a restaurant discovery platform offering users the ability to access restaurant menus and post online reviews. It provided a range of value-added services for both its restaurant partners and end customers. Its vertical integration enabled it to grow its revenues across its three lines of business, namely, dining out, delivery and sustainability. Zomato was an early internet start-up that expanded rapidly in the international markets. In the past ten years, the company both scaled and rolled back its operations with unique lessons learned in each market that paved its path for success both locally and globally. The domestic market was being dominated by a few large players sharing the market. Reports by market intelligence firms showed that Swiggy, the closest competitor was starting to dominate Zomato in India [1]. Deepinder, CEO, Zomato’s dilemma for adding value and increasing revenues by weighing options of whether the company should strengthen its presence in the domestic market, or, venture into foreign markets or serve both local and foreign markets.

This case is appropriate for postgraduate courses in Strategic Management or International Business.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 5: International Business.

Upon completion of this case study, students will be able to identify the key changes in the marketing environment affecting the industry, demonstrate the elements of the marketing mix in the fast-food industry, illustrate the crucial elements of customer value-driven marketing strategy, critique relevant marketing strategies that are crucial for business development and formulate effective market expansion strategies for Al-Chef Cafetaria to achieve sustainable competitive advantage in the VUCA world.

The Al-Chef Cafeteria, established by Ali Arif, one of the partners, became one of the most happening quick service restaurants (QSRs) in Patna. However, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the once-thriving fast-food market in the city as the government imposed lockdowns to restrict the onslaught of the pandemic. The relentless waves of the pandemic in the subsequent months severely impacted India and worsened the economic challenges. Consumer behaviour towards outdoor eateries, especially QSRs, became uncertain, which led to the exit of several smaller players in the industry. In June 2021, because of an uncertain future, Arif was forced to contemplate different business trajectories for survival and growth. Arif’s resilience was highlighted, as he endeavoured to revive his dream cafe. To start the café, Arif had quit a stable job in the Middle East. His journey mirrored the broader narrative of businesses navigating uncharted waters as the cafe transformed from a flourishing enterprise to one reeling from adversity and looking forward to undergoing a strategist lens for revival. Against an uncertain business landscape and wavering consumer sentiment, Arif grappled with the question of whether a return to normalcy was possible or if a new-normal system would emerge. This case study highlighted the challenges and uncertainties faced by the Al-Chef Cafeteria post-pandemic and the strategies needed to rewire the previous business model to chart a new growth trajectory.

This case is suitable for postgraduate-level marketing management or sales management (business development) courses in any of the following programmes: MBA programme, PG diploma in marketing management/PG diploma in hospitality and tourism management/PG diploma in sales management/PG diploma in food and beverage service/PG diploma in service management, part-time diploma programmes in management and executive programmes in management.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 8: Marketing.

This case study provides students/managers an opportunity to learn about:▪ Learning objective 1: Critically analyse reasons for the disgruntlement of delivery partners of Zomato.▪ Learning objective 2: Evaluate Zomato’s moral obligations to gig workers in the absence of government regulations.▪ Learning objective 3: Analyse the drivers of well-being affecting e-commerce delivery partners.▪ Learning objective 4: Evaluate the welfare schemes undertaken by Zomato for its delivery partners and infer well-being measures that can be adopted to improve worker engagement.

The focus of this case was the crisis at Zomato as a result of the protests by gig workers engaged as delivery partners at the company. This case discussed the CEO’s dilemma in resolving the crisis. Zomato's business model was discussed to provide students an overview of the dynamics and challenges of online food delivery business; the company’s initiatives to enhance the robustness of its business model and the resulting media backlash questioning some of these initiatives that could endanger the lives of its delivery partners. In addition, this case explored the lack of regulatory provisions for gig workers in India. Finally, the options available to the protagonist to mitigate the crisis were discussed. The focal point was the well-being initiatives that the protagonist could consider implementing to address the concerns voiced by the delivery partners and encourage them to engage in Zomato's business with positivity.

The case is best suited for postgraduate and executive students studying Human Resources subjects in Commerce and Business Management streams.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 6: Human Resource Management.

The case study should enable the student:1. to assess the complexities of the Indian quick service restaurants (QSRs) market and its competitive dynamics;2. to infer the factors which have contributed to the growth of Domino’s Pizza in India;3. to apply different tools and techniques to assess and refine strategy;4. to evaluate Domino’s Pizza India in the context of the value chain analysis; and5. to examine the strategic options available to Domino’s India for achieving its future growth in India.

The case details the growth story of American pizza chain Domino’s in India. Jubilant Food Works Limited (JFL), a part of the Jubilant Bhartia Group, operates the Domino’s Pizza chain in India. The first restaurant was opened in India in 1996 and, in the initial years, the focus was on promoting and popularising “pizza” as an interesting meal replacement option. Over the years, through memorable advertising, operational efficiency and product innovation, Domino’s emerged as the market leader in the organised pizza market in India. The growth in competition both from domestic and international brands and the challenge posed by the growth of food aggregators posed challenges to its prospect of maintaining market leadership. The nationwide lockdown because of the pandemic severely impacted the foodservice industry. Significant changes were seen in the operations of the QSR and rapid growth was witnessed in online food ordering especially through food delivery apps. The management at JFL believed that the demand for QSR would increase rapidly in the country given the possibility of closure of 30%–35% of conventional restaurants. This company had raised the store addition target for FY22 to 150–175 from earlier 135 as it believed that there would be a greater demand for trusted brands. The management believed that the domestic market had the capacity to absorb 3,000 Domino’s outlets compared with the earlier estimate of 1,800–2,000 outlets. In the first quarter of FY22, it added 20 new Domino’s stores. Was the management correct in anchoring its future success on new physical retail outlets? Was there a need to revisit the strategy?

The case has been written with the objective of enabling the students to understand the dynamics of a rapidly changing emerging market. It is structured for use at a Master’s level course and an MBA audience in the subject of Business Strategy/Retail Strategy.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 11: Strategy.

This compact case study uses the marketing mix (product, price, place and promotion) and customer segmentation/targeting as theoretical platforms for the Amazon Go business concept. It reinforces the idea that these are important aspects in developing a successful marketing strategy especially when they are aligned with the core competencies of a firm. Additional concepts include localization strategy, loyalty and Maslow’s hierarchy. Localization focuses on merchandising and local partnerships. Customer loyalty is discussed in the context of loyalty programs and consumer trust. Maslow’s hierarchy is used as a way to connect the pandemic and safety concerns to the offline retail experience.

This case was developed from secondary sources readily available in the public domain including websites, news articles and social media sites. This case has been taught in undergraduate marketing management courses.

In 2018, Amazon opened high tech convenience stores across a number of metropolitan cities in the USA offering a checkout-free experience for customers. This case evaluates the marketing aspects of the move including industry structure, store format and customer loyalty. The underlying question is how will Amazon, the company that pioneered online shopping, perform in an offline retail marketplace that is highly competitive? Will Amazon be able to leverage its massive technology power and shake up offline retail? Will changing market forces caused by the pandemic reshape retail as we know it?

This case should be used in a marketing management course or a retailing course for undergraduate students. Applicable concepts include competitive advantage, marketing mix, customer loyalty and retailing in a digital world. This case could also be used to discuss or compare the differences between online and offline brand leadership.