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The case study offers a unique teaching tool to the instructor and learners. Very few cases offer a product and segmentation dilemma in a single problem. The discussion would enable learners to:

– conduct a situational analysis by using frameworks such as the 5C and SWOT;

– understand different kinds of segmentation options that a firm can consider;

– understand the nuances of making a viable and actionable new product launch decision;

– analyze the pros and cons of a segmentation decision and comprehend how the decision will impact the firm’s marketing and/or business strategy.

Sirona Hygiene Private Limited was a young startup founded in 2015 by Deep Bajaj. The firm had three brands under its umbrella, namely, female hygiene (Peebuddy), menstrual hygiene (Sirona) and protection and wellness (BodyGuard). Though the firm was recognized for feminine hygiene products, the pandemic boosted the sale of BodyGuard face masks and hand sanitizers.

The sanitizer market was growing, and protection and sanitization products were now part of every consumer’s daily ritual. As BodyGuard now had some brand recognition, Sirona could consider expanding the sanitizer line with a natural new product formulation. However, the expansion decision could have short- and long-term impacts on BodyGuard and Sirona Hygiene. The decision could be two-pronged, involving a product line expansion and revisiting the BodyGuard segmentation strategy. Currently, the BodyGuard range was focused on business-to-consumer (B2C) users, but volumes were higher in business-to-business (B2B). Second, BodyGuard was a forced fit brand amongst the Sirona family of feminine products

Thus, as Sirona considered a new product opportunity, assessing the viability of a possible move to the B2B segment may be prudent. However, the BodyGuard range also had mosquito repellents and baby products, which were essentially a B2C option, so was it more practical to stay as a B2C brand? Furthermore, if BodyGuard stayed a B2C brand, should it consider a demographic segmentation, or was a psychographic approach more beneficial in a cluttered commoditized space such as sanitizers? Which approach would build a consumer–brand connection? Or should the brand straddle both segments? Finally, the firm would also need to assess the BodyGuard segmentation strategy from the overarching Sirona business strategy.

The case can be used for a foundation course in Marketing and/or an advanced elective on Product Management or Marketing Strategy.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 8: Marketing.

The primary learning objectives of the case are described below:1) Understanding the start-up market segment for an innovative product.2) Analyse the market expansion and diversification strategies of a start-up.3) Evaluate the business expansion through introduction of new product variants or through envisaging new distribution channels.

Cronos Ltd. was Iyer's first business endeavour after completing his Master of Business Administration (MBA). Iyer had aspired to be an entrepreneur since he was a youngster. In 2015, a first-generation entrepreneur with full conviction, he entered a market that was tough for a novice to access. Despite several challenges and uncertainties, he persisted and ventured into the company on the edge of extinction with a concept for affordable sanitiser sachets. Strong willpower, but no background, guidance or finances have made him struggle at each stage of his journey. He made this possible as he had understood the need for a specific lower-income segment of customers who could afford to buy the sanitiser sachets for as low as INR1 ($0.013). Until 2021 he was selling through the GT channel in central and western regions of India. He had planned for product extension by introducing three new products in the FMCG sector with manageable finance needs. Meanwhile, he had gotten an offer to enter into the MT channel to compete with big brands in the Gujarat region. Iyer needed substantial funds to expand his business in the MT channel and had to offer equity partnership to the investor, who would invest in the business.

Graduate and post-graduate in the topics of segmentations and market expansion in the marketing management subject.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 8: Marketing.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the efficacy of microbial elimination using different sanitizers in raw vegetables (cherry tomatoes, spring onions, Chinese chives, and chicory) and to analyze the efficacy of Escherichia coli O157:H7 reduction by type of sanitizer and vegetable.

To assess the sanitizing effects of microbial elimination by variety of vegetable, the samples were grouped into four different washing methods: control (no sanitizer), 100 ppm chlorine, 100 ppm electrolyzed water, and 200 ppm electrolyzed water after prewashing. Subsequently, quantitative microbiological experiments were conducted to assess aerobic mesophilic plate count (APC), coliform, E. coli, and Bacillus cereus, and sensory changes of the sanitized vegetables were tested. Thereafter, measurement of the sanitizing effects on bacterial reduction after inoculation with E. coli O157:H7 was conducted.

The microbial levels of four types of vegetables ranged from 3.37 to 5.24 log CFU/g for APC, 2.41 to 5.57 log CFU/g for E. coli, 0.25 to 5.40 log CFU/g for coliform, and 0.83 to 5.44 log CFU/g for B. cereus. After three types of sanitizing treatments, microbial reduction effects showed 0.94-1.84 log CFU/g for APC, 0.56-1.00 log CFU/g for E. coli, 0.18-1.26 log CFU/g for coliform, and 0.56-1.23 log CFU/g for B. cereus (p<0.05). In sensory evaluation, there were no significant differences in taste and flavor between with and without sanitizing treatments. Regarding bacterial reduction after inoculation with E. coli O157:H7, the microbial reduction on vegetables was shown to be in the range of 0.27-1.57 log CFU/g with 100 ppm sodium hypochlorite, 0.66-3.07 log CFU/g with 100 ppm electrolyzed water, and 0.79-2.55 log CFU/g with 200 ppm electrolyzed water. Chicory, cherry tomato, and spring onion showed significant reduction levels of E. coli O157:H7 after sanitation (p<0.05).

This study revealed that different sanitization methods are required for different types of vegetables. Electrolyzed water treatment (100 ppm) is a more effective and safe method of washing raw vegetables. Given that the main purpose of sanitizing fresh-cut produce is to maximally reduce microorganism levels, different methods of sanitizing fresh-cut produce with an adequate washing method should be used according to vegetable type.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effectiveness of NaOCl and KMnO₄ at two levels in reducing the microbial load of coriander leaves.

Fresh coriander leaves procured from various markets were intensively sampled and administered to wash treatments with tap water and sanitizers at two levels. Hi media pre plated plates were used for determination of TPC (Total Plate Count), Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria, Salmonella, Shigella and coliforms.

Unwashed coriander leaves showed TPC beyond the acceptable limits of 105 CFU/g. Bulk washing (10 g sample dipped in 1 litre tap water for 5 minutes) did not significantly reduce TPC and any of the pathogens. TPC decreased significantly by 1 log cycle up on treatment with 200 ppm NaOCl and 100 ppm KMnO₄. Staphylococcus aureus could be reduced more effectively with 100 ppm of KMnO₄; Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella showed significant reductions (P<0.05) using both sanitizers. Shigella decreased by more than 1 log cycle when treated with 100 ppm KMnO₄.

Tap water is not sufficient to reduce the microbial load of fresh coriander. Use of 100 ppm NaOCl and 50 ppm KMnO₄ may be considered to reduce the pathogenic load of coriander leaves. Since reduction of pathogenic load by 1 log cycle is insufficient, other means of disinfecting the raw produce need to be tested. Also, use of good irrigation practices and aseptic post harvest techniques cannot be ignored.

This is an original study, wherein use of sanitizers should be promoted in order to reduce the microbial load of coriander leaves.

Although corporate social responsibility is a well-researched concept, very few studies have studied organizational social responsibility in the face of internal/external crises. Therefore, this paper aims to examine various firms' organizational social responses to COVID-19 as an external crisis, particularly in terms of the way organizations use their resources to address social problems and the real intention behind these, and the changing organizational drivers influencing such behaviors.

The authors explore the initiatives of seven organizations from three different industries in several countries and their actions in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. A case study approach was taken to collect data and reach a conclusion. A combination of interviews, online communication using semi-structured questionnaires and documentary information available in the public domain was used to collect data and analyze and triangulate the events.

Similar internal resources and capacities of the seven organizations resulted in similar responses as they launched proactive initiatives to prepare sanitizers. This research indicates that these organizations pursued other goals besides economic one. When society needed help, these organizations responded quickly, using and reorganizing their resources to assist communities in need. Different organizations from different sectors all behaved in a similar manner, making genuine contributions to the pandemic as each was uniquely capable of doing. These organizations also used their unique capabilities to offer their resources to local communities and governments.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, efforts by corporate entities to facilitate social reform and recovery have been seen around the globe. The findings could help in understanding the responses of organizations engaging in socially responsible behaviors to overcome external crises. This paper also identifies changing organizational values and their possible impact on society and overall industry philanthropy practices in the future.

COVID-19 pandemic has exposed that even the best of the developed nations have surrendered to the devastations imposed on the global supply chains. The purpose of this study is to explore how COVID-19 has exaggerated the supply chain of production and distribution of Taiwan-based face masks and also investigate the conscientious factors and subfactors for it.

In this study, an analytical hierarchy processes (AHP)-based approach has been used to assign the criterion weights and to prioritize the responsible factors. Initially, based on 26 decision-makers, successful factors were categorized into five main categories, and then main categories and their subcategories factors were prioritized through individual and group decision-maker’s contexts by using the AHP approach.

The results of this AHP model suggest that “Safety” is the most important and top-ranked factor, followed by production, price, work environment and distribution. The key informers in this study are stakeholders which consist of managers, volunteers, associations and non-governmental organizations. The results showed that good behavior of the employees under the “Safety” category is the top positioned responsible factor for successful production and distribution of face masks to the other countries with the highest global percentage of 15.7% and using sanitizers to protect health is the second most successful factor with the global percentage of 11.7%.

The limitations faced in this study were limited to only Taiwan-based mask manufacturing companies, and it was dependent on the decisions of the limited company’s decision-makers.

The novelty of this study is that the empirical analysis of this study has been based on a successful Taiwan masks manufacturing company and evaluates the responsible factors for the production and distribution of Taiwan masks to other countries during COVID-19.

The purpose of the presented IoT based sensor-fusion assistive technology for COVID-19 disinfection termed as “Smart epidemic tunnel” is to protect an individual using an automatic sanitizer spray system equipped with a sanitizer sensing unit based on individual using an automatic sanitizer spray system equipped with a sanitizer sensing unit based on human motion detection.

The presented research work discusses a smart epidemic tunnel that can assist an individual in immediate disinfection from COVID-19 infections. The authors have presented a sensor-fusion-based automatic sanitizer tunnel that detects a human using an ultrasonic sensor from the height of 1.5 feet and disinfects him/her using the spread of a sanitizer spray. The presented smart tunnel operates using a solar cell during the day time and switched to a solar power-bank power mode during night timings using a light-dependent register sensing unit.

The investigation results validate the performance evaluation of the presented smart epidemic tunnel mechanism. The presented smart tunnel can prevent or disinfect an outsider who is entering a particular building or a premise from COVID-19 infection possibilities. Furthermore, it has also been observed that the presented sensor-fusion-based mechanism can disinfect a person in a time of span of just 10 s. The presented smart epidemic tunnel is embedded with an intelligent sanitizer sensing unit which stores the essential information in a cloud platform such as Google Fire-base. Thus, the proposed system favours society by saving time and helps in lowering the spread of coronavirus. It also provides daily, weekly and monthly reports of the counts of individuals, along with in-out timestamps and power usage reports.

The presented system has been designed and developed after the lock-down period to disinfect an individual from the possibility of COVID-19 infections.

The presented smart epidemic tunnel reduced the possibility by disinfecting an outside individual/COVID-19 suspect from spreading the COVID-19 infections in a particular building or a premise.

The presented system is an original work done by all the authors which have been installed at the Symbiosis Institute of Technology premise and have undergone rigorous experimentation and testing by the authors and end-users.

The purpose of this systematic review is to highlight some of the business model changes restaurants, bars and beverage producers undertook to modify their operations in order to not only stay in business but also to better serve their employees and communities during the COVID-19 crisis.

An analysis was conducted on 200 industry articles and categorized into three major themes: expansion of take-out/delivery, innovative practices, and community outreach/corporate support, each are further subdivided into additional themes. The systematic review is further supported by personal interviews with industry professionals.

This research finds that there were many different approaches used in adjusting business models in response to the dining restrictions put in place due to COVID-19. From these approaches, themes were developed which resulted in uncovering some suggestions such as developing contingency plans, being flexible and creative, eliminating menu items, investing in a communication platform and getting involved with local government. In addition, some practices operators should be mindful of such as selling gift cards and starting a crowdfund.

This research provides a systematic analysis of business model changes that occurred due to COVID-19 dining restrictions. Researchers can use this information as a guide for further analysis on a specific theme introduced herein.

This research offers several practical implications which will assist the industry should another similar event occur in the future. The systematic analysis describes and documents some suggestions as well as practices to be mindful of in preparing contingency plans for the future.

This research documents an unprecedented time for the hospitality industry by examining how restaurant, bar and beverage producers around the country responded to COVID-19 restrictions. Distilling the multitude of information into succinct themes that highlight the business model changes that occurred will aid future research as well as operators.

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has almost affected more than two million people and has taken more than one hundred thousand lives around the globe. At this current state, researchers are trying their best level to drive the permanent solution for this menace; hence, till now social distancing and hygienic lifestyle are the only solutions. This paper proposes a smart entrance disinfectant gate based on the sanitizer spray station and ultraviolet irradiation mechanisms. This innovative and embedded system design-oriented gate will first capture the image of the entrant, second, measure the temperature, third, spray the sanitizers and, last, provide the ultraviolet irradiation to make sure that the person entering any space may have fewer chances to carry coronavirus. The purpose of this study is to enable the IoT feature that helps the government officials to keep the data record of suspectable, exposed, infected and recovered people which will later help to reduce the reproductive co-efficient Ro of COVID-19 within any state of Malaysia.

In the current manuscript, design proposes a smart entrance disinfectant gate based on the sanitizer spray station and ultraviolet irradiation mechanisms. This design of the gate is enabled with the feature of the internet of things (IoT) and some efficient sensors along with computer vision facilities.

This paper bridges an academic research on COVID-19 and addresses IoT and data prediction-based solution to compute the reproductive number for this novel coronavirus.

This paper with the features such as hardware design, IoT and, last but not the least, data prediction and visualization makes this prototype one of its kind and provides approximate results for reproductive number (Ro)

The case deals with the application of marketing research for launching a new product in the market place. The company was planning to enter the Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) market in India with its new product Cerenity. Cerenity was a toilet seat sanitizer for women who frequently use public restrooms. The case describes the exploratory study conducted by the research team. The team used different qualitative marketing research tools such as focus groups, in-depth Interviews and participant observations.