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Marketing strategy, retail/sales management and logistics.

Undergraduate and postgraduate.

Al Ain Dairy works is in one of the most highly competitive industries in the world – the food industry. In the dairy business, choice, freshness, safety standards, inventory management, supply chain and marketing are key to sustainability. Al Ain Diary explains some key challenges in this industry for managing and planning sales. This case builds on a previous case and can be used to teach marketing strategy, retail management and logistics. The case also gives an idea on the food industry especially the dairy market and some of the challenges associated with it.

Students can try forecasting and planning sales based on seasonal trends. Since the process complexity increases as the number of stock keeping units increase, the case provides a rich context of a company where inventory management is a key to success. Product portfolio management is another subject area of focus in this case. For market expansion, students can look at current organizational and market constraints, organizational competencies (and their transferability), and market synergies and similarities to recommend strategy.

Teaching notes.

As an Internet fashion brand, HSTYLE has developed into an Internet enterprise with annual sales of 1.5 billion RMB within 10 years, establishing its position as the top industry performer in China. This case studies HSTYLES' innovation in business model and organizational management. HSTYLE's workgroups have achieved the balance of responsibilities and rights in a small team of three members at minimum, while mobilizing the enthusiasm and initiative of the line managers with the support of public service sector. At the same time, HSTYLE enriches its brand style, establishes a fashion cloud platform, and integrates individual and organizational consumers into its existing fashion design, manufacturing and sales system.

• The students will be able to compare various perspectives and concepts of strategic alliance as a tool of corporate expansion.

• The students will be able to identify the trade-offs between financial and non-financial gains and losses for corporate expansion.

• The students will be able to identify strategic partnership as a better alternative in comparison to acquisition and vice versa according to the different situations being faced by the companies.

• The students will be able to identify different approaches for brand building.

Shah and Valani, owners of Zed Lifestyle Pvt Ltd which owned Beardo, had to decide whether they should accept the offer of a strategic partnership with Marico Industries, a fast-moving consumer goods company (FMCG) in the global beauty and wellness space. Marico nurtured leading brands across categories of hair care, skin care, edible oils, healthy foods, hygiene, male grooming and fabric care. The decision was not easy as Marico was a leader in the FMCG segment in India and had a strong brand presence in both online and offline distribution channels. Beardo, on the other hand, had its presence marked mostly on the online channel with a hundred offline salon outlets. Partnering with Marico would ensure access to the massive distribution channel owned by Marico but, on the other hand, would lead to possible loss of independence and an early exit from their business. They were not prepared to let go of their ownership as there was no clarity on what would happen if the projected growth figures were not met. There were many other questions too that crossed their minds which had to be answered before they decided on a yes or a no.

The case highlighted the decision dilemma faced by the brand owners, the market scenario, competitive landscape and the situational facts so as to help the students critically analyse the decision situation and develop decision-making competencies by evaluating the possible course of actions and their possible outcomes.

Corporate-level strategies.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 11: Strategy.

The case concerns strategy.

This study is applicable to information system, development sector and application of technology in development sector.

Krutika Terracotta Unit is a small unit located in Bhubaneswar, Odisha (India), owned by Mr Tarun Tapan Sahoo. The organization product portfolio varies from decorative statues, pots and vessel to customized products demanded by customers. Organization is also involved in training and renting the products for traditional fairs, marriages and religious ceremony in Bhubaneswar along with order sales. The case attempts to get a close picture of the industry. The exercise of developing the vision, mission, and goals for the organization was carried out and an attempt was made to align the information system with the business objectives even though the organization does not have a very structured organogram. Using BIS will surely reduce manual work and will give qualitative output. There will be lesser hassles in management. The defined and integrated approach will also help in taking strategic decisions well. The objective is to develop and apply well-structured BIS which can be integrated with the existing system so as to develop the terracotta organization in terms of reachability and profit-making with better decision-making capacity.

To learn about the business model of a handicraft marketing organization; to learn about the processes involved in traditional art form of Terracotta; to go through the exercise of creating vision, mission, goals of the organization through mutual discussion and expectation of owner; to determine how BIS helps in achieving higher productivity in Krutika Terracotta Unit; and to get an idea about how NPV calculation and social ROI should be measured for finding feasibility of technology investment.

Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes. Defence statement has been uploaded. Consent form to publish has been uploaded.

Launch strategies, marketing techniques and data analytics procedure adopted by a firm before launching a new product.

Academic students and management trainees who want to learn the methodology adopted by firms with respect to strategic management and marketing for launching a new product in Indian market.

Launch plan for Roulette, a premium segment brandy manufactured by John Distilleries Private Limited, has to be designed for Karnataka, Pondicherry and Andhra Pradesh markets in India by the Brand Manager Mr Pundlik Kalburgi. Competitors and target market share needs to be identified for all the three markets. Potential outlets, target outlets, channel-wise sales contribution, depot-wise sales contribution and size of the packs to be produced need to be identified for Karnataka market. These identifications need to be submitted to the chairman of the company and other department heads to implement the launch.

Pareto rule (80/20 rule) application for cost-efficient launch strategy; segmentation and identification of competitors; procedure to identify potential of the launch product and market share that can be targeted; and understanding the complete functioning of alcoholic beverage industry in Indian markets (with special reference to Karnataka) and analysing the market data to build an entire launch plan; 4.1 Identifying channel-wise potential and target outlets for the launch product; 4.2 Identifying potential and target depots and number of outlets under each of the depots; 4.3 How pack size of launching product to be manufactured is decided upon.

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 family business founded by Chinese immigrants grew into a $133 million toy and costume maker by exploiting seasonal niche segments in the highly competitive, global toy industry. Sales of traditional toys stagnated when replaced by game consoles and electronic toys. Unable to compete in high tech toys, MegaToys moved instead toward seasonal products. In 2007, brothers Peter and Charlie Woo were about to pitch what they hoped would be $63 million in Easter basket sales to Wal-Mart. If Wal-Mart took the full order, it would come to represent over half of MegaToys' revenue.

The company was faced with the dilemma of how to grow, and at what pace. Charlie Woo knew that MegaToys could continue to grow as long as it was able to satisfy Wal-Mart's demands. Peter Woo wondered if this was the smartest way to grow the business. “Growth is a good thing as long as you don't sell your shirt to get it,” he noted. Should MegaToys continue to increase its sales to Wal-Mart, or would dependence on Wal-Mart eventually threaten the firm's success? Were there other, untapped opportunities for MegaToys that were well aligned with its strengths, resources, and capabilities?

This case study exercise highlights the importance of food supplier selection and forecasting to minimize food cost and maximize profit for a hotel restaurant. The importance of data analytics in supplier selection is emphasized. The case exercise provides students with a more comprehensive understanding of spoilage and the calculation of food cost percentage, which should save the hotel restaurant under study significant dollars, help the environment, and strengthen the operation. The events described in this case are based on real world experiences.

This research uses a data driven problem-solving approach to accurately forecast food requirements and minimize spoilage.

Because of its focus on restaurant operations, the case exercise is appropriate for senior-level undergraduate courses or graduate courses in Operations Management, Restaurant Food and Beverage Management, Hotel Management, and Data Analytics.

After completion of the case study, the participants would be able to understand the challenges in building a sustainable homestay tourism business; develop a positioning statement for La Pinekonez which builds a unique competitive advantage; and outline elements of the business strategy to profitably sustain and grow a sustainable tourism homestay in terms of service offering, pricing, marketing and operations.

La Pinekonez Homestay, located in the beautiful region of Himachal Pradesh, India, is the subject of this case study, which explores both its successes and its difficulties. In August 2022, Arvind, the dedicated sole proprietor of La Pinekonez, grappled with multifaceted challenges, the first being the foray of established hotel chains into the homestay business. As the protagonist, was is in dilemma of preserving La Pinekonez’s unique identity amidst corporate competitors, particularly with regards to differentiating from the expanding hotel chains. The clash between customer expectations for hotel-like amenities and the homestay’s commitment to sustainable tourism presented a crucial challenge. Negative reviews questioning the authenticity of La Pinekonez’s green initiatives heightened the complexity. Adding to Arvind’s predicament were the seasonal fluctuations in tourist inflow and his aspiration to embrace immersive tourism trends. This case study facilitates exploration of strategic positioning, sustainability management and marketing strategies in the dynamic and competitive hospitality industry. It also offers insights into the complexities of balancing differentiation, customer satisfaction and sustainability while navigating the evolving landscape of tourism trends.

This case study is suitable for students of tourism and hospitality management at postgraduate level. The case study can be discussed once the basic concepts of hospitality management and service dimensions are covered.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CCS 12: Tourism and hospitality.

Maybelline is the world's leading mass cosmetic company. It enjoys tremendous success and a commanding market share, particularly in the eye makeup category. But Maybelline also acknowledges a weakness in the strategic face segment, most notably in the profitable foundations product lines. Approaches the challenge of successfully growing this important category by looking at every aspect necessary to make this move, including: consumer marketing strategy, consumer behavior and purchasing patterns, demographic analysis, segmentation and targeting, product management, distribution channels, pricing, advertising, and understanding the competitive environment.

In October 2004, Mr. Richard Sands, CEO of Constellation Brands, evaluated the potential purchase of The Robert Mondavi Corporation. Sands felt that Mondavi's wine beverage products would fit into the Constellation portfolio of alcohol beverage brands, and the opportunity to purchase Mondavi for a highly favorable price was quite possible due to recent management turmoil at that company. However, should it be purchased, strategic and operational changes would be necessary in order to fully achieve Mondavi's potential value. In making a decision, students need to consider the attractiveness of the wine industry, its changing structure, its share of the overall market for beverages, and rival firms' strategies. As rival bidders may emerge for Mondavi's brands, Constellation must offer a price that demonstrates its serious intent to acquire Mondavi.