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As China has pressed ahead with rural revitalization in recent years, its rural financial sector has also developed rapidly and the financial environment has been greatly improved. But compared with urban areas, the rural financial sector makes rather limited contributions to rural economic development for a variety of reasons, including single types of service providers, narrow coverage, and lack of services and products. The underdevelopment of the rural financial system is closely related to the characteristics of its target customers and the economic system. The deficient rural financial credit system, the low level of IT application, the difficulty in data collection and integration, and the insufficient collateral of farmers pose high costs and huge risks for financial institutions when providing credit and other financial services.

In the present case, fintech and financial innovation complement each other: The application of fintech makes innovation possible, and the need for financial development fuels the development of fintech. Leveraging fintech and new business models, MYbank has overcome the main obstacles in the development of rural finance to provide convenient financial services for farmers and rural MSEs. Fintech is the abbreviation of “financial technology.” It can be understood as the combination of finance and technology for easier understanding, but it is more than that. Fintech refers to the innovation of traditional financial products and services with various technologies to improve efficiency and reduce operating costs. The emergence and development of fintech have led to the creation of new business models, applications, and processes, which have triggered major changes in financial markets, financial institutions, and the ways financial services are delivered, and are reshaping the financial landscapes of countries and even the world.

There are three major problems in the development of rural finance: difficult access to data, difficult risk management, and difficult market penetration. In order to gradually remove the obstacles and guarantee sustainable business development, MYbank has created three new business models with the power of fintech: digital inclusive finance at the county level, industrial finance, and platform finance. With these models, MYbank is searching for a “Chinese solution” to the worldwide problem of rural inclusive finance.

Innovation, information technology, e-marketing and sales, strategy and entrepreneurship.

The case is intended for use in advanced graduate and executive education level management and technical programs of study. The case is high inter-disciplinary appropriate for all courses dealing in use of innovation, information technology, entrepreneurship, marketing and sales and strategy.

Practo Technologies Pvt Ltd is a company established in 2008 by entrepreneurs Shashank, N.D. along with Abhinav Lal. At Practo Technologies engineers practice to create technology that supports healthcare industry. In India, there is not enough assistance given to the patients in terms of searching for appropriate doctors and fixing an appointment with them easily. The patient's data lie scattered in reports and the patient's medical history goes unrecorded. Practo provides a robust platform for doctors and patients to collaborate together under one umbrella. It provides patients with open basket of doctor profiles and special search based on doctor's specialty. The case showcases the journey of transformation healthcare sector in India has gone through. The change was resisted, it never came that easy! The case explores issues in implementing information technology for clinics and hospitals in India. This case illustrates interesting facts Indian healthcare and the preparation they need to equip with to manage global technology tide.

The case can be used for teaching service innovation. Managing innovative practices and low-cost online business models is illustrated. In particular, it deals with how the early start up employs innovation to set up new working ideas. The case is designed to stimulate discussions of broad array of issues regarding deployment of IT services specifically in the hospitals and clinics across India. Evaluate the advantages and liabilities of expanding globally at a very early start up stage. The case focuses on Practo early development with only concept in hand and transforming it into a profit generating business. Evaluate the advantages and challenges of innovation, technology development, deployment and training of manpower to use it. The case offers students opportunity to understand and take view of strategically building early start up and management of concerns with no prior experience. To identify business opportunities and explore various possibilities of expansion into IT healthcare business. The students are given base to explore sales and marketing strategies for online model. The students get overview of cutting edge business offerings and surviving the dynamic competition in the era of globalization.

Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

Entrepreneurship, Innovation Management, Bringing Technology to Market, International Growth Strategy from Emerging Markets, Russia, B2B Marketing.

MBA and executive education programs, technology management programs and electives.

The case investigates the 20-years growth story of ABBYY, one of the most successful Russian technological companies in a global market. It covers the company’s roots, development of unique technology, evolution of products, market development and globalization and discusses a strategic threat from Google Translate to the company’s sustainable position and its business model.

The expected learning outcome is to discuss the key issues associated with establishing, growing and globalizing technology-driven business in an emerging market: bringing technology to market, defining customer value proposition, entering overseas markets from Russia, building partnerships, developing organizational structure to fit growth, financing rapid growth and solving “Innovator’s Dilemma”.

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.

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.

Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

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.

In 2010, Hero Honda (HH), the largest global two-wheeler manufacturing company (based on unit sales), terminated its 26 year old JV with Honda, effective 2014. In August 2011, HH, rebranded itself as “Hero”, with a nationwide campaign across media; over three months, the campaign was rolled out on 30 TV channels, leading websites, 200 radio stations, and 4, 000 cinema halls. Signages were changed in 4, 500 touchpoints over a weekend. The case documents the market and brand position of HH and its principal competitors, Bajaj and Honda in India, the rationale for ending the JV, the rebranding requirements, and the actions taken. Pedagogically, we evaluate the rebranding effort to sustain, create, and build consumer memories and emotions.

The case is related to strategy of innovation, strategic marketing and brand valuation.

The case consolidates techniques and methodologies of businesses that demonstrate use of technology and innovation to attain competitive edge. It is appropriate for Master's, executive level programme and advance specialized courses of strategy and entrepreneurship. Introductory classes on basics of strategy and information technology will be value add for students.

In the growing digital era of virtualization, the businesses are depended on technology to facilitate their multiple operations. Virtual events of conference and exhibition provide broad opportunity to connect and collaborate in real time across the globe. The case discussion applies to potential use of virtual platform as a collaborative tool to achieve business objectives. This case highlights the strategic decision making by an IT company – VSL, regarding product migration and services diversification. It focuses on considering the appropriate strategy of innovation and to make the right decisions. Strategy of innovation and marketing techniques applied by VSL management to sustain in the competitive environment describes the essence of the case. The case is written with the objective to enhance user conceptual understanding through VSL brand valuation and international strategic alliance with 6Connex.

The case familiarises the students with the complexities and challenges involved in a real business environment and put emphasises on the role of played by management for effective decision making. The case helps students to comprehend the relevance of innovation to achieve competitive edge. The case provides an opportunity of exposure to students so that they can understand the key elements of efficient marketing, strategy of innovation and brand valuation. (Elaborate teaching objectives are appended in the teaching note.)

Teaching notes.

The (A) case describes the evolution between 1999 and 2005 of an unusual innovation team within the office of the chief information officer at oil and gas giant BP. This team helped business units conceive, develop, and implement novel, value-added applications for emerging information technologies. The team leader, vice president and chief technology officer Phiroz Darukhanavala (“Daru”), eschewed a large group and venture budget in favor of a small, lean team intimately engaged with BP's business units. The case describes several mechanisms created by the CTO office during its early evolution: “Blue Chalk” events that expanded executives' appreciation of emerging technology capabilities, a network of relationships through which emerging technologies were scouted and vetted, a structured technology transfer process, and annual “game-changer” projects.

The (B) case describes how the CTO office team members in 2011 again solicited advice from their ecosystem of thought leaders and held workshops to significantly enhance their impact. As a result, they began developing solutions for broader, more fundamental business problems that came to be known as Grand Challenges: extremely difficult business problems whose solutions could potentially create hundreds of millions—or billions—of dollars in business value.

After reading and analyzing the case, students will be able to:

• Understand the management challenges associated with realizing the business value of new technologies

• Explore how innovation management evolves as an innovation team learns from its successes and failures and, more importantly, builds a reputation within and outside the company

• Examine a prototypical “advocate” model of corporate entrepreneurial practice

• Explore a leading example of a successful internal innovation program

Understand the management challenges associated with realizing the business value of new technologies

Explore how innovation management evolves as an innovation team learns from its successes and failures and, more importantly, builds a reputation within and outside the company

Examine a prototypical “advocate” model of corporate entrepreneurial practice

Explore a leading example of a successful internal innovation program

Narayana, the head of Market Dynamic's (MD) Telecom vertical was working on the data analysis plan for the research on the telecom project that they had done for CWP. CWP was a well known consultant and had conducted a research with MD to generate consumer insights in the telecom space. These would help bring credibility for CWP and help in business development. CWP had requested for an early delivery and Narayana was planning to work on the analysis plan himself as his chief analyst was on leave. This case highlights the importance of an analysis plan in research. Specifically, it illustrate the role of different tools in data analysis and familiarizes participants with various tools and their applications. This case would be useful for students in Business Research and Market Research courses.

An industry adage held that “there are two types of rental car companies: those that lose money and Enterprise.” The company that would become Enterprise Rent-A-Car was started in 1957 in St. Louis, Missouri, by Jack Taylor. Taylor set up Enterprise offices in neighborhoods rather than at airports because he believed that Americans would welcome a local option for renting cars when their own vehicles were being repaired. In 2010 Enterprise had more than 6,000 rental locations in the United States and a fleet of 850,000 cars in service. Its parent, Enterprise Holdings (comprising Enterprise, National, and Alamo brands) accounted for nearly half of the car rental market and was more than twice the size of Hertz, the number two competitor. Enterprise's competitive advantage was the result of the combination of its practices in hiring, training, compensation, organization, customer service, IT, and fleet management, among others.