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Abstract
It was early 2015 and executives in iShares' Factor Strategies Group were considering the launch of a new class of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) called smart beta funds. Specifically, the group was considering smart beta multifactor ETFs that would provide investors with simultaneous exposure to four fundamental factors that had shown themselves historically to be significant in driving stock returns: the stock market value of a firm, the relative value of a firm's financial position, the quality of a firm's financial position, and the momentum of a firm's stock price. The executives at iShares were unsure whether there would be demand in the marketplace for such multifactor ETFs, since their value added from an investor's portfolio perspective was unknown. Students will act as researchers for iShares' Factor Strategies Group and conduct detailed analysis of Fama and French's five-factor model and the momentum effect, smart beta ETFs including multifactor ETFs, and factor investing with smart beta ETFs to help iShares make its decision.
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Verklar is the leading maker of roof windows based in Europe. Its Austrian subsidiary has historically dominated the Austrian market, with about 85% market share. However, at the…
Abstract
Verklar is the leading maker of roof windows based in Europe. Its Austrian subsidiary has historically dominated the Austrian market, with about 85% market share. However, at the time of the case, its market share has dropped to about 75%, and many of its dealers have either dropped the line entirely or are buying not from the company, but from the few remaining large dealers who still buy directly from Verklar. This has prompted the president of the subsidiary to devise a new way—called the Quota System—to run the distribution channel in the country to improve performance. Asks the reader to examine the sources of market share decline and whether the proposed Quota System solves the channel's problems.
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Upon completion of the case study, the students will be able to find the challenges and underlying structures that cause the problem; the students will be able to identify the…
Abstract
Learning outcomes
Upon completion of the case study, the students will be able to find the challenges and underlying structures that cause the problem; the students will be able to identify the dynamic variables and develop the interconnection and interlinkages among the time-delayed variables to build the story of the business case; the students could develop the block diagram and could build the system dynamics model using the simulation software STELLA, and if they do not have the simulation software, even then they could have a mental model to understand the problem well; the system dynamics students can design the policies to make the system better behaved and recommend solutions; and the students could make mind maps and develop the mental model and could recommend solutions and way forward to overcome the challenges and solve the issues.
Case overview/synopsis
Tradeasia is a small-scale manufacturing firm that had started its business activities near Sundar Industrial Estate, Raiwind, in September 2007. The company’s prime focus was to buy the potato starch from chips manufacturing companies and, then, extract the potato starch from the waste potato using its own machinery and sell it as a sizing agent to textile mills. Quality characteristics in terms of better millage and enhanced gullibility made it compatible with Rafhan corn-based starch. The major challenge linked to potato starch was its degree of wetness; the potato starch either extracted from rotten potato or procured from the potato chips manufacturing companies had a high degree of wetness and moisture content. Wet potato starch sometimes had more than 60% moisture content, which was really a challenge. Owing to the high degree of wetness, the wet starch was prone to fungus growth, and within hours, the fungus created toxins if it was not dried immediately, and then after 24 h, toxins acquired a black colour, and they became hardened like pebbles. The starch then was unusable even for sizing purposes for textile products. Reduction in the degree of wetness was really a big challenge and demanded prompt action and high productivity of the operational staff to make that product dry for sale purposes. This was the biggest challenge that ended up in huge inventories of wet starch. Capacity constraints and operational inefficiency killed the company’s productivity and affected the company’s profit.
Complexity academic level
This case study is written and developed for MBA and MS-level supply chain students of the system dynamics course or those studying management of supply chain complexities. This case study discusses the operational challenges while running the business; huge inventories, capacity constraints and inefficiency in production operations were the challenges associated with almost all manufacturing industries. This case study discussed not only why such challenges are appearing in the business but also the solution that resided in the wisdom shared by the employees in the board meeting. An integrated system dynamics model could be used to design the policies to overcome such challenges. Even the block diagram of the model and causal loop diagram could help to conceptualize the problem and explore the way forward.
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Subject code
CSS 7: Management science.
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Yukti Ahuja, Pooja Jain and Parul Gupta
This case study covers marketing concepts, including marketing mix, segmentation, targeting and brand positioning and communication. After completion of the case study, the…
Abstract
Learning outcomes
This case study covers marketing concepts, including marketing mix, segmentation, targeting and brand positioning and communication. After completion of the case study, the students will be able to understand the importance of segmentation and targeting; recognize the differences between business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-customers (B2C) segments; gain knowledge about the points of parity and points of difference while positioning; and examine the elements of a marketing mix.
Case overview/synopsis
The case centered around Mr. Ashvinder Singh, founder and director of Uni Style Image (USI), who initiated the polo T-shirt business in 1990 in Okhla, Delhi. The brand expanded across the country, but from 2010, USI faced fluctuating demand due to the rise of online marketing and intense competition from global fashion brands. Revenues dropped massively, leading to a significant downsizing from over 300 employees to just 11 by the end of fiscal year 2016–2017. In 2018, Singh explored the B2B model; however, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 impacted many small- and mid-sized apparel businesses, including USI. In the fiscal year 2021–2022, the B2B segment accounted for 90% of total revenue, but the business size could not cover significant operating expenses. Despite only 10% of revenue coming from the B2C segment, Singh wanted to leverage the online space. In September 2022, Singh closed his factory in Noida, National Capital Region, Delhi. Amid the uncertainty, Singh explored various opportunities in the Indian market. In 2023, he even engaged a consultancy for expertise in marketing initiatives. He had to choose the target segment/s, develop a positioning strategy and create an effective marketing mix with very limited resources.
Complexity academic level
This case is designed for undergraduate and postgraduate students, offering a valuable teaching tool for essential marketing concepts, such as the marketing mix, segmentation, positioning and brand communication. It can be used in both core marketing courses and elective courses like brand management, consumer behavior and integrated marketing communication. The decision dilemma presented in the case enriches the understanding of these concepts, making it a valuable resource for marketing education.
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Subject code
CSS 8: Marketing.
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Caroline Minialai, Mohamed Nabil El Mabrouki and Oumaima Chamchati
Teaching notes are available for educators only.
Abstract
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Learning outcomes
Objective 1 analyse the internationalization process of Involys and compare it with the traditional theoretical analyses; Objective 2 analyse and learn from past successes and failures in Africa, building up a meaningful strategic analysis with a specific focus on: understanding the advantages and disadvantages of size (small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) suppliers/State Institutions customers); understanding the importance of institutional barriers and opportunities in this specific context; understanding and measuring the distances issues and the way they affect the company’s development Objective 3 learn to be creative and concrete in proposing feasible solutions to the Board of Involys.
Case overview/synopsis
Involys is a medium-sized Moroccan company designing and implementing enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. It was co-founded in the 1980s by its present chief executive officer (CEO), quite a charismatic individual. As its listing on the Casablanca Stock Exchange, the company has set its main goal to develop its business on the African markets. This is a significant shift in commercial strategy for a company who has built its past success on working with Northern countries. Involys tries with its ERP system to accompany state-level reforms. The case study takes place in 2017, Involys has just lost a significant project in Cameroun, despite significant pre-sale investments, and is trying to build on its success in Gabon to accelerate and improve its competitive position in Africa. The case focusses on the internationalization process of a firm involved in long terms contracts and dealing mainly with institutions such as states or state departments. The issues of sizes, institutional barriers and distance should be specifically addressed in a south-south context.
Complexity academic level
Master’s degree executive training programs.
Subject code
CSS 5: International business.
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Gopalakrishnan Narayanamurthy and Anand Gurumurthy
Launch strategies, marketing techniques and data analytics procedure adopted by a firm before launching a new product.
Abstract
Subject area
Launch strategies, marketing techniques and data analytics procedure adopted by a firm before launching a new product.
Study level/applicability
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.
Case overview
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.
Expected learning outcomes
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.
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The key learning objectives are mentioned as follows:▪ analyse the attractiveness of the bike rental market using Michael Porter’s five forces model;▪ apply the TWOS framework to…
Abstract
Learning outcomes
The key learning objectives are mentioned as follows:▪ analyse the attractiveness of the bike rental market using Michael Porter’s five forces model;▪ apply the TWOS framework to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of Tazzo;▪ evaluate various competitive strategies of Tazzo; and▪ identify the unique value proposition for such a service in an emerging market such as India.
Case overview/synopsis
Tazzo was an Indian technology bike rental start-up based in Hyderabad. It was a pioneer in providing on-demand bike rental services. Tazzo was founded in 2016 by Priyam Saraswat and Shivangi Srivastava, both from IIT Guwahati, Priyank Suthar from IIT Roorkee and Vikrant Gosain from IMT Hyderabad. Within two years since its inception, Tazzo had scaled up from 5 bikes to a fleet size of 600 bikes with more than 1,000 daily rides. They were making around 24,000 rides monthly with an average ticket size of INR 250. The revenues crossed INR 10 crores with more than 20,000 active users. In 2016, the market was nascent and the concept was new. There was huge demand for such an on-demand bike rental services for self-commute in the metros. However, increasing awareness of a huge untapped market in the bike rental market had led to entry of a flurry of competitors. Notable among them were Vogo, Bounce and ONN Bikes. Facing such intense competition Priyam, co-founder and CEO of Tazzo, had the challenge to be able to sustain his company’s early momentum. How would he be able to retain Tazzo’s market leadership position? Would it be possible for Tazzo to keep up the pace of growth amid increased competition? Would the company be able to ward off the challenges from its competitors? Priyam was facing all these challenging questions and had to quickly address them to continue to lead in this competitive race.
Complexity academic level
This case can be used in Marketing Management course’s “Competition Analysis” module for both MBA and executive-level programs dealing with marketing. This case study helps students in dealing with issues pertaining to a given market sector where a firm is operating, the strategies that could be used by the competitors and application of competitive strategies which the firm can apply.
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Subject code
CSS 8: Marketing.
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Fawzeia Abdulla Al Marzooqi and Syed Zamberi Ahmad
Growth strategies, marketing strategy, resources-based value theory, alliance network model, logistic and supply chain.
Abstract
Subject area
Growth strategies, marketing strategy, resources-based value theory, alliance network model, logistic and supply chain.
Study level/applicability
This case can be used in undergraduate and graduate classes as well as development programmes for managers in small to medium-size enterprises. The case suits courses in business, strategy, marketing and freight forwarding.
Case overview
Union National Air, Land and Sea Shipping Co (LLC) (UNASCO) is a small to medium-sized freight forwarding company based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It has three offices, two in Dubai and one in Abu Dhabi. UNASCO handles commercial imports/exports from/to many destinations, including Europe, Asia, the USA, India, the Far East, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the Middle East (ME) and Africa. UNASCO has been in business for more than 35 years and has run the business smoothly. Recently, the company has faced several internal and external challenges that impact business performance. These challenges are high operating expenses, stiff competition and low market demand. Due to these challenges, the sales staff is being pressured to generate more income to ensure that the company is not experiencing a loss. Now, UNASCO is uncertain how to sustain the business.
Expected learning outcomes
The learning outcomes are as follows: to learn about the freight forwarding industry, the competitive landscape and the challenges surrounding it; to enable the participant to generate a list of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) for UNASCO and to gain skill at using SWOT analysis; to increase the participant’s ability to evaluate a situation and effectively communicate remedies about it both in writing and verbally; to enable the participant to analyse a problem using the Fishbone Diagram cause and effect tool; to enable the participant to use the Six Thinking Hats technique to make more reliable and sounder decisions; to gain skill at using Porters Five Forces tool, understand the competitiveness of UNASCO’s business environment, and identify the potential for business growth; and to gain skills at developing a marketing strategy using the 4Ps model.
Supplementary materials
Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.
Subject code
CSS 11: Strategy.
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Eric T. Anderson, Abraham Daniel, Elizabeth L. Anderson and Gus Santaella
Robert Davidson, pricing manager for Tupelo Medical, was concerned about the variability in price paid for its top-selling product, the Micron 8 Series blood pressure monitoring…
Abstract
Robert Davidson, pricing manager for Tupelo Medical, was concerned about the variability in price paid for its top-selling product, the Micron 8 Series blood pressure monitoring system. Using historical transaction data, Davidson must determine the appropriate price floor. Setting a price too high risked the loss of a large number of customers, putting the company at substantial risk due to the importance of the product. Setting a price too low would impact Davidson's ability to meet the stated objective of increasing margins by 3 percent. He wondered what the optimal price floor would be and what the expected profits would be for that new price floor. Additionally, the company's business varied considerably by geographic region, account size and account type. As a result, he needed to consider whether it made sense to set a single price floor or whether he could improve profits by allowing some variability in the price floor by customer segment.
To illustrate how one can build a data-driven pricing model to study the tradeoff between margin and probability of winning a sale in a B2B market
To quantify the value from implementing a price floor with a B2B sales force
To demonstrate the incremental value of implementing a price floor that varies by customer segment.
To illustrate how one can build a data-driven pricing model to study the tradeoff between margin and probability of winning a sale in a B2B market
To quantify the value from implementing a price floor with a B2B sales force
To demonstrate the incremental value of implementing a price floor that varies by customer segment.
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Gregory B. Fairchild and Joe Toomer
This case is designed to illustrate the methods private-equity investors use in assessing the value of market opportunities--in this instance, a plus-size clothing retailer…
Abstract
This case is designed to illustrate the methods private-equity investors use in assessing the value of market opportunities--in this instance, a plus-size clothing retailer targeted to African-American and Hispanic women. The case addresses several issues, including niche marketing, urban development, and the challenge of evaluating market potential. The protagonist, a private-equity partner, must determine the market viability of an investment opportunity offered to his firm.
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