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Thermal insulation is important to achieve energy efficiency in a buildings’ lifespan while maintaining comfort. Traditionally, the majority of insulation in buildings is man-made petroleum based products with limited or no-end life usage. However, from an environmental and economic sustainability perspective, they are not sustainable as natural resources are finite and in danger of run-out. Furthermore, they are also highly influenced by the increasing price and the ongoing scarcity of fossil fuel oils. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

This paper introduces soap based insulation from recycled materials as a sustainable alternative to petroleum counterparts. The methodology is lab based experimentation and iterative tests. The phased based research process for the incremental development of the soap based thermal insulation is explained.

Findings reveal that soap based insulation can be one possible way forward in the quest for natural and sustainable thermal insulation from recycled products to preserve and conserve the sustainable environment.

Thus, the paper provides a unique environmentally friendly approach as an alternative to those existing petroleum counterparts for thermal insulation in buildings.

Marketing, innovation, strategy.

Undergraduate, post-graduate and executive education.

This case is set in January 2012, a few days before the launch of Mysore Sandal Millennium, a super-premium luxury soap offering from the Indian public sector enterprise, Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Ltd. (“KS&DL”). Three years of research had been put into this product, which contained some of the finest, high-quality ingredients. KS&DL had, over the past decade or so, observed a significant fall in brand image for its signature product, the Mysore Sandalwood soap. While this soap had for many years been considered the premium brand in India, it had lost its place when well-known foreign brands became available in India, and local manufacturers moved towards this segment, manufacturing a whole new range of competitive products such as liquid body washes and gels. It was with an aim to rebuild its image that the company decided to launch the Millennium soap. KS&DL was clear that the product would be initially aimed at the high-income Indians, and then move to expand into the overseas market. However, it remained to be seen if the company could be truly successful in marketing a product priced at a level which would make it unaffordable to most Indians, other than a very thin layer of the ultra-rich. The question remains as to how KS&DL could best go about executing and communicating its strategy to make this launch a success.

This case provides students the opportunity to learn about the challenges faced when a company launches a new brand, particularly a luxury brand in a developing country such as India. Through this case, students will learn about the concepts of brand extension, and, above all, vertical brand extension. It can also be used to discuss the spill-over effects of the launch (and its success) on other existing brands of the company, as well as the overall corporate brand.

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

In addition to acting as thickeners in lubricating greases metal soaps play an important role as additives in a wide range of other industries. Some of their typical properties are:

The purpose of this paper is to raise the question of whether having ethical values dictate actions at defining moments and builds upon theoretical frameworks in ethics, entrepreneurship and national culture. Three ethical approaches recommended for this case are: ends-based, virtue-based and rules-based.

The methods of data collection were both primary and secondary. Primary data were collected through face to face and phone interviews with the primary subject. Secondary data were obtained through research journals and articles.

This case study illustrates the experiences of a young female entrepreneur in Tanzania, Africa. It investigates the role of cultural practices, unemployment, corruption and ethics in shaping business decisions. The Tanzanian culture and business climate typically view women in traditional roles, while men dominate in corporate roles. These factors limit the ability of women to succeed. Elisa King is determined to pursue her dream to create a business beneficial to her community. To realize her dream, King finds herself in an ethical dilemma brought on by an overall corrupt culture.

This case is appropriate for undergraduate- and graduate-level courses with an ethics component.

Although there are contradictory reports in regard to the tinned meat scandal in America, there is not the least doubt that an appalling condition of things prevails, and to the ordinary person who knows little or nothing of the extent to which food adulteration and other such malpractices exist in this country as well as elsewhere, such revelations as those which have recently been made by the daily press must come as a shock. To those whose duty it is to acquaint themselves with the nature and quality of the food supply of the people, the revelations are not so startling. The layman would hardly believe that the cases of obscure poisoning which repeatedly occur, sometimes resulting in death, and sometimes producing more or less severe attacks of illness, are largely due to the use of bad tinned foods. According to various reports from reliable sources, some of the practices in vogue at the Chicago packing houses are too disgusting to be given publicity to, but the malpractices which have been revealed in connection with the manufacture of tinned meat products, such as the use of diseased carcases, filthy offal and sweepings, putrid and decomposed meat artificially coloured and preserved with boric acid or some other chemical preservative, of potted ham made from mouldy flesh, of sausages made from the sweepings of the packing houses where it is the habit of the employees to expectorate freely on the floor, will tend to make people refuse to purchase any kind of tinned food, and unfortunately the manufacturer of good and wholesome products is sure to suffer. As might have been anticipated, denials as to the allegations made have been put forward and circulated, no doubt at the instance of persons more or less interested in the maintenance of the practices referred to. It has been alleged that protection is afforded to the consumer by certain labels, which read, “Quality Guaranteed, Government Inspected,” but it appears from recent official reports that this statement in reality means nothing at all, and affords no guarantee whatever—which is precisely what we should have expected. The absurdity and criminality of permitting the admixture of chemical preservatives with articles of food are well illustrated by these exposures, and we have more justification than ever in asking that our own Government authorities will make up their minds to take the action which has so long and so forcibly been urged upon them with respect to this form of adulteration.

There is a certain type of British trader who, with pharisaic unction, lifts up his voice and deplores the unhappy condition of “the heathen in his blindness,” including all persons of other nationalities and any of his own who may happen to differ in opinion from himself. On these collectively it is his habit to bestow his contemptuous regard when from his elevated position he condescends to thank Providence that as far as the methods and conduct of business are concerned he is “not as other men.” Of course, most people recognise that the attitude assumed by this type of person is one for which it is difficult altogether to blame him. Born as he was in an atmosphere reeking with traditions of insular supremacy, and nurtured from his youth up on notions of commercial arrogance, it is no miracle that he arrives at maturity with singularly inflated ideas of the greatness of his powers and person. If there is one thing more than another in which he feels particular pride it is the possession of a superabundant stock of what he is pleased to call “business acumen,” and to hear him, it might be imagined that no one could approach him in enterprise and general commercial ability.

This study aims to analyze the influence of sustainable value creation (composed of social, economic and environmental dimensions) on organizational performance in Colombian industrial manufacturing companies.

This study had a sample of 1,572 companies belonging to the Colombian manufacturing industrial sector. These companies were consulted by the survey of technological development and innovation in the manufacturing industry EDIT IX. For this study’s purpose, a model was developed from a variance-based structural equation modeling or partial least squares.

The results indicated that the associated mechanisms of the social, economic and environmental dimensions contribute in a significant, positive and large way to the creation of sustainable value for the companies studied. The findings show the importance of the social, economic and environmental dimensions in the creation of sustainable value and in turn, their influence on organizational performance.

The findings obtained provide industrial companies and society with resources to understand that economic development can respond to business logic different from those imposed by current neoliberal models.

This study provides an understanding of the value capture mechanisms of small- and medium-sized companies considering the environmental needs of the territory and the community where the business activities take place while generating economic profitability for the other stakeholders.

The purpose of this study is to quantify the supply chain flexibility for an Indian soap manufacturing firm and to measure its performance. The authors made an attempt to find key strategic and operational decision-making dimensions for developing effective supply chain flexibility environment.

The authors have extracted 11 supply chain flexibility dimensions through extensive literature review. The authors used a decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) to make causal analysis and prioritizing the dimensions. After DEMATEL analysis three major supply chain flexibility dimensions that seem to have significant amount of influence on supply chain performance of the firms were retained for further consideration. The authors have developed an excel-based template for quantitative assessment of flexibility performance indicators.

This study provides key enablers for the successful implementation of flexibility concepts in Indian soap manufacturing firms and gives a view how to measure the performance through designing template based on real data. This template can be used in other firms also by simply modifying the key attributes.

A flexibility index has been defined here with the purpose of assessing the level of flexibility vis-a-vis what is desired and is meant to be evaluated from time to time, to assess if the firm is improving its flexibility or not. The index assumes importance in view of the fact that it has been prepared based on feedbacks of both the upper and the lower management people of the firm engaged in policymaking and operations.

In Table IV. are given the averages of the three samples of each cow's milk given morning and evening. The average fat for the three samples of the milk of cow A is 3.92; cow B, 3.26; and cow C, 3.24, and if these were all mixed together the average fat would be 3.45 for the morning milk. The average fat of the three samples taken from the cows A, B, and C in the afternoon is—A, 5.08; B, 3.08; and C, 3.54; and the average of the three milks is 3.85. In the same table are shown the first two samples of each cow's milk mixed together both morning and evening. By referring to Tables II. and III. under cow A it will be seen that the milk fat of the first and second samples is 2.30 and 3.67, and these added together are shown on Table IV. under cow A, and similarly with cow B and cow C night and morning. It will also be seen that the milk fat in the morning milk of cow A is 3.21; cow B, 2.49; and cow C, 2.15, and if these were mixed together the average fat would be 2.61. The average fat of two samples of milk taken from cow A in the afternoon is 4.50; cow B, 2.67; cow C, 2.12, and if mixed together the average fat is 3.08. It is interesting to note that if cow B was milked for six minutes in the morning, and the milk sold, the sample would be .51 deficient in fat, and the dairyman could honestly say that the milk was sold as it came from the cow. There is also a deficiency in the fat of the milk of cow C in the morning, and cows B and C in the afternoon.

Accounting, Finance, Human Resource Management and Marketing.

BBA, MBA, MS, PHD.

Leasing or borrowing and buy decisions are very crucial in the industrial era. Every company does not possess sufficient resources to meet their investing needs. The leasing options have provided a decent way to congregate fixed assets requirements in manufacturing industry. This case mainly focuses on the dynamics of business survival.

To be able to evaluate the different financial and marketing options available with the company. Understand the relevance of the theory of diversification as applied to financial and production aspects; be able to evaluate the leasing, borrowing and buying options that are available in financing of fixed assets; understand the disclosure requirements in the financial statements according to International Accounting Standards (17); be able to evaluate marketing strategies including pricing options, product diversification, reaction to competition and innovation; and consider human resource policy decisions at times of change including cost-cutting measures.

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