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Managing supply chain risk is a crucial element in ensuring the long-term sustainability of any organization or industry. As such, identification of risks and deploying their mitigation strategies should be the focal point to sustain in the long run. The risks that are faced by food processing supply chains are gaining prominence, given more consumers requiring higher quality products while ensuring traceability. In essence, this research focuses on the supply chain risks and mitigation strategies in the spice industry of an emerging economy, Sri Lanka.

This paper integrates two popular multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) techniques, such as the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) to assess the supply chain risks and to derive their mitigation strategies for the spice industry.

Findings show that “inability to meet quality requirements” has been established as the most significant risk in the Sri Lankan spice industry. On the other hand, “vertical integration” (backward integration) has been discovered as the key mitigation strategy to ameliorate the effects of supply chain risks in this sector.

This study is exploratory, and more empirical data and statistical analyses are needed to further validate the outcomes of the study.

Despite being one of the largest trade exporters in Sri Lanka, the spice industry gets scant attention to the identification and mitigation of the risks. The authors explored the supply chain risks in the spice industry and then prioritized the suitable mitigation strategies using an integrated AHP-TOPSIS method.

The purpose of this article is to provide an insight into the spice industry.

Uses Eastern Spice & Flavorings as a case study and focuses on its international product development group.

Despite the company's origins as a family‐owned small business, it competes in the global marketplace. To compete successfully, it must localize its blends. Until the company can establish new product development (NPD) centers in its major overseas markets, regional teams from Richmond that could travel to foreign markets to aid product development would be a solution to increasing sales.

Discusses Eastern Spice & Flavorings and its new product development.

Interviewing the protagonist and collecting information from secondary resources such as company documents, company and competitor websites, industry reports and online databases like Euromonitor International.

The case explores the metamorphosis of JK Masale from a small-scale family business in India to a regional player. Over a period of six decades, JK Masale (JKM) has emerged against the backdrop of a fiercely competitive spice industry. India, being a confluence of varied regional cultures, poses a diverse consumption pattern. It varies to a great extent with respect to the specific food habits prevalent in each climatic zone of the country. While the brand had successfully captured the Eastern Market and the western market of the country, Mr. Vikash Jain, Managing Director of JK Masale, contemplated to venture in Southern India and introduce new product categories. The case delves into one of the major challenges faced by JKM over the brand architecture and labelling across product categories. Thus, the case provides an excellent opportunity for budding managers to: analyse the company’s performance in the backdrop of a dynamic competitive environment; understand the nature of strategic decision-making and its appropriateness for a small family-owned business; evaluate a brand amongst brands on the architectural framework and select appropriate brand architecture for new products; and understand applicability and risks associated with growth strategies.

The case study can be positioned in both undergraduate and postgraduate level programs for courses on marketing strategy and brand management. Primarily, this case would be ideal to discuss brand relationship and brand architecture in the given context. Instructors have an option to cover concepts like market structure, company analysis, growth strategies and emergent and deliberate strategy through the case.

The case study can be used in management for the course of Strategic Management and Entrepreneurship. It is suitable for the students at post-graduate level. Discussion would be the most appropriate method for teaching this case study. There is no prerequisite required to participate in the discussion. Participants will be able to engage in discussion regarding expansion strategies for micro-enterprises; targeting the right segment of the market; exploring the market opportunities; innovation for entrepreneurial growth; and sustaining an enterprise. After this case study, students will be able to understand the following theory and model: SWOT analysis; resource base theory; McKinsey ESG proposition; Porter’s generic strategy; Schumpeter’s innovation theory; Ansoff’s growth model; and diversification strategies.

Being a micro-enterprise with heavy financial constraints, it was never easy to sustain the business at the time of pandemic. Mrs Jyoti Pruthi (owner of Pruthi Spices) made extraordinary efforts that would help her in survival of her business. She could not recover the business as it was before the pandemic. During such times, the loss of her husband was a setback. That incident broke Mrs Pruthi emotionally as well as financially. By taking some crucial managerial decisions, Mrs Pruthi strategized for the sustainability of her business. Now it was January 2022, after two years of the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in the world. However, because of the market situation, her pressing dilemma was regarding business survival in such lean times.

The case is meant for undergraduate and post-graduate students pursuing management with specializations in Entrepreneurship and Marketing. The case is bet fit for women entrepreneurship development capacity-building programs, especially in the Asian region. The case is also suitable for any short-term training program where manifestations of entrepreneurship are being taught. It can also be used for Executive and Management development program aiming at women or disadvantaged entrepreneurship. The case can also be used for general courses like “Strategic Management” and specialized courses like “Entrepreneurship Management”.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

An update of world trade in spices is given. The issues discussed include supply, quality, irradiation, increased Western consumption, organic spices, convenience foods, spices in the food industry, and safeguarding the growers. The discussion is supported by data on India′s spice exports.

As with many other food industries, the traditional spice trading methods are breaking down under pressure of demands for increased quality and quantities of ever more spices and spice products. Traditionally, spices have come from the East, via Arabian merchants who held the secrets of crossing the vast deserts separating Asia from Europe. Today, spices have been successfully introduced into countries to which they are not indigenous. If the traditional ways are to be replaced with methods which can meet the needs of the future, co‐operation is necessary between not only traders but also researchers, legislators and nations.

Considers the application of structured process improvement for construction environments (SPICE) as a process improvement technique and its extension into the context of facilities management (FM). SPICE is a research project that developed a step‐wise process improvement framework for the construction environment, utilising experience from the software industry, and in particular the capability maturity model (CMM), which has resulted in significant productivity improvements. Introduces the SPICE concept, a conceptual framework assessing the construction process capability. Commences by reviewing processes and their FM applicability and work on process improvement assessment in construction environments using the SPICE framework. Then discusses generalised principles of SPICE for process assessment. Considers its application and extension into the context of FM. Examines the specific example of FM process improvement and finally its implications. Furthermore, examines the relevance and accuracy of the framework, as well as its value to the FM organisation.

After completion of this case study, students will be able to apply the triple bottom line concept to a spice manufacturing and export company (RBT 3); to examine the options before Value Ingredients Private Limited (VIPL), namely, to cultivate spices in the traditional way versus adopting integrated pest management (IPM) to cater to international markets (RBT 4); to analyse the returns for an IPM farmer vis-à-vis a conventional farmer, and to compare the returns therein (RBT 4); and to evaluate the ways and means of engaging farmers to change their way of cultivation (RBT 5)

The COVID-19 pandemic heightened awareness about the benefits of spices and buoyed its demand worldwide, which presented an opportunity to VIPL, a spice manufacturing company based in Chennai, to expand its business. However, the export markets demanded residue-free spices grown with little or no use of pesticides. Traditional farmers supplying spices to VIPL were accustomed to spraying pesticides whenever there was a pest attack. This case study discussed the options that the protagonist Mr Sijil Karim, managing director and CEO of VIPL, had, who wanted to onboard farmers for pesticide-free cultivation. The options before him were either to continue traditional farming or adopt IPM. This case study discussed the merits, demerits and challenges of each of these options.

The triple bottom line concept discussed three Ps – people, planet and prosperity – for this case as follows: The farmers and the consumers constituted the people in the spice supply chain. The farmers supplying organic, export-worthy spices under the guidance of VIPL gained 30% more than regular spice farmers, which were accrued through cost savings and better prices. The consumers benefitted from the pesticide-free, organic spices through accrued health gains. The manufacture of organic, pesticide-free spices helped the planet, as the process did not release hazardous chemicals into the atmosphere. VIPL manufactured pesticide-free spice with a focus on prosperity.

The case study can be introduced in a course on sustainability while discussing the triple bottom line concept. This case study showed how a for-profit company grew without losing sight of the planet or its focus on people. This case is best suited for students who have preliminary knowledge of supply chain management, operations and sustainability. Therefore, it is suited for sophomore-year students of MBA.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 11: Strategy.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the co-existence of multiple logics, resulting complexities and their implications on control practices within a traditional industry (southern cinnamon) in Sri Lanka.

The paper is premised upon the qualitative methodology and case study approach, while the theoretical backing is provided by the institutional logics perspective.

The findings reveal that controls are exercised in the southern cinnamon industry to manage competing facets stemming from the co-existence of multiple logics, such as family logic, commercial logic and state logic. Amid the recurring complexity caused by competing logics, the industry remains in a state of control through mediators, such as the exporter trade union (the Spice Council), which although predominantly guided by commercial logic, acts in easing-off tensions between competing logics, while serving the interest of multiple actors. Controls in southern cinnamon nevertheless take a peculiar form, giving way to the continuation of traditional rudimentary practices, which essentially represent the interests of ground level actors.

Moving beyond corporate settings, which are the typical focus of mainstream studies, this paper adds to the existing body of knowledge on control practices in traditional industries, where informal and localized controls prevail. Theoretically, it expands the use of the institutional logics perspective, recognizing multiple logics, tensions and complexities in management control research. In doing so, the authors probe into informal control mechanisms in traditional industries to understand the controls and complexities in practice. Practically, the paper portrays beliefs, issues and incidents in the field (of the southern cinnamon industry in Sri Lanka), which explains why the field operates as it does, thereby offering insights to actors in the field, ranging from practitioners to policymakers.

The purpose of this paper is to provide an early assessment of India’s South-South cooperation for trade and technology (SSTT) with East Africa, focusing on Ethiopia, Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. It aims to analyse the role of SSTT in providing support to targeted sectors.

The paper examines SSTT, focusing on India and East Africa over a specific period (2000–2016) of its emergence, and extends the public sponsorship literature in international business (IB) to better understand the relationship between SSTT and value addition – applying to a particular case study of SSTT interventions in spices.

The paper highlights SSTT as a pathway to support value addition in global value chains (GVCs). Trade between India and East African countries has grown, with three developments over the period of analysis in particular: shifting trade patterns, growing share of intermediate goods trade and differences in GVC insertion. However, East African exports are largely of lower value. Capacity building to support processing capability and thriving markets can encourage greater value addition. Preliminary findings suggest early gains at the margins, as SSTT interventions have been focusing on capacity boosting with buffering and bridging mechanisms for increased volume of trade. Moving up the value chain however requires that specific value-enhancing activities continue to be targeted, building on regional capacities. Our high-level case study for spices suggests that activities are starting to have a positive effect; however, more focus is needed to specifically target value creation before export and in particular higher levels of processing.

While findings are preliminary, policy implications emerge to guide SSTT interventions. There is capacity for building higher value-added supply chains as is evident among East African countries that trade with each other – future SSTT programmes could tap into this and help build capacity in these higher-value value chains. Future SSTT programmes can take a comprehensive approach by aiming at interventions at key points of the value chain, and especially at points that facilitate higher value addition than initial processing. An example is that Ethiopia and Rwanda are likely to benefit from an expanded spice industry, but the next phase should be towards building processing for value-addition components of the value chain, such as through trade policies, incentivising exporters to add value to items before export. From a development perspective, more analysis needs to be done on the value chain itself – for instance, trade facilitation measures to help processers engage in value chains and to access investments for increasing value add activities. (iv), Future research should examine more closely the development impacts of SSTT, namely, the connection between increased trade, local job creation and sustained innovation, as it is these tangible benefits that will help countries in the Global South realise the benefits of increased trade.

The paper underlines how the SSTT approach can contribute to the critical IB and GVCs literature using a theoretical grounded approach from public sponsorship theory, and with a unique lens of development cooperation between countries in the global south and its emerging impact on development outcomes in these countries.