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After studying the case, the students will be able to: 1. understand the business and existing HR practices at Precision Engineering; 2. evaluate the factors affecting business that may require the company to formalise its HR practices; 3. create recruitment and selection-related solutions for HR 2.0 using appropriate models and theory to aid the company meet its business goals; 4. create training needs identification and evaluation practices for HR 2.0 using appropriate models and theory to aid the company meet its business goals; and 5. create performance planning and review-related solutions for HR 2.0 using appropriate models and theory to aid the company meet its business goals. The case helps students objectively assess HR practices related to three core verticals – recruitment and selection; training; and performance management systems. It also enables them to reassess these practices with the help of specific metrics and models.

Precision Engineering was a manufacturer of machined metal components in the Indian automotive components industry. It had been a family-run business since its inception in 1995. Precision was awarded the prestigious Automotive Component Manufacturers of India award in 2020 for excellence in HR. Ms Sakshi Kapoor, General Manager of Innovation, was ecstatic at the receipt of this award. She, however, was thoughtful about the informal human resource (HR) practices at the company. The top management had announced an aggressive growth plan and advised Ms Kapoor to leverage HR practices to facilitate these plans. Recruitment and selection, employee training and performance management systems needed to be formalised on a priority basis to strategically aid the future business agenda at Precision. Ms Kapoor faced the challenge of preparing the roadmap of HR 2.0 while preserving the employee-centric beliefs at Precision. The case initiates a discussion to achieve this goal by adopting suitable HR metrics and models.

It should be taught in the core course on Human Resource Management for first-year Masters in Business Administration (MBA) students. Alternatively, it could be used in elective courses such as Strategic Human Resource Management, Training and Development and Performance Management Systems for second-year MBA students.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 6: Human Resource Management.

The case focuses on truck high idle time, truck detention, and enroute challenges faced by Nagpur Golden Transport Company, a trucking company with a fleet size of 150 trucks. Being in a highly competitive market, every single order not fulfilled by the transporter is an opportunity lost. How should NGTC use GPS data, MIS, and other freight transport technological capabilities in reducing truck idling times, and increasing trip revenues?

The students should go through the concepts of motivation, leadership, organisational communication, organisational culture, organisational conflict, power and politics and organisational change and development from their course on organisational behaviour.

In Business Communication, the students could review effective communication skills, the process of communication and barriers to communication to prescribe suitable recommendations for the organisation.

In Financial Accounting, the reader should revise the income statement and balance sheet. They can undertake financial analysis on the data presented in the case to analyse the performance of the organisation. The participants may be asked to identify future possible financial risks that may arise.

The Dattopant Thengadi National Board for Workers Education and Development (DTNBWED) was an autonomous body under the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India. It had been responsible for creating a disciplined and skill-oriented workforce for the organised, unorganised and rural sectors in India. In the past, DTNBWED undertook training programmes to educate and improve the quality of life of workers. However, the objectives were far from being fulfilled because of challenges such as an acute shortage of education officers, a slow recruitment process, communication issues between the ministry and the DTNBWED and a large part of the budget being spent on salaries. The main challenges faced by DTNBWED were the implementation of the 7th Pay Commission and the higher contribution of the Government under a new pension scheme. The DTNBWED faced audit issues, including the absence of an inventory register, non-compliance with accounting rules and statutory norms and inadequate internal audit. The DTNBWED could not shift its headquarters from Nagpur to Delhi because of office politics and differences between the staff and the ministry. The organisation needed a complete reorganisation using principles of change management and agile management. It was recommended that departmental promotion committees review promotions immediately; recruitment of education officers should be done along with post-revival with the Ministry of Finance; rental of offices should be from Government departments only; and the administrative manual and recruitment rules should be revised. These measures would help to overcome the challenges faced by DTNBWED, such as low expenditure on training, poor communication between the ministry and headquarters, vacant top-level posts and low motivation levels among existing officers.

The case is appropriate for MBA students, executive MBAs, and those working in government organisations.

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/TCJ-04-2021-0056/

In this case we describe the gradual transformation of India's largest private sector steel manufacturer Tata Steel that enabled it to win the coveted Deming Prize for quality. The case discusses how the company is able to maintain a relentless focus on meeting the customers' needs, sustain a culture for excellence in quality, build processes that empower the workers in taking decisions related to their area of work freely, instill leadership skills at all levels, and embed continuous improvement as part of their organizational culture.

Anika, a new manager, is confronted by a dysfunctional organizational culture characterized by employee disrespect, insubordination, and low performance. Her charge is to “to turn the place around”. The case takes place in a service organization, a testing range run by the US Department of Defense. The staff is a combination of federal and contract employees who test clients’ high-tech systems in a sometimes dangerous, desert environment.

In addition, there are three vignettes that give a portrait of dysfunctional individual behaviors. Frequently, the response students want to make is “I'd just fire the guy.” Unfortunately, it is not so simple.

We have used data mostly from published sources like The Economic Times, Forbes, The Times of India and the annual reports of Nestlé India Ltd. Because we classify it as a Teaching Case Study as per the guidelines of Emerald Publishing, we have ensured that any data presented in the case has been acquired only from published sources and is not internal company data. Citations have also been provided wherever necessary.

On 6 June 2015, Nestlé India’s top product Maggi instant noodles was banned nationwide for an unspecified period. The ban was imposed due to allegations of Maggi containing high amounts of lead and message, and consequently violating the food safety standards. What followed was the destruction of massive stocks of Maggi which had been taken off from shelves of stores countrywide. Furthermore, the company faced a huge blow financially as its sales plummeted. This case delves into how Nestlé India adopted relevant strategies to successfully avert the Maggi crisis. Some remedial measures included appointing a Managing Director who understood the market, improving the communication channel and boosting the churn out of new products along with greater emphasis on marketing and advertising.

This case is aimed mainly at undergraduate level students in the field of management studies and public relations management. This case is also relevant for students pursuing a specialization in Crisis Communication, Public Relations, Marketing and Organizational Change.

Ethical Entrepreneurship; Internationalization of small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

Bachelor and Master courses in International Management and Entrepreneurship.

A German medical scientist developed a product which was able to absorb alcohol in blood and consequently reduced the alcohol-level. He tested it with the participation of 170 volunteers at a private party. The product was consumed after alcohol consumption and the result was an alcohol reduction by 20-70 per cent. In addition, the volunteers had either no or only small symptoms of a hangover. The students shall discuss the different business models the medical scientist could implement by taking into account ethical issues. To give them necessary working data, the case includes European environmental data (including information about the European food industry and the functional drink market), an insight into the European legal issues of starting a business in the food segment (including definitions of “food”, “food supplement” and “health claim regulation” and how these factors impact entrepreneurial decisions), current events in the European food branch and examples of possible competitors. The case is built on a real product development and on current information and facts.

To become involved with entrepreneurial thinking and entrepreneurial decision-making. To debate ethical issues in the entrepreneurial process. To become aware of the complexity of internationalization in the field of SME as well as to reflect upon and sketch appropriate strategies.

Teaching note.

The learning outcomes are as follows. First, female managers can face gender inequity in different forms, such as the glass ceiling and glass cliff, while they run for leadership positions, especially in male-dominated business contexts. Second, managers can show high performance and be effective leaders as long as they are aware of that all managers are evaluated according to a wide variety of criteria, and play many different managerial roles, such as interpersonal, informational and decisional roles. Finally, managers should pay attention to all stakeholders’ demands in decision-making process for sustainability and performing better in the long run.

Since football began gaining popularity in Turkey at the dawn of the 20th century, the sport remains the most popular national sport today. However, recently, a new name has shaken the world of Turkish football: Berna Gozbasi, the first female football manager in Turkish history. In the middle of 2019–2020 football season, Gozbasi became the first female club president after she assumed leadership of Kayserispor. Kayserispor was officially founded as a Turkish professional football club in 1966, and, as its name suggests, was based in Kayseri, a sizeable industrialised city located in Central Anatolia. The team competes in the “Turkish Super League”, Turkey’s top football competition. In this case, to discuss gender inequity, leadership, and management in the sport context, the authors explained the dilemma Gozbasi faced while she decided whether or not to accept this challenging role. Then, the authors examined the experiences she gained as a leader and the dilemma she faced to diminish the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the organisation she led.

Undergraduate and MBA students.

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CSS 6: Human Resource Management.

This case is most suited for the course on Strategic Management.

The case can be used for post graduate management students and executive education participants. It should be used in the section dealing with capabilities of an organization.

Sonalika Group, situated in Punjab, India, started its operations in 1969 by manufacturing agricultural implements and equipment’s. By 1990, the firm graduated into manufacturing tractors. It gradually expanded its wings in countries like Nigeria, Argentina and Brazil and became the third largest tractor manufacturer of India in FY 2012. The year 2005 was a landmark year when it entered the passenger vehicle segment through its subsidiary International Cars and Motors Limited that launched a multi-utility vehicle (MUV) named Rhino. The vehicle was expected to fill up the vacant spot created by the withdrawal of “Qualis”, which was a highly popular MUV manufactured by Toyota. However, the enthusiasm of launching Rhino waned with time because its sales did not pick up as expected. After selling around 5,000 units of Rhino, the company stopped its production as the product had started showing up teething problems. The marketers and designers burnt midnight oil to bring out an improved version of Rhino. This version was christened “Extreme” and launched in 2012. Despite all marketing, sales and service efforts, “Extreme” also failed to take off. The group is wondering when it was so successful in tractors why it has not been successful in passenger vehicle category. It has to work out a strategy to be successful in passenger vehicle segment as well.

Expected learning outcomes are as follows: to analyse the external and internal environment for a business and understand its impact on business decision-making; to understand the relationship between operational capabilities and dynamic capabilities; to identify opportunities and match it with internal capabilities; to analyse the reasons for product failure and identify remedial measures; to understand the process of technology diffusion and thereby strategic planning.

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CSS 11: Strategy

Human Resource Management

Postgraduate business students

The learning objectives to be drawn from the case are as follows: To discuss the challenges of a leader within a resource-constrained environment. Students are required to highlight aspects of transformational leadership and assess the leader against those criteria. To highlight the connection between employee mindset, actions, and organisational performance. Students need to identify the key issues underlying the personnel challenges facing the leader. To explore the influence of leadership on employee engagement. Students should identify the actions taken by the leader to engage employees and analyse the intention behind them, as well as the actual outcomes. To discuss the potential solutions that the leader may institute to achieve the overall transformational objective for the organisation.

This case puts students in the shoes of Siya Zwane, the newly appointed principal of Green Acres Primary School in the South Africa’s Eastern Cape. Having recently completed her PhD in education after 10 years of teaching, Zwane is well versed in the best practices for organisational development and eager to apply them in a public school setting. Her leadership is particularly relevant in the context of a struggling school system that faces, among other issues, an economically disadvantaged population, overcrowding in classrooms, poor infrastructure, and a general lack of resources, including qualified staff. As a newcomer to this school system, Zwane learns quickly how these systemic issues manifest in her teaching team and realises that her first priority must be to empower her staff and enhance employee engagement.

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CSS 1: Accounting and Finance