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At the end of the case discussion, students should be able to:▪ analyse and discuss networks as a form of social capital;▪ identify and discuss alternative growth strategies for an small, medium, micro enterprise (SMME) in the context of prevailing challenges;▪ use the six domains of the entrepreneurship ecosystem to identify and discuss factors that enhance and challenge a business with particular reference to an SMME; and▪ analyse and understand the key dimensions of entrepreneurial behaviour using the case protagonist as an example.

Nhlanhla Dlamini, the managing director of Maneli Pets based in Johannesburg, South Africa had opened an office in Cincinnati in the USA in July 2019 to take over the distribution and marketing of the company’s high-quality protein pet treats. Just over eight months later, the COVID-19 pandemic exploded across the world resulting in unprecedented disruption to people’s lives, world trade and the global economy.Now, in June 2022, Dlamini contemplated the successes and challenges he had experienced since starting Maneli Pets in 2016, not least of which was parting company with US-based Novel Dog LLC, which had previously marketed and distributed the pet treats. He had built an internationally accredited factory from scratch, produced pet products and a brand that was appealing to the competitive international market, and exported to 12 countries around the world. However, Dlamini had also faced the retrenchment of a large number of staff, the breakdown of the relationship with Novel Dog, the difficulties of setting up a distribution business in the USA along with overseeing the South African factory, and in September 2019, his co-founder, Sipha Ndawonde, had left Maneli Pets.Maneli Pets had served Dlamini’s philanthropic purpose of creating jobs and contributing to the growth of the South African economy. Despite the setback of parting ways with Novel Dog, he hoped to continue to create jobs and return to and exceed the staff numbers he had achieved by 2018, regardless of the hard work involved.In his dual position of managing director of Maneli Pets, based in Johannesburg, and sales director of the distribution and marketing arm, Nandi Pets Inc. in Cincinnati, Dlamini had a global view of the companies’ financials that he realised had been missing initially. Would the new structure of Maneli Pets he had created in 2019 in a pre-pandemic world see the company profitable by the end of 2022? What else could he do to take the company to the next level?

MBA, Masters in Management, Postgraduate Diploma in Business, Executive Education short courses.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

The case projects how a women-led social enterprise provides livelihoods through a digitally operated unique micro-entrepreneurship model for the rural artisans of the Indian handicrafts industry, thus bringing about social change through economic empowerment of the community.

To understand how women entrepreneurship is contributing towards livelihood generation and rural artisan empowerment in India. To understand the make-up of a for-profit social enterprise in the Indian Handicrafts Industry, its challenges and solutions through innovative business. To present the mindset and journey of a woman social entrepreneur. To present and understand the growth and scaling up of such unique social ventures. To understand a unique form of the micro entrepreneurship model being built through digital platforms.

The objective of writing this case is to bring out a case of women entrepreneurship in the craft-based industry in India. This case seeks to emphasise on the following learning themes in the area of entrepreneurship: Women entrepreneurship: trials and tribulations. Micro entrepreneurship/rural artisan empowerment. Livelihood generation and upliftment of the rural artisans and revival of dying art and crafts in the Indian craft-based industry. The novel ecommerce and data analytics experience being skilfully incorporated by small enterprises to their vantage and making both the seller’s as well as the buyer’s experience unique. The case highlights how the unique business models of social entrepreneurship through the use of technology bring the digital experience to rural India. Social entrepreneurship. The case narrates the story of a budding social entrepreneur Megha Das who is a textile designer by profession and showcases her journey towards the creation of unique digital platforms which transf

The case has been targeted to be taught in Masters level course in business management/administration, entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship, development studies, gender studies, design, etc. Its watered-down version can also be taught in under graduate programs in commerce, business management, business administration, fashion and textile designing, entrepreneurship, development studies, gender studies, etc.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CCS 3: Entrepreneurship.

The learning outcome of this study is to bring to the table of a wider intellectual audience, a unique model of community-based entrepreneurship, which is working wonders with its unique selling points (USPs) in promoting sustainability and conserving the ethos of villages and, at the same time, generating livelihoods through traditional farming techniques adopted by the rural population residing in the Himalayan region of India.The proposed case study can be used as a replicable model in other parts of rural India and other emerging economies to start and scale up a similar “integrated rural development model” through effective policy advocacy and public–private partnerships and to develop sustainable farmlands and livelihoods for rural India. It has a definite potential to be used as a pedagogical tool in postgraduate programmes offering courses in microfinance, financial inclusion, social and community entrepreneurship, sustainability, entrepreneurship, community development finance and rural immersions and public policy.

This case study is set in the backdrop of 2023 having been declared by the UN as the International Year of Millets and India being the homeland for millet cultivation. The objective of the case study is to bring to the table of a wider intellectual audience, a unique model of community-based entrepreneurship operating in the Himalayan region of rural India. The community-based entrepreneurship model works on the USP of promoting sustainability and conserving the ethos of villages and generating livelihoods through traditional farming techniques. This case study traces the journey of Roopesh Rai (protagonist and the founder of Bakrichhap), the community-based entrepreneur and his challenges in setting up the enterprise. The narrative is built in the light of a series of interviews with Rai, the main protagonist and the founder of Bakrichhap, as well as the people of Goat village by Komal, a post-doctoral fellow in the area of community-based enterprises (CBEs). Through this narrative, the case writers’ endeavour was to understand how CBEs such as Bakrichhap were providing a means of integrated rural development in the hilly region of Uttarakhand, India. Also, how such enterprises were thereby curbing distress migration, unemployment and a large-scale erosion of the cultural heritage and traditional and indigenous farming techniques of the land. In the first seven years of the operations of this uniquely curated CBE, Rai endeavoured to iron out many bottlenecks. This case study also highlights the gamut of challenges faced by community-based entrepreneurs like Rai in designing strategy for growth and expansion. What strategy should Bakrichhap follow for expansion to the other regions of the country? Should all the three existing verticals of the enterprise be scaled up parallelly or should each individual vertical be expanded one after the other in a phased manner? Stemming out from the main dilemma of strategic expansion were the related issues of funding (finance) and the formation of an effective team (HR).

This case study can be used in undergraduate, graduate and executive programmes offering courses in microfinance, financial inclusion, social and community entrepreneurship, sustainability, entrepreneurship, community development finance and rural immersions and public policy.

This comprehensive case study is written by using the triangulation of data collected through a series of personal interviews, website information, news articles, personal observation and field visits. The research design used is single case (holistic; Yin, 2003, 3rd edition). The timeline of this case study is 2021 to 2022 and place is Nag Tibba, Uttarakhand, a Himalayan state in North India.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

Strategic stakeholder engagement, entrepreneurialism, ecosystem, corporate social responsibility, event management, branding, marketing strategy.

Post-graduate level, practitioners interested in MENSA Region, entrepreneurship policy makers and NGOs.

Abraaj Capital Ltd (Abraaj), a highly reputed private equity investment and management company, strongly believed in corporate social responsibility, strategic stakeholder engagement and entrepreneurship ecosystem development. In November, 2010, Abraaj held the “Celebration of Entrepreneurship” (CoE) a two-day free entrepreneur event, in Dubai. CoE was attended by more than 2,400 participants. The purpose of CoE was to contribute to building an entrepreneurship ecosystem in the Middle East North Africa South Asia region (MENASA). Based on participant feedback, CoE Outcomes and stakeholder feedback, the event was very successful.

This case is a good example of community engagement and showcases entrepreneurship ecosystem development. This case also highlights the challenges of putting together a signature event in a very short time frame. The future management dilemmas are also raised on various issues like whether to make this successful event a regular part of their organizational activities, and issues concerning the funding of such events. This case can be used to teach event management, branding, marketing strategy, CSR and entrepreneurship (from the ecosystem point of view). It will appeal to both educationalists and practitioners interested in the MENASA region, policy makers who facilitate entrepreneurship, CSR managers, event management companies and marketing specialist. It can be used to teach both undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

Strategy students can focus on marketing and branding strategies; like stakeholder engagement, internal marketing, social media, positioning and brand architecture. Student of event management can learn about prioritizing, adaptability, funding and the complexity of layering a program.

Teaching notes, videos.

After completion of the case study, students will be able to identify and discuss ways in which informal financing of the kind discussed in the case study can provide new or different opportunities for access to alternative financing schemes; assess the role of“social capital” in micro and small business development and to understand and apply the role of social capital for female entrepreneurs in the Global South; critically analyse and reflect on the new role of digital technologies in challenging traditional patriarchal social norms and exclusion and ultimately be able to evaluate the role of digital technologies in terms of its practical implications for female entrepreneurs; and understand the role played by socio-cultural and historical contexts in female-owned/managed businesses within informal sectors of the economy. Furthermore, the students should be able to discuss how these contexts provide opportunities or challenges for actionable/robust/relevant business plans for female entrepreneurs.

This case study aims to create a platform for classroom conversations around: context of entrepreneurship in informal economies, challenges of accessing finance, women entrepreneurship, opportunities of digital entrepreneurship and resource acquisition and social capital. Overall, this case study intends to inspire and cultivate additional voices to advance authentic understanding of informal business practices in the financial sector that go beyond traditional formal western settings. This case study is based on a true story relating to the “sou-sou” financing system – an informal financing scheme – originating from West Africa which has been transported to other parts of the world including Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) and other parts of Africa. The characters involve Maria, the main protagonist; Eunice, from LAC; and Fidelia from West Africa. With first-hand information from Eunice and Fidelia, Maria learnt about the ideological principles and the offerings of flexibility, trust, mutual benefits and kinship of the sou-sou system and was inspired to integrate digital technologies as a sustainable game changer for accessing microfinance. This case study draws on the contextual understanding of the economy in the Global South as well as the gender-based aspects of entrepreneurship as key aspects of women entrepreneurship and digital entrepreneurship. The sou-sou system is presented as a practical solution to the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs in the Global South to access finances, and the integration of digital technologies is considered instrumental not only in reinforcing the traditional system but also in transforming the entrepreneurial prospects for these women.

This teaching activity is aimed at postgraduate students in Master of Management and Master of Business Administration programmes. It can also be used for short executive courses, specialised PhD seminars and advanced bachelor programmes. This case study could be taught in the field of entrepreneurship in areas related to technology, gender, women entrepreneurship and financing in the context of the Global South.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

Entrepreneurship, Strategic management, Management information systems.

Undergraduate and graduate capstone course in entrepreneurship, strategic management or management information systems courses.

This case study of a young technology firm, Codezin Technology Solutions, helps to analyze the challenges faced by such firms in emerging markets. Such markets are characterized by rapid turbulence in the market characteristics. The authors seek to analyze the role of disruptive regulatory changes, resulting in the growth of new startups, in affecting the growth and expansion of such young firms. Codezin was established in 2009 as a bootstrap company, to provide low-cost IT services to Indian small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs). Despite some initial success, it began to run into losses due to poor coordination and improper planning. After a period of struggle, the company stabilized its revenue from services business and expanded to mobile solutions, digital marketing, etc. But then the government of India announced the Startup India initiative at the beginning of 2016 to boost new ventures. Codezin did not qualify as per the government rules and thus failed to use the various incentives offered. Hence, it needs to determine a new strategy to compete with the onslaught of freshly funded startups but with a relative lack of market experience.

With the case discussion, the students will gain rich insights on technology businesses aimed at SMEs and the impact of changes in the regulatory regime in emerging markets like India. Further, they get to step into the shoes of the co-founders and choose between diversification vs new market development strategies, spurred by market disturbances and thinning competitive advantage.

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.

In 2006, four successful entrepreneurs decided to establish a world-class mega university. Initially, the project progressed slowly until Vineet Gupta was able to locate a small plot of land in Sonipat, Haryana. Forty-eight hours before the payment deadline, Ashish Dhawan and Sanjeev Bikchandani agreed to invest in their personal capital to kick start the project. They however suggested a pivot in favour of a smaller private liberal arts college. Meanwhile, Pramath Sinha, with prior experience in establishing the Indian School of Business launched a pilot through the Young India Fellowship (YIF). Dhawan and Bikchandani, through their extensive entrepreneurial networks, raised scholarships for the first two batches of the fellowship in the hope of attracting other donors to the board and getting a buy-in for Ashoka University. The team faced a number of challenges: managing the new model of collective philanthropy, recruiting faculty and finding jobs for the first undergraduate batch. At Ashoka University's first graduation ceremony in 2017 they wondered whether this model could revolutionise the higher education space like the IITs and IIMs had done for the country.

Entrepreneurship, entrepreneurialism, marketing strategy, strategic stakeholder engagement.

Entrepreneurship policy makers, post-graduate level, practitioners interested in MENA region.

Yogen Früz is a leading frozen-yogurt franchising network started in 1986 in Ontario, Canada, as a small business adventure. It then grew to be the largest frozen-yogurt company in the world after acquiring many of its smaller competitors locally and internationally. In 2002, new key players entered the market and set new benchmarks in the frozen-yogurt industry, which led to Yogen Früz losing its dominance and closing many shops. This case study is written to show how Yogen Früz, the world's largest frozen-yogurt chain, was outperformed by new, small-sized rivals in the industry. This case explains the successful strategic move made by Yogen Früz to adopt a rebranding strategy and reintroduce itself with a totally new brand image. Yogen Früz specializes in frozen yogurt and now has more than 100 flavors and 1,300 outlets around the world.

This case study will expose students to a strategically successful example of expansion and critical thinking beyond the daily operation of a business. The students will be able to apply business process models, SWOT analysis.

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

The case is an example of the dilemma and constraints an entrepreneur faces as they go forward in implementing ideas while setting up an enterprise. Through the eyes of John, the case helps the participants to understand and analyse two distinct business models, the bricks and clicks model and an online aggregator model and evaluate them using a visual business tool like the business model canvas (BMC). Thus, the case helps the participants to:▪ Analyse the customer segments and demand.▪ Apply frameworks for analysing a new venture’s prospects.▪ Understand two distinct business models and learn how to sketch a business model using the BMC.▪ Compare various business model designs using the BMC template.

Set against the backdrop of high consumerism and haute couture, conventroad.com is an example of fashion aggregation and curation in the online platform. Once known as the fashion hub of Kerala with its crowded streets, cramped with boutiques on each corner, Convent Road lost its following as big and major stores left the miniscule space for better facilities in the name of development. This case follows Rijin John, founder and developer, through the course of his idea conceptualisation. In an attempt to regain its popularity through the internet, John set out to rope all the popular Convent Road boutiques into one platform. But, as more options became available, John was in a dilemma about whether he should continue to try to convince the indifferent boutique owners to be a part of his enterprise or explore an alternative model and create a platform for weavers while sacrificing the brand value of Convent Road.

The case is designed for use in an undergraduate or graduate-level course on entrepreneurship, marketing, business policy and managing growing ventures.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

Organizational diagnosis. The case addresses the issue of an outsider at a senior position in a family-run business.

MBA.

NCR-Delhi is a multi-specialty hospital in Delhi and is essentially a family-run business. Though it had done well in the early years since its inception, it had been plagued by many problems and had undergone many changes in management and processes. An outsider joined it as the Facility Director (FD) two years ago. In these two years, he introduced multi-directional changes. However, he has not been able to achieve a complete turnaround of the hospital. The major issues facing him are financial, operational and personnel-related issues. The hospital is currently in a major financial crisis, which has been causing delays in disbursement of salaries and creating resource crunches in daily operations. Most of the patients are government empanelled patients, and collection of payments from such patients usually takes at least three months. Employee attrition and customer satisfaction are also continuing challenges. Other issues include lack of proper support and interference from top management. The FD has been showing considerable prowess and capability in leading the organization, but has not been able to achieve the desired results owing to the above factors.

To understand the frameworks and process of organizational diagnosis; to understand the influence of change initiatives on organizational culture; and to understand the complexity of family business and what happens when an outsider leader joins family business.

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CSS 6: Human Resource Management.