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Tourism and hospitality.

This case has been developed to suit the pedagogical needs of undergraduate and post-graduate students of management in the area of strategic marketing management in the service industry.

The case describes the challenge faced by Gautam Raj, Executive Vice President, Strategic Development, The Oberoi Group, in making submissions to the Chairman, P.R.S. Oberoi for giving shape to the company's future strategic plans and developing the blueprint for further growth. The Oberoi Group is a leading India-based hospitality company, which was looking at selective expansion in the five-star deluxe segments by seeking new opportunities for its luxury leisure business in order to achieve a greater geographic spread. The case gives detailed information related to “The Oberoi” resorts ranging from their genesis to their branding and marketing strategies to put into perspective the challenge faced by the protagonist in making appropriate recommendations regarding the optimal choice of location for new-luxury leisure resorts.

The case is designed to give students an opportunity to demonstrate understanding of generic strategies for sustaining competitive advantage and market selection strategies and to analyse prospective location choices for making recommendations regarding appropriate markets to enter.

Teaching note.

Strategic management is the focus area in this case study, so it is important to consider different sources of information to make strategic decisions. Considering the different options of Wine Cooperative of Vidigueira Cuba & Alvito (ACVCA), it is necessary to know the strengths and weaknesses of each option and identify respective opportunities and threats. Additionally, it is important to know the case study object (such as operating specific characteristics, products and management model); the competition; the evolution of the wine sector in Portugal and worldwide; the evolution of the tourism sector in Portugal and worldwide; and new trends in wine and tourism.

In January 2018, Mr Jose, leader of the Board of Directors (BD) of the ACVCA, one of Portugal’s oldest wine cooperatives, located in the south of the country, in the Alentejo region, is preparing the first meeting with the newly elected BD. Addressing the strategy and sustainability for the next term of the BD is mandatory! Mr Jose will have to open the game and lift the veil. Should all their eggs be put in one basket? Or could diversification be the way? Sustainability, in its three pillars (economic, environmental and social), is mandatory, never forgetting that the cooperators want respective income guaranteed. “We can’t risk everything”, thinks Mr Jose! But ACVCA’s affirmation undoubtedly depends on its ability to take risks, to innovate and seek new answers for new audiences! The BD will have to make decisions that lead not only to the affirmation of the brand but also to its renown and to the ACVCA’s sustainable growth. There are several possible options. However, it is necessary to define a path that guarantees the stability achieved, but that allows new markets to be reached and new challenges embraced: increase production capacity, invest in internationalisation, focus on segmentation through innovation, diversification of product or diversification of business area. Wine tourism is a possible way, but how can it be done sustainably and differently? We will have to use creativity and take advantage of our strengths, traditions and customs, intangible and tangible capital and our material and immaterial heritage. It can be done through Amphora wine, produced from its exclusive centuries-old grape varieties. These issues will have to be discussed with all the BD members in the next meeting. Considering the crucial role of cooperatives in the development of the regions where they are located, the success of the strategy is extremely important not only for ACVCA, but also for all its stakeholders. Strategic management decisions in a cooperative always have a double objective: on the one hand, to satisfy the interests of the cooperators and, at the same time, to meet the interests of the market and assert its positioning in an increasingly competitive sector.

This case study is intended for:▪ undergraduate students in management, agricultural economy and tourism;▪ executive management course students;▪ Master’s students in strategy, marketing, tourism and agricultural economy; and▪ PhD students in social economy and tourism.This case can have different levels of difficulty depending on the scientific area of the students and whether the cycle of studies is more or less advanced. Resolution of the case may require the following pre-requisites:▪ basic-level knowledge on statistics;▪ medium-level knowledge on managerial accounting, economics and finance; and▪ good level of knowledge on strategic management and on cooperativism theories.

The students should be able to understand the potential and competitive advantage of community-based business model. The students should be able to familiarise themselves with the concept of entrepreneurship through acquisitions. The students should be able to decide when a firm should use acquisition as a key driver coupled with fewer efforts on organic growth or vice-versa. The student should be able to evaluate the success or failure acquisition as a growth strategy. The student should be able to evaluate the key metrics and other variables in the acquisition of target companies. The students should be able to wear the shoes of the protagonist and resolve the dilemma.

The teaching case looks at the dilemma of Sairee Chahal. Chahal is the founder of SHEROES, an online community for women. SHEROES started as an online career ecosystem for women. As time progressed Chahal witnessed conversations beyond career and moved towards women-centric themes. Chahal decided to pivot it into an online community for women. Her growth strategy for SHEROES has primarily been driven by serial acquisitions coupled with dispersed efforts on organic growth. In the meanwhile, Chahal had harboured an ambition to bring 100 million users to SHEROES by the year 2024. In a period spanning from 2016–2020, SHEROES acquired six niche women-centric companies. SHEROES grew to be a community of 1 million users to 20+million women users by 2020. On the other hand, the industry leader, Mogul used a diametrical approach to grow the platform into 30+million users by 2020. It had primarily used organic growth strategies such as content development, designing courses, referrals and many more. However, Chahal found herself in a dilemma when a reporter posed a question to Chahal. Chahal’s growth strategy depended on acquisitions, coupled with less effort in organic growth. Conversely, Mogul grew primarily via organic growth strategies. The reporter’s question forced her to question and revisit her growth strategies. She wondered if a target of 100 million users could be achieved with the acquisition as a major driver and less effort invested in organic growth or whether it might be better to make organic growth the key growth strategy while pushing acquisitions to the back seat. The uniqueness of the case lies in the female protagonist who is trying to build a larger-than-life community primarily via acquisitions with little effort on organic growth. Such a phenomenon has rarely been explored in teaching cases. The case is based on secondary data and the information is available in the public domain.

The case is designed for post-graduate students in the entrepreneurship curriculum. Within entrepreneurship, it is well-suited for use in specialised courses on “growth of an entrepreneurial venture” or “entrepreneurial strategies”. An instructor may take it up in the middle of the module as students would have familiarised themselves with various growth strategies. An instructor may use the case for a very niche course such as entrepreneurship through acquisition. An instructor may take it up as an introductory case in such a course. It can also be used in the executive programme aimed at “women entrepreneurship”, “community-based model” and “serial acquisitions” to teach how women or founders create and grow entrepreneurial ventures with acquisitions or communities as their focal tenet. The case has been tested in the authors’ post-graduate student’s entrepreneurship course. An instructor can use it when the instructor wants to discuss the various growth strategies available to an entrepreneurial firm.

Teaching Notes are available for educators only.

CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

The learning outcomes are as follows: identify the challenges and opportunities in an ecommerce start-up B; understand the issues of operational sustainability of ecommerce start-up; evaluate the sustainability of hyperlocal models to ecommerce start up; and implement innovative solutions to address the issues of e-business models.

It was the cold winter evening of December 2016 when Puja, a cofounder of freshfruggies, an e-commerce start-up company, made up her mind after meeting her cofounders of reviving the Venture “freshfruggies” as a Hyperlocal Fruits and Vegetables Delivery Company in a non-metro town of Jalandhar in Punjab province of India. She contemplated the poor performance of the company in the past which prepared her for the better planning and execution of operational sustainability of freshfruggies. Puja took the critical decision of revival as she planned to develop the right business strategy for ensuring continuity. freshfruggies had been experiencing constant losses since its inception, and the issues of its sustainability needed attention. It was a dream project for all the co-founders who started with the vision to make freshfruggies a popular ecommerce model of hyperlocal fruits and vegetables delivery in the happening city of Jalandhar. However, lack of trained manpower, weak digital marketing strategy and lack of operating efficiency emerged as major issues of operational sustainability in freshfruggies. The co-founders outlined the possible options to revive freshfruggies after deliberating upon the challenges faced. The choices were limited and time was running out along with finances. The options included either changing the business model to a hybrid retail model or to continue as an ecommerce company after sorting out demand and supply issues. There was an urgent need to take a decision in this regard.

This case focuses on undergraduate and graduate courses in entrepreneurship and operations management courses.

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.

Odds & Edge, a micro venture based in Ahmedabad, India, has created a niche for itself in the affordable designer wear segment. Covid-19 induced lockdown pushed Odds & Edge to the brink of collapse. And because of the severe cash crunch partners need to take a call regarding the continuation or closure of the venture. The case is intended to be discussed in an entrepreneurship class for post-graduate level participants. The case setting is inside Odds & Edge and it was May 01, 2020, when Ms Jheel Jain - a partner & the protagonist, needed to decide the future of the venture. Participants will have a brief understanding of entrepreneurial traits and will also learn about the Ansoff Model of expansion in case of continuation and the different exit choices for an entrepreneur. As Odds & Edge operates in the fashion industry, students will be able to understand the concepts such as Ecopreneurship, Circular Economy, and Trashion. The case follows through the background of Ms Jain, the ideation stage, and the players in the Trashion Industry. It then moves on to the operation of Odds & Edge narrating the process, products, and partners of the venture. The case ends with the decision dilemma for Ms Jain i.e. should she continue? If yes then how could Odds and Edge expand & grow? Or Should Jheel surrender and exit? If yes then what are the probable exit choices for her?

1. to understand the concept of Ecopreneurship, Circular Economy and Trashion; 2. to identify and discuss common entrepreneurial traits; 3. to analyze the Ansoff Matrix for exploration of various expansion/growth strategies; and 4. to understand different exit strategies available to an entrepreneur.

The case is intended to be discussed in an entrepreneurship class for post-graduate level participants.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CCS 3: Entrepreneurship.

By 2009 Netflix had all but trounced its traditional bricks-and-mortar competitors in the video rental industry. Since its founding in the late 1990s, the company had changed the face of the industry and threatened the existence of such entrenched giants as Blockbuster, in large part because of its easy-to-understand subscription model, policy of no late fees, and use of analytics to leverage customer data to provide a superior customer experience and grow its e-commerce media platform. Netflix's investment in data collection, IT systems, and advanced analytics such as proprietary data mining techniques and algorithms for customer and product matching played a crucial role in both its strategy and success. However, the explosive growth of the digital media market presents a serious challenge for Netflix's business going forward. How will its analytics, customer data, and customer interaction models play a role in the future of the digital media space? Will it be able to stand up to competition from more seasoned players in the digital market, such as Amazon and Apple? What position must Netflix take in order to successfully compete in this digital arena?

To examine the benefits and risks of investment in analytical technology as a means for mining customer data for business insights. Students will develop a strategy position for Netflix's investment in technology and its digital media business. Students must also consider how new corporate partnerships and changes to the customer channel model will allow the company to prosper in the highly competitive digital space.

This case presents some of the entrepreneurial challenges faced by a female leader in the technology sector who conceived a new product based on her passion to help others especially those most disadvantaged.

Upon completion of this case study, students should be able to prepare supply chain and distribution analysis that considers ethics and sustainability, integrate philanthropic efforts as part of an organizational strategy and recognize strategies to promote equity within and beyond an organization.

Connie Stacey (she/her) is an entrepreneur and president of Growing Greener Innovations, an award-winning battery energy storage company based in Alberta, Canada, with a mission to end energy poverty globally. With the emergence of COVID-19 as a global pandemic in 2020, Stacey turned her attention to an innovation called Project Rescue, a ventilator that uses non-identifying patient vitals to track data. It serves as a pandemic early warning system, addressing two key challenges: pandemic data are prone to error, and real-time information is non-existent after the pandemic has spread. This new product was conceived based on her passion to help others, especially those most disadvantaged. This multi-faceted case focuses on the many challenges that Stacey and her team needed to address. The dilemma in this case centres on establishing supply chains amid a pandemic, as well as prioritizing the corporate social responsibility elements of philanthropy and equity within her organization (and beyond).

This case is appropriate for third- or fourth-year undergraduate or graduate-level students.

In addition to “call out boxes” throughout the case and teaching note, additional readings/links/videos are outlined below. (These supplementary materials, “Teaching Tips”, are included in the teaching notes as well.)

CCS 11: Strategy.

Doing business in Africa, strategy, leadership.

The case is intended for use in MBA and Executive Education courses in Strategy, Business in Africa and Leadership.

This case study examines the growth of the Dangote Group in Nigeria and its ambitious expansion across Africa. Driven by the visionary leadership and energy of founder, President and CEO Aliko Dangote himself, the rise of the Dangote Group also represents the changing geopolitics of the African region. A true conglomerate, the company dominates every niche in which it operates. Best known for its cement, Dangote is also active in sectors as diverse as pasta, real estate and steel. It has expanded into the oil industry and is building a refinery in Nigeria, an oil-producing state that imports most of its fuel requirements because of inadequate refining capacity. The Dangote Group serves as an example of true African capitalism, representing the new and somewhat nuanced style of doing business in Africa, which involves undertaking capital intensive projects; using unique methods, management approaches, technologies and innovations; leveraging state connections for business advantage; and understanding the growing need for local partners or local content in new markets across the continent.

Students should gain insights into various business strategies in Africa, contextual leadership intelligence and the role of institutions when doing business in Africa.

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 11: Strategy.

In the light of the case and the accompanying case questions, the students should understand the theoretical underpinnings of the Blue ocean strategy. Application and critical evaluation of analytical frameworks associated with the blue ocean strategy. Role of political, socio-cultural and technological factors undermining the success of any endeavor aimed at bringing about innovation in education in Pakistan. The critical balance that social enterprises need to develop between their commercial and social impact goals.

Founded in early 2014, LearnOBots was a young social enterprise spearheaded by Shamyl Bin Mansoor and Faisal Laghari. The venture aimed to provide science, technology, engineering, and mathematics-based, tech supported experiential learning to young kids, which would eventually help improve the educational standards in the country. This case presents the complex dilemma of an enterprise, which achieved market traction to its novel business idea but soon faced changing competitive dynamics that posed a challenge to the uncontested blue ocean strategy that the venture attempted to create. The case is a rich description of the idiosyncrasies that an innovative startup faces in emerging markets context. It gives an insight on the balancing act that social enterprises need to achieve between their business goals and social impact aspirations.

This case is geared toward undergraduate students enrolled in courses of strategy and entrepreneurship.

Teaching Notes are available for educators only.

CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

Founded in 2004, OPPO has experienced the boom of the Chinese mobile phone market, the trend of mobile Internet and the prosperity of the smartphone market. While adjusting its business structure based on changes in the market environment, it has transitioned itself from an audio device manufacturer to a smart-phone manufacturer that offers hardware, software, and service.

This case study focuses on OPPO's evolution and strategy, and provides an insight into its history, competition, and strategic choices based on whether or not OPPO should release a feature phone with a foldable display at the MWC 2019, and discusses the core competitiveness that helped OPPO succeed against the market downturn. This case study helps students understand the development of corporate strategies and the process of building core competitiveness in the microcompetition in the red ocean market. We also wish to help students understand how to come up with the most appropriate decision-making framework and conduct a critical analysis on the issues based on the internal and external factors of their businesses while they make strategic decisions. When it comes to different dimensions and indicators coming to contradictory conclusions in particular, what should the manager of a business do to make the correct strategic decision?