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Using the case, students will learn about the following topics: identification of the right shareholder for a start-up. Need for a tech co-founder for an app-based start-up. Delay in building the right team at the right time. Lack of preparedness; a start-up’s challenges in identifying the business model. What was the real pain point (problem identification)? Did the solution meet market expectations (solution quality)?; consumers’ usual social habits. How do people’s habits hinder a product’s survival in the market? Why do consumers continue to behave the same way they have? Technology-related constraints.

KnoDues was a mobile application (app)-based start-up in the domain of split expenses. The business idea germinated in early 2015 and became a reality toward the end of 2015. In a developing country context, the case provides rich insights into lean vs traditional start-up formation, founders’ knowledge, opportunity identification, product development and investment. India is a growing economy with ever-increasing smartphone users and internet consumers. Despite its deep-rooted rural-urban divide in the usage of modern technologies, India possesses a vast market opportunity in big cities. Rightly so, KnoDues intended to target the urban youth (between 15 and 35 years of age) population. Although KnoDues was not a unique product or the first of its kind, the founders perceived it to be the “first mover” in the Indian market. In its initial days, the product received an overwhelming response from accelerators and business-plan judges. Although KnoDues achieved more than 20,000 downloads by the end of 2016, customer retention and attracting investors became a difficult task. Founders felt that the difficulty was because of people’s “usual social habits,” and inadequate revenue model. Toward the end of 2017, KnoDues’s founders contemplated on ceasing their business.

Undergraduate, postgraduate and executive.

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CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

The contribution of the present case lies in the critical view that every business actor should exercise – be it general manager, middle management, supervisor or executive – when building a strong organizational culture in corrupt political environments.

The purpose of this case study is to explore the dilemma in which Marcelo Odebrecht, once CEO of Odebrecht, found/determined whether to continue with the business model established by the founders of Odebrecht or take a new path for the organization. After exploring the corrupt acts of Odebrecht and the scope of Operation Lava Jato, the reader can reflect on the importance of organizational culture (according to the three levels proposed by Schein) in the face of the emergence of corruption. By generating discussions about organizational culture, business ethics, political culture and corruption, the organizational culture of Odebrecht is problematized in relation to its real behavior.

Students of administration, business and international business undergraduates and graduates, as well as members of senior management in companies in the infrastructure sector. Also, given the plurality of possible readings, it is recommended that the case also be used in courses or specializations in organizational psychology, organizational sociology or organizational anthropology.

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CSS 5: International Business.

Higher education leadership and planning.

Postgraduate/higher education.

Professor Rob Whelan was appointed President of the University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD) from the University of Wollongong in Australia (UOW). Professor Whelan brought to the job in Dubai the perspective that public-good benefits flow from a comprehensive institution engaged with the larger community and these are led by academic staff members who produce research that serves the national interest. To apply this model to UOWD meant a thorough analysis of the organization in terms of both its culture and its broader environment. This case explores the various processes through which a new leader takes stock of an existing institution, identifies the potential for development in a particular direction, draws upon a range of stakeholders to refine the vision and develop it into a strategic plan, gains support for the plan, and then implements change through close collaboration with the institution's constituents.

This case can be used to explore a number of issues in leadership and management including: identifying the various internal and external stakeholders in a complex organization; analysing strategies for mobilization for change, including the assessment of inclusive versus exclusive approaches; reviewing the opportunity costs of change; and assessing types of leadership.

Teaching notes.

The case deals with project management principles that are required for implementing a social project in India.

The study has been carried out at primary schools in an underdeveloped state, namely, Odisha, in India.

The case illustrates a project management approach for improving primary education in a government set up. The bureaucracy set up in education in a state like Odisha, India, needs to undergo radical changes. To be effective, an education system requires an optimal integration of the three main components, namely, people, infrastructure (this includes technology) and pedagogical processes. Using a public–private partnership model, American India Foundation (AIF) through its Digital Equalizer (DE) Program has been able to make a positive impact in an underdeveloped tribal dominated district like Keonjhar. The case study also illustrates the detailed execution plan predicated on total system planning, required to achieve this amount of success. The case study also explains how to measure success through different metrics where intervention has to be at multiple levels. The learning from the case study can also be adopted for designing an implementation strategy in other states.

Expected learning outcomes are as follows: how to approach implementation of technology-based intervention with involvement of all stakeholders; learn project management techniques related to digital learning model implementation; understand the DE methodology; and understand the challenges faced while implementing the DE Program.

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CSS 7: Management Science.

Social entrepreneurship/innovation.

Basic to advanced level.

This case introduces students to the context of social innovation and social entrepreneurship. Societies are facing new challenges that will require innovative solutions. In our society, social needs are addressed in a variety of different ways. Some of these needs are addressed mainly through public organizations, some in private spheres through associations or businesses, and others in informal organizations or maybe not at all. As changes occur in our society, the current practices we use to meet our needs will not necessarily be the same practices we use to meet our needs in the future. In response, a number of initiatives are emerging. This case describes the process of such a new initiative.

Students need to understand what social innovation is; in how many ways it manifests; and why it is a multi-disciplinary field. Students need to understand the difference between for-profit and not-for-profit organizations and which challenges they are effective in addressing (context dependency). Students need to understand, describe and discuss the process and methods of developing social entrepreneurship and social innovations using the House of Plenty Social Innovation Model as a case. Students need to understand and discuss the main challenges that not-for-profit social innovations face in securing financial sustainability and in scaling up using the House of Plenty Social Innovation Model as a case.

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CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

Crisis management.

Graduate and MBA.

This case analyzes the event of disappearing flight MH370 belonging to Malaysia Airlines which attracted worldwide attention from a third-party perspective. This case describes clearly the entire process of the crisis, mainly focusing on the decisions made and action taken by the Malaysian Government, and then illustrates the assessment and diagnosis of the crisis.

This case not only provides a sample for the teaching of strategic and crisis management but also supplies effective guidance for the measures a nation can take regarding a huge crisis.

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The learning outcomes are as follows: to understand the internal processes that take place in social media influencers operations; to evaluate the role communication and planning in the social media marketing process; to discover the importance of social media as a pinnacle of new communication mix tool; to make strategic decisions in managing a social media account; and to highlight how the team internal interactions could determine the success and profitability of the social media influencer.

Case deals with the growth and managing issues faced by the social media influencers in Kazakhstan. The case shows the other side of social media marketing, where the main focus is shifted from the corporate clients, who use social media influencer, toward the influencers themselves and challenges faced by them. Hence, the case reveals the story of Jokeasses team, who are based in Kazakhstan with significant following both on Instagram and YouTube platforms. The decision-making dilemmas in the case focused upon not only the issues of brand formation but also how online brand could be transferred into profitable enterprise.

Bachelor

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CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

For 28 years Alaska, like the vast majority of the nation, has struggled with growing prison populations and shrinking budgets. In 1995, the Alaska Department of Corrections, faced with sanctions unless they ameliorated their crowded prison conditions, looked to the popular practice of contracting out its correctional operations by sending 650 prisoners to a private out-of-state prison. But, as the costs of prisoner litigation and transportation mounted, the state began to consider building its own private prison, a decision which many state lawmakers and business entrepreneurs argued would allow the state to stretch scarce dollars by providing cheaper and better quality prisons, return millions of dollars to the state economy, and create permanent jobs. In this decision case, students are required to put themselves in the role of the Alaska Legislature to determine whether they should permit the building and operation of a private prison in one of Alaska's remote communities. The students must analyze and juggle the complex and often competing set of objectives, values, and political tensions intrinsic to all privatization decisions.

Social Entrepreneurship/management of non-profit organizations (and non-government organizations).

Undergraduate/MBA/Executive MBA.

PUKAR is a niche non-government organization (NGO) working on a unique concept of “Right to Research”. It has several themes aimed at democratizing research and broadening access to knowledge among the disenfranchised or the weakly institutionalized groups. The resulting output is disseminated through media such as lectures, Web site, books and newsletters, thus initiating local, national and global debates about future of these groups. PUKAR conceptualizes all projects around this philosophy, which are supported by few specialized funding organizations. Funding organizations, on the other hand, are trying to support many causes aimed at improving the quality of life of citizens of various countries. Thus, PUKAR's growth is constrained by limited funds. Nevertheless, PUKAR has been able to create transformation in the lives of youth who carry out these projects. PUKAR, therefore, faces a continuous challenge of conceptualizing proposals that are meaningful and impactful for the society and to stay true to its core philosophy.

The expected learning outcomes include: to understand the nature of challenges (both strategic and operational) faced by a niche NGO; to analyze how the strategy of an NGO evolves with time; to analyze the impediments of growth for a niche NGO; and to analyze the strategic options for growth and sustenance of an NGO.

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After reading and discussing this short case, the instructor should do the following: to enable the students to select and evaluate the main strength (sustainable competitive advantage) of an evolving brand whose leading manager needs to appreciate how it can be used to achieve the strategic objective of franchising it despite its challenges; to guide the students in choosing the most appropriate brand name that will sustainably reflect the parent organization’s identity and also retain its growing attractiveness to more event sponsors and other key partners in an environment of conflicting interests; to facilitate the students in choosing the appropriate strategy for strengthening the readiness to franchise and adapt a similar teaching and examining (annual event’s) model in a related course unit from among any of the target audience’s master and bachelor degree at another university elsewhere.

This short case shows how the annual Makerere University Business School (MUBS) hospitality day has evolved into a potential event franchise, which is attracting more VIPs, the media and demand to also be held in the country’s Vision 2040 cities where the respective campuses are located.

Bachelor (BA, BBA, BSc) and MBA/master degree level.

Teaching Notes are available for educators only.

CSS 12: Tourism and hospitality.