Case Studies in Business Management, Strategy, Economics, Marketing, Leadership, CSR, MBA Case Studies

This case study deals with the success story of a social entrepreneurial venture in India - Rural Opportunities Production Enterprise (ROPE) International. In the backdrop of the entrepreneurial scenario in India over the past 60 years, it talks about the new breed of Indian entrepreneurs specifically focusing on the social entrepreneurs.

In 1984, Amitabha Sadangi, started a non-governmental organisation - International Development Enterprise India (IDEI) focusing on the empowerment of rural farmers by making simple and affordable farming equipment like the Treadle Pump. It succeeded in selling its low-cost irrigation kits and ensuring increased yield and revenues for the small and marginal farmers. However, given the socio-political scenario in India, can such businesses scale-up and cater to the market gaps in the bottom of the pyramid?
The case study is supplemented with an interview with Amitabha Sadangi.

No one doubts the endorsement power of Bollywood's Badshahs - Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan. This case study, ideally suited for brand management and marketing communication courses, debates as to who is the better marketer of the two. It debates on issues such as: Does the endorsements' value signify the celebrity value? Why do companies commission celebrities to endorse their brands?

It is widely believed that the Indian consumer is price sensitive. This is perhaps why assembled PCs are so popular here. This case on Indian PC market broods on: What are the possible reasons for the popularity of assembled PCs - price or certain features? The case runs simulations on Indian PC market conditions and recommends how organised players can maximise their market shares.

In 2005, after attaining the leading position in the Indian tyre industry, Apollo Tyres (Apollo) decided to go global. Will Apollo retain its position in the Indian market while carving a niche on the global front? This is precisely the question that the case study deliberates upon. Apollo transformed itself over generations under the changing leaderships and continuous innovations, emerging as the leading player in the industry. The case study discusses about the efforts taken by Apollo tyres to achieve the leading position.

On April 28 2010, Apollo Hospitals (Apollo) in collaboration with The Times of India (TOI) started 'Billion Hearts Beating' campaign. The campaign aimed at creating awareness about the increasing risks of congenital heart diseases and possible ways to resolve them. The case study, discusses the relevance of co-branding in social cause marketing campaigns.

This is an interesting video-based case study based on Bamboo House India (BHI), started by Prashant Lingam and Aruna Kappagantula. The enterprise began with an idea of generating livelihood for tribal bamboo artisans by creating a market for bamboo-based products, despite the fact that bamboo industry is highly regulated. This case study illustrates two very important aspects of a social entrepreneurial venture - the scalability of a socially-viable business model if operating in a highly regulated industry and hurdles confronted by the firm in the path of growth.

Can peace make profit or profit make peace? Sounds like 'chicken or the egg' causality dilemma. The 'Aman ki Asha' peace campaign started by The Times of India and Jang Group, media houses from India and Pakistan respectively, hopes to restore peace by reviving the bilateral trade relations that have been jeopardised due to ideological conflicts between them. The case study provides scope for discussion on what can be the various initiatives that would foster healthy relations between the two nations. And whether trade would truly bring in peace or does it only intend to fulfill the criteria of benefitting gains from the partnerships?

On April 20 2010, Transoceans Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, leased to the oil giant BP, exploded and sank 5,000 feet below water, resulting in a massive oil spill. The Gulf of Mexico oil spill has once again brought forth the debate over the safety of the oil industry and has shed light on the risks and dangers associated with the oil industry. The case, studies the nature of oil industry through value chain analysis and the risks involved in it. It also debates on organisational preparedness in the light of inherent industry nature and discusses the kind of organisational capabilities required at each of the stage of the industry's value chain.

BP, one of the largest oil companies of the world was headed for more success and even larger profits when in 2010, the Gulf of Mexico oil spill happened. This spill may be BP's largest disaster, but certainly not it's first. The case study, throws light on BP's mishap history and debates on what could have been done to avoid them. It also attempts to study the reasons for BP's Gulf of Mexico's oil spill and the extent of damage done to the company. Further, it discusses the nature of leadership required to manage such crises. Is BP's oil spill response commendable? Will BP survive this crisis and how far is Tony Hayward, BP's CEO, responsible?

This is an interview conducted with Paul JH Schoemaker(Schoemaker), a leading scholar, visionary author and an entrepreneur. He is also the Founder and Executive Chairman of Decision Strategies International, Inc., a consulting and training firm. In his interview, Schoemaker discussed about the evolution of business research and emphasized on the need for business schools to change their approach towards business education and research.

Considered as one of the "100 most influential people in business ethics", James O'Toole (Toole) is the Daniels Distinguished Professor of Business Ethics at the University of Denver's Daniels College of Business, well-versed in the areas of leadership, philosophy, ethics, and corporate culture. In the interview, Toole stresses on the need for management education that provides insights of the practical world of business organizations than mere concept-based curriculum.

The cases given in this book trigger an idea as to how each of the companies have come up with an innovative strategy that helped them to gain a competitive advantage over the others. Each case is different in its way and it will help management graduates, academicians and managers to understand how best practices would give a company a cut above the others and help it in generating profits.

Initially, patents were instituted to encourage innovation whereby the exclusive rights to the inventions were vested with the innovators. However, the market for trading intellectual property (IP) which was quite simple in the past two centuries is increasingly becoming vague and dangerous in the twenty-first century. This is because of the rise of nonpracticing entities (NPEs) - a new type of owners – who demand for a license fee from the patent owners to sell the product in the market. In a broad parlance, IP can be called as a budding asset class; its value being ascertained by the NPEs and other players in an emerging market. It is contented that the rise of the NPE phenomenon shall lead to creative strategic activities at companies. However, despite the increasing significance of IP in gaining competitive advantage, just a handful of companies think about IP in framing their broader strategies.Source: http://www.bcg.com/documents/file46935.pdf

In this second edition of their book, authors Christopher A. Bartlett of the Harvard Business School and Sumantra Ghoshal of the London Business School, provide a lively update on their research into management at a global level. In addition to a look at the operations of nine companies that was captured in the first edition, a new section entitled "The Transformational Challenge" has also been included in the book. The section narrates instances of how several other firms have been implementing the concepts that were described in the first edition.

A Case Study titled International Development Enterprise India's (IDEI) Affordable Irrigation Technology: Making a Big Social Impact? written by Syed Abdul Samad and Girija P. of IBSCDC won the Third Prize in the 2010 NextBillion Case Writing Competition. The competition was cosponsored by the William Davidson Institute, the World Resources Institute and the Acumen Fund.

On 24 June 2010, Professor Dipak C. Jain, Sandy and Morton Goldman Professor in Entrepreneurial Studies, Professor of Marketing and Former Dean, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, visited IBS Hyderabad. In a jam-packed auditorium, the audience listened to him in rapt attention as he gave a lecture on The Enduring Value of MBA.

IBSCDC's Movie-based Case Study
Good Will Hunting: Hunting for Change, Haunting for Hunting?

Gerald Lambeau (Lambeau), professor of Mathematics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Sean Maguire (Sean), a psychiatrist, are inspired to bring out an out-of-turn change when they come across Will Hunting (Will), who is blessed with extraordinary intelligence. Despite Will's resistance to change, Sean is able to bring about a change in Will. This case study discusses how a change agent can lead a non-obligatory change initiative.