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

Seventh in the series of Satyam Computers’ Corporate Governance Fiasco, this case study focuses on the plight of Maytas twins – Maytas Properties and Maytas Infra – after revelations of fraud by the founder, CEO of Satyam Computers, Ramalinga Raju and the subsequent acquisition of 51% stake of Satyam Computers by Tech Mahindra. What were the factors that forced the two firms into financial crisis?

This contemporary case study discusses the possibility of social networking sites becoming a formidable competitive threat to on-line recruitment sites. While job sites such as Monster.com were predominantly used for recruitment via the Internet, the latest fad are the social networking sites. Will the increasing popularity of social networking sites capture the trend from job sites?

This case study tries to understand the implications of financial forecasting on a company’s long-term existence and provides an overview of financial forecasting and its contribution to a company’s strategic growth. Focusing on the Indian Pharmaceutical Industry, the case study highlights the financial performance of Dr. Reddy’s and develops the financial forecasting plan – sales forecasting, Pro Forma Statements and external funds requirement.

Considering the case of Hi-Speed Venture Technologies (HSV), the case study debates whether functions like recruitment and performance appraisal are meant to be restricted to the HR manager or can they be discharged by functional managers as well? Having experienced good growth within 2 years of its inception, HSV hires an HR Manager for implementing its HR policies. However, how can the role of the HR manager be defined given the growing integration of the roles and responsibilities of the HR and the line managers?

The economic downturn of 2008 has affected the profitability of most of the real estate companies in India. However, DLF (Delhi, Lease and Finance), the largest real estate development company in India, though affected by the downturn, has been able to manage its working capital without affecting its balance sheet. The case study analyses DLF’s ability to manage its working capital in crisis situation and also assess its operating efficiency.

This case study helps in understanding the need and significance of investing in current assets and in recognising the advantage of effective working capital management. Explaining the necessity of working capital management; it discusses the impact of nature of industry on working capital requirements. It provides a brief presentation of financial statements of Bajaj Auto and highlights the working capital trends of the company.

Explaining the case of Jet Airways’ labour dispute in 2009, the case study focuses on the issues of increasing labour discontent and explains why a major reform in labour legislation of India is required. The increasing instances of disputes in companies in India question the extent to which the labour unrest will go on. Significantly, continuous protests by the labour community might prove detrimental for the Indian economy which is slated to rely heavily on the service sector.

This case study discusses the Working Capital Requirements (WCR) of two companies – Bharati Airtel and Reliance Communications – operating in the same industry. It deals with the variations in the WCR of both the companies and analyses the factors that influence the quantum and frequency of WCR. Further, it discusses the change in WCR of companies with variation in the nature of the industry.

Severe traffic congestion on roads, environmental concerns, call for work-life balance and technological advancements have not only necessitated but also spurred the growth of telecommuting. It is believed that in 2009, almost 27.5% of workers in the US would be telecommuting. However, what are the implications of telecommuting for organisations and the employees? Moreover, can telecommuting be practiced across various industries?

Coach Carter

The movie is based on the real story of Coach Ken Carter, a controversial basketball coach at a high school in the US. Samuel L. Jackson plays the role of Ken Carter (Carter), who takes up the job of a basketball coach at his old high school. Carter is disappointed to see the poor attitude and dismal play performance of the players of the school’s basketball team. Determined to change both, he imposes a strict regime through written contracts wherein the students had to have respectful behaviour, dress code and good grades for participating in basketball. The initial resentment of the boys fades away as the team becomes an undefeated competitor. Gradually, the team members become overconfident, their behaviour strays and many players show poor academic performance. Despite the team’s good performance on court, Carter cancels all the team activities and even locks the court until the team members showed acceptable improvement in academics. Amidst general outrage, Carter maintains his stand to show the boys that they could not rely on sports alone for their future. Eventually, Carter is victorious (although the team loses on court) as he is able to influence the boys beyond his expectations.

Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done

Authors Larry Bossidy (Bossidy) and Ram Charan (Charan) along with editor and writer Charles Burck, demonstrate in their book Execution, that the difference between a company and its competitors is its ability to execute. The authors contend that execution is “the missing link between aspirations and results,” and making it happen should be the first priority of a business leader. The argument has been supported with stories of the “execution difference” being won (EDS) and lost (Xerox and Lucent). Interestingly, each author addresses specific topics in paragraphs that begin with either “Larry” or “Ram”. Owing to this style, some have found this book an easy read, while some feel otherwise. Nevertheless, the authors provide experience-tested insights into making Execution a smart business leader’s guide to success.

With the financial crisis of 2008 and the subsequent world-wide recession, the period of global growth that provided quite a congenial environment to multinational companies, came to an end. The collapse of financial markets across the globe washed away the wealth that was created in the preceding years. However, while the global stock markets traded at much lower levels at the end of 2008 as compared to those at the end of 2004, some companies have been able to set themselves apart from the trend. These companies have managed to generate nearly 15% value growth annually for the past 5 years, despite massive share price decline from their peaks. No wonder, they have been adjudged as A.T. Kearney’s Global Champions for 2009.