Intrim Business Associates: taking on global consulting goliaths

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Parag Rastogi ◽  
Radharani Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Business Strategy ◽  
Subject Area ◽  
Executive Education ◽  
Diagnostic Study ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sales And Marketing ◽  
Retail Strategy ◽  
Consulting Firms ◽  
Strategy Consulting

Subject area Entrepreneurship, Strategic Marketing, Retail Management. Study level/applicability It may be used in marketing/strategy/organisation behaviour courses of MBA programmes as well as in specific executive education programmes dealing with business strategy, sales and marketing, entrepreneurship and organisation behaviour. Case overview In 2002, Rajan Chhibba co-founded Intrim Business Associates (IBA), a niche strategy consulting firm in India. IBA pitched for a consulting assignment for retail strategy/implementation with a steel manufacturer in India, where they were pitched against a large global consulting firm. After conducting a diagnostic study and reaching a stage where IBA had almost got the project, the client put forth a demand which was make-or-break for IBA. The case puts forth the questions faced by Rajan Chhibba at the time of replying to the client: How was IBA different from global consulting firms? Was IBA willing to compromise on quality of the project to reduce costs? Was reduction of price the only option for getting the project? What factors should Rajan Chhibba consider before making his final pitch? Expected learning outcomes This case may help students to: appreciate an entrepreneur's smart strategy up against formidable competition, analyse the resources crunch an entrepreneur faces and how he overcomes them, understand how organisations learn from their experience and appreciate the challenges in a competitive environment. Supplementary materials Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email [email protected] to request teaching notes.

Rising from the ashes: Satyam's story

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Tanvi Gautam
Keyword(s):  
Change Management ◽  
Subject Area ◽  
Executive Education ◽  
List Type ◽  
Corporate Communications ◽  
It Industry ◽  
Market Reactions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Employee Trust ◽  
Starting Point

Subject area Leadership, human resource management, crisis management, change management and communication. Study level/applicability Executive education; postgraduate; undergraduate. Case overview This case study describes the collapse of Satyam, a leading IT industry service provider from India. Satyam went into a crisis mode after revelation of financial fraud by its Chairman. This resulted in a crisis not just for the company, its clients and employees – but it also had the potential to shake up the entire Indian IT industry the world over, by shattering investor and client confidence in the Indian IT sector. The case provides the students with an inside view of the unfolding of events at Satyam and the people challenges that emerge in a crisis scenario. The case outlines reactions from the industry, government, clients and employees as they tried to make sense of a very chaotic situation, and its multi-level ramifications both within India and outside. The case ends with Thallapalli Hari, the Global Head of Marketing and Communication and ex-head of HR, trying to visualise and prioritise a course of action to propose to other members of the leadership team. Expected learning outcomes The key aim of this case is to provide a backdrop to the crisis, and also help students put themselves in the role of an HR crisis manager as well as portray the decision making and communication challenges that emerge in chaotic situations. The importance of an immediate and yet strategic response is emphasised and the case is a great starting point to have a discussion on the competencies and skills required in HR to lead under unusual circumstances. This case allows participants to get an in-depth understanding of the collapse of Satyam. The case also illustrates principles of leadership, change management and communication, in particular: Leadership: The Satyam story is an HR and leadership crisis nightmare come true. What should an HR leader do when you wake up to find your company with a ruined reputation, minimal financial capital, 53,000 employees on the payroll and more than 500 clients with pending deliverables worldwide. Where do you begin? The case illustrates a situation where immediate action is required to stop the tailspin into which the company was heading. Change management: The situation demanded that change be managed from a chaotic system to a stable system. The big issue though remains as to how one can get a system into a state of stability when everything is changing at the same time. Most change management plans have some stable variables, however in the case of Satyam there were multiple changes taking place simultaneously. A combination of change in leadership, client relationships, employee trust and confidence, market reactions together make for a perfect storm. Dealing with even one of these changes is a challenge for a company. In the case of Satyam, its entire existence was at stake. Communication: The demands for communicating effectively in a crisis situation are different than communicating under stable systems. The choice of medium, the speed of response, the content all need careful monitoring. Whereas most companies have teams that separately deal with internal and external communication, Satyam provides a unique situation where managing both effectively at the same time was critical to the future of the firm. The stakes for effective communication are much higher under the circumstances. This case can be used in organizational behaviour, human resources and corporate communications modules being taught to under-graduates, post-graduates and for executive education. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email [email protected] to request teaching notes.

Halonix Limited – the product portfolio dilemma

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Sandeep Goyal ◽  
Amit Kapoor
Keyword(s):  
Value Chain ◽  
Business Strategy ◽  
Subject Area ◽  
Middle Level ◽  
Product Portfolio ◽  
Value Chain Analysis ◽  
Product Analysis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Theoretical Concepts ◽  
Global Brand

Subject area Strategy, strategic management, market and product analysis. Study level/applicability The case is intended for a business strategy course in management. The target participants are MBA students specializing in strategy area as well as middle level and senior level managers from the industry, who come for an executive programme in management science. Case overview Year 2009, Mr Pawan Kumar (General Manager, Halonix Limited) was facing a decision-making situation in the organization. Being one of the most experienced and oldest employees of Halonix (incorporated as Phoenix Lamps Ltd in 1991), he had witnessed the tremendous growth of the company since its inception in 1991. The company was having a global brand image in automotive halogen lamps and became a dominant player in compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) market in India by 2007. With the increasing competition and change in market dynamics, the company needed to decide upon the future product portfolio mix and strategy to be adopted to gain the maximum benefit and win over the competition in both the product segments. The automotive halogen product segment was generating higher margins but having relatively slow growth. The CFL product segment was a growing market but was generating low margins due to increasing competition from entry of large number of players. Expected learning outcomes The theoretical concepts, which will be explored in this case, involve the following: the importance of industry structure analysis in understanding the basis of competition. The importance of value-chain analysis in strategic planning. The importance of Boston Consulting Group growth-share matrix in evaluating the product portfolio mix having different growth drivers and target segments? Supplementary materials Teaching notes.

Designers project: Afrotouch Brands

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Kingsley E. Ejiofor
Keyword(s):  
Business Strategy ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Subject Area ◽  
Investment Strategies ◽  
Risk Profiles ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Medium Scale ◽  
Furniture Manufacturing ◽  
Business Competitiveness ◽  
Victoria Island

Subject area Entrepreneurship, Analysis of business problems. Study level/applicability Masters in business administration, Entrepreneurship management. Case overview The CEO of Afrotouch Brands, Mr Emeka Emmanuel, must decide what level of investment his company would need to implement to increase its market share and revenue, thus ensuring adequate business competitiveness. Afrotouch Brands was among the leading names in gift items and indoor furniture in Nigeria. Despite the business main outlet in Victoria Island, the highbrow commercial centre in the city of Lagos, it has other high-profile outlets in Port-Harcourt and Abuja. From the very beginning, Afrotouch Brands attracted a lot of well discerning individuals who patronized the business based on the quality, the wide variety, the uniqueness and the lovely ambience of the showroom. The case describes the various investment alternatives needed for business expansion and discusses the probabilities of possible outcomes. Afrotouch Brands could maintain the medium scale indoor furniture they are currently doing, embark on a large aggressive investment to expand the indoor medium scale furniture to a large scale, maintain their business strategy in gift items and accessories or invest in outdoor furniture manufacturing. The challenge is to decide which of these alternative investment strategies the company should undertake in view of the associated levels of risk and uncertainty inherent in their implementation. Expected learning outcomes This case study teaches students the following: fundamentals of decision trees construction; calculating and understanding expected monetary values; assessing probabilities; determination of risk profiles for each decision alternative; display of risk profiles graphically; and identification of business alternatives. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email [email protected] to request teaching notes. Subject code CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

The growing pressures on Groupon's once-successful daily deal business

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (6) ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Cathy Leung Miu Yee
Keyword(s):  
Business Model ◽  
Business Strategy ◽  
Listed Company ◽  
Subject Area ◽  
Growth Strategy ◽  
Daily News ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Future Performance ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Daily Deals

Subject area Marketing Management, Business Strategy and Promotion & Advertising. Study level/applicability Associated degree, undergraduate and graduate students as well as executives from profit-making organizations. Case overview Groupon is the world's largest daily-deal Web site and a pioneer in the group-buying industry. The major feature of the company's business model is that merchants use Groupon as a platform to offer coupons with a discounted price, and the coupon buyers can then redeem these coupons. Groupon has done business in over 50 countries and, by 2012, had over 39.5 million subscribers received its daily news. It had a 59.1 per cent share of the daily-deals market in 2013. Groupon is a publicly listed company on the NASDAQ in the USA, trading under the ticker symbol of “GPRN”. Expected learning outcomes The students' business knowledge and skills will be sharpened by working through this case, and students will be challenged to identify solutions to the marketing concerns: specifically, how the driving approach of its daily-deal business model enabled the company to adopt a growth strategy that will confront the difficulties of the emergent “golden age” of the daily-deal industry in the twenty-first century. In addition, it will also be of help to the students to take the active roles of thinker, analyst, evaluator, decision-maker and implementer to evaluate the continuing changes in a competitive environment and consider how Groupon can seize available opportunities to predict future performance by comparing data from 2008 and 2012. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email [email protected] to request teaching notes.

Oilfield Services – the Abu Dhabi branch

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-2
Author(s):  
Conchita Mary Fonseca
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Business Strategy ◽  
Cost Benefit Analysis ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Subject Area ◽  
Strategic Decision ◽  
Abu Dhabi ◽  
Gulf Region ◽  
Content Type

Subject area Business strategy and human resource management. Study level/applicability Undergraduate Business and Management. Case overview This case spotlights Oilfield Services branch in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It focuses on various problems encountered whilst operating in Abu Dhabi. Oilfield Services was first established in Dubai in 1995, primarily to meet the growing demand of quality human resources in the oilfield, shipping, and fabrication sectors in the Middle East and Persian Gulf region. The case highlights the challenges of motivation and compensating staff and the importance of strategic decision making. Expected learning outcomes This case can be used to teach decision making, cost/benefit analysis, employee motivation, and compensation and elements relating to international business strategy. Supplementary materials A teaching note is available on request.

PUKAR: an “Alice” in Wonderland

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Shalini Rahul Tiwari ◽  
Rakesh Chopra
Keyword(s):  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Subject Area ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Non Profit ◽  
Government Organization ◽  
Government Organizations ◽  
Alice In Wonderland ◽  
Executive Mba ◽  
Access To Knowledge

Subject area Social Entrepreneurship/management of non-profit organizations (and non-government organizations). Study level/applicability Undergraduate/MBA/Executive MBA. Case overview 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. Expected learning outcomes 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. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email [email protected] to request teaching notes.

Are we ready?

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Archana Shrivastava ◽  
Asha Naik
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Change ◽  
Resource Management ◽  
Human Resource Management ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
Business Strategy ◽  
Organizational Transformation ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Subject Area ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Internal Capacity

Subject area Human Resource Management and Business Strategy. Study level/applicability Postgraduate. Case overview The case provides a holistic perspective of organizational transformation, management of change impact on employees and leader behavior. The challenge at Govind Milk and Milk Products Pvt. Ltd. a mid-size company, in the dairy industry was to transform itself into a pan India and global company from a regional organization. The case study outlines how the organization took on the transformation journey under a strong leadership and managed change by focusing on creating a brand, implementing technology and creating a culture of meritocracy. Having made the successful transition from being a family run business to a professionally managed company and having built significant internal capacity the big question is – Can the company strive and thrive in the VUCA business environment? Expected learning outcomes To highlight the process and management of organizational change. To highlight the role of leadership in the process of organizational change. To understand how the environmental factors or the VUCA environment impacts the performance of an organization. To highlight internal capacity building as a strategy to deal with the VUCA environment. Supplementary materials Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email [email protected] to request teaching notes. Subject code CSS: 6: Human Resource Management.

FieldTurf Tarkett India: challenges and opportunities in new markets

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-30
Author(s):  
Srividya Raghavan
Keyword(s):  
Business Strategy ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Subject Area ◽  
New Markets ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Communication Plan ◽  
Positioning Strategy ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Media Mix

TitleFieldTurf Tarkett India: challenges and opportunities in new markets.Subject areaMarketing, marketing communication and business strategy.Study level/applicabilityGraduate level and some core courses in undergraduate level.Case overviewThe case describes the evolution of a start‐up company, Great Sports Infra Pvt Ltd, which had acquired the exclusive dealership of the largest artificial sports surface products company – FieldTurf Tarkett. Great Sports Infra was started as a small business with a capital of INR 5 million, by Mr Anil Kumar who had won the exclusive license to sell the FieldTurf brand of artificial turf in India and the SAARC region. FieldTurf was a well entrenched brand for playing surfaces in several developed countries around the world. The size, scope and consumer base of the Indian market was vastly different from the mature markets in which FieldTurf was a well established brand. Anil had to find a market for the product in India which was a classic context of “existing product entering a new market” – in this case an emerging market. Identifying new markets and targeting them with a relevant marketing mix and communication mix were the dominant challenges faced by Anil. Having developed the market in India, he now faces competition from cheaper manufacturers and limited growth in the sports infrastructure. The students must deliberate on current strategies and suggest strategies for the future growth of the product in this market.Expected learning outcomes Challenges of an established brand entering a new market in the emerging economies. Using Ansoff's matrix to identify the nature of challenges. Understanding positioning strategy. To understand how to extract IMC strategy from business strategy. Targeting each segment differently but keeping the message consistent following the principles of principles of IMC, i.e. harmony, consistency and synergy. Understanding the role of 6Ms in designing a communication plan. Understanding how to identify appropriate media mix. Understanding the holistic IMC framework.Supplementary materialsTeaching notes.

scholarly journals Evaluating the Service Operating Efficiency and Its Determinants in Global Consulting Firms: A Metafrontier Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (18) ◽  
pp. 10352
Author(s):  
Gowangwoo Park ◽  
Seok-Kee Lee ◽  
Kanghwa Choi
Keyword(s):  
Business Strategy ◽  
Service Industry ◽  
Sustainable Growth ◽  
Operating Efficiency ◽  
Data Envelopment ◽  
Tobit Regression ◽  
Consulting Services ◽  
Gap Ratio ◽  
Consulting Firms

Knowledge consulting services are one of the fastest growing fields in the knowledge service industry since the 2010s and have been emerging as a core area of the knowledge economy. Accordingly, consulting services are actively sought and provided in various fields, including business strategy and management, accounting, and ICT, and global consulting firms have experienced rapid growth. However, previous research evaluating the performance or service quality of knowledge consulting services is relatively scarce. In particular, there are barely any studies that apply the data envelopment analysis (DEA) model to measure the relative operating efficiencies of consulting firms in the global consulting service field. This study measured the operating efficiency of 27 global consulting firms using DEA. As global consulting firms are managed differently depending on the characteristics of the country in which they operate, the 27 global consulting firms were classified into three groups by region (USA, Europe, Asia) to measure their meta-efficiency (ME), group efficiency (GE), and technology gap ratio (TGR) and identify the causes of inefficiency at global consulting firms. The contextual variables within consulting firms that affect efficiency were analyzed using Tobit regression. Based on the analysis results, this study suggests strategies for enhancing the operating efficiency and realizing sustainable growth in global consulting firms.

Azza and her ARJMST brand: which way forward?

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Fauzia Jabeen ◽  
Marios Katsioloudes ◽  
Syed Zamberi Bin Ahmad ◽  
Mohamed Behery
Keyword(s):  
Strategic Management ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
International Business ◽  
Business Strategy ◽  
Business Management ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Subject Area ◽  
Great Success ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Female Entrepreneur

Subject area Entrepreneurship and/or Strategic management/International Business Management. Study level/applicability This case is intended for teaching entrepreneurship/Strategic management/International Business Courses at the undergraduate level. Case overview This is a field-researched case about a budding Emirati female entrepreneur “Azza Al Qubaisi” who established the ARJMST Jewelry brand in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE). The ARJMST brand, a UAE-based jewelry design and art pioneer company in the local art and craft is one of the most popular jewelry brands in the United Arab Emirates. Azza, the entrepreneur faces many challenges and hurdles if she is to successfully sustain her business in the long term. She is considering what her next step ought to be in light of the competition. Should she expand? If yes, where and how? This case will enable students to critically think about the various issues and reach a decision based on the facts provided. The case is based on primary and secondary data collection and has been tested in an International Business Management class at BBA level, with great success. Expected learning outcomes This case study illustrates the journey of an Emirati female entrepreneur who uses simple things in a creative way to build a business. The case will help the students to identify the start up motivation and evaluate the business strategy for further growth. This will also enable the students to critically think about the various factors and reach a decision based on the facts provided. Supplementary materials Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email [email protected] to request teaching notes. Subject code CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

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