mSimps: decision-making in scaling up a small business

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-26
Author(s):  
Mathew Tsamenyi ◽  
Nana Yaa Antwi-Gyamfi
Keyword(s):  
Value Chain ◽  
Production Efficiency ◽  
Business Management ◽  
Scaling Up ◽  
Subject Area ◽  
Fashion Industry ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Skills ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Effective Models

Subject area Entrepreneurship. Study level/applicability This case is suitable for graduate-level programmes in business management, as well as for executive education programmes. Case overview Mabel Simpson, the sole proprietor of the award-winning mSimps fashion accessories house in Ghana, must choose from among three options for scaling up her business: an offer from a private investor for GHS 100,000 in exchange for 51 per cent stake in mSimps; or 30 per cent stake for half the amount; an offer from a fashion industry expert for GHS 10,000 in exchange for 30 per cent ownership; or a restructuring of her business model and value chain to enable her release cash to grow her business organically. Expected learning outcomes Students should be able to: understand the interplay of choice and trade-offs in business management and apply theory-driven frameworks in making optimal choices and analytically assess instances of tension between the art (e.g. passion, emotional stakes, psychological and other influences on business management philosophies) and science (e.g. the need for business skills, use of effective models and the quest for production efficiency) of business management. 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

Trashy bags: sustainability crisis of a sustainable business

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-32
Author(s):  
Mathew Tsamenyi ◽  
Nana Yaa Antwi-Gyamfi
Keyword(s):  
Business Strategy ◽  
Production Efficiency ◽  
Business Management ◽  
Subject Area ◽  
Social Enterprises ◽  
Production Model ◽  
Sustainable Business ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Effective Models

Subject area Entrepreneurship, Business Strategy, Leadership, Marketing and Decision-making in business. Study level/applicability This case is suitable for graduate-level programmes in business management as well as executive education programmes. Case overview Stuart Gold, CEO of Trashy Bags is at a crossroads with respect to the future of his business. With deficits estimated at about GHS 120,000 annually, Gold is considering switching from the made-to-stock production model to a made-to-order model. Although the latter may tap into an available market and thus boost revenue, it would likely result in the displacement of the social enterprise’s loyal following and disenfranchisement of its employees’ creativity; not to mention the possibility of neglecting its mandate of repurposing plastic waste. Gold wonders if there is a case for maintaining the current made-to-stock model by driving up sales and reducing costs to eliminate the deficit. Expected learning outcomes Students should be able to: appreciate the exigencies of managing social enterprises in a largely profit-oriented economic domain; understand the interplay of choice and trade-offs in business management and apply theory-driven frameworks in making optimal choices and analytically assess instances of tension between the art (e.g. passion, emotional stakes, psychological and other influences on business management philosophies) and science (e.g. the need for business skills, use of effective models and the quest for production efficiency) of business management. 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.

Key drivers of an agile, collaborative fast fashion supply chain

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 278-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ka-Leung Karen Moon ◽  
Ji-yeon Lee ◽  
Sze-yeung Charlotte Lai
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Market Structure ◽  
Subject Area ◽  
Fashion Industry ◽  
Fast Fashion ◽  
Integrated Network ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Supply Chain Agility ◽  
Key Drivers ◽  
Business Pattern

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the market structure and the key drivers of the competitiveness of an agile and collaborative fast fashion supply chain using South Korea’s Dongdaemun fashion market – one of the world’s largest and most competitive fashion hubs – as an example. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative approach is employed with a two-stage study. The first stage is a preliminary study based on a desk research and several field visits, while the second is an in-depth interview study with seven informants collectively representative of the members of all echelons along a fashion supply chain. Findings The findings demonstrate that the Dongdaemun fashion market has a complex market structure and a unique business pattern. Supply chain agility and collaboration are two important components of its success, which are supported by five factors: self-sufficient structure, multiple-integrated network, strong entrepreneurship, close and long-lasting buyer-seller relationships, and quick-response product delivery and inventory replenishment. Originality/value This study extends our knowledge of supply chain management in the fast fashion industry and provides insights to assist in the development of supply chain strategies in other fashion markets and/or other industries. The extended conceptual framework as well as the proposed questions may serve as points of reference for future studies in the subject area.

From traditional manufacturing towards virtual servi-manufacturing: Gabriel's journey

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Brian Vejrum Waehrens ◽  
Dmitrij Slepniov
Keyword(s):  
Value Chain ◽  
Subject Area ◽  
Operations Strategy ◽  
Production Networks ◽  
Global Production Networks ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Virtual Production ◽  
Innovation Activities ◽  
Traditional Manufacturing ◽  
Global Operations

Subject area Operations strategy/global operations/value chain. Study level/applicability BA/Master level – the case can be applied to support operations strategy discussions related to the link between context, configuration and capabilities, and particularly to discuss internationalization strategy and global operations. Case overview The case examines how Gabriel, a Danish textile company, transformed itself from being a traditional textile manufacturer to becoming an innovative virtual servi-manufacturer. The case covers the main milestones in Gabriel's recent history, explores the main reasons for the transformation that started in the late 1990s and studies how this transformation towards becoming a virtual servi-manufacturer was dealt with. The case closes with the sections examining the role of innovation activities in the newly transformed company. Expected learning outcomes The case is expected to build an understanding of the organisational and operational implications of the journey towards the virtual production company. While the case is broad in its scope, it provides an opportunity to go into details on a number of interrelated topics: operations strategy; global production networks; communication and coordination; interdependencies; and outsourcing and offshoring. The story of Gabriel illustrates a highly successful globalization journey and its underlying dynamics. The case highlights how the operations configuration and the relationships between key parties do not stay constant over time. They rather shift and adapt to internal and external stimuli. The case explores these stimuli in retrospect and describes how the company attempts to reconcile market requirements with its operations configurations and capabilities. Supplementary materials Teaching note.

Marketing of the dark: “Memento Park” in Budapest

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brent McKenzie
Keyword(s):  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
International Business ◽  
Business Management ◽  
Subject Area ◽  
Business Enterprise ◽  
Iron Curtain ◽  
Value Proposition ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sustainable Advantage ◽  
Target Consumer

TitleMarketing of the dark: “Memento Park” in Budapest.Subject areaMarketing strategy; services marketing; tourism.Study level/applicabilityUpper year undergraduate business/management, MBA, marketing/international business.Case overviewMemento Park is a large open air museum on the outskirts of Budapest, that houses statues, and related ephemera related to the communist period in Hungary. The park opened in 1993, four years after Hungary had shaken off its yolk of communism as part of the Iron Curtain, in 1989. This case presents a classic example of a business enterprise that sprang from a concept and access to inexpensive materials directly resulting form a changing external environment. The case presents the issues involved in making Memento Park a sustainable part of the Budapest tourist experience.Expected learning outcomesThis case challenges students to decide how best to determine a sustainable advantage. Arguably the value proposition that is being offered by Memento Park has a number of identifiable benefits to the target consumer. It is not replicable (at least in Hungary), has a truly unique content, and does not have large fixed or variable costs in terms of operations. The question is how to best develop a plan of attack for such a firm?Supplementary materialsTeaching 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.

Dainik Jagran: sustaining leadership in the newspaper industry

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-36
Author(s):  
Tirthankar Nag ◽  
Rituparna Basu ◽  
Buroshiva Dasgupta
Keyword(s):  
Value Chain ◽  
Smart Phone ◽  
Subject Area ◽  
Online News ◽  
Growth Strategy ◽  
Product Diversification ◽  
Sustainable Growth ◽  
Media Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Independence Era

Subject area The subject area is strategy and business. Study level/applicability The case can be used for MBA students. This is equally effective in short courses meant for low-to-mid-level working executives. The case is suited for classes in strategy, general marketing, media management and family business courses. Case overview Dainik Jagran – a vernacular daily – is the most read newspaper in India. Under the banner of Jagran Prakashan Ltd.; which is one of the leading media houses in India, the success of Dainik Jagran has been an outcome of the strategic marketing decisions taken by its founder and his successors in the post-independence era. With extensive circulation, it created a large readership base and took bold decisions to launch multi editions to its daily through a series of acquisitions, mergers and consolidations from 1975 to 2010, enabling it to step into product diversification. Readership surveys, investments in technology, advertising, regular branding events and smart phone applications are a few tools that helped. While the group has diversified into other industries, there is an underlying anxiety about the future prospects of its newspaper business. With the onslaught of online news dailies, will Dainik Jagran be able to expand and maintain its readership base using its previous business and marketing strategies? Or is it time to change strategies for businesses in the newspaper and allied media industry in India? Expected learning outcomes The study has the following outcomes: application of value chain concept in businesses serving two-sided markets; application of environmental analysis, Porter’s five forces analysis and related strategy concepts; and learning to critically approach and develop a sustainable growth strategy framework for a successful family-run newspaper business in India. 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 11: Strategy.

Behind the veil

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Alexandra Snelgrove ◽  
Ariane Ryan
Keyword(s):  
Value Chain ◽  
Rural Women ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Subject Area ◽  
Cultural Issues ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Development Tool ◽  
A Value ◽  
The Veil ◽  
The Impact

Subject area The case addresses issues related to value chains, sustainable businesses, business environment in emerging economies and cross-cultural issues. applicability/applicability This case would be best addressed by students in upper years of their undergraduate degree or at a Master's level. Case overview The case addresses a project conducted by MEDA in Pakistan which focused on developing a value chain in the embroidery sector with the end goal of improving the livelihood of homebound rural women. The case walks the students through the local cultural constraints, the project design the development of the various value chain actors and the most significant outcomes. The primary issue requires the students to evaluate the most appropriate exit strategy for MEDA which would not harm the existing networks and allow the whole value chain to continue sustainably. Expected learning outcomes To appreciate the complexity of value chain development while understanding the benefits and opportunities they offer. To understand the importance of sustainability and how this can be achieved using market tools. To grasp the concept of exit strategies in the context of development projects and explore various ways these can be structured. To identify the impact of culture on business environment. Integrating the poor into thriving markets. Business as a development tool. Supplementary materials Teaching notes

Watch the working capital of tier-two suppliers: a financial perspective of supply chain collaboration in the automotive industry

2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 321-333 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xosé H. Vázquez ◽  
Antonio Sartal ◽  
Luis M. Lozano-Lozano
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Panel Data ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Production Efficiency ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Supply Chain Collaboration ◽  
Working Capital ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Second Tier

Purpose This paper aims to examine how lack of financial cooperation damages the operational efficiency of supply chains. The thesis is that economic and technological forces are provoking increasing financial tensions that push companies to transfer their credit needs and inventory requirements to their weakest suppliers. Thus, what might initially seem positive from an individual perspective can in fact generate losses in production efficiency for the supply chain as a whole. Design/Methodology/approach This paper uses official data collected from 116 first- and second-tier suppliers in the Spanish automotive components sector, covering nine years (2001-2009). The relationships between the key variables are analysed using panel data estimations. Findings Significant differences were found between the working capital (WC) of first- and second-tier companies, proving additionally that although this approach may temporarily improve the results of first-tier suppliers, it leads to lower production efficiency in plants throughout the value chain. Practical implications Practitioners should avoid short-sighted attitudes when organizing the supply chain on a cooperative basis, going beyond the conventional wisdom on physical and information flows between original equipment manufacturers and their suppliers to reach upstream stages and embracing financial considerations. Originality/value The paper takes a novel approach to the issue of inter-organizational collaboration in the supply chain, aiming to go beyond conventional Lean Supply practices. From an empirical point of view, while much of the research on the topic utilizes key informant insights collected using psychometric data collection techniques, this study uses different financial proxies collected from secondary panel data.

Radiance: transaction level pricing in the Indian fireworks industry

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Neeraj Pandey ◽  
Gaganpreet Singh
Keyword(s):  
Cash Flow ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Product Category ◽  
Subject Area ◽  
Product Line ◽  
Marketing Management ◽  
Consumption Pattern ◽  
Promotion Strategy ◽  
Pricing Policy ◽  
Content Type

Subject area Pricing, Marketing Management, Strategic Marketing. Study level/applicability The case can be used for pricing course besides Marketing Management and Strategic Management course to MBA students and/or for Management Development Programmes. Case overview ABC Fireworks Private Limited, located in Saharanpur, was into business of manufacturing fireworks under the brand name of Radiance. The owner Mr Sudhir Kapoor was satisfied with the present revenue growth and profit margin except that the cash flow was quite intermittent. The consumption pattern of Indian fireworks industry was highly skewed. Approximately 90 per cent of the entire year manufactured stock had retail market of just 5 days ahead of Diwali festival. To cater to this massive demand, the production was carried out for the whole year. Mr Kapoor was planning to restructure pricing policy so as to have regular cash flow throughout the year. To meet this objective, he was considering price promotion strategy as a preferred option which would enable his marketing team to offer specific discounts to stockists using time slab mechanism. The fireworks industry had four channel distribution processes. The product line was broadly divided into three categories, namely, sound, aerial shots and sparkles. The organization was not into manufacturing of aerial shots product category but was planning to make a foray into it. The case provides interesting insights into pricing dynamics prevalent in the Indian fireworks industry. It includes first-hand information about fireworks price, cost break-up and profit distribution among various members of the industry's value chain. Expected learning outcomes The case enables students to learn the concept and application of pricing, price-based promotion, discounts and price waterfall analysis in the firework industry. 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.

The Accra Beach Hotel: block booking of capacity during a peak period

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Sheryl E. Kimes ◽  
Jochen Wirtz
Keyword(s):  
Close Contact ◽  
Subject Area ◽  
Large Block ◽  
Sales Manager ◽  
Hotel Management ◽  
Peak Period ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sporting Event ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
New Business

Subject area Segmentation, business impacts of decision making, hotel management. Study level/applicability Undergraduate Business or Finance. Case overview The sales manager at a Caribbean hotel wonders whether to accept a large block booking at a discount rate from a group participating in an international sporting event. Do the promised publicity benefits justify the risk of turning away guests from higher paying segments? Expected learning outcomes The case should: highlight the potential for conflicts when customers from different segments with different needs and expectations find themselves in close contact with each other; identify the trade offs that may have to be made when acceptance of a large block booking might displace regular customers; and calculate the incremental financial impact of revenues from new business less revenues forgone when capacity limitations mean that some traditional business will have to be turned away to accommodate the block booking. Supplementary materials Teaching notes.

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