Mysore Sandal Millennium, the launch of India's most expensive soap

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Srinivas Reddy ◽  
Havovi Joshi

Subject area – Marketing, innovation, strategy. Study level/applicability – Undergraduate, post-graduate and executive education. Case overview – This case is set in January 2012, a few days before the launch of Mysore Sandal Millennium, a super-premium luxury soap offering from the Indian public sector enterprise, Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Ltd. (“KS&DL”). Three years of research had been put into this product, which contained some of the finest, high-quality ingredients. KS&DL had, over the past decade or so, observed a significant fall in brand image for its signature product, the Mysore Sandalwood soap. While this soap had for many years been considered the premium brand in India, it had lost its place when well-known foreign brands became available in India, and local manufacturers moved towards this segment, manufacturing a whole new range of competitive products such as liquid body washes and gels. It was with an aim to rebuild its image that the company decided to launch the Millennium soap. KS&DL was clear that the product would be initially aimed at the high-income Indians, and then move to expand into the overseas market. However, it remained to be seen if the company could be truly successful in marketing a product priced at a level which would make it unaffordable to most Indians, other than a very thin layer of the ultra-rich. The question remains as to how KS&DL could best go about executing and communicating its strategy to make this launch a success. Expected learning outcomes – This case provides students the opportunity to learn about the challenges faced when a company launches a new brand, particularly a luxury brand in a developing country such as India. Through this case, students will learn about the concepts of brand extension, and, above all, vertical brand extension. It can also be used to discuss the spill-over effects of the launch (and its success) on other existing brands of the company, as well as the overall corporate brand. 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.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanghee Kim ◽  
Hongjoo Woo

Purpose According to the perspective of evolutionary economic theory, the marketplace continuously evolves over time, following the changing needs of both customers and firms. In accordance with the theory, the second-hand apparel market has been rapidly expanding by meeting consumers’ diverse preferences and promoting sustainability since 2014. To understand what changes in consumers’ consumption behaviors regarding used apparel have driven this growth, the purpose of this study is to examine how the second-hand apparel market product types, distribution channels and consumers’ motives have changed over the past five years. Design/methodology/approach This study collected big data from Google through Textom software by extracting all Web-exposed text in 2014, and again in 2019, that contained the keyword “second-hand apparel,” and used the Node XL program to visualize the network patterns of these words through the semantic network analysis. Findings The results indicate that the second-hand apparel market has evolved with various changes over the past five years in terms of consumer motives, product types and distribution channels. Originality/value This study provides a comprehensive understanding of the changing demands of consumers toward used apparel over the past five years, providing insights for retailers as well as future research in this subject area.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Amalia E. Maulana ◽  
Lexi Z. Hikmah ◽  
Yudha Andriyanto

Subject area Services marketing, Market segmentation, Ethnography. Study level/applicability Postgraduate programs, Master in Strategic Marketing and Master in Business Administration. Case overview One of the signs of an increase in religion awareness of Indonesian society is a high demand on Musholla in public area. While other shopping malls just provide a normal standard room for prayer, Senayan City has become a pioneer in introducing an excellent facility of a prayer room. In services marketing, one of the substantial matters to consider is physical evidence, or in other words service setting or servicescape. Musholla is one of the intangible aspects, which depicts services in shopping malls in Indonesia. There are three variables that distinguish visitors' types, such as time spent, liturgical compliance level and concerns for cleanliness/hygiene. Expected learning outcomes The objective of this case study is to give deeper comprehension about services marketing to students in a practical way. This case study illustrates that a company is capable of creating a strong brand by acknowledging consumer needs and providing extra benefits. Besides, students are also required to analyze diverse consumer needs as each segment has its own needs. The use of ethnography as an approach shows that such a contemporary method can capture dynamic behaviours and deeper insight on consumer needs. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available.


2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Kunal K. Ganguly ◽  
Siddharth Rai

Subject area The subject area of the case is operations management and capacity planning. The case adopts different operation strategies to use the idle capacity. Study level/applicability The case study is suitable for discussion in masters level classes. The case explains the situation of a company which is fighting for its survival. The case reveals the alternative operations strategies it applies to maximize its capacity utilization and reduce its costs. Case overview The case describes a paper producing company which is earning low margins. The company’s capacity remains unused during the off-seasons. The company then plans to share its capacity with another dying industry. Both the companies plan to cooperate and share resources. However, there are other attractive alternatives too and the dilemma situations leave the gap for continuous discussions. Expected learning outcomes The case aims at providing potential alternatives to the students and initiating healthy discussions. The students will be able to understand the capacity utilization dilemmas and applicability of the operations strategy concept in practice. 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 9: Operations and Logistics.


2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Khairul Akmaliah Adham ◽  
Shamshubaridah Ramlee

Subject area Topics covered by the case include: strategic management processes; and strategies, especially of a platform business. Study level/applicability The case is suitable for use in final-year undergraduate business/management degree programs and MBA or MSc in Management programs. The case can be utilized in courses such as strategic management and management of innovation. For MBA and MSc in management programs, the case can also be utilized in organization theory and design and organizational management, or any courses that cover topics of strategic management and management of innovation. Case overview By December 2010, the e-Pay terminal system was one of the most successful payment platforms in Malaysia. This business, which was launched in 1999, was an electronic prepaid mobile phone reload value distribution system known as e-Pay; it contributed about 80 per cent of the company's annual revenue. Over the past 10 years, e-Pay's terminal system had evolved into a comprehensive payment platform serving many providers on one side and end customers on the other side. However, since the past two years, the company has been facing pressures from their biggest customers on the provider side of its platform, the three giant telecommunication companies (telcos), which had moved to directly deliver reload values to their prepaid subscribers, bypassing e-Pay as the payment intermediary. On the customer side, the number of prepaid subscribers switching to postpaid services was increasing, and this threatened e-Pay's main source of revenue in the prepaid market. In response to this, the company added new service providers to its platform and launched multi-functional cashier machines with reload credits facility. By December 2010, as the market sunk into subscription saturation, the two founders of the company became deeply concerned about the company's future. They wondered if the problems would hinder their company from becoming a dominant payment player in Asia. This case presents an opportunity to discuss strategic posturing of a payment platform company operating in a mobile phone market which was mainly controlled by the telecommunication companies. Expected learning outcomes Understanding of strategic management process and related analysis enable case analysts to apply these concepts in many business situations involving strategy formulation and implementation. 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.


2014 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Brian J. Hurn

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review the encouraging progress and increased momentum in both business and Government for more women to be appointed to senior positions. It traces this momentum since the author's last article: “Are cracks now appearing in the boardroom glass ceiling?” in Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol. 45 No. 4, 2013. Design/methodology/approach – Critical review of recent initiatives by both government and business. Findings – The article highlights the positive momentum towards greater gender equality in the workplace. It emphasises the need for more career guidance beginning early in school for girls and to change the male-dominated culture found in many areas of business. Research limitations/implications – Review of literature and media articles in the past 12 months. Practical implications – The increased antipathy towards quotas and the need for greater career guidance in both schools and colleges, together with work experience placements for women. Recruitment and selection should be gender-free, based on ability and experience and carried out by selection panels of both sexes. Originality/value – Highlights and analyses the recent encouraging trends and increasing awareness of the value women bring to a company board.


2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Tanushree Sharma

Subject area The case highlights the ethical dilemmas people face in various business situations. The case throws light on the causes and consequences of violation and the problems related to enforcement of shared organizational values/code of conduct. Study level/applicability This case can be used in courses on human resource management, OB and corporate ethics and is suitable for the postgraduate and undergraduate students of business schools. Case overview The case narrates the dilemma faced by the Vice President of human resources (VP-HR) of a company when he discovered a major violation of the company's code of conduct by the Vice President of research and development (VP-R&D). The VP-R&D is almost indispensable to the company given his unique expertise and criticality of the new Design Centre which he is spearheading single-handedly. Sacking the VP-R&D has the potential of delaying commissioning of the new centre and putting new business wins in jeopardy. On the other hand, not taking any action may erode employees faith in code of conduct and company values. The VP-HR must decide fast whether and how to take action on gross violation of company's code of conduct. Expected learning outcomes The students will gain understanding of shared organizational values, code of conduct and ethics, know about the causes and consequences of violation of shared values, discover ways to institutionalize shared organizational values and resolve ethical dilemma. 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.


2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-27
Author(s):  
Jaydeep Mukherjee ◽  
Mukund Trivedy

TitleCorporate brand building at SRF: challenge of selecting the brand consultant.Subject areaThe case is about the selecting the agency to take up the brand building challenge of SRF Limited, a well established, large business in India having diverse lines of “industrial products”. The business decision problem of SRF stemmed from the fact that the corporate leadership team, which had to take a decision on the topic had considerable reservation about the appropriateness of each of short‐listed agencies for the job at hand. There were also differences of opinion on what would be the criteria for selecting the brand consultant. The Managing Director had to ensure that the team arrived at a consensus, rather than being foisted with a decision from top.Study level/applicabilityThis case can be taken up in executive education programs as well as the basic marketing management program at the postgraduate level or in a specialist advertising courses. The case can be taught in the core marketing course at the postgraduate level while discussing the selection on advertising agency.Case overviewThe decision‐making focus of the case is about selecting an advertising agency among a set of three, which was most suited to help SRF achieve the repositioning, branding and the awareness creation challenge. The agencies, however, were mostly experienced in building brands for consumer product which was distinct from industrial intermediaries company like SRF. As an organization, SRF had no experience of dealing with an advertising agency, thus the selection was quite a challenge. It brings to focus the decision‐making dilemma faced by a large number of companies in emerging markets which are making the transition to brand building.Expected learning outcomesThe following insights could be elucidated by the case: Help the students understand the corporate branding concept as distinct from product branding. Decision‐making dilemmas associated with corporate brand building for a company with long legacy of product branding.Criteria for evaluating the proposals by advertising agency from the perspective of a client organization.Supplementary materialsTeaching notes.


2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Shekar Prabhakar ◽  
Madhavi Lokhande

Subject area Marketing. Study level/applicability MBA students. Case overview Titan Industries Limited is the world's fifth-largest wristwatch manufacturer and India's leading producer of watches under the Titan, Fastrack, Sonata, Nebula, Raga, Regalia, Octane and Xylys brand names. When a joint venture with Timex came to an end, Titan found themselves without a range of watches for the youth, a growing segment with significant disposable incomes. To serve that segment, they launched a range of “cool” casual watches under the Fastrack from Titan sub-brand in 1998. Sunglasses were also launched but under the Accessories division of the company. In 2003, a decision was taken to combine the watches and sunglasses and spin it off under a new group called “Fastrack and New Brands”. Post this spin-off, Fastrack was launched as a standalone brand with the vision of becoming the most iconic and exciting fashion brand for youth. The overarching strategy was to bring affordable fashion to the youth and bridging the gap between the unorganized market and international brands. The product strategy was to extend the brand rapidly into other accessories such as belts, wallets, bags and wristbands. The brand personality was to be irreverent and comfortable with impropriety. Their communications reflected the brand attitude with edgy advertising. The distribution model adopted was to have their own branded stores. The brand grew from a mere INR30 crores in 2003 to INR770 crores in 2013. As the brand grew largely from moving into adjacent product categories, Fastrack managers were always looking for the next product category to enter and dominate. In 2013-2014, the product category seriously being looked at was two-wheeler helmets – a category dominated largely by the unorganized sector with low quality. The challenge was to take a product category that existed mainly due to safety regulations and turn it into a personal, fashion accessory. Was it a large enough market to penetrate and dominate? Would they be able to change consumer perception of helmets being a necessary evil to being a fashion accessory proudly displayed? Can they change consumer purchase behavior to go shopping for helmets instead ofjust buying the cheapest, comfortable helmet? Would the brand extension into helmets strengthen or dilute brand equity? These were the questions that faced Ronnie Talati, the Chief Marketing Officer. Expected learning outcomes Understand how to go about creating a brand strategy when re-launching it as a standalone brand without the support of the corporate umbrella brand; analyze different product markets to enter and how to arrive at a go/no-go decision; comprehend the challenges of extending the brand into different and sometimes unrelated product categories. 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.


2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Jawahitha Sarabdeen ◽  
Kamal Jaafar

Subject area Strategic management, international business, branding, innovation and retail management Study level/applicability Undergraduate, postgraduate business and management students. Case overview Emerging Technologies was the first United Arab Emirates software application developer of Arabic (also available in English and Hindi) voice recognition solutions. Emerging Technologies developed and deployed fully automated voice recognition applications to meet specific business wants and needs. The case provides a practical example of a company which position itself well to be a raising star through proper strategy. Expected learning outcomes The students will be able to learn various business strategies that could be applied in emerging markets. Supplementary materials Teaching note available upon request.


2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Shashank Shah ◽  
R.N. Ajith Sankar

Subject area Human resource management. Study level/applicability The case can be used on courses related to human resources management (HRM), which are offered in management programmes like MBA/PGDBM. The case could also be used in management development programmes, seminars and workshops that have HRM as a component of the programme. The case can be used effectively for classroom discussions as well as in distance learning programmes. Case overview The case looks into the HRM practices at a leading Indian construction company – ABC Constructions. The case tries to explain the management perspectives behind the people practice initiatives undertaken by the company in order to recruit/retain and nurture talent. The case also explains the basic principles underlying its human resource policies. It tries to explain the initiatives taken by ABC Constructions to meet the challenges posed by the changing business environment, as the company moves beyond the borders of the country of its initial operations. The case provides an overview of unique challenges faced by a company in the Indian construction industry, where a significant number of people executing its projects are not its permanent employees. Expected learning outcomes The students would get a fairly good understanding of existing good practices in the field of human resource management, especially in the context of a multifaceted and labour intensive construction industry in the Indian corporate scenario. Anecdotes of actual experiences with respect to people management would facilitate greater understanding of the complexities involved at the grass root level of functioning and implementation. Theoretical inputs relating to training could be better understood through the customised programmes provided by the company for its diverse workforce. The HR challenges faced by the top management as a company grows and expands to new markets can better be understood. 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.


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