SHEROES: entrepreneurship by acquisitions and organic growth

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Deepa Kumari ◽  
Ashutosh Dash
Keyword(s):  
Online Community ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Growth Strategy ◽  
Growth Strategies ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Post Graduate ◽  
Academic Level ◽  
Organic Growth ◽  
Teaching Cases

Learning outcomes The students should be able to understand the potential and competitive advantage of community-based business model. The students should be able to familiarise themselves with the concept of entrepreneurship through acquisitions. The students should be able to decide when a firm should use acquisition as a key driver coupled with fewer efforts on organic growth or vice-versa. The student should be able to evaluate the success or failure acquisition as a growth strategy. The student should be able to evaluate the key metrics and other variables in the acquisition of target companies. The students should be able to wear the shoes of the protagonist and resolve the dilemma. Case overview/synopsis The teaching case looks at the dilemma of Sairee Chahal. Chahal is the founder of SHEROES, an online community for women. SHEROES started as an online career ecosystem for women. As time progressed Chahal witnessed conversations beyond career and moved towards women-centric themes. Chahal decided to pivot it into an online community for women. Her growth strategy for SHEROES has primarily been driven by serial acquisitions coupled with dispersed efforts on organic growth. In the meanwhile, Chahal had harboured an ambition to bring 100 million users to SHEROES by the year 2024. In a period spanning from 2016–2020, SHEROES acquired six niche women-centric companies. SHEROES grew to be a community of 1 million users to 20+million women users by 2020. On the other hand, the industry leader, Mogul used a diametrical approach to grow the platform into 30+million users by 2020. It had primarily used organic growth strategies such as content development, designing courses, referrals and many more. However, Chahal found herself in a dilemma when a reporter posed a question to Chahal. Chahal’s growth strategy depended on acquisitions, coupled with less effort in organic growth. Conversely, Mogul grew primarily via organic growth strategies. The reporter’s question forced her to question and revisit her growth strategies. She wondered if a target of 100 million users could be achieved with the acquisition as a major driver and less effort invested in organic growth or whether it might be better to make organic growth the key growth strategy while pushing acquisitions to the back seat. The uniqueness of the case lies in the female protagonist who is trying to build a larger-than-life community primarily via acquisitions with little effort on organic growth. Such a phenomenon has rarely been explored in teaching cases. The case is based on secondary data and the information is available in the public domain. Complexity academic level The case is designed for post-graduate students in the entrepreneurship curriculum. Within entrepreneurship, it is well-suited for use in specialised courses on “growth of an entrepreneurial venture” or “entrepreneurial strategies”. An instructor may take it up in the middle of the module as students would have familiarised themselves with various growth strategies. An instructor may use the case for a very niche course such as entrepreneurship through acquisition. An instructor may take it up as an introductory case in such a course. It can also be used in the executive programme aimed at “women entrepreneurship”, “community-based model” and “serial acquisitions” to teach how women or founders create and grow entrepreneurial ventures with acquisitions or communities as their focal tenet. The case has been tested in the authors’ post-graduate student’s entrepreneurship course. An instructor can use it when the instructor wants to discuss the various growth strategies available to an entrepreneurial firm. Supplementary materials Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

Titan Company Limited: growth strategy

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-38
Author(s):  
K. S. Manikandan
Keyword(s):  
Growth Strategy ◽  
Executive Education ◽  
Limited Growth ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Post Graduate ◽  
Academic Level ◽  
Company Limited

Complexity academic level Post-graduate; Executive education; Under-graduate. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 11: Strategy.

Up-Fuse: International growth of an Egyptian eco-friendly social enterprise

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Ayman Ismail ◽  
Seham Ghalwash ◽  
Noha El Sebaie
Keyword(s):  
Consumer Behavior ◽  
International Business ◽  
Social Enterprise ◽  
Marketing Strategies ◽  
Social Enterprises ◽  
Growth Strategy ◽  
The Other ◽  
Growth Strategies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Academic Level

Learning outcomes The case is meant as a way for students to develop ideas related to the challenges facing environmental eco-friendly social enterprises that sell their products in a country like Egypt where consumers are way behind considering the value of their products. In response to these challenges, students learn to evaluate the company status quo by analyzing its weaknesses, strengths and opportunities to grow and expand geographically to a new market. Students also learn about the growth expansion strategies and internationalization modes, options and associated barriers. Accordingly, they can plan the marketing strategies associated with entering this new market for up-cycled products. Objective 1: Analyze the international geographical growth alternative for an enterprise that improves its scalability applying weaknesses, strengths, threats and opportunities analysis. Objective 2: Propose a strategic plan for growth and scalability. Objective 3: Discuss the various modes of doing business in foreign countries. Recommend an internationalization mode for a social enterprise to explore in a new market. Objective 4: Assess the possible barriers associated with internationalization modes and how to overcome them. Objective 5: Propose marketing strategies for an eco-friendly enterprise to enhance its efficiency and effectiveness in the international host market. Other topics that might be discussed in this case include consumer behavior toward environmentally friendly products. Pricing challenges faced by ecologically friendly firms in developing countries. Case overview/synopsis Rania and Yara were inspired by Germany’s approach to waste reduction, particularly plastic bags. In 2017, after winning several competitions and awards, Up-Fuse was officially established as a social enterprise. The entrepreneurs faced great challenges selling sustainable products made of plastic waste to Egyptian consumers. Egyptian consumers were not fully aware of the value of eco-friendly products which presented a great challenge for Up-Fuse to grow and sell their products in Egypt. After shifting its pricing strategy and expanding beyond the local recycled product markets, Up-Fuse further faced fierce competition from well-established local and international brands with larger market shares. Thus, most of Up-Fuse’s sales were generated from expats and foreigners. In response to local obstacles and limitations, Rania began to consider targeting international markets. Rania thought it was the opportune time to drive growth through geographic expansion. After all, in 2020, Up-Fuse had some minor success when the co-founders experimented with exporting their products to the US market. Rania’s co-founder Yara, on the other hand, felt that the enterprise was not yet ready to enter a new market and it would be wiser to emphasize growth in the local Egyptian market. The co-founders were torn between two growth strategies. On one hand, they faced intense local competition for their products. On the other, expanding by entering a new market came with many challenges. Which growth strategy should Up-Fuse adopt? How could Up-Fuse determine which market to penetrate? What were the possible scalability challenges they faced by entering a new market? How could Up-Fuse reach and increase their international customer base abroad? What was the best marketing strategy for their products? Complexity academic level This case would be appropriate for graduate students enrolled in marketing, consumer behavior, international marketing, international business and social entrepreneurship courses. This case is written at a graduate level and would also be appropriate for use in customized or short programs. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CCS 5: International Business.

Lockheed Martin Acquisitions: stay the course or change strategy?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan White ◽  
Protiti Dastidar
Keyword(s):  
Mergers And Acquisitions ◽  
Corporate Strategy ◽  
Flow Analysis ◽  
High Growth ◽  
Vice President ◽  
Growth Strategy ◽  
Growth Strategies ◽  
Strategy Analysis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Academic Level

Theoretical Basis In a typical strategy course, growth strategies like mergers and acquisitions (corporate strategy) are introduced in the second half of the course. To analyze the case, students will use strategies such as Porter’s five forces and resource-based view and will discuss why firms pursue mergers as a growth strategy, along with sources of synergies and risks in mergers. Finance theory used includes analyzing a given discounted cash flow analysis and perform a comparable multiples analysis to find the value of a merger target. Research Methodology The industry and financial information in the case comes from publicly available sources, including company 10K reports, business press reports and publicly available industry reports. The information about Lockheed Martin’s strategy comes from interviews with Peter Clyne, former vice president for Lockheed Martin’s IS&GS division. He then held the same position for Leidos Holding Corp., after the IS&GS division was divested and incorporated into Leidos. Case overview/synopsis This case is an interdisciplinary case containing aspects of strategy and finance. Lockheed Martin made a strategic move in 2016, to divest its Information Systems & Global Strategies Division (IS&GS), which engaged in government consulting, primarily in the defense and aerospace industries. Lockheed wanted to reassess its decision to divest consulting, given the high growth rates expected in this business, particularly in cybersecurity consulting. On the other hand, if Lockheed decided to maintain its hardware focus, it wanted to expand its offerings. In addition to a strategy analysis, two possible target firms can be analyzed: Fortinet and Maxar. Complexity Academic Level This case raises a broad set of issues related to the evaluation of M&A transactions across two different industries and corporate strategy, as it relates to strategic fit of the potential targets and LM’s current capabilities. It is appropriate for the core course in strategy at the MBA or senior undergraduate level. It can also be assigned to specialized courses in Mergers and Acquisitions. It is not appropriate for a lower level strategy or finance course, as it requires students to have prior knowledge of basic finance valuation techniques.

Corporate reputation based theory of choice between organic, hybrid and inorganic growth strategies

2014 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 247-259 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arpita Agnihotri
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Reputation ◽  
Growth Strategy ◽  
Relative Performance ◽  
Growth Strategies ◽  
Tobit Regression ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organic Hybrid ◽  
Industry Competition ◽  
Organic Growth

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how organizational resources: mass media corporate reputation and relative performance influences firms choice between organic, hybrid and inorganic growth strategies and how industry competition moderates this relationship. Design/methodology/approach – Using panel data and Tobit regression on sample of firms from emerging markets, i.e. India, the study is conducted. Findings – The results indicate that firm's corporate reputation, its relative performance with respect to competitors, positively influences hybrid growth strategy and negatively influences organic growth strategies. Further, results show that competition acts as a moderator of firm's relative performance and growth choice. Originality/value – The study contribute to resource-based view of the firm and corporate reputation literature by the extending the deterministic role of corporate reputation to not only firms’ market-based performance but also strategic choice.

Ghacem in Ghana: marketing cement in a newly competitive environment

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. 485-502
Author(s):  
Israel Kpekpena ◽  
Haiyan Hu
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Swot Analysis ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Growth Strategies ◽  
Product Packaging ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Marketing Environment ◽  
Academic Level

Theoretical basis This case study applies the scanning of marketing environment (i.e. typology of marketing environments); strategic marketing planning process, involving SWOT analysis, growth strategies; and marketing mix (four ps). Research methodology This is modeled as a qualitative study. Primary data were collected through a phone interview with the key informants, and secondary data came from various publications such as government reports, news portals and company websites. Case overview/synopsis Ghacem was the first cement manufacturing company in Ghana and had enjoyed a monopoly for almost 33 years. The company offered a homogeneous product to an undifferentiated market from 1967 until competition began in 2000. New competitors promote the use of cement grade numbers on their product packaging to signal a better value, which intensified the competition. As the Head of Marketing of the company, Benny was asked to develop a marketing strategy for the company’s newly developed product for the company to remain competitive. Complexity academic level Undergraduate students taking Principles of Marketing.

Odds & Edge: on the edge

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Kinjal Jethwani ◽  
Kumar Ramchandani
Keyword(s):  
Circular Economy ◽  
Learning Objectives ◽  
Fashion Industry ◽  
Growth Strategies ◽  
Graduate Level ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Post Graduate ◽  
Academic Level ◽  
The Future ◽  
Exit Strategies

Case overview Odds & Edge, a micro venture based in Ahmedabad, India, has created a niche for itself in the affordable designer wear segment. Covid-19 induced lockdown pushed Odds & Edge to the brink of collapse. And because of the severe cash crunch partners need to take a call regarding the continuation or closure of the venture. The case is intended to be discussed in an entrepreneurship class for post-graduate level participants. The case setting is inside Odds & Edge and it was May 01, 2020, when Ms Jheel Jain - a partner & the protagonist, needed to decide the future of the venture. Participants will have a brief understanding of entrepreneurial traits and will also learn about the Ansoff Model of expansion in case of continuation and the different exit choices for an entrepreneur. As Odds & Edge operates in the fashion industry, students will be able to understand the concepts such as Ecopreneurship, Circular Economy, and Trashion. The case follows through the background of Ms Jain, the ideation stage, and the players in the Trashion Industry. It then moves on to the operation of Odds & Edge narrating the process, products, and partners of the venture. The case ends with the decision dilemma for Ms Jain i.e. should she continue? If yes then how could Odds and Edge expand & grow? Or Should Jheel surrender and exit? If yes then what are the probable exit choices for her? Learning objectives 1. to understand the concept of Ecopreneurship, Circular Economy and Trashion; 2. to identify and discuss common entrepreneurial traits; 3. to analyze the Ansoff Matrix for exploration of various expansion/growth strategies; and 4. to understand different exit strategies available to an entrepreneur. Complexity academic level The case is intended to be discussed in an entrepreneurship class for post-graduate level participants. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CCS 3: Entrepreneurship.

Retail post-COVID growth strategy – is omni channel the way?

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Ritu Srivastava ◽  
Yogesh Yadav
Keyword(s):  
Business Models ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Growth Strategy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Chief Operating Officer ◽  
Retail Chain ◽  
A Value ◽  
Retail Business

Learning outcomes To enable the students to appreciate the importance of the retail business environment and identification of opportunities set in the context of an emerging market. To make students understand how a value proposition (product) is crafted in a retail organisation. To introduce the technique of developing a service blueprint for designing the retail consumption experience. To induce students to analyse on what criteria should retail business models be evaluated. To introduce the students to the concept of omnichannel retail strategy. Case overview/synopsis The case is about a value-retail chain We Mart India facing the sudden lockdown situation in April 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic hitting India. Shailesh Mehta, the Chief Operating Officer of We Mart is wondering what he should do post the lockdown to bring back the retail chain to its pre-Covid fast-paced growth of 25% YOY in June 2019. We Mart focussed on physical stores as a part of its strategy with an emphasis on the in-store experience. The company catered to the aspirations in fashion for the youth through a series of fashion apparel and accessories in Tiers 2 and 3 cities. The company had grown successfully in two decades and had expansion plans for 2020, which now seemed hazy because of this unpredicted biological disruption impacting businesses. Mehta’s worries were intensified by the change in the consumer trend that was witnessing a shift from offline to online. He wondered about how to incorporate this change and also realign the corporate growth plans in amidst of a challenging situation. To add to his woes were thoughts about established competitors online already apart from the existing offline ones. Research methods: This case is based on primary and secondary data gathered through interviews and publicly available secondary sources. The name of the company and protagonist have been disguised. Complexity academic level The case is suitable for post-graduate (masters in buisness administration) level courses on retail management. The length of the case enables the participants to even read in the class. Supplementary materials Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 8: Marketing

UCOOK: growth challenges faced by a small- to medium-sized South African venture

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-33
Author(s):  
Geoff Bick ◽  
Jeanné Odendaal
Keyword(s):  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
South African ◽  
Business Students ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Growth Strategy ◽  
Sustainable Growth ◽  
Strategic Decision ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Teaching Case ◽  
Post Graduate

Learning outcomes The learning outcomes are as follows: to understand how technology can be used to create innovative entrepreneurial opportunities; to develop analytical and critical thinking skills to understand organisations, industries and their dynamics; to analyse strategic options for an entrepreneurial organisations and motivate a proposed strategic direction; and to assess the inter-functional requirements for an entrepreneurship to successfully implement a strategy. Case overview/synopsis UCOOK, a successful emerging economy SME, is confronted with the threat of retail giants (e.g. Checkers and Woolworths) entering the meal kit space. No longer the only “new kid on the block”, UCOOK has to consider a sustainable growth strategy to remain competitive. The case provides the reader with a snapshot of experiences of a meal kit entrepreneurial venture and what it entails for them to grow in the South African milieu. Principally, this case is designed to impart knowledge and stimulate a practical understanding of entrepreneurship and strategic decision-making in the meal kit industry. Additionally, the purpose is to serve as inspiration for business students to see the opportunities that lie within strategically astute emerging market ventures. Complexity academic level The primary target audience for this teaching case is postgraduate business students, especially students of entrepreneurship, strategy and e-commerce. This teaching case is intended to be used as case study in post graduate business programmes such as Master of Business Administration (MBA), a specialist Masters programme such as MM (Entrepreneurship), post-graduate diploma in management (PGDip), as well as selected executive education programmes. 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.

Maruti’s Nexa – enhancing customer experience beyond buying

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 497-512
Author(s):  
Arun Kumar Kaushik ◽  
Geetha Mohan
Keyword(s):  
Automotive Industry ◽  
Automobile Industry ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Master's Level ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Distribution Management ◽  
Academic Level ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Store Environment

Research methodology The case collates secondary data pertaining to Maruti’s current position, Nexa, the premium retail sales channel of Maruti, and recent developments in the Indian automobile industry. It presents the facts and data published on websites, newspapers and magazines in the form of a case study. Case overview/synopsis Nexa was launched by Maruti in 2015 to enhance the buying experience of its premium customers and to re-position itself as a premium brand. It started offering customized services to car purchasers through its well-trained employees, attractive store environment and omni channel experience. Through all these facilities, though Nexa had a bumpy ride for selling its first product, it managed to pace up and perform better in the next few years. It remained to be seen how Maruti would handle competitor and cost challenges and how it would strategize its efforts to strengthen its footprint in the Indian automotive industry. Complexity academic level This case can be used in retail management, sales and distribution management, marketing management and related courses/modules at the master’s level.

The choice of growth method: strategies and resources

2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Ortiz-de-Urbina-Criado ◽  
Luis Ángel Guerras-Martín ◽  
Ángeles Montoro-Sánchez
Keyword(s):  
Latin American ◽  
Growth Strategy ◽  
Previous Experience ◽  
Growth Options ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organic Growth ◽  
European Experience ◽  
Growth Method ◽  
Prior Literature ◽  
External Growth

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of a firm's growth strategy (specialization and diversification) and its specific resources, such as intangible assets and previous experience in the choice of growth method (organic or external). Design-methodology-approach The paper analyses 859 external growth arrangements and 1,057 cases of organic growth. A binomial logistic regression is used to test the hypotheses. Findings Results show that firms prefer to grow internally when their growth strategy is specialization, but prefer external growth methods – such as mergers, acquisitions and alliances – when their growth strategy is diversification and they have previous experience in these methods. Research limitations-implications This study applies only to the European case and could be extended to Latin American companies for a comparative analysis. Practical implications This paper may help managers to identify important factors and issues to be considered when deciding upon a growth method. The European experience can be useful for Latin American companies following a similar growth strategy. Originality-value The results confirm a large part of the prior literature, but also go a stage further by including in the same study all the growth options available to a firm and providing empirical evidence of each one's preference according to the different situations analysed.

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