Arnetta technologies: minimum viable product

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 117-145
Author(s):  
Puran Singh ◽  
Suryani Sinha Ray

Theoretical basis The case fosters discussions on basic concepts of entrepreneurship that include building a minimum viable product before launching a finished product, the importance of doing market research for early-stage startups, challenges in understanding an unfamiliar domain or industry and understanding the dynamics of business to business market. Research methodology Team Arnetta’s founders were interviewed in relation to the case. After the initial round of interviews, a product demonstration was given by Arnetta. Follow up interviews were conducted to delve-deeper into the problem while secondary research was conducted to understand the market dynamics and competitive landscape at the point in time in the case. Case overview/synopsis The four founders of Arnetta Technologies debate go-to-market timing for Integrated Breeding and Research Management Software, a data handling software for the R&D process followed by seed enterprises in India. The founders had spent over US$75,000 on the product development on which they had been working for more than one year. Two of the founders had given up their full-time jobs to work dedicatedly on the venture. The product was being customized to the requirements of their only client. Product development was taking longer than anticipated. To add to the challenges, international competitors had started capturing the Indian market. The founders had two options. First, they could wait and finish the product development before reaching out to their prospective clients – leading to delays and losing out on the market. Second, they could reach out to prospective clients and convince them to use the work-in-progress version of the product – which could turn out to be a deal breaker. The founders had to come to a consensus soon. Complexity academic Level The case is intended for students in undergraduate or graduate-level courses related to entrepreneurship, new venture creation, innovation management and business management.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xi Zhang ◽  
Shanthi Gopalakrishnan ◽  
Raja Roy ◽  
Cesar Bandera

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore how the entrepreneurs' social connections and types of employment differentially affect the survival of startup firms in the USA and India. Further, the authors analyze the differences during both the early stage and the later stages of new ventures.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) database between 2012 and 2014 and examine the hypothesized effects with logistic regression analyses.FindingsThe analysis reveals that an entrepreneur's social connections with other entrepreneurs favor the survival of the focal entrepreneur's early-stage business in the USA. However, social connections are more critical for later-stage ventures in India. During the early stage, new ventures of full-time entrepreneurs are more likely to survive in India, whereas those by hybrid entrepreneurs are more likely to survive in the USA. The differences between the importance of full-time and hybrid entrepreneurs across geographies are less discernible during the later stages of new ventures.Originality/valueThe novelty of this paper is that it demonstrates the significant differences in the way social connections and types of employment (hybrid versus full-time) affect the survival of entrepreneurial firms in the early and later stages. The study also expands the international business literature by shedding new light on country-level differences that affect the survival of new ventures.


2015 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 533-552 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cláudia S. Sarrico ◽  
Margarida M. Pinheiro

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the debate on the quality and accreditation of management education by examining the fit between the characteristics of current management academics in Portugal and recognised accreditation standards. For purposes of comparison, the authors use both general Portuguese teaching accreditation standards and specific international standards for management education. Design/methodology/approach – The authors analyse indicators of staff career positioning, tenure status, full time vs part-time, age, degree qualifications, field of training, level of academic inbreeding, internationalisation, research activity, professional activity, and the number of hours taught per week. The authors also examine the relationship between them, in light of accreditation standards, for all academic staff teaching in management degrees submitted for compulsory accreditation by the Portuguese accreditation agency. Findings – The reality found in this study shows gaps between the actual attributes of management academics and what can be considered appropriate attributes, according to the general consensus found in the literature and which is duly mirrored in common “qualified faculties” accreditation standards by Portuguese and international standards (AACSB, AMBA and EQUIS). Research limitations/implications – The findings relate to the Portuguese situation and the analysis developed should be extended to other contexts. Also, while the data, which were collected through a census, has a wide national scope, it only covers one academic year. Practical implications – This work has policy setting implications for degree accreditation and for developing capacity during the transitional periods when universities implement the mandatory minimum standards. It can also help universities to benchmark themselves against their peers as a diagnostic tool for elaborating improvement plans. Social implications – The massification of higher education has led to legitimate concerns about the quality of the services provided, and consequently accreditation procedures were devised to restore trust. However, policy makers must be aware of the impacts of their actions, namely the effects of degree accreditation, as their goals need to be achieved with the minimum negative impact on academic work. Originality/value – The authors work sheds light on the characteristics of those who teach management and how they align with the current accreditation policies that affect academia globally and, in the process, presents empirical evidence from Portugal, which is at a relatively early stage in the accreditation process.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-35
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Silva Quaye ◽  
Yvonne Saini

Learning outcomes Amongst other things, at the end of this case discussion, the student should be able to: diagnose situational factors that contribute to a brand’s positioning; explore important issues in implementing brand positioning strategies; use relevant models for understanding a firm’s internal and external environments to inform strategic decisions about customers and competition; demonstrate an understanding of target audience; identify the unique attributes of the competition to inform a firm’s positioning and competitive strategy. Case overview/synopsis Kaya FM derives its name from the isiZulu word “ikhaya”, which means “home”. The name reflects the mission of the radio station to provide a home for black South Africans who were denied many opportunities during the apartheid era in South Africa. Kaya FM has been broadcasting since 1997, following the deregulation of the media landscape in South Africa. However, by 2018, the radio landscape has become very challenging. Mainstream advertisers still do not consider Kaya FM as a preferred channel to reach their target audience. Overall, radio listenership is dwindling and advertising sales growth is not encouraging. Greg Maloka, Kaya FM’s station manager is considering how to preserve the station’s unique positioning as it competes with both more dominant stations and new entrants so that Kaya FM can truly be a home for Afropolitans for many years to come. Complexity academic level Honour’s and master’s level, as well as executive education delegates. Supplementary materials Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 8: Marketing.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen McGrath ◽  
Thomas O'Toole

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the early stage network engagement strategies that new ventures use to gain traction in interaction in the development of network capability. Design/methodology/approach Using 24 new ventures in the micro-brewing industry in Ireland, Belgium and the USA as an empirical base, the authors use an inductive case study approach owing to the exploratory nature of the research aim and the lack of prior literature in the area. Findings The findings suggest five early stage network engagement process strategies in network capability development: business-to-business network prospecting; co-branding/co-promoting activities; from maker-mindset to adapting; social media platforming; and recognition and activation of network role. Research limitations/implications The findings are limited to the micro-brewery sector at one point in time, although in multiple country contexts. Analyzing other sectors and taking a temporal view of strategizing, analyzing the sector at another time point, would show how dynamics in engagement change as the actors acquire new experiences from interaction. Practical implications The potential to gain from network resources and the paucity of these resources in new ventures makes early stage engagement strategizing for network capability development an attractive business strategy for new firms. All firms are born within a social network that has economic importance. Identifying the five early stage network engagement strategies can mitigate the challenge for the new venture in moving from the initial social network to collaborating within wider business networks to gain access to resources, technology and customers. Originality/value Strategizing in new venture contexts is a relatively new stream of research for the industrial marketing and purchasing group. This paper adds to the growing body of literature that places interaction, relationships and networks at the heart of strategy making and provides important insights for new ventures, which may lead to earlier and greater success for the firms. The authors respond to calls for increased research addressing capability development in a new venture context and for research to take a more interactive perspective on new venture processes.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrich Lichtenthaler

Purpose The aim of this paper is to present systematically a variety of benefits from innovating in response to an economic crisis. Design/methodology/approach This is a conceptual paper that draws on prior conceptual and empirical studies, especially the innovation-based view of firm performance. Findings Many firms have cut their innovation expenditures in response to the COVID-19 crisis. However, the financial crisis in 2008/2009 has shown that these short-term cost savings may have severely negative consequences on competitiveness. Several innovation examples from the crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic further indicate that companies may benefit from a variety of first-order innovations, which go considerably beyond product development. Consequently, researchers and executives need to consider the variety of innovation types beyond product development, and they further need to emphasize second-order innovations, which describe the dynamic transformation of innovation management. Originality/value Academics and practitioners need to put specific attention to the transformation of innovation processes at the beginning of a crisis because firms may have to redesign their innovation processes. This dynamic reconfiguration and realignment of innovation processes further is essential again if a crisis continues for a longer period, such as the crisis due to the coronavirus pandemic. For example, if a company currently does not respond to relevant trends, its competitive position will deteriorate because other companies will enter the market. If firms can afford to continue or strengthen the innovation activities, they may profit substantially after the crisis.


2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 631-647 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dag Håkon Haneberg

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to address how entrepreneurial learning may be understood as an effectual process in the early phase of venture creation. Design/methodology/approach Previous research is used to develop a conceptual frame of reference, which is further developed through a longitudinal qualitative case study of five new venture teams. Conceptualising these teams’ learning as sequences of events over a one-year period provides rich insight from real-life processes. Findings A conceptual model of how entrepreneurial learning may be understood as an effectual process is presented. The interactions and interdependencies between nine process characteristics along three main dimensions in the process, activity, multiple actors and context-dependent, demonstrate how the process tie together as a whole. Research limitations/implications The present paper argues for further cross-fertilisation of entrepreneurial learning and effectuation research and showcases how studies of entrepreneurial learning may contribute to organisational learning in entrepreneurial ventures. The conceptualisation of characteristics and dimensions aims to support future process studies by suggesting a framework for analysing process events in longitudinal studies. Originality/value Previous research has already established how activities are central to entrepreneurial learning and emphasised that what constitutes the two dimensions of multiple actors and context-dependence is important. The present paper contributes to entrepreneurial learning with an enhanced understanding of why and how the three dimensions are important as well as interdependent and mutually interactive. The present paper also contributes to organisational learning by extending the understanding of learning in emerging entrepreneurial organisations.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-27
Author(s):  
Waheed Ali Umrani ◽  
Rukhman Solangi ◽  
Mumtaz Ali Memon ◽  
Asmaa Hadeesa ◽  
Soonhan Khoso

Learning outcomes Learning outcomes are as follows: Understand performance appraisal process and tools; apply theory X and Theory Y in managing resistance to performance evaluation; identify the causes and symptoms of resistance; identify and apply managing resistance approaches. Case overview/synopsis After attaining the height of success in terms of imparting quality education and contributing to the creation of many learned persons of the society, Public school Sukkur was facing the downward trending success for many reasons. After the takeover of management control by Sukkur IBA University, the school was upward trending for quality education, state of the art infrastructure, advanced educational lab, modern teaching methodologies. With such a change, resistance was a must. Both Active and Passive resistance from the stakeholders was impeding the success of newly named IBA-Public School Sukkur. Particularly, the resistance against the implementation of the Performance Appraisal tool and its administration. With the resistance from employees, Chang, Principal IBA Public School Sukkur had to come up a solution for the smooth administration and implementation of Performance Appraisal and manage the resistance from the employees and ensure the continuous improvement through performance appraisal. Complexity academic level Case study is applicable for the MBA students. 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 7: Management Science.


2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 847-870 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ya-long Wei ◽  
Dan Long ◽  
Yao-kuang Li ◽  
Xu-sheng Cheng

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to build a research model to examine the effects of business planning on the new venture emergence, as well as to examine the moderating effects of innovativeness of products. Design/methodology/approach Four hypotheses are put forward and examined by hierarchical binary logistic regression. The data of this paper are based on the first two waves of data from Chinese Panel Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics project. Findings Results show that engaging in business planning has a positive effect on the new venture emergence, and the timing of business planning does not affect the new venture emergence significantly. This study also finds that the innovativeness of products has a positive moderating effect on the relationship between the timing of business planning and the new venture emergence. Research limitations/implications This study has some limitations. The innovativeness of products is measured by a single indicator, which may not completely reflect the meaning of the attribute. Moreover, this study explores new ventures only in the nascent stage. Practical implications The study is useful for entrepreneurs to realize the importance of business planning. First, engaging in business planning in early start-up stage is a very valuable activity, because business planning can help new ventures reduce the loss caused by trial and error learning. Second, engaging in business planning is more likely to ensure high innovative products quickly be accepted by the market. Because in the process of new venture emergence, the legitimacy signal to stakeholders can be transmitted and new products can be promoted to get support and recognition from stakeholder through the business plan. Originality/value This paper focuses on the early stage of new venture life cycle and the contextual factors to explore the influence of business planning on the new venture emergence under the logic of legitimacy. This paper could enrich business planning research from the perspective of legitimacy theory by inspiring scholars to focus on the differences between new ventures and mature enterprises and to offer proposals of legitimation strategies suitable for new ventures. Meanwhile, this study contributes to the understanding of the contextual factors of business planning. And it discusses the impact of the attribute in business planning on the new venture emergence, which helps scholars to get a deep thought about the value of business planning in entrepreneurial process.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Farhan Shahzad ◽  
Abdul Rehman Shaikh ◽  
Asad Ali Qazi ◽  
Muhammad Muzamil Sattar

Learning outcomes To understand how the external culture of an organization affects the internal decisions; to explore how employment stereotypes are used in recruitment; to grasp the general understanding of how line managers give more value to the bottom line than “non-discrimination statement”; to understand the challenges while managing a diverse workforce; and to critically analyze hiring decision and recommend practical solution. Case overview/synopsis Asma Malik was hired as a management trainee around five years ago. After successful completion of her one year as a management trainee, she was placed in the finance department. She outperformed all of her targets and received multiple rewards of a star performer. However, Malik was passionate and eager to work in the field and to work with the sales team. It was her dream to be an outstanding salesgirl. Based on the company’s policy of equal opportunity employer, she quickly got herself promoted to the position of wholesale manager and she was the first one to be provided such a challenging position. However, the market dynamics and market acceptability in a country like Pakistan were quite thought-provoking for a girl to be a wholesale manager. And it was observed that sales were constantly declining, as she had assigned this role. Now Country Manager (CM) had to make a decision, whether to transfer her to any other position or to retain her in the same position. Complexity academic level Bachelor of Business Administration and MBA. 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 1: Accounting and Finance.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Armando Borda ◽  
Carlos Cordova ◽  
Juan Carlos Leon

Learning outcomes The learning outcomes are as follows: students will identify the reasons for a firm to internationalize and its specific internationalization entry mode; students will distinguish how to follow the client and how physic distance strategies work; students will analyze a host country’s external environment using the PESTEL framework, and they will analyze the international strategies followed by a multinational enterprise using the integration-responsiveness framework as well. Case overview/synopsis The authors explore the case of DICOMA Corporation, a Costa Rican multinational enterprise with presence in five countries. Adrian Sanchez, who is Dicoma’s president, needs to craft an international strategy to increase the international sales in the foreign markets where the firm operates. The company may follow two paths. On the one hand, Dicoma can adopt the strategy of following its major clients to expand overseas, which will lead to the opening of operations in more countries, but making the foreign sales highly dependent on these types of partnerships. This has been so far the path pursued by Dicoma in its international expansion. On the other hand, Dicoma can opt to focus on increasing commitments in the existing international markets where it already has operations by capturing new clients in those locations but scarifying the potential business opportunities to enter into other countries in partnership with its major clients. Complexity academic level Post-graduate early stage business students enrolled in programs such as Master of Business Administration, Master of Management, Master of International Business, executive education programs, among others. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available upon request for educators only. These teaching notes should be shared solely with the instructor and students should not have access to. Please contact your library to gain login or email [email protected] to request teaching notes. Subject code CSS 5: International Business.


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