Sabarkantha Gas Limited: Challenges of Marketing Natural Gas

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (01) ◽  
pp. 177-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanjay Kumar Kar ◽  
Piyush Kumar Sinha ◽  
Saurabh Mishra
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
Economies Of Scale ◽  
Price Volatility ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Regulatory Body ◽  
Bottom Line ◽  
Customer Expectations ◽  
Customer Base ◽  
Efficient Management ◽  
Operational Issues

This case is set in June 2012 and brings out many operational issues and challenges faced by the management of Sabarkantha Gas Limited (SGL) to efficiently, effectively, and profitably market natural gas in Mehesana, Sabarkantha, and Gandhinagar districts of Gujarat, India. The company has been able to achieve some degree of success with its growing customer base, volume, and profitability. The business environment seems to be rapidly changing and SGL acknowledges the intensive competition in the near future, especially after the expiry of marketing exclusivity as granted by the regulatory body. Currently the company operates in small geographical territories but has the opportunity to expand. For SGL, economies of scale seems to be a big challenge. In India, the markets of some competing fuels are either artificially underpriced/subsidised and are cheap without consideration of environmental externalities. Marketing natural gas was found to be a challenging task. The company also faces emerging challenges like managing customer perception, customer acquisition and retention, price volatility, customer adoption cycle, and meeting customer expectations. Efficient management of such challenges could mitigate some of the business risks and improve the top-line and bottom-line. The opportunity of resolving pressing issues faced by SGL would keep the readers interested and allow them to test their knowledge on marketing and commercial strategy along with other functional strategies.

Managing natural gas business: a case of Bharat Natural Gas Company Limited

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanjay Kumar Kar ◽  
Subrat Sahu
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
Management Training ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Subject Area ◽  
Bottom Line ◽  
Content Type ◽  
B2b Marketing ◽  
Market Leadership ◽  
Training Programmes

Subject area Marketing - value proposition and value delivery, switching cost, customer acquisition and retention, positioning, pricing, distribution and retailing, role of trust and transparency to build sustainable relationship in B2B context, and efficient service delivery. Study level/applicability Undergraduate and graduate students in marketing, business administration, strategy, retailing, B2B marketing, services marketing and general management courses. Also, it can be used for executive management/training programmes. Case overview The case focuses on an existing scenario of a natural gas business in Gujarat, India, in order to provide understanding of marketing challenges, especially in the B2B context, faced by organisations in this evolving business environment. The case examines the strategies and policies implemented by the company and their impact on the customer. The case presents reactions and responses from the concerned customers. The case illustrates the criticalness of understanding customer expectations and designing and delivering customer centric strategies to sustain market leadership in an evolving and competitive market. Expected learning outcomes The case study enables the students to understand and analyse: the current business environment; the important factors impacting natural gas business; economic analysis of energy; opportunity and challenges for doing cleaner and greener business; role of cleaner fuel to reduce carbon footprint; and carbon credit impacting top line and bottom line of a customer. The case provides students the opportunity to understand and analyse the importance of switching costs to acquire a new customer; and devising and implementing marketing strategies to expand customer base and enter into new territories. Supplementary materials Teaching notes.

Innovative Marketing Strategies for Select E-Commerce Companies in India - A Review.

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amit Kumar Bhanja ◽  
P.C Tripathy
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Internet Of Things ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Marketing Strategies ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Digital Marketing ◽  
Customer Base ◽  
Innovative Methods ◽  
Online Shoppers ◽  
Drastic Increase

Innovation is the key to opportunities and growth in today’s competitive and dynamic business environment. It not only nurtures but also provides companies with unique dimensions for constant reinvention of the existing way of performance which enables and facilitates them to reach out to their prospective customers more effectively. It has been estimated by Morgan Stanley that India would have 480 million shoppers buying products online by the year 2026, a drastic increase from 60 million online shoppers in the year 2016. E-commerce companies are aggressively implementing innovative methods of marketing their product offerings using tools like digital marketing, internet of things (IoT)and artificial intelligence to name a few. This paper focuses on outlining the innovative ways of marketing that the E-Commerce sector implements in orders to increase their customer base and aims at determining the future scope of this area. A conceptual comparative study of Amazon and Flipkart helps to determine which marketing strategies are more appealing and beneficial for both the customers and companies point of view.

scholarly journals Reserved Bed Program Reduces Neurosciences Intensive Care Unit Capacity Strain: An Implementation Study

Neurosurgery ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 86 (1) ◽  
pp. 132-138
Author(s):  
Christopher D Shank ◽  
Nicholas J Erickson ◽  
David W Miller ◽  
Brittany F Lindsey ◽  
Beverly C Walters
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care ◽  
Economies Of Scale ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
The United States ◽  
Fiscal Year ◽  
Implementation Study ◽  
Service Line ◽  
Hospital Units ◽  
Significant Negative Impact ◽  
Operational Issues

Abstract BACKGROUND Neurosciences intensive care units (NICUs) provide institutional centers for specialized care. Despite a demonstrable reduction in morbidity and mortality, NICUs may experience significant capacity strain with resulting supraoptimal utilization and diseconomies of scale. We present an implementation study in the recognition and management of capacity strain within a large NICU in the United States. Excessive resource demand in an NICU creates significant operational issues. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy of a Reserved Bed Pilot Program (RBPP), implemented to maximize economies of scale, to reduce transfer declines due to lack of capacity, and to increase transfer volume for the neurosciences service-line. METHODS Key performance indicators (KPIs) were created to evaluate RBPP efficacy with respect to primary (strategic) objectives. Operational KPIs were established to evaluate changes in operational throughput for the neurosciences and other service-lines. For each KPI, pilot-period data were compared to the previous fiscal year. RESULTS RBPP implementation resulted in a significant increase in accepted transfer volume to the neurosciences service-line (P = .02). Transfer declines due to capacity decreased significantly (P = .01). Unit utilization significantly improved across service-line units relative to theoretical optima (P < .03). Care regionalization was achieved through a significant reduction in “off-service” patient placement (P = .01). Negative externalities were minimized, with no significant negative impact in the operational KPIs of other evaluated service-lines (P = .11). CONCLUSION Capacity strain is a significant issue for hospital units. Reducing capacity strain can increase unit efficiency, improve resource utilization, and augment service-line throughput. RBPP implementation resulted in a significant improvement in service-line operations, regional access to care, and resource efficiency, with minimal externalities at the institutional level.

The Role of Service Quality in Developing Customer Loyalty in the Banking Sector: A Case study of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 339
Author(s):  
Tariq Saeed Mian
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Customer Loyalty ◽  
Banking Sector ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia ◽  
Customer Base ◽  
Loyal Customer

Maintaining a strong and loyal customer base is the objective of every organisation. However, in reality this is difficult to achieve in the current competitive environment. When the widespread challenges of the business environment are taken into account, organisations cannot simply plan to absorb new customers but instead adopt the strategy of preserving existing customers and promoting their loyalty to the organisation. This study examined customer loyalty in the banking sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). A theoretical model was constructed through an extensive literature review and by extracting the most relevant and important variables for customer loyalty. A questionnaire was used to collect data from customers of different banks. Regression results showed that service quality significantly influences customer satisfaction and customer trust. Furthermore, customer satisfaction and trust significantly affect customer loyalty towards banks. In this respect, service quality is imperative to maintain customer loyalty through customer satisfaction and trust. 

scholarly journals ATTITUDE OF SLOVAK SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES TOWARDS RISK MANAGEMENT – INVESTIGATION OF THE REGIONAL DIFFERENCES

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matej Masár ◽  
Mária Hudáková
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Empirical Research ◽  
Regional Differences ◽  
Slovak Republic ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Employee Education ◽  
Level Of Education ◽  
Customer Expectations ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Current Business

Contemporary trends highlight the need for education in each enterprise. The current business environment is characterized by many changes such as increased customer expectations and high levels of competitiveness in the environment. World trends, shows, that managers and owners of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) perceived the need to take care of risk management in their enterprise. This issue has been analyzed and discussed for a long time. It is necessary to concentrate on this field mainly in the Slovak Republic. SMEs in Slovakia are very sensitive to changes in the environment. The aim of this paper is to investigate regional differences in the attitude of Slovak SMEs towards risk management, with special emphasis on the attitude towards significance of the education in the field of risk management based on empirical research, which was provided by authors in 2017. This paper will evaluate: the level of dependence between the selected Slovak regions and the created space for discussion about risks in SMEs, the level of dependence between selected Slovak regions and the created space for employee education in risk management in SMEs, and the level of dependence between selected Slovak regions and the required education possibilities in the field of risk management. It will use: association, the Pearson’s coefficient and the Tschuprov coefficient for evaluating the results. Overall results of the empirical research point towards the significance and importance of using risk management in SMEs. The results, shows, that there is a very large association between investigating dependence. Based on the results, it is necessary to improve the level of education in the field of risk management, which will be based on current entrepreneurial requirements.

scholarly journals External Environmental Analysis For Small And Medium Enterprises (SMEs)

2010 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather C. Banham
Keyword(s):  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Font Size ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Customer Expectations ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
Medium Enterprises

<p style="text-align: justify; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><strong><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) face unique challenges in the business environment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>SMEs need to successfully deal with the prevalent forces for change if they are to survive and grow and meet the expectations to create investment and employment opportunities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Successfully adapting to change from technological advances, customer expectations, supplier requirements, the regulatory environment and increasing competition requires successful implementation of organizational change. The &lsquo;Degrees of Turbulence&rsquo; Model is proposed as a self assessment tool to aid SMEs in their environmental scan and to assist in assessing the potential impact and adjusting to the impending changes in the external environment to ensure continued viability.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span></strong><strong><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-themecolor: text1;"></span></strong></p>

ANALYSIS OF ENERGY SAVING WORK AT COMPRESSOR STATIONS OF MAIN GAS PIPELINES

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gulnaz Moldabayeva ◽  
◽  
Raikhan Suleimenova ◽  
Mukan Sadvakasov ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Optimal Control ◽  
Natural Gas ◽  
Energy Saving ◽  
Energy Efficient ◽  
Transmission System ◽  
Gas Pipelines ◽  
Rational Use ◽  
Priority Areas ◽  
Efficient Management ◽  
Gas Supply

Currently, the national operator of gas supply in Kazakhstan pays special attention to the rational use of natural gas for its own and technological needs while maintaining optimal control of the gas transmission system, taking into account the specific technical situation of the equipment. Energy efficient management of gas pipelines is one of the priority areas for optimizing gas costs.

Bean There: coffee as a vehicle for change

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-63
Author(s):  
Richard Thomson ◽  
Katherine Hofmeyr ◽  
Amanda Bowen
Keyword(s):  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Swot Analysis ◽  
Corporate Strategy ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Bottom Line ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Academic Level ◽  
Business Model Canvas ◽  
Market Outlook ◽  
A Company

Case overview At midnight on Thursday, 26 March 2020, the South African government ordered a three-week lockdown in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequently extended this lockdown for a further two weeks until the end of April 2020. Among other measures, businesses not classed as “essential” had to cease operation. This meant that Jonathan Robinson, founder of the Bean There Coffee Company had to close his trendy Cape Town and Milpark coffee shops, as well as the company’s hospitality and corporate business. At the same time, Bean There’s costs increased by 25%, as the rand: dollar exchange rate worsened substantially. A glimmer of hope was that the company was able to continue roasting coffee and supplying its retail clients. Unlike most captains of industry, Robinson was not driven by the bottom line and clamouring shareholders. His corporate strategy was driven by a single, simple purpose: to achieve ethical sustainability aspirations while still running a profitable business. The question for him now, however, was how to ensure that his company could survive in the short term, so that it could achieve these goals in the longer term, and whether he could take this opportunity to think about whether his business was best positioned to achieve these goals when things returned to normal. Expected learning outcomes The learning outcomes are as follows: conduct a thorough analysis of a specific company and its industry, including its markets, competitors, and other aspects of the internal and external business environment, using a range of tools, including a Business Model Canvas (BMC), SWOT analysis and PESTLE analysis; analyse and explain the market outlook of a company; identify and analyse a company’s competitors; discuss and explain a detailed implementation plan showing the way forward for a company, considering its current challenges, including integrating a range of conceptual and analytical fields of knowledge to assess a management dilemma, and arrive at a creative and innovative management solution; and be able to present information and defend substantial insights and solutions to a management dilemma in oral and written modes, appropriate in standard for both the academic and business communities to analyse and appreciate. Complexity academic level Postgraduate Diploma in Management, MBA, Masters in Management, Executive Education. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 11: Strategy.

Ensuring Competition in the Telecommunication Business Environment in Ghana

2014 ◽  
pp. 73-87
Author(s):  
Stephen E. Armah
Keyword(s):  
Market Structure ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Consumer Welfare ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Regulatory Body ◽  
Telecommunication Sector ◽  
Price Collusion ◽  
The Impact

This chapter investigates the possibility of anti-competitive behavior in the Ghana telecommunication sector and determines exploratorily if there is a need for the enactment of anti-trust laws to protect social welfare. The chapter first evaluates the available relevant literature on the subject, assesses the current situation, evaluates the current market structure, and identifies how market power is affecting consumer welfare. Reviews of available literature and secondary data were conducted to establish the relevant conditions for the applicability of such a law. Next, primary data was collected from stakeholders to solicit views on the impact of market structure on pricing and the need for anti-trust laws. Results suggest the Ghana telecommunication sector is open to “cartelization,” which can result in different forms of price collusion despite the existence of a state regulatory body (The National Communications Authority, NCA). The study highlights the Ghanaian consumers' susceptibility to unfair marketing practices due to the possible absence of pertinent anti-trust legislation.

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