The case is about a higher educational institution named X Institute, once a successful institute but is presently struggling for its existence. Even its location inside the IT Technology Park and the worldclass academic infrastructure fail to attract the best students and companies. It is attributed to the evolving business environment that is not favourable to the institute anymore. The question now is whether the institute should move to Red Oceans to compete with big giants like IIT or should it try to develop its own niche? Eminent group of management research scholars and students were chosen over professional consultants to look into the plight and offer feasible solutions.

The case, which is prepared based on an interview with an entrepreneur, narrates the challenges undergone in the creation and management of a poultry business.

In 2010, Unilever chartered a new direction in its business approach with ‘Mission 2020’. This aimed at an ambitious target of turning green in every aspect of business from manufacturing to all the way to the consumption of the product. Though this grand green mission is being implemented across the globe, the case predominantly covers the Indian market. The case travels from the vision of the leadership to the last mile implementation. The author traces the specific projects, processes and marketing campaigns that were taken up towards actualising the mission. The author presents the case in various perspectives from strategic to functional, particularly marketing. The case details the achievement of targets in various projects of the mission.

The case revolves around the issues a company faces post-acquisition.The case aims to highlight that while considering a decision on restructuring, human capital synergy should also be given equal weightage like financial and operating synergy. Though the sale deal might be financially sound, if the employees of the organization are not convinced, it will have an impact on their individual performances which will adversely affect the organizational performance, as a whole.

GVK-EMRI (Emergency Management and Research Institute) is a pioneer in emergency management services in India. It is a non-profit organisation operating on the Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode. GVK-EMRI (108) is the largest professional emergency provider in India at present. The Organization is, of late, facing severe unrest in several states organised by its employees’ unions. The drivers (pilots) and paramedical staff (Emergency Medical Technician – EMTs) working with 108 ambulance services go on indefinite strike angered by the management’s indifference to their demands. The major demands of the striking employees at various states include the implementation of minimum wages and regulation of working hours. This case highlights the concept of decentralised bargaining system at various states, informal pattern bargaining and their dire consequences. It drives home how the centralised bargaining will be a valuable approach for GVK EMRI Organisation for addressing the menace of labour unrest.

A Management Institute has recently opened its premises in a Shopping Mall, in a suburb of Pune. It soon realizes that unlike other up-market malls, these premises leave a lot to be desired. The premises are unclean, safety and security are an issue, toilets are dirty, hawkers and locals from the slums have free access – all of which go towards creating an environment that is unpleasant and unsafe.Obviously, footfalls of genuine buyers are low, business is poor, and the offices manage with whatever facilities are there. The shopkeepers have not formed any association, the builder is not involved at all, and individually everyone complains but also has a fatalistic and pessimistic attitude about any change really happening.The situation is far from ideal for a Management Institute. The options would be either to leave and go elsewhere, or to mobilize the stakeholders and bring about a positive change in the ‘CONTEXT’ that would benefit everybody – those running their businesses in the Mall, as well as the local community.The Management Institute decides to take the initiative, confronts the problem head-on, and attempts to bring about a culture change in their environment. The process is continuing and forms the basis for an interesting case study.

The Prime Minister of India introduced a financial inclusion scheme during August, 2014 to cater to the needs of poor and termed it as Pradhan Mantri JanDhan Yojana (PMJDY). Prior to launching PMJDY scheme it was found that only 58% of Indian population had access to banking. This scheme had the primary objective of providing access to banking to the entire population in India. Successful PMJDY efforts will substantially mitigate problems over money remittances by those working in unorganised sectors with no access to banks. These poor consumers were unable to open bank accounts, as they did not have necessary documents to open them. These poor men/women used to be at the clutches of moneylenders. They will be free from the vicious circle of high-interest loans now. As far as banks are concerned this is an additional responsibility and repayment of money lent to these people living below poverty lines is a big question mark. This case which is based on secondary sources of information and direct interactions with some bankers, aims to discuss the pros and cons of PMDY scheme for Indian banks.

In an outdoor campaign in 2005, State Bank of India (SBI) described itself as the bank which has more customers than the population of Australia. A decade later, this giant has only grown further in stature. It remains the single largest player in Indian banking industry and its performance is keenly watched by its industry peers and experts. SBI is in no mood to vacate the pole position. However, SBI has never been in the top ranks as far as employee productivity is concerned. It must take nimble steps to remain the leader now. Taking along 2.22 lakh employees in pursuit of excellence is a huge challenge. Financial techniques and tools may improve the business per employee ratio, but may not contribute to a better workplace. In the past, several attempts like Parivartan, Udaan and Citizen SBI were made to put the employees to overdrive mode. Of late, the current Chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya introduced a new career development system by the name ‘Saksham’, with inputs from consulting major BCG. Employee unions were apprehensive about the implementation of the plan, which gave options for employees to earn additional financial incentives. An appraisal process is often viewed as a performance metric and as a threat. The case study looks at steps and measures to improve work culture and employee performance at SBI.

ShivShankar, a Professor in General Management with a teaching experience of 25 years at a prestigious management institute in Bangalore was at crossroads and was seriously pondering whether to continue his profession of teaching or not. The behaviour of his students was getting on his nerves and he was finding it extremely difficult to have a check on his anger. Classroom management had become a nightmare and he found it increasingly difficult to focus on anything. Whatever happened in the classroom in the past few months left him fuming and he was at his wits end. Pressure was slowly and constantly building up and clearly he had started to wilt under pressure. He decided that his teaching career had to end and approached the HR of the management institute to put in his papers. Gupta, the HR Manager, was taken aback and felt sorry for the professor who was considered an asset for the institute. Gupta vowed to find out what was wrong and had a one-on-one conversation with the professor. He also shared the contents of a latest report, ‘Creating Knowledge Environment in the Classroom’ with the professor. The findings were considered to be an eye opener not only for Gupta or ShivShankar but for everyone involved in higher education in India. Once the problems were identified, quick brainstorming led to a host of solutions to the problems. Today ShivShankar is a happy man, a satisfied professor who enthrals his students and kicks himself for even thinking about chucking this profession which was very close to his heart. This case is a real life story of a senior professor who had problems adjusting to the attitude and mind-sets of modern students and was averse to using technology in class room management. The report, ‘Creating Knowledge Environment in the Classroom’, used in this case study is based on original research conducted in a leading B School in Bangalore. The data and the exhibits have been prepared using the primary data from the research.

The two slogans: ‘Don’t eat at home today’ and ‘Shopping is just an excuse’ appeared as part of the advertisement by Haldiram’s for its outlets in Delhi. From a Bhujia maker to Ready-to-eat food manufacturer having Pan India presence, Haldiram’s has come a long way. The Indian consumers are well informed and the millennials, in particular, are open to cuisines from all parts of the world. In this context the sojourn of Haldiram’s in the modern era is quite interesting. The case explores how Haldiram’s strives to overcome stiff competition from unorganized players, manage controversies related to food safety and retain consumers’ confidence.

Dove had successfully run its Real Beauty Campaign all over the European Union, UK and US. The Case is at a juncture where the Marketing VP in charge of the brand Dove is contemplating which approach to adopt and adapt for Indian circumstances. The case initially traces the Real Beauty Campaign of Dove all over the world and does an analysis of the various campaigns to get a better understanding of the same. While mulling over the shortcomings of the various options if implemented in India, the team also collects data about the perception of the primary target that is women regarding their own beauty in order to have an overall view of the concept of beauty before taking a decision on the campaign choices to be made.

Beedi known as the poor man’s cigar has replaced hookah and chewing tobacco due to its low cost and portability. Beedi industry has been providing livelihood for a large section of semi-skilled rural populace. V.P.R College Beedi was established in the year 1952 to cater to the needs of tobacco consumers in Erode District. It started out as a partnership firm with all the four partners playing multiple roles of production, marketing and finance. The company grew from strength to strength due to the business acumen of the partners. The company employed novel sourcing and marketing strategies, which enabled it to capture a sizeable market share in Erode and neighboring districts. During the 1990s, the company was very successful, employing more than 1200 people. However, regulatory changes in the procurement of tendu leaves (the basic raw material), ban on advertising tobacco products, wide publicity on health hazards of tobacco consumption, levy of excise duty and sales tax have all adversely impacted the fortunes of the company. The company is now facing ever shrinking market and is wondering what strategies it should adopt to overcome this crisis.

The case is about two agripreneurs who have been traditionally into coconut farming. Facing various challenges as traders of coconuts, they planned to go for forward integration. Their analysis of the value chain revealed the various opportunities and challenges that come with such a strategy. The first phase planned was a move from coconut traders to copra traders to mitigate the risk of spoilage and price fluctuations. The second phase was to evolve from copra traders to oil extractors, initially meeting the local market needs but to expand their market subsequently. But an expansion would be possible only with some marketing efforts and the development of a brand. The next phase was about increasing their market share, both in loose oil and in the branded market. But the third phase had several challenges. Their plan to penetrate into the branded market was becoming difficult due to the absence of good distribution channels and marketing efforts. The agripreneurs always believed that good quality would lead to sales growth and never gave any importance to marketing. The loose oil market had competition from very low priced adulterated oils. Marketing was not in the fore in the first and second phase as it was more to do with dealing with distributors and wholesalers. With forward integration they have nearly reached the retail customer and sustaining the demand is going to be a challenge. With just one product with packaging differentiation, the agripreneurs are exploring ways to compete in a changing health conscious market.

The case deals with the BPO industry with a specific reference to Axiom BPM Pvt. Ltd. Ahmedabad. AxiomBPM was established in 2004 at Judges Bungalow in Ahmedabad. It had started its operation with 5 agents and one centre and at present, it has 8 centres across the globe with 450 agents. The case showcases the AxiomBPM’s Growth. Organisation Structure, Operations and its HR Practices. AxiomBPM is growing leaps and bounds. But it is also facing the challenge of high attrition rate since January 2013. Almost 55% of the employees have left the organisation and the attrition rates are continuously rising. The foundation of the case lies in discussing the HR Practices in BPO industry and issues in Talent Management w.r.t AxiomBPM. Based on the details available related to the attrition rates in the past months, the case attempts to explore the causes of attrition.

Beedi known as the poor man’s cigar has replaced hookah and chewing tobacco due to its low cost and portability. Beedi industry has been providing livelihood for a large section of semi-skilled rural populace. V.P.R College Beedi was established in the year 1952 to cater to the needs of tobacco consumers in Erode District. It started out as a partnership firm with all the four partners playing multiple roles of production, marketing and finance. The company grew from strength to strength due to the business acumen of the partners. The company employed novel sourcing and marketing strategies, which enabled it to capture a sizeable market share in Erode and neighboring districts. During the 1990s, the company was very successful, employing more than 1200 people. However, regulatory changes in the procurement of tendu leaves (the basic raw material), ban on advertising tobacco products, wide publicity on health hazards of tobacco consumption, levy of excise duty and sales tax have all adversely impacted the fortunes of the company. The company is now facing ever shrinking market and is wondering what strategies it should adopt to overcome this crisis.