In December 2019, Vishal H Mistry, the founder of Jalaram Rice Mills Private Limited (JRMPL), a rice-exporting firm in Ahmedabad, is facing some dilemmas concerning the export of rice. Currently, the firm is exporting non-basmati rice to Russia and South Africa. He received a bulk order for non-basmati rice from a new Russian firm. Based on his experience in the field, bulk orders are always risky, as the likelihood of the order getting cancelled in the last moment could put him at very high risk. Similarly, he is confused about the selling price of the rice. Compared to that between India and South Africa, the exchange rate between India and Russia was experiencing more significant fluctuations in recent years. The appreciation of the Indian currency against that of the importing countries made the export costlier for Mistry. This was happening in a context where a severe price competition in the importing markets existed. Since Mistry is a small exporter, he does not have much ability to reduce the price due to the lack of monopoly in the importing market. Therefore, Mistry is a price-taker and not a price-maker in the world market. Will he accept the order? If so, at what price?

This case focuses on regulatory institutions in a fast-changing evolving policy domain of the telecom sector in developing countries, which are typically characterised by a weak institutional environment, making operationalisation of new instruments that may require regulation across sectors difficult. The case highlights the criticality of appropriate regulatory design for spectrum management since predominant access to voice and Internet in developing countries happens only on mobile phones. The case shows how the Competition Commission of India created a regulatory space for itself when a new instrument, Spectrum Trading, was announced by the Department of Telecom (DoT)/Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

Chicago-based CME Group is the world's largest futures and options marketplace, with annual trading volume of over 4.8 billion contracts in 2018. This case is set in late 2019, as heightened perceptions of risk stemming from the U.S.-China trade war are driving record trading volumes of agricultural futures. CME Group leads the agricultural futures market, but changing global dynamics are raising new questions about the security of its competitive position. With roots dating to the 1850s, CME Group became the market leader by developing liquid markets for reliable products tied to U.S. agricultural production. But the U.S. no longer dominates global grain and oilseed production and trade, raising questions about whether U.S.-domiciled futures and options will remain relevant globally. Other pressures on CME Group include the U.S. political environment-there is talk of taxing futures trades-and potential competition from Chinese futures exchanges. How should the management team adjust their strategy? While this case focuses on CME Group's agricultural products business, some of the questions at play-e.g., about the role of speculators, the usefulness of a financial transactions tax, and the positioning of price discovery in commodity source markets versus destination markets-apply to other lines of business such as foreign exchange or precious metals.

The Carroll Family, U.S. pig and grain farmers, needed to decide what to plant, whether to purchase land, emphasize pigs or grain, or other investments. Seven family members across three generations owned and operated Carroll Family Farms (CFF). In Illinois, CFF raised pigs as part of a commodity pork business, grew corn and soybeans to feed the pigs, and used the pig manure to fertilize its crops. CFF also owned a significant farming operation in Brazil that grew soybeans, cotton, and corn, and it provided farm services for other farmers in Brazil. They had low debt, and significant cash flow. CFF faced significant market uncertainties. The U.S. and China were in the midst of a trade war that was impacting the supply, demand, prices, and trade patterns of agricultural products. There was a growing African swine fever outbreak that could kill off a large portion of the world's pig population. The U.S. government paid large, but uncertain agricultural subsidies, and farmland was expensive and rarely available for purchase. How should the Carroll family farmers address these challenges?

Korea Telecom has committed $4billion in investments and R&D to build a GiGAtopia, essentially ushering in the next generation of mobile (5G) and wired infrastructure. CEO Dr. Hwang and his team are considering which areas to prioritize in terms of new products and services in development. The top five sectors identified by KT's team include Internet of Things (including connected cars and smart city/homes), media, health, energy, and security and surveillance. Which might provide some quick wins both in terms of revenues and market lead. Should KT develop solutions that could be exported to other countries? Should KT go all in across all five sectors, or select one or two to prioritize?

Companies do not always have success with marketing analytics. This book explains why that is and clarifies common misconceptions and misunderstandings with marketing analytics. When marketing analytics is done effectively, it can improve marketing performance and raise the analytics IQ. The text discusses how organizations can overcome budget constraints and achieve analytics success, different segmentation strategies, and other strategies to improve the effectiveness of various marketing tools, like direct mail campaigns, print catalogs, email marketing, and loyalty programs. Written for marketers, business analysts, and college students, this book focuses on solving marketers' real-world problems and gives practical, effective, and financially feasible ideas to help compete more effectively in the workplace. Chapter 1 explores why marketing analytics has had such an uninspiring performance in the past, looking at data problems, poor investment decisions, scarcity of analytics professionals and skills, and other reasons. Several models are discussed, including Davenport's five-stage analytics maturity model, Wayne Eckerson's analytical maturity model, and the ALADA Model, which will help achieve analytic success through macrolevel solutions. While small- and medium-sized companies approach marketing in the same ways as large companies, they also have their own advantages and disadvantages when it comes to analytics. This chapter addresses that and discusses models that are best for smaller companies. It also describes what analytics marketers and leaders do. All the models and strategies discussed are more of a compass rather than a detailed map; as such, innovations in analytics at more granular levels are needed.

Companies do not always have success with marketing analytics. This book explains why that is and clarifies common misconceptions and misunderstandings with marketing analytics. When marketing analytics is done effectively, it can improve marketing performance and raise the analytics IQ. The text discusses how organizations can overcome budget constraints and achieve analytics success, different segmentation strategies, and other strategies to improve the effectiveness of various marketing tools, like direct mail campaigns, print catalogs, email marketing, and loyalty programs. Written for marketers, business analysts, and college students, this book focuses on solving marketers' real-world problems and gives practical, effective, and financially feasible ideas to help compete more effectively in the workplace. This chapter is all about segmentation. Segmentation divides customers into distinct, meaningful, and homogeneous subgroups, which results in several benefits, including higher sales revenue, reduction of marketing cost, and better product development. However, the implementation of segregation has not been very effective. This chapter discusses the importance of segmentation, its benefits, and why it has failed. Segmentation can be categorized into three levels: strategic-level, managerial-level, and tactical-level. Ways to develop each level of segmentation are provided as well as practical ways to use and apply them. Segmentation must be used individually. The one-for-all segmentation will cause confusion and result in lower ROI of marketing initiatives. Because every department and team has different needs, each one must build several types and levels of segmentation in order to address their challenges effectively.

Companies do not always have success with marketing analytics. This book explains why that is and clarifies common misconceptions and misunderstandings with marketing analytics. When marketing analytics is done effectively, it can improve marketing performance and raise the analytics IQ. The text discusses how organizations can overcome budget constraints and achieve analytics success, different segmentation strategies, and other strategies to improve the effectiveness of various marketing tools, like direct mail campaigns, print catalogs, email marketing, and loyalty programs. Written for marketers, business analysts, and college students, this book focuses on solving marketers' real-world problems and gives practical, effective, and financially feasible ideas to help compete more effectively in the workplace. Chapter 3 explores how marketers can gain deeper insights into their customers. Four tools are given for this purpose: customer segment profiles, customer personas, customer journey map, and the 360-degree customer view. Customer segment profiles help brands to understand different groups of customers and to see whether or not the company has developed good segmentation work. Customer personas help understand the emotional and behavioral triggers behind individual customers within a certain segment or market. Customer journey maps are used to analyze user behaviors and help understand how customers go through the sales process. The 360-degree customer view provides all meaningful information about a single customer in one location. Ways of building and developing these tools are also discussed.

Companies do not always have success with marketing analytics. This book explains why that is and clarifies common misconceptions and misunderstandings with marketing analytics. When marketing analytics is done effectively, it can improve marketing performance and raise the analytics IQ. The text discusses how organizations can overcome budget constraints and achieve analytics success, different segmentation strategies, and other strategies to improve the effectiveness of various marketing tools, like direct mail campaigns, print catalogs, email marketing, and loyalty programs. Written for marketers, business analysts, and college students, this book focuses on solving marketers' real-world problems and gives practical, effective, and financially feasible ideas to help compete more effectively in the workplace. Chapter 4 discusses how to effectively use direct mail in a time that relies so heavily on technology. Direct mail has been used as a marketing tool for decades but response rates have been stagnant or declining for years. This chapter introduces the 541-rule for direct mail, which is based off of Ed Mayer's 40-40-20 rule. This rule states that the chemistry of three elements - list (50% weight), personalization (40% weight), and testing (10% weight) - will determine how well a direct mail campaign will perform. List selection is given the most weight since choosing the right customers is essential to an effective direct mail campaign; personalization is about making customers feel special by offering relevant messages, products, and services; testing can uncover customer trends and opportunities to enhance future campaigns. The 541-rule has been proven effective in increasing the ROI of direct mail campaigns. While online advertising is rising, direct mail is an essential element in the marketing mix and will be here for years to come.

Companies do not always have success with marketing analytics. This book explains why that is and clarifies common misconceptions and misunderstandings with marketing analytics. When marketing analytics is done effectively, it can improve marketing performance and raise the analytics IQ. The text discusses how organizations can overcome budget constraints and achieve analytics success, different segmentation strategies, and other strategies to improve the effectiveness of various marketing tools, like direct mail campaigns, print catalogs, email marketing, and loyalty programs. Written for marketers, business analysts, and college students, this book focuses on solving marketers' real-world problems and gives practical, effective, and financially feasible ideas to help compete more effectively in the workplace. This chapter explores how to use print catalogs effectively in the digital age. Many marketers are considering abandoning the catalog and relying on the internet, but this chapter offers two tools that will make print catalogs more effective and profitable. The first is Mu's seven-step catalog value evaluation system, which quantifies the value of print catalogs and helps marketers decide if they should keep the catalog. The second is Mu's 541-rule for catalogs, which states that an effective catalog campaign is 50% list, 40% products and creative, and 10% testing. Each of these three elements is discussed in depth. While print catalogs may seem like they are becoming obsolete, they influence purchase decisions, drive traffic to other channels, and work well with other marketing vehicles.

Companies do not always have success with marketing analytics. This book explains why that is and clarifies common misconceptions and misunderstandings with marketing analytics. When marketing analytics is done effectively, it can improve marketing performance and raise the analytics IQ. The text discusses how organizations can overcome budget constraints and achieve analytics success, different segmentation strategies, and other strategies to improve the effectiveness of various marketing tools, like direct mail campaigns, print catalogs, email marketing, and loyalty programs. Written for marketers, business analysts, and college students, this book focuses on solving marketers' real-world problems and gives practical, effective, and financially feasible ideas to help compete more effectively in the workplace. Chapter 6 focuses on utilizing email in marketing endeavors. Main issues and their causes in today's email marketing are described. The need to integrate email, CRM, Google, and social media is also discussed. Several best practices are explored, including unifying the email database with the CRM database, automating triggered email, personalizing bulk email, and uploading the email list to Google AdWords. New insights into digital communication plans can be gained through integrating channels. Embracing new technology, like machine learning, can help make email even more effective. Email can be a key aspect to customer communications, working with and complementing other marketing channels.

Companies do not always have success with marketing analytics. This book explains why that is and clarifies common misconceptions and misunderstandings with marketing analytics. When marketing analytics is done effectively, it can improve marketing performance and raise the analytics IQ. The text discusses how organizations can overcome budget constraints and achieve analytics success, different segmentation strategies, and other strategies to improve the effectiveness of various marketing tools, like direct mail campaigns, print catalogs, email marketing, and loyalty programs. Written for marketers, business analysts, and college students, this book focuses on solving marketers' real-world problems and gives practical, effective, and financially feasible ideas to help compete more effectively in the workplace. This chapter discusses customer loyalty programs, why so many of them fail, and how to make an underperforming loyalty program more effective and profitable. Loyalty programs are very prevalent, but many are also costly and fail to generate incremental profit. Loyalty marketing works to grow and retain existing customers through incentives; customer loyalty programs are structured and long-term marketing strategies using rewards/incentives to help acquire customer data, encourage repeat purchases, and shun competitors. Pros and cons of having a loyalty program are explored. A seven-step approach to revamping an underperforming loyalty program is then described with in-depth discussions of each step. Loyalty marketing is a special type of database marketing. It should rely on data and analytics; without that base, it will fail.

Companies do not always have success with marketing analytics. This book explains why that is and clarifies common misconceptions and misunderstandings with marketing analytics. When marketing analytics is done effectively, it can improve marketing performance and raise the analytics IQ. The text discusses how organizations can overcome budget constraints and achieve analytics success, different segmentation strategies, and other strategies to improve the effectiveness of various marketing tools, like direct mail campaigns, print catalogs, email marketing, and loyalty programs. Written for marketers, business analysts, and college students, this book focuses on solving marketers' real-world problems and gives practical, effective, and financially feasible ideas to help compete more effectively in the workplace. Chapter 8 discusses customer lifetime value (CLTV) and how it continues to be an important and valuable metric in helping marketers make informed business decisions. CLTV is the current value of future profit attributed to the customer during their entire relationship with the business. Its main purpose is to find the upper limit of the new customer acquisition cost. Common misunderstandings surrounding CLTV are clarified. Different CLTVs should be calculated depending on business context. ACLTV helps marketers decide the upper limit of the acquisition spend, measure the effectiveness of past marketing performance, and is used to appraise the value of a company. ECLTV guides resource allocation and evaluates the value of a business. Simplified ways to calculate these CLTVs are provided. The most important function with CLTVs is to rationalize marketing spending.

Companies do not always have success with marketing analytics. This book explains why that is and clarifies common misconceptions and misunderstandings with marketing analytics. When marketing analytics is done effectively, it can improve marketing performance and raise the analytics IQ. The text discusses how organizations can overcome budget constraints and achieve analytics success, different segmentation strategies, and other strategies to improve the effectiveness of various marketing tools, like direct mail campaigns, print catalogs, email marketing, and loyalty programs. Written for marketers, business analysts, and college students, this book focuses on solving marketers' real-world problems and gives practical, effective, and financially feasible ideas to help compete more effectively in the workplace. Chapter 9 explores planning budget spending, the additional challenges that come with it for small- and medium-sized retailers, and practical solutions to solving those challenges. Three tools are described: marketing mix modeling (MMM), multi-touchpoints attribution (MTA), and promotional lift analysis. MMM uses advanced statistical techniques to work with top-down, macrolevel information, helping companies understand and assess the incremental value of their investments and then forecast the impact of future sets of tactics. MTA works to understand which digital marketing channel, specific ads, messages, and sequences of interaction contributed to a particular conversion. Lift measures the effectiveness of a response model, while promotional lift looks at what incremental sales or incremental margin can be credited to the marketing efforts. All three of these tools are needed but incomplete on their own. Marketers should use a variety of techniques to gain a comprehensive view of the effectiveness and ROI of marketing initiatives.

Cameron Harding has just opened his own business, and needs to get health insurance for himself and his fiancée, Audra. They are looking for a plan that will best meet their needs, but Harding knows little about the world of health insurance. Luckily, Harding's uncle, a senior salesman at a large pharmaceutical firm, is happy to offer advice and talk Harding through the process of choosing insurance. This case set walks students through choosing a health insurance plan, and what questions to ask when receiving care.

Supplement to case UV7947. This case provides two snapshots of sudden health care crises. It walks the students through how health insurance works, and what questions to ask when receiving care.

On October 25, 1847, British prime minister John Russell met with his cabinet to review a deepening financial crisis and to weigh proposals for government response. Chief among these were two proposals. The first was to suspend the Bank Charter Act of 1844 in order to permit the Bank of England to discount more freely and to issue banknotes in greater volume than the Act allowed. In recent days, delegations of merchants, industrialists, and country bankers had approached Russell to plead for more currency. The second was to do nothing and allow the crisis to run its course. Some members of Parliament argued that the whole point of the Act was to impose discipline at times like this, so to suspend it would make a mockery of that discipline and create moral hazard. As leaders of the Whig Party, Russell and his cabinet would need to navigate carefully through the crisis, owing to the slim majority his government held in Parliament. The A case describes five shocks that promoted the financial crisis of 1847-agriculture, railways, demand, monetary, and fiscal-as well as the complicated political situation at this time of the Irish potato famine. The B case offers an epilogue.

On October 25, 1847, British prime minister John Russell met with his cabinet to review a deepening financial crisis and to weigh proposals for government response. Chief among these were two proposals. The first was to suspend the Bank Charter Act of 1844 in order to permit the Bank of England to discount more freely and to issue banknotes in greater volume than the Act allowed. In recent days, delegations of merchants, industrialists, and country bankers had approached Russell to plead for more currency. The second was to do nothing and allow the crisis to run its course. Some members of Parliament argued that the whole point of the Act was to impose discipline at times like this, so to suspend it would make a mockery of that discipline and create moral hazard. As leaders of the Whig Party, Russell and his cabinet would need to navigate carefully through the crisis, owing to the slim majority his government held in Parliament. The A case (UV7950) describes five shocks that promoted the financial crisis of 1847-agriculture, railways, demand, monetary, and fiscal-as well as the complicated political situation at this time of the Irish potato famine. This B case offers an epilogue.