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Optima Business Group (OBG), a consumer packaged goods firm, achieved significant improvements in its sales and distribution processes through the implementation of sales force automation (SFA). The implementation was carried out in the urban markets of OBG, but it was not an easy journey. The chief technology officer has to decide whether OBG should implement SFA in its rural markets and, if so, how it should be executed. What are the risks and benefits of implementing the system? Competitors are fast leveraging information technology in other functions such as finance, HR and vendor management and OBG needs to catch up. Finally, competitors of OBG are adopting innovative methods to share the costs of IT implementation (e.g., handheld devices) with their partners. Faced with different options, and a unique terrain of conducting business in the emerging economy of India, the chief technology officer has to decide on OBG’s future IT strategy.

Godrej Security Solutions (GSS) offered both physical security products (such as safes, lockers, etc.) and electronic security products (such as cameras with analytics, closed circuit television, biometric and access control systems, burglar alarms, etc.). Although homeowners were evidently worried about their security, they were typically passive and reactive — as opposed to proactive — in addressing the problem. GSS had launched two effective advertising campaigns; however, continuing to communicate the importance of security solutions and converting this buyer inertia to action was fundamental to its ongoing success. What should the company’s communication strategy be?

A controlling shareholder of the NYSE-listed Chinese online gaming company Shanda Games has offered a buyout at USD6.90 per American Depository Share (ADS); each ADS consists of two ordinary shares. The offer provides a premium of 22 per cent to the stock’s Friday close. Throughout the previous year, Shanda Games’ ADS had typically traded in the range of USD2.74 to 6.45.<br><br>As Shanda Games’ independent directors attempt to evaluate the offer, they wonder: Should the shareholders accept it as it is? Should they ask for a higher price? Or should they look for the alternatives?

Paul Frank Industries (PFI), a privately held company based in the United States, finds itself in hot water after social media criticizes a Hollywood marketing event hosted by PFI in which Native American stereotypes were prominently featured. When photos of the event are released on Facebook, two bloggers bring attention to the event through their social media channels, and the reaction quickly spreads throughout the Native American community and beyond. In the wake of this public relations nightmare, students are asked to reflect on the actions taken by Paul Frank Industries prior to, during and after the marketing event.

When it comes to new government budgets, politicians are usually criticized regardless of whether they undertake new spending or embrace austerity. Canadian Finance Minister Joe Oliver’s spending restraint should be appreciated, however, at a time when world debt has jumped $57 trillion since the so-called Age of Austerity started in 2007, with governments accounting for $25 trillion of the extra liabilities. Oliver has been criticized for his plans to cut the small business tax rate, because the move will widen the gap between what small businesses and large businesses pay in taxes and will possibly incentivize businesses to stay small. But new research discussed in this article shows that a nation’s strongest, largest companies get hit with a lower rating after a sovereign downgrade faster and more often than firms with ratings that are worse than that of the state. This asymmetric effect leads to a greater reduction in investment for a nation’s healthiest firms, while also increasing their cost of capital by pushing up their bond yields. In light of these findings, this article argues that companies big and small stand to benefit from Canada’s return to surplus under Joe Oliver.

The owner of a fine-menswear store needs to make some crucial decisions regarding his own new line of made-to-measure clothing. He has to decide how to best market a new line and make decisions regarding the target market, product, placement and promotion.

The co-founders of Parker & Pine must decide how best to launch their apparel company’s first product, the boxer brief for plus-sized men. With only a few small changes to be made to the product before a full-scale launch, the partners have two important marketing decisions to make: setting the selling price for the boxer briefs and deciding how best to market them alongside the Parker & Pine brand.

The owner and president of a craft brewery and restaurant had just finished reviewing the company’s mid-year results, which revealed some operational capacity issues and a limited marketing budget. As a result, the owner wanted to focus on each of the company’s product lines and their contribution to the business to determine how to allocate marketing costs. Alternatively, with the company’s continued growth, the owner wondered whether the brewery would be better off investing in expansion to increase its current and long-term brewing capacity.

VisionSpring enabled access to affordable eye care for low-income individuals suffering from vision impairment in developing economies. Established in the United States as a not-for-profit social enterprise, it sold more than two million pairs of eyeglasses globally, which included over one million pairs of eyeglasses sold in India. Despite achieving this scale, VisionSpring believed there was a long way to go considering the estimated 300 million people in India requiring eyeglasses for vision correction. Realizing this as a huge unmet opportunity, the company set a goal of achieving 10 times its annual sales volume in India. This was not an easy task considering the socio-economic dynamics of the base of the pyramid segment, as well as market challenges in peri-urban and rural India. The plan would require a total paradigm shift in the overall business model of VisionSpring in India.

Bikanervala — a manufacturer of Indian snacks and sweets and restaurant chain — had a goal to put Indian ethnic food in a prominent position globally. Its initiatives taken over the years had ranged from introducing new cuisines to streamlining processes, systems and standards that helped the firm keep customers happy. Through these initiatives, Bikanervala had been able to diversify and grow both in India and internationally. But the food services industry faced a set of challenges, with the most important being a lack of availability of skilled workers. What could Bikanervala do to meet this challenge and keep at pace with the growing industry?

The operator of a dairy farm in Tennessee has begun renting goats for landscaping (see Goats: The Green Alternative (A) 9B11B018). The business proved successful so he considered expanding the operation (see Goats: The Green Alternative (B) 9B11B025). Now, he consults with a statistician to learn how to incorporate uncertainty into the decision about expanding. The case incorporates three types of uncertainty into a spreadsheet analysis of the expansion decision and then uses Monte Carlo analysis to produce an array of outcomes from the capital budgeting process.

Tata Steel Zoological Park (Tata Zoo) has been created on a large piece of land in the middle of a growing city. As its sponsoring corporation, Tata Steel, has become more cost conscious, there is pressure on the corporation to stop funding Tata Zoo. Some consultants are of the opinion that the land would be better utilized for commercial purposes. As a result, Tata Zoo now faces a dilemma: how can it generate finances and also serve its social and environmental initiatives?

When it comes to the development of future leaders, even the best CEOs can fail to give pipeline building the attention it deserves. Leadership pipelines should be viewed in the same way that an energy firm thinks about building pipelines that carry oil to market. In other words, it requires time, attention and significant financial resources. This article offers three steps that executives can follow to build a leadership pipeline. First, when developing a strong leadership pipeline, it is important to identify and target employees with the most potential for leadership positions. Second, organizations need to ensure that employees are able to develop in roles that push them beyond comfort zones. Finally, firms must invest in their leadership pipelines through executive development programs, executive coaching and mentorship initiatives. Such investments signal a commitment to future leaders, and when valued employees see this they double down on commitment to the organization. Smart companies do not spend money on leadership development in an attempt to buy employee loyalty; they invest money because not investing in people will always come back to haunt them.

Business Fundas, a portal that publishes educational business and management articles, is situated within the electronic publishing industry, which has many players and is highly fragmented. The start-up company faces many challenges in its efforts to position itself for growth and to take advantage of various innovative value propositions and business models. The senior managers hope to gain insights into user-specific trends through the use of data analytics.

Instructor spreadsheet for product 8B14M127.

Spreadsheet for product 8B15D004.

Spreadsheet for product 9B15D004.

In June 2014, Chartered Speed Private Limited, the contract provider for the much acclaimed Bus Rapid Transit System of Ahmedabad, India, would like to improve customer service in order to position itself strongly during upcoming contract renewal talks with Ahmedabad Janmarg Limited, the municipal body responsible for the system. Buses arrive at the company’s workshops during the night for daily repairs and leave the next morning for their scheduled runs. However, given time and resource constraints, bus departures may either be delayed or buses may have to leave the workshop without the scheduled repair operations. Moreover, there is a long list of deficiencies with the buses or drivers and of incidents, such as accidents or breakdowns, that can result in financial penalties to the company. How should maintenance activities be designed to minimize the penalty losses and guarantee high customer service levels?

The founder and chief executive officer of Human Touch Connect Pte. Ltd. was hard at work in his office in Singapore. He had been working on the detailed valuation of his latest venture, EatOnline.Asia, to be presented to the partner of Top Line Ventures, a venture capital firm. He was hoping to be able to convince the firm to invest the required amount of SGD1.5 million. The founder wondered what method(s) of valuation he could use to reflect the fair value of the project. The second issue that was troubling him was, in the event that he was successful in convincing Top Line Ventures, how much stake he could offer for an investment of SGD1.5 million.

For Eva Kor, one of the Mengele Twins used in horrific Nazi experiments after being torn away from her family as a 10-year-old, forgiveness is not just key to peace on Earth — it also clears the minds of decision makers. After the Holocaust survivor thanked a former Nazi doctor who agreed to go on record about working at Auschwitz, the “Book-keeper of Auschwitz” gave Kor a kiss that was tweeted around the world, creating a mixture of hope and outrage. But as far as the 81-year-old Kor is concerned, forgiveness is for victims, who have the right to be free. Although forgiving is rarely easy, Kor sees it as key to achieving internal peace, which improves quality of life, not to mention management skills and productivity in both our professional and personal lives.