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Set in December 2016, the case follows Sumeet Mehta, CEO of Cardpe Services Private Ltd, a fintech startup established to tap into the gap that existed in the payments acceptance infrastructure in India. Cardpe was all set to launch a mobile Point-of-Sale (mPOS) device - a wireless handheld integrated unit - that processed credit/debit card payments. Cash was a predominant medium of transaction in the country but the government was accelerating digitalisation and promoting measures to move towards a less-cash economy. Measures were underway to bring the largely unbanked public into banking network. Correspondingly, debit and credit card issuance was also growing. However, the availability of point-of-sale (POS) devices that could process credit/debit card payments was inadequate and remained concentrated among large merchants in cities. Due to this shortfall, the use of cards for payments remained low. Cardpe intended to target the merchants in the Tier II and Tier III cities, which were largely ignored by the acquiring banks, aggregators and the electronic wallet companies. Mehta had to assess the market potential for mPOS in the increasingly crowded market and to evaluate the odds stacked against Cardpe in the target market and as he re-examines Carpe's go-to-market strategy. This case offers an opportunity to learn about the innovation adoption model and the challenges involved in altering market behaviour; and devising marketing strategy to overcome barriers involved in product adoption. The case would also help students to understand how to apply and integrate market data and information on evolving scenarios to estimate the market size for a product/service.

Set in November 2015, the case follows Sisters in Solidarity (SiS), a social enterprise established to emancipate marginalised women in Lucknow, India. SIS was an offshoot of Study Hall Education Foundation (SHEF), a non-profit organisation that promoted feminist pedagogy in the educational establishments under its wings. SHEF also provided high quality education to underprivileged girls from the slum areas through the Prerna Girls School (PGS). The mothers of PGS students, deprived of economic opportunities due to lack of skills and education, suffered in a vicious cycle of poverty, domestic abuse and oppression. Observing the positive outcomes that education and employability brought about in the lives of their daughters, these mothers approached SHEF for help. Shibani Sahni, daughter of SHEF's founder, spearheaded the establishment of SiS, which aimed to emancipate women by improving their employability through vocational training. The enterprise had three business units-DiDi's Foods, DiDi's Driving and DiDi's Creations. However, while the food unit of SIS had evolved into a self-sustaining and profitable unit and the driving unit was a cost neutral vertical integration that helped SiS achieve operational efficiency, the creations unit (crafts and fashions) was struggling and unprofitable. Sahni had to overhaul the business strategy of DiDi's Creations and turn the unit around. Resources were stretched; she would have to revisit all the business segments in the portfolio to sustain profitability and growth. In order to support more beneficiaries, SiS would have to scale up, but Sahni must assess the organisational readiness for this to take place. This case offers an opportunity to learn about revenue growth strategies, profitability evaluation and divestment decisions and various expansion strategies available for a social enterprise. The case would also be helpful in understanding the elements of sustainability and scalability essential for social enterprise.

Set in July 2015, the case follows Matrix Cellular (International) Services (Matrix), a telecommunications company that forayed into the nascent cellular telephony market in India, as a retailer of mobile handsets, accessories and international SIM cards. The Managing Director and Chairman of the Risk Management Committee of the company, Gagan Dugal, identified the potential demand for international SIM cards in the Indian outbound travel market that was set to boom on the back of globalisation. MCIS bought international minutes in bulk from Mobile Service Providers (MSPs) in destination countries and retailed them through SIM cards to outbound Indian travellers. The service was an instant hit among elite travellers. Matrix, exploiting its pioneer advantage, began to strategically build its capabilities in the areas of sourcing, marketing, distribution and servicing, and expanded its product portfolio. Thus, from being a retailer of hardware and accessories, Matrix quickly evolved into a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO), trading and retailing talktime and data. From 2010 onwards, Matrix started facing intense competition from new market entrants and mainstream MSPs. Additionally, events that affected the outbound travel industry also impacted Matrix. Realising its twin identity as a telecom and travel company, Matrix launched additional services - forex cards, travel insurance and VAT recovery. While the services did not significantly contribute to the revenue of the company, they did add to the attractiveness of the company's competitive advantage. Amidst intensified competition and faltering revenue, Dugal and his team had to tap into their core resources to innovatively disrupt the market yet again, but how?

This case is set in January 2015 and follows Future for Children (FFC), a poverty eradication charity initiated by Swiss banker, Daniel Elber, in Muntigunung, Bali (Indonesia). FFC began by piloting a phased development programme in one village by establishing local social enterprises that address key development hurdles and improve livelihood outcomes. Following the success of the pilot programme, the initiative is now ready to be replicated and rolled out to other villages in Muntigunung. However, some key challenges need to be addressed. For example, management of the social enterprises needs to be handed over to the local community. In addition, more funds are needed to replicate and scale up; and a sense of community ownership of the programme needs to take hold. In addition, the business model of FFC needed to be reviewed for its efficacy in achieving the mission's goal.