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The Center for Sustainable Agriculture was founded in 2004 as a solution to various problems in India's agricultural industry. The founder developed a sustainable agriculture model to help farmers lower crop failure risk and reduce production costs, to which pesticide and fertilizer use contributed over 30 per cent. The Center for Sustainable Agriculture built a sustainable agriculture model by collaborating with farmers, producer associations, governments, and markets. The introduction of organic products allowed the company to integrate sustainability into its core business plan. In 2021, after achieving success in Telangana, India, the founder was planning to expand his organic farming model across the country, but he wondered what challenges he would face in other states and how he could overcome these.

A new study shows that when customers identify with a brand, an attack from an "outsider" will spur them to defend it by purchasing it.

Rebel Foods, the world's largest internet restaurant company, had operations globally and launched multiple cuisine brands to satisfy consumers' taste buds. Among them were Faasos, Behrouz Biryani, Oven Story, Mandarin Oak, Lunch Box, and many more under the Rebel umbrella.1 Over time, only three brands-Behrouz Biryani, Oven Story, and Faasos-became the highest contributors to the bottom line. Rebel also started offering cloud kitchen space services to early-stage food entrepreneurs and distribution of well-known established brands such as Wendy's. However, Rebel's revenue slipped in FY2021 to INR 405.1 Crore (USD 52.11 million) compared to FY2020, which was approximately INR 558.7 Crore (USD 71.87 million). Rebel Foods' frequent launch of multiple brands, many new initiatives, and slipping financials left many unanswered questions. How should the company manage its brand portfolio? Should it launch new brands or collaborate with established brands? Was there a need for Rebel to change its brand portfolio?

Supplement to case 523037 Volt Lines was a next-generation transportation service in Istanbul, Turkey. The company was trying to disrupt the traditional corporate transportation market by developing software that allowed it to offer subscription-based transportation. Under the subscription model, Volt Lines pooled employees from different clients to ride on the same bus and charged its clients using a per-seat pricing model instead of the traditional per-bus model. In 2020, when the pandemic hit and companies pivoted to working from home, the need for corporate transportation almost disappeared overnight. While this drop in demand put tremendous pressure on Volt Lines as a startup with negative cash flow, it also allowed the company to leverage its software infrastructure and offer even more flexible pricing models. Such flexible pricing models could help Volt Lines clients that now had their employees show up at the office only a few days a week cut costs. The three cases (Volt Lines A, B, and C) follow the journey of Ali Halabi, the company's founder and CEO, as he moves from trying to survive in the early days of the pandemic to seeing the pandemic as a unique opportunity to gain market share.

Supplement to case 523037 Volt Lines was a next-generation transportation service in Istanbul, Turkey. The company was trying to disrupt the traditional corporate transportation market by developing software that allowed it to offer subscription-based transportation. Under the subscription model, Volt Lines pooled employees from different clients to ride on the same bus and charged its clients using a per-seat pricing model instead of the traditional per-bus model. In 2020, when the pandemic hit and companies pivoted to working from home, the need for corporate transportation almost disappeared overnight. While this drop in demand put tremendous pressure on Volt Lines as a startup with negative cash flow, it also allowed the company to leverage its software infrastructure and offer even more flexible pricing models. Such flexible pricing models could help Volt Lines clients that now had their employees show up at the office only a few days a week cut costs. The three cases (Volt Lines A, B, and C) follow the journey of Ali Halabi, the company's founder and CEO, as he moves from trying to survive in the early days of the pandemic to seeing the pandemic as a unique opportunity to gain market share.

The COVID-19 pandemic changed many aspects of consumers’ lives and transformed the industries serving them. This note examines the impact of the pandemic on the fast-food industry and details four main ways in which the sector was affected. First, the pandemic led to an increased reliance on technology. Second, it pushed forward new restaurant designs. Third, it accelerated the rise of “ghost kitchens,” which prepared food for consumption off the premises. Finally, the pandemic contributed to the emergence of loyalty programs. All four trends were expected to continue to evolve after the pandemic.

The India-based company Baobab Clean Technologies was founded in September 2011 with a business model based on the premise of safety and sustainability for electronic waste. The company facilitated the disposal of computers and electronic products for consumer and trade channels. It refurbished and sold products with a bundle of services like point-to-point delivery, installation, warranty, and support. Sales had started improving during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the protagonist was considering the way forward into the next level of growth. The case revolves around the application of various concepts related to business-to-business marketing, including value creation, value delivery, channel positioning, and marketplace equity.

This case follows the evolution of pricing strategy at Echosec Systems, a Canadian open source intelligence firm. The case provides information on pricing as the company grows and diversifies its product offerings.

The COVID-19 pandemic changed many aspects of consumers' lives and transformed the industries serving them. This note examines the impact of the pandemic on the fast-food industry and details four main ways in which the sector was affected. First, the pandemic led to an increased reliance on technology. Second, it pushed forward new restaurant designs. Third, it accelerated the rise of "ghost kitchens," which prepared food for consumption off the premises. Finally, the pandemic contributed to the emergence of loyalty programs. All four trends were expected to continue to evolve after the pandemic.

Volt Lines was a next-generation transportation service in Istanbul, Turkey. The company was trying to disrupt the traditional corporate transportation market by developing software that allowed it to offer subscription-based transportation. Under the subscription model, Volt Lines pooled employees from different clients to ride on the same bus and charged its clients using a per-seat pricing model instead of the traditional per-bus model. In 2020, when the pandemic hit and companies pivoted to working from home, the need for corporate transportation almost disappeared overnight. While this drop in demand put tremendous pressure on Volt Lines as a startup with negative cash flow, it also allowed the company to leverage its software infrastructure and offer even more flexible pricing models. Such flexible pricing models could help Volt Lines clients that now had their employees show up at the office only a few days a week cut costs. The three cases (Volt Lines A, B, and C) follow the journey of Ali Halabi, the company's founder and CEO, as he moves from trying to survive in the early days of the pandemic to seeing the pandemic as a unique opportunity to gain market share.

Belinda Oliveri, managing director of Mercedes-Benz Starlight, reflected on the events of the past couple of years. At a 2021 meeting of its fifty-two Australian dealers, Mercedes-Benz Australia/Pacific Pty Ltd announced a new sales model through which customers would buy vehicles at a fixed price directly from the company and only step inside a dealership to collect their purchase. Oliveri knew that as a respected industry leader and significant player in Australia’s high-volume automotive business landscape, she had to develop an informed opinion on the matter. She also knew change was coming, but that there were also a lot of unanswered questions. Would the change be a good one? How would it affect customers? Should she support it or oppose it by joining the $650 million lawsuit 80 per cent of dealers filed against Mercedes-Benz Australia/Pacific?

Belinda Oliveri, managing director of Mercedes-Benz Starlight, reflected on the events of the past couple of years. At a 2021 meeting of its fifty-two Australian dealers, Mercedes-Benz Australia/Pacific Pty Ltd announced a new sales model through which customers would buy vehicles at a fixed price directly from the company and only step inside a dealership to collect their purchase. Oliveri knew that as a respected industry leader and significant player in Australia's high-volume automotive business landscape, she had to develop an informed opinion on the matter. She also knew change was coming, but that there were also a lot of unanswered questions. Would the change be a good one? How would it affect customers? Should she support it or oppose it by joining the $650 million lawsuit 80 per cent of dealers filed against Mercedes-Benz Australia/Pacific?

This case set draws on a summer internship in brand management to outline potential steps in bringing a new food product to life. While there are general guidelines to the new product (brand, grocery aisle, and target market), the rest of the product development is up to the team of marketers and research and developers. This case can serve several purposes: It can be used as a midterm exam (e.g., after a module on consumer research) or as a part of a final exam (together with other mini cases). Another possibility is to use this case as a live case or as a case to discuss focus groups.

On the evening of June 4, 2021, the Nigerian government ordered the suspension of business operations for Twitter in Nigeria, accusing the social media company of spreading misinformation and fake news and allowing activities that could undermine the corporate existence of Nigeria. The suspension caused anger and outrage in Nigeria and sparked reactions around the world. Four months later, on October 1, 2021, the Nigerian government stated that it was ready to revoke suspension if Twitter agreed to certain prescribed conditions. Twitter was keen to resolve the issue and resume operations in Nigeria, but accepting some of the requirements could compromise its core values. Should Twitter agree to the government’s conditions?

Super Bowl 50, the fiftieth annual championship game of the American National Football League played in February 2016, featured 52 commercials, and brands spent more than six million dollars each for a 30-second commercial slot. Surprisingly, the commercial that garnered the most popularity on YouTube was not one of the regular advertisers. It was an entertainment brand best known for its video games and characters-Pokémon. It reflected twenty years of faithful corporate efforts that had protected and nurtured the Pokémon brand ever since its debut on February 27, 1996, in the form of a video game for handheld devices. Even on this commemorable day, however, Tsunekazu Ishihara, president of The Pokémon Company, was asking his staff and himself a familiar question: "Is that really in the best interest of Pokémon?" This question came out of a sense of urgency that motivated him and his vision for the Pokémon brand, having seen firsthand how rapid growth and record-breaking sales had led countless other games to quick obsolescence. In fact, Pokémon itself had once run a real risk of becoming nothing more than a fad. As he looked to the future, Ishihara pondered threats and opportunities, such as the intensifying competition due to the accelerating development cycle of video games and the maturation of emerging economies. He asked himself how he could make the Pokémon brand one that could endure and continue to grow over the next 25 years.

Dan Featherstone was an entrepreneur and founder of Made For Drink, a premium bar snacks company he launched in the UK in 2016 to provide food lovers with a perfect snack to accompany alcoholic drinks. Whilst at first enjoying rapid success, winning awards in several different categories and supplying over 300 of the world's leading food & drink establishments, mid-2022 found Featherstone worrying about the future of his business. Having taken a hit in the pandemic, he was preparing to enter a crowdfunding raise for £600,000 and he knew he needed to articulate the fundamental elements of his business clearly to investors. Scrambling to get his pitch and investor pack ready, he found himself in need of a clear brand positioning strategy to communicate to investors. He was considering three positioning options which were aligned with the brand's values and had to choose one.

Looms of Ladakh (LL) is a women's cooperative that has a vision to empower the local women artisans by not just upskilling but also making them independently manage the entire cooperative. The cooperative is managed and governed by the local artisans and has recently hired talent from leading design and management schools to oversee their operations. The founders realized that to scale up and collaborate with design houses and online retailers, and thereby increase their presence and profits, they will have to work in a more structured and data-driven fashion. Optimal use of resources and material is key to compete in the modern market and sell their products in international market at competitive prices. The case provides the students an opportunity to come up with a resource optimzation model using the data collected by LL over a period of time. The objective is to help LL earn maximum profits by making optimum usage of the avaibalbe human and material resources and by identifying an optimal product mix that maximizes their profitability.