In July 2025, Mahavatar Narsimha — a 3D animated retelling of Hindu mythology directed by Ashwin Kumar of Kleem Productions, backed by Hombale Films, became India’s highest-grossing animated Film, earning ?326 crore worldwide on a reported budget of ₹15–40 crore. It achieved this without celebrity casting, without conventional Marketing Spend, and with an audience mobilized almost entirely through devotional communities, International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) networks, religious group viewings, and organic social media. By November 2025, Ashwin Kumar was in pre-production for “Mahavatar Parshuram”, the second of seven planned films in the Mahavatar Cinematic Universe facing three documented and potentially incompatible strategic directions: deepen the devotional Community model that built the first film’s success; scale up the animation franchise to meet raised audience and investor expectations; or expand into live-action cinema in response to active solicitation from some of the most commercially powerful figures in Indian Film. The case places students at this moment of maximum strategic leverage and asks them to analyze what worked, why it worked, whether it can be sustained, and what Ashwin Kumar should do. [Formula: see text]It was a Monday evening in Mumbai, August 8, 2025, for the first time ever, a Movie’s success meet was held not in a five-star ballroom but at the ISKCON 1 Temple in Juhu. The filmmakers decided to skip the conventional route and embraced divinity, seeking the blessings of the divine force. The devotees gathered at the temple’s courtroom for the evening aarti (devotional prayer ritual). The fragrance of incense sticks hung in the air and a framed picture of Lord Narsimha was witnessing the celebration. Right from Hombale Films’ Co-founder Chaluve Gowda, distributors, producer, and director — Kumar gathered to celebrate the success. [Formula: see text]Another surprise which no one was ready for was Kumar announcing the forthcoming line-up of the animated franchise for the upcoming decade: “Mahavatar Parshuram (2027), Mahavatar Raghunandan (2029), Mahavatar Dwarkadhish (2031), Mahavatar Gokulananda (2033), Mahavatar Kalki Part 1 (2035), and Mahavatar Kalki Part 2 (2037)”. 2 This franchise represents a faith-driven creative act — the 10 avatars of Lord Vishnu as penned in Indian religious scriptures. [Formula: see text]Kumar left the ISKCON Temple that evening holding two futures simultaneously. One was a devotional offering that had become a cultural phenomenon through faith, Community, and patience. The other was a 12-year commercial franchise, publicly committed, investor-backed, and now carrying the expectations of an industry that had watched Indian animation finally break through its ceiling. [Formula: see text]The first film had succeeded, in large part, because it had no conventional strategy. The next one could not be made without one. What should Kumar do? Should he follow the same unconventional approach and capitalize on the power of religious communities or plan something conventional with a huge marketing budget for the sequel? 1 ISKCON, a global Vaishnava Hindu movement founded in 1966, with centers across 150 countries. 2 Koimoi, “Mahavatar Narsimha Box Office Collection Day 20: Surpasses Ajay Devgn’s Raid 2, 15.29 Crores Away from a Historic Milestone”, 10, https://www.koimoi.com/box-office/mahavatar-narsimha-box-office-collection-day-20-surpasses-ajay-devgns-raid-2-15-29-crores-away-from-a-historic-milestone/.
Decision-focused cases have become the de facto standard genre for teaching cases used in business schools. There are many benefits of the genre to authors, students, and the outlets that publish them. Yet, there are also downsides to excluding other genres of case studies. This paper considers the opportunities and challenges involved with developing and publishing other genres of case studies.
This case study offers a comprehensive analysis of the contemporary global athletic footwear market, illustrating how the shifting marketing strategies, distribution channel configurations, and evolving consumer preferences have refined the traditional competitive playbook. It identifies and contrasts the strategic maneuvers of three groups of global brands: dominant giants (Nike and Adidas), resilient legacy players (Puma, ASICS, and Under Armour), and fast-growing challenger brands (Hoka, ON, Li-Ning, and Anta).Through a lens of global business development, the case study highlights the excellence and balance in product and marketing strategies that sports brands must constantly and delicately harness to expand and sustain their footwear market shares. This includes the balance between superior athletic performance (e.g., innovation in footwear cushioning technology) and lifestyle resonance (e.g., national culture and retro designs) in product strategy, as well as the balance in the brand's distribution strategy, between the high-margin direct-to-customer (DTC) sales model and the wide-reaching, partnership-based wholesale retail network.The narrative explores how market leaders could stumble when over-relying on a single strategy - such as Nike's aggressive pivoting in 2020 to digital DTC and data-driven performance marketing at the expense of its superior brand storytelling. Conversely, it shows how agile underdogs, such as Hoka and ON, had grown rapidly in the global market since circa 2010 by initially capturing high-end niche markets and progressively offering innovative footwear technologies. The study also discusses the developing paths of legacy sports brands, for example, Puma and Under Armour opting to persist in very different strategies on product portfolio and marketing mix. In addition, two local brands going global from an emerging market (Li-Ning and Anta from China) were examined in terms of how they leveraged domestic culture and aggressive international multi-brand acquisitions to challenge Western dominance in the sports goods market.
By 2025, WG Tech JiangXi had moved well beyond its origins as an optoelectronic glass finishing company and emerged as an important player in China's display industry chain. Through sustained breakthroughs in glass-based processing, metallization, photolithography, and through-glass via (TGV) technology, the company had gradually shifted from precision processing to productization, extending into Mini/Micro LED display and advanced semiconductor packaging. Over time, this transformation had begun to reshape WG Tech's business structure and open up a new phase of growth. Yet, the next stage of development posed a more difficult challenge. As WG Tech prepared for globalization, founder Yi Weihua and his management team faced a critical strategic question: how could the company convert technological leadership into industrial leadership, market leadership, and ultimately revenue leadership? While TGV and glass-based products offered major long-term potential, uncertainty remained over the pace of customer adoption, competition from lower-cost substitute technologies, and the company's ability to upgrade its organization, management systems, and global operating capabilities. The case therefore examines whether WG Tech could move from being a technology pioneer to becoming a true global industry leader.
Established in 2002, Shanghai Hygloves Co., Ltd. was a Chinese manufacturing and trade company that had strategically transformed itself from a cost-focused exporter into a global supplier of specialized functional gloves. Through sustained investments in technology, international certifications, and the adaptation of various foreign direct investment (FDI) strategies, the company had built a strong position in specialized functional gloves worldwide. However, the environment had become increasingly uncertain. Rising geopolitical tensions, protectionist trade policies, and shifting global supply chains were reshaping the competitive landscape for Chinese manufacturers. Although Hygloves had already expanded production across multiple countries and strengthened its international presence, senior management needed to determine the next step in the firm's global expansion. Where and when should Hygloves invest next in order to sustain its competitive advantage while managing institutional risks and supply-chain uncertainty?
In October 2022, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) confronted growing concerns over employee moonlighting, working secondary jobs without employer consent, amid the rise of remote work in the IT sector. This case explores the ethical, legal, and operational implications of moonlighting, questioning its acceptability when employee performance is unaffected. It highlights the reputational risks TCS faces with global clients. The case examines how TCS can capitalize on this challenge by leveraging internal opportunities, upskilling its workforce, and adopting innovative talent models, while also accommodating cultural differences within its international workforce. Ultimately, students need to recommend how TCS can adapt its policies and culture to safeguard trust, protect its brand, and retain top talent in a rapidly changing industry.
NV Eco Farm, located in the village Panchayat of Kirlapal-Dabal in South Goa, was founded in 2015 by Ms. Smita Patil and her husband, Mr. Mahesh Patil. The 64-acre ancestral property was transformed into an eco-tourism venture that integrated sustainable agricultural practices. The farm offered a range of activities, including cottage stays, backwater cruises, spice plantation tours featuring 125 plant species, cashew fruit extraction, a butterfly park and visits to Nakshatra Garden. Additionally, night camps, treks, and adventure sports catered to a diverse audience.The farm's rustic charm was complemented by eco-conscious measures such as no alcohol, no firecrackers, and restrictions on music, promoting environmental preservation. The venture emphasized sustainable agriculture, utilizing water harvesting, multilayer cropping, biogas, and solar fencing. Employing 28 villagers, NV Eco Farm was deeply integrated into the local community, sourcing materials and training workers in modern farming techniques.Marketing efforts included partnerships with schools, the Goa Tourism Development Corporation, social media, and Airbnb. However, challenges like seasonality, financial sustainability, local employment issues, and conflicts with taxi operators for commissions posed significant hurdles.
Byju's, the extended arm of an ed-tech decacorn "Think and Learn Private Ltd", was founded by a teacher cum engineer Byju Raveendran in 2015. Raveendran transformed the education sector from physical to digital space, enabling learning to occur anywhere and at any time. The Byju's App gave students a user-friendly interface and access to pre-recorded lectures on domains ranging from K-12 to competitive exams. Byju's growth trajectory took off thanks to numerous acquisitions, celebrity endorsements, and advertising, which allowed the company to flourish and spread from regional to international markets. However, a few improper practices, such as pressure on employees to achieve targets, lack of research and development, inappropriate operational planning, aggressive marketing strategies, and delay in financial reporting, drifted Byju's success towards its downfall. Byju's had to face several lawsuits by the consortium of foreign lenders and the prominent venture capitalist that invested in the company. The final blow came when the Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) initiated insolvency proceedings with the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) against Byju's due to the company's failure to pay $19 million. The case teaches students how progressive initiatives of a company, if implemented without proper planning and due ethical consideration, might result in the collapse of a company. Students will also learn what start-up firms should consider for scaling up.
This case study takes the reader through the journey of cultural transformation and strategic HR-led change at Advanced Info Service (AIS), a major telecommunications company in Thailand. Kantima Lerlertyuttitham, the Group Chief Human Resources Officer (G-CHRO), looks into potential Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) practices to reduce inequality in the company while navigating the 13,000 employees through transitions towards becoming a Cognitive Technology Company, or Cognitive Tech-Co., through a Fit Fun Fair organizational culture. One of the challenges faced during the transformation is the gap in technological skills, particularly among the older generation of employees, who are facing more difficulties adopting the new technology. With the adoption of more advanced technology in the workplace, Lerlertyuttitham is considering initiatives to close this technological gap among the long-tenure and older employees. The case positions DEIB as a complementary enabler to the broader HRM transformation, aligned with AISs national values and ESG commitments.
On May 9th, 2022, Shruti Kapoor (Shruti), one of the co-founders of Strings Systems Inc. (SSI), doing business under its brand Wingman, was sitting in her Bangalore office and reflecting on the progress of Wingman since its inception in 2018. Wingman operated in the conversation intelligence (CI) industry and provided artificial intelligence (AI)-based technical solutions to business-to-business (B2B) clients, which improved their sales conversations and enhanced the efficiency of their sales personnel. SSIs culture of ad hoc, siloed innovation, relying on dedicated teams, enabled the company to identify and exploit numerous business opportunities, driving rapid growth.
The case takes place during March 2024, as Thana Slanvetpan, General Manager of AI & Robotics (ARV), was reassessing the deep tech company's sustainability impact, both within and beyond its parent company, PTTEP Public Co. Ltd., Thailand's largest energy conglomerate and the third largest company listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET). The case delves into the strategic dilemma facing ARV as it considers expansion into one or more of non-exploration & petroleum sectors, namely, Agriculture and Farming, Energy, Environmental Conservation and Climate Technology, Healthcare, Manufacturing and Industrial Automation, Smart Cities and Infrastructure, and Tourism and Hospitality. Each sector presents unique opportunities for sustainable impact and poses significant challenges in estimating market value, given the nascent state of deep tech applications and the variable maturity of innovation ecosystems in emerging markets. This case prompts a critical analysis of how ARV can sustainably contribute to Thailand's technological and economic advancement while creating value for stakeholders.
In early 2024, Dillipraj Rajakarier, Group CEO of Minor International (MINT), reflected on the bold strategic path ahead after presenting the company's ambitious post-COVID recovery and expansion targets. With operations spanning over 63 countries and a planned scale-up to 780 hotels and 3700 food outlets by 2027, MINT stood at a pivotal moment. Despite record profits in 2023, Rajakarier knew that the company's long-term success would hinge not just on global growth, but on whether it could authentically integrate its sustainability vision - including its 2050 net-zero goal - into everyday business practices. This teaching case explores how MINT evolved from its roots in entrepreneurial ambition and philanthropy to a leading multinational integrating Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles into core operations. It provides insight into the pressures and opportunities facing companies in the tourism and hospitality sector, especially amidst rising stakeholder expectations, workforce transformations, and intensifying ESG regulations. The case challenges learners to assess how MINT can manage complex trade-offs - between rapid expansion and sustainability, investor demands and cultural alignment, financial goals and human capital needs - while building an enduring purpose-driven culture. Learners are invited to examine MINT's historical resilience, ESG strategy evolution, stakeholder dynamics, and operational dilemmas across diverse geographies. Ultimately, the case encourages strategic decision-making and organizational analysis, asking: how should MINT move forward to align its growth ambition with meaningful, measurable sustainability?
This case study delves into the strategic human resource and organizational challenges faced by Indo Autotech (IAT), a renowned family-run business manufacturing automotive spare parts. The narrative revolves around Mr. Anand Jain, the Managing Director of IAT, who was facing a complex web of human resource challenges in areas of employee welfare, technological adaptation, operational efficiency, and workforce diversity — while navigating market volatility exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. These challenges, caused by both external disruptions and internal weaknesses, had threatened to slow down the company’s growth and put at risk Anand’s ambitious goal of reaching $20 billion in turnover within five years. Beyond the financial target, these issues had also endangered the legacy of employee-centric values that had been passed down to him. The situation demanded immediate strategic interventions by Anand to ensure that IAT preserved the company’s market position, enhanced operational efficiency, and upheld its legacy of employee-centric values to remain competitive in the dynamic automotive industry. This scenario presents students with a compelling opportunity to analyze real-world decision-making in a high-stakes management context.
The Thai Eastern Group Holdings (TEGH) case examines the challenges of a family-owned company when evolving into a multinational, publicly listed corporation, on whether and how to keep its sustainability mindset legacy, while adapting to more diverse shareholders and global market demands. The case highlights the evolution of an agribusiness that started as a local family-owned entity, in which sustainable practices were naturally integrated into its business operations and reflected a sustainability mindset deeply rooted in its DNA, rather than formal strategic plans. This intrinsic approach eventually facilitated TEGH's alignment with Environmental-Social-Governance (ESG) formal principles. As the business expanded to a global business player and strategic decisions became influenced by more formal corporate governance requirements and diverse shareholder demands, possibly shorter-term, there were risks of diluting the deeply ingrained sustainability practices. The Thai family-owned company led by Ms. Sineenuch Kokanutaporn questioned whether and how to keep family business values that have been part of its identity. The case prompts critical reflections on how the ESG framework, particularly its governance dimension, may provide solutions that address the family-business owners' concerns: ensuring that strategic decision-making balances the global market and broader shareholders' demands, enabling continued business growth, while keeping the long-standing foundational values and sustainability goals.
Animall, an innovative tech startup, has emerged as a transformative force in the Indian cattle trading market. Founded by Neetu Yadav and Brijendra Pratap Singh in 2019, Animall aims to modernize and streamline India's traditionally fragmented and inefficient cattle trading industry. The platform leverages technology to connect farmers, traders, and buyers, providing a more transparent and efficient marketplace for cattle transactions. Cattle trading in India has been largely unorganized, with transactions often occurring through local markets or middlemen, leading to information asymmetry, lack of trust, and unfair pricing for farmers. Animall addresses these issues by offering a digital platform where users can buy and sell cattle more easily and confidently. The platform provides detailed information on cattle, including health records, breed information, and pricing, along with a user-friendly interface for transactions. It was March 6, 2024, and Kirti Jangra had just boarded a two-hour flight from Bengaluru, India's Silicon Valley, to visit her parents in Haryana, the dairy farming belt of northern India. As she opened her laptop to review her company's business plan, she contemplated the future of her company. Jangra created a cattle trading app called Animall in 2019. The app sought to improve outdated and inefficient trading systems in India's cattle trading sector, which she was very familiar with, as her parents were dairy farmers themselves. Jangra's engineering degree had given her the skills to create technological solutions for the dairy farming industry-her app had been downloaded by over 9.6 + million users, and its Net Promoter Score was over 65. And yet, Jangra felt dissatisfied with what she had achieved. Animall had merely solved the thinnest slice of the problem. Jangra realized that if dairy farmers could access functions such as finance, insurance, and veterinary support, through the app, their lives would improve significantly. She wanted to stay true to her original mission - facilitating and democratizing cattle trading in India - but also contemplated adding new business functions as verticals to the app in order to continue scaling up. She debated in her mind whether it made more business sense to expand horizontally instead, i.e., adding more kinds of livestock (such as goat, sheep, or poultry) to the current offering of cattle, thus reducing business risk. Time was running short as Animall had already completed five years, and a delayed decision could mean a lost opportunity for Jangra.
This case talks about the journey of Rohit Sinha (19 Y/O) and his firm, Leidlik, which is trying to navigate through the challenging world of innovation and empathy in the competitive Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) industry. Founded in 2022 in Jamshedpur, India, Leidlik aims to provide SaaS-based AI and ML solutions to small startups and companies, focusing on addressing social problems with an empathy-driven approach. Despite having initial challenges in gaining trust, Leidlik is leaving an impression with comprehensive fundamentals to foster technological solutions to adapt to social issues. The key challenges that Leidlik is facing include the difficulty of building a skilled team, partnering with government agencies, funding for scalability, the market dynamics in India, consumer mindset, and the need for empathy in both technological and non-technological solutions, expanding its brand proposition and maintaining the momentum. How can Leidlik expand its reach and maintain its empathy-driven approach? What strategies should Sinha and his team implement to tackle the challenges and take Leidlik to the next level? The case provides insights into innovation management, market positioning, the balance between empathy and business growth and the requirements of a social entrepreneurship firm. In June 2024, Rohit Sinha (19 Y/O) in his hostel room, was recalling fondly his work and recognitions his firm Leidlik, had achieved in the past years. Sinha recalled the obstacles and difficulties that came along the way of initiating Leidlik in 2022. Among the various challenges faced by Leidlik, one major problem was meeting the project deadlines. Leidlik, a firm dealing with AI and ML, offering Software as a Service (SaaS)-based products to other startups/companies, was built with a team of 8 people. In the initial years of launch, it was tough to gain the trust of startups and companies, but Sinha was able to launch products or services with an empathy factor so that the problem was addressed to solve the core issue. Sinha knew that the foremost challenge at that stage was to expand the brand proposition to a wider range of audience, specifically targeting both the socially needy and those requiring technological solutions. For Leidlik, it was not an easy task. Though Leidlik had made an impression in the new entrant market, at the bottom of the pyramid, the challenge was to maintain the momentum by taking the firm to the next level. However, a bigger issue loomed over their efforts: Leidlik was struggling to deliver projects on time. The delays were becoming a persistent problem, which also threatened to affect their credibility and ability to scale. What discussions should guide Sinha and how should he guide his team for the short-term and long-term, keeping in mind the empathy factor? Sinha called for a team meeting to discuss and plan the new potential project of the Waste Segregation Detection System. However, an important question for Sinha and his team remained unanswered “What should be the next step?”.
Shikarpuri Pickles, a renowned brand in Pakistan, has maintained its legacy over the decades. With a rich history and a reputation for excellence in pickle manufacturing, this pickle product has gained popularity all over Pakistan. Set within the context of Pakistan’s food industry, particularly the pickle industry, this case study highlights the business expansion dilemma faced by the owners of MBM Pickle Manufacturers. Ambitious about the growth, but due to the limited knowledge of international markets and exporting processes, the protagonist is faced with the dilemma of what they should do for exporting business and which country to target. Students are assigned to formulate well-reasoned answers to the discussion questions based on the learning theory. Additionally, students will utilize the Uppsala model for international trade and the Cuyvers, (2004) filters for export destination selection.
This case presents a challenge for Sunthorn Amorntham, a financial analyst at Bangkok Assets & Securities Company (BASC), to perform an equity valuation of Thai Union Group PCL (TU), a leading global producer of canned tuna and seafood products with a long history of international expansion. The company had a strong presence in Asia, North America, and Europe through acquisitions of established brands. Amorntham needed to consider TU's international business strategies, traditional financial metrics and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors to arrive at a transparent and holistic valuation. The company faced pressure to comply with international regulations regarding seafood safety, sustainability, and traceability. Rising consumer awareness of environmental and ethical issues creates demand for certified sustainable seafood, impacting TU's market position. TU launched its sustainability strategy, SeaChange (R) 2030, in 2023, focusing on responsible sourcing, reducing ocean plastic pollution, and ethical labor practices. Amorntham integrated ESG factors into two equity valuation methods; by adjusting the discounted cash flows model and adjusting in the company's discount rates to reflect the risks and opportunities associated with TU's sustainability practices. Amorntham proposed to his supervisor both approaches to demonstrate the impact of sustainability on TU's equity value. Overall, Amorntham faced the complex task of balancing traditional financial valuation with the growing importance of ESG factors in seafood industry valuations.
Facing the situation of the overuse of pesticides in combination with unfair prices for farmers and food production, a step toward a more sustainable and healthier lifestyle was adopted in 2016 by Akshay Agarwal and Gajendra Chaudhary whereby they seeded an organic store “Satvyk.” The success of Satvyk gave them an impetus to expand in different arenas and imbibe sustainability concepts holistically. For this the earlier assortment of product offerings needed to be designed and positioned in a way that would enable the potential customers to understand and value differences. Thereby, they introduced a second brand namely “Adrish Zero Waste” to serve the consumers who aimed to go further in adopting a sustainable lifestyle. The purpose of their business was to drive and leverage the change in Indian society where organic products hold an attractive proposition for upper middle class consumers with their high affordability for a healthy lifestyle. This case demonstrates how the entrepreneurs changed people’s mindsets by seeding two profitable businesses.
