Author(s):Krishnaveni Muthiah
Title – Reaching the bottom of the pyramid: micro life insurance in India. Subject area – International business/International marketing. Study level/applicability – •Courses: the case is directly related to courses on “International Business” and “International Marketing” in the Master of Business Administration programme.Training programmes: management development programmes for working executives, on the topics “Business across borders”, “Business stabilization in foreign markets”. Case overview – In 1999, the liberalization of the insurance sector as per the recommendations of the Malhotra committee gave way for privatization and foreign firms entered this sector through joint ventures. The business growth, which was enjoyed by these firms from 1999 to 2008, was tremendous. The growth percentage started declining following the global economic downturn in the capital markets. This situation compelled the insurance firms to re-look into their business strategy. On one hand whatever growth they had, 80 percent of it was through unit linked insurance plans depending on the capital market. On the other, it was identified that in a country like India the untapped market potential was among the rural millions. Reaching those people who are at the bottom of the pyramid necessitated a completely new business model to be developed as the need of the hour. The take stock of the position at this vnjuncture is the crux of the present case study, which envisages finding out alternative delivery models to suit the Indian rural market taking into account the intrinsic nature of life insurance and the basic living styles and mentality of the rural folk. Expected learning outcomes – After discussion and analysis of this case, students will be able to: understand how market culture in a target country differs from that in the home country; appreciate how challenges in a developing country market have their own unique features to be understood; identify various courses of action and evaluate them on the basis of the host country factors; understand the “international planning process”; and appreciate how important it is for a country manager of a multinational firm to plan and execute the marketing mix suited to the inherent qualities of the target market. Supplementary materials – Teaching notes. Close

Author(s):Nir Kshetri
Title – Kaspersky Lab: from Russia with anti-virus. Subject area – International Business, International Entrepreneurship, International Marketing. Study level/applicability – Advanced undergraduate and graduate students are the primary audience. The case can also be used in executive classes with emerging economies as a focus. Case overview – Kaspersky Lab is a provider of information technology (IT) security products such as anti-virus, anti-spam and network security software. It is Russia's largest software company and the only Russian firm that ranked among the world's top 100 software companies. This case presents several interesting features of the company and its environment. The foci of the case are on potential barriers facing firms based in emerging economies in their internationalization initiatives and negative country of origin effects associated with emerging economies. Expected learning outcomes – The learning objectives of this case include: •To identify internal and external sources of competitive advantage for a developing world originated successful entrepreneurial firm. •To assess the potential barriers facing an emerging economy-based firm in the internationalization process and analyse whether such barriers differ across economies of various characteristics. •To evaluate whether the natures of obstacles and challenges faced by an emerging economy-based firm is different in a newly evolving industry. •To analyze how an emerging economy-based firm can overcome some of the barriers to internationalization. Supplementary materials – Teaching note. Close

Author(s):A.D. Amar
Title – China's Rippo of Zippo: expanding the costs of pirated intellectual property. Subject area – International business; business ethics; international trade law; intellectual property. Study level/applicability – Undergraduate and Master's level courses in Business and Management, particularly with a focus on international trade. Case overview – This case covers the issues that surround piracy of intellectual property by highlighting illegal manufacture and distribution of millions of Zippo brand windproof lighters and considers the seriousness of the large-scale theft of intellectual property by civilized nations. The focus of this case is on the additional victimization of the producers of genuine products, mostly European and American, who have the policy of life-time repair-or-replace warrantee, which by extension, although wrongly, becomes applicable to their counterfeits. Some micro and macro aspects are covered in detail, some are alluded to, while others are left out for the teachers of this case to justify considering the local logic and culture. Expected learning outcomes – There are major lessons embedded in this case: first, intellectual piracy is not less than the theft of tangible property. Second, the problem of piracy carried out by large, civilized countries is really serious because of its huge size. Third, if the rights of those developing innovation are not protected and they cut their investments in R&D, the consequence will hurt all people in the world – emerging and developed. Supplementary materials – Teaching note. Close

Author(s):Muhittin Hakan Demir, Aysu Göçer
Title – Assess your business model strategy to sustain. Subject area – This case study considers the supply chain redesign of a multinational company, with specific emphasis on production lot sizing, inventory policy and transportation decisions. Study level/applicability – The material is intended for senior level students of business administration, logistics and similar departments. An intermediate knowledge of supply chain, purchasing and inventory concepts is required; therefore, the case is better suited for students who have taken one-semester courses on supply chain management and inventory management. This case can be used in graduate courses as part of discussions on physical distribution, supply chain design/redesign, risk pooling through process optimization. Case overview – Within the global market, establishing the right business model where cost of operations is optimized has become key for competitiveness. This necessitates the simultaneous consideration and reevaluation of production, inventory and transportation interactivities within the integrated supply chain. We first discuss the business procurement model of a multinational company with emphasis on critical aspects of the current structure. An alternative model brought into consideration by the managers of the company considers consolidation of shipments through supply hubs and distribution to regional manufacturers. We present an analysis based on perspectives of company managers for and against this new business model. We finally provide numeric evidence on relevant costs of both models in order to enhance further discussion on redesign decisions. Expected learning outcomes – The discussion regarding the case will provide a better understanding of key concepts of supply chain integration and coordination as well as the significance of the optimization of underlying processes. Supplementary materials – Teaching notes. Close

Author(s):Low Sui Pheng, Gao Shang
Title – Bridging Western management theories and Japanese management practices: case of the Toyota Way model. Subject area – Manufacturing, Western management theories and Japanese management practices. Student level/applicability – This case can be used in project management or management-related courses at tertiary institutions at Undergraduate and Postgraduate level. Case overview – This case provides students with an opportunity to find out what make Toyota so successful in manufacturing through its famous production system as well as the underlying Toyota Way principles. All students are expected to understand the Toyota Way model with a balanced view that goes beyond a set of lean tools such as just-in-time. This case opens a historical account for the Toyota Way model by connecting with possible Western management theories and Japanese management practices. Expected learning outcomes – It is expected to significantly benefit students with industry experience with the intention of initiating appropriate changes in their own industry and/or organization by applying what they have learnt from the Toyota Way, through bridging with Western management theories. Supplementary materials – Teaching notes. Close