1. CHANGING THE WORLD THROUGH FASHION: A CASE OF SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP, Page No 1-11
Monika Jain
ABSTRACT:
Just as entrepreneurs change the face of business, social entrepreneurs act as the change agents for society, seizing opportunities others miss and improving systems, inventing new approaches, and creating solutions to change society for the better. While a business entrepreneur might create entirely new industries, a social entrepreneur comes up with new solutions to social problems and then implements them on a large scale. Social entrepreneurship relies on sound business principles. Those who use this model are not afraid to use sales and marketing principles to raise funds and increase public awareness of what they are doing. Traditional charitable organizations tend to shy away from promoting their own work. Meera and Muzzaffar Ali are one such social entrepreneur. Their couture label ‘Kotwara’ stands as an ambassador of Kotwara’s weaving traditions like chikan, dhurie and zardozi. Muzzaffar Ali, the Raja of Kotwara, has done phenomenal work for social uplift have designed clothes with the idea of providing a vocation in Kotwara as also to upgrade the craft of chikan and zardozi in Lucknow and its vicinity. Kotwara, especially, has become a haven for craft and a strong designer brand in India and abroad with continuous design inputs from NID-NIFT trained team. They use craft design as an important tool of development. It’s a long-term community development and empowerment scheme directly benefiting about 600 people in Kotwara and 300 in Lucknow. Today Muzzaffar Ali is instrumental in spearheading a movement in upgrading the arts, craft and culture of this fabled city with a keen sense of detailing and style, making it known to the entire world in the name of Kotwara. Dwar Pe Rozi, a movement which caters for empowering and educating women of the Kotwara region, by making them learn the art of craft and embroidery is also an off shoot his efforts in this direction.
Keywords: Social Entrepreneurship,Chikankari, Social innovation
2. THE END OF AN ERA: DISSOLUTION OF HERO-HONDA MOTORS LTD (HHML), Page No 12-24
Dhiren Jotwani & Deepak Srivastava
ABSTRACT:
The Hero-Honda Motors Ltd (HHML) as a Joint Venture came into existence in the mid 80s, with the coming together of the Hero group of India and the Honda Motor Company of Japan. It was considered a landmark deal and dominated over the Indian markets for many years. With the tremendous growth in the Indian economy and the automobile sector, the two-wheeler segment had grown by leaps and bounds and attracted many more companies to enter the market. The competitive landscape has thrown open challenges in the market and forced existing players to look at different strategic options. The dissolution of HHML is certainly a major event in the Indian automobile industry. The case deals with the background of such dissolution and further challenges before both companies.
Key words: Joint-venture, Dissolution, Two-wheeler automobile industry
3. LEMON TREE HOTELS: REDEFINING HOSPITALITY, Page No 25-35
G K Murthy Kothapalli
ABSTRACT:
This case aims to highlight the intriguing rise of Patu Keswani, the unconventional hotelier, and his Lemon Tree brand of Hotels. Lemon Tree, which aptly describes itself as a “refreshingly different” hotel brand, was born out of the need for a better-value-yet-uncompromising-in-quality alternative to five-star hotels. Uniquely positioned as a “top-end three-star” hotel offering “moderately priced premium accommodation”, Lemon Tree targets the value-maximising business traveler. The hotel brand attests to Mr. Keswani’s belief in the dictum: “give more for less”. Also on offer is a range of clean, no-frills hotels under the brand of Red Fox to cater to the lower end of the market. A top-end Lemon Tree Amarante beach resort range completes the suite of offerings from Mr. Keswani’s fast-growing hospitality empire. A happy employee makes a happy customer, believes the “entrepreneur by chance”, who doesn’t subscribe to the conventional management wisdom.
This case, put together primarily from secondary sources, aims to address such issues as the changing dynamics of hospitality and consumer behavior; positioning of a service brand; the role of people (as a unique element in services marketing mix) in services; and maintaining service quality through technology, and organizational processes and culture. The hospitality group’s special focus on hiring disabled persons also receives considerable attention. The case also highlights the expansion plans of the group, including the value housing project under the brand of Lemon Tree Residences and international expansion to neighboring markets like Nepal and Sri Lanka from a strategic perspective. The case is meant for MBA/PGDM students as part of the Services Marketing / Services Management curriculum.
Keywords: Positioning of a Service Brand, Internal Marketing, Organizational Culture, Social Responsibility.
4. AAKASH MOHAN: ORGANISATIONAL CLIMATE AND A CAREER IN CRISIS, Page No 36-45
Yasmeen Rizvi
ABSTRACT:
The case describes the short career of Aakash Mohan at Focus Associates. Aakash was a bright engineering graduate from IIT Delhi and was extremely competent in his work. Within 6 months of joining the organisation, Aakash found himself under enormous stress. His work life balance suffered enormously due to very frequent late working hours and an inconsiderate boss. He soon became a chain smoker due to work stress and his social life became nonexistent. Aakash felt lonely and isolated without any social support. He raised the issue with the higher authority to whom his boss reported but soon discovered to his shock that he had been permanently transferred to another team without him even being informed about it. The case touches upon the important dimensions of organisational climate such as job characteristics, leadership characteristics, organisational characteristics and work group characteristics and how illustrates how weaknesses in them can negatively impact employees working in an organisation.
Keywords: Organisational Climate, Work Life Balance, Job Characteristics, leadership characteristics, organisational characteristics and work group characteristics.
5. WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH: THE DIRECTOR’S DILEMMA, Page No 46-52
Madhusri Shrivastava
ABSTRACT:
Dr. Saraf, the newly appointed Director of a middle-rung B-School, is faced with a situation that threatens to erode his authority amongst his subordinates, even as it draws flak from the management. The former Dean has been suspended following investigations that have established his complicity in malpractices. The Dean, an affable man with an impeccable track record of 37 years in academics, is considered innocent by colleagues and subordinates alike. The faculty and the administrative staff are upset over his suspension so close to his retirement date; they are even more agitated over the management’s decision to withhold his retirement benefits. Worse still, Dr. Saraf’s closeness to the Office Bearers is being viewed as his connivance in the Management’s decision. Meanwhile, the groundswell of opinion in the Dean’s favour is being used strategically by Prof. Vanita Rai, an articulate and popular member of the senior faculty, to fuel disaffection amongst her peers. The Director’s own relationship with Rai is fractious, following a series of altercations over his going “by the book”, while ignoring the spirit of the law. The B-School’s organizational culture is process driven and formal; the power distance is high. Prof. Vanita Rai is critical of the Director’s policies and is viewed as a trouble maker by the authorities. As Secretary of the Faculty Council, she is leveraging her influence over others to emerge as the leader of a growing subculture that runs counter to the formal systems at the institute. The problem is further compounded by Dr. Saraf’s own status anxiety: the responsibilities of his authority and his desire to be accepted by his faculty. How can Dr. Saraf defuse the potentially explosive situation and stem the tide of opposition building up against him? How can he dissuade his Faculty Council Secretary from spearheading the protest that threatens to reflect the faculty body in a poor light before the Management?
Keywords: Organizational Culture, Power Distance, Subculture, Style of Functioning, Pressure Group, Process Driven.
