Summaries and Discussion Questions

Abstract

The case discusses the hierarchical and structural changes brought about in 2008 within the Beaconhouse School System. The restructuring was mainly undertaken due to the school’s rapid expansion and fierce competitive environment. Kasim Kasuri, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of BSS, felt that the introduction of school group heads (SGHs) in BSS would help in the improvement of coordination with the regional head office and bring more efficiency and devolution at the school level.

The CEO felt that even though restructuring had brought about positive changes within the organization, it had also created some problems that needed to be addressed quickly. These problems included: (a) lack of management skills pertaining to managing and appraising employees by the SGHs; (b) new competencies and skill sets requiring strong leadership and managerial expertise in SGHs; (c) refinement of standard operating procedures and also, support infrastructure, for example, information technology (IT) and performance appraisal systems that needed upgradation; and (d) anxiety and confusion experienced by the principals and staff members regarding new reporting lines and relationships.

Kasim was now exploring options that would help BSS to exploit its full potential after the restructuring effort. He knew that restructuring had been progressing well, but now the issues that had arisen needed to be resolved quickly so that employees did not feel alienated from the system.

Keywords

Shared vision, skills and competencies, organizational restructuring

Discussion Questions

In Search of Luxurious Slippers: The Attempted Launches of Edmini in the UAE (B)

Abstract

This case study describes the continuous efforts deployed by two Emirati citizens to turn their entrepreneurial venture, Edmini, into a reality. By establishing the Edmini brand in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Abdulnasser and Rashid were seeking to offer local male customers convenient means for purchasing customized fashionable slippers via an online store. Having completed the initial steps related to market analysis, product conceptualization and brand development and promotion, the partners are now focused on initiating the process of slipper manufacturing. The case provides insightful information for illustrating the challenges surrounding the attempted launches of Edmini in 2010 and 2011. Although the company is still not fully operational, the entrepreneurs are positive about the future potential for success and are moving steadily towards executing their plans to establish their startup in the local market. (Case A, ‘In Search of Luxurious Slippers: The Birth of Edmini, an Entrepreneurial Venture in the UAE’, was printed in AJMC 10:1.)

Keywords

Entrepreneurial challenges, product manufacturing, suppliers, business development and growth, the UAE

Discussion Questions

Husk Power Systems: Bringing Light to Rural India and Tapping Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid

Abstract

Lighting over 200 villages through de-centralized power plants, impacting 200,000 people’s lives and counting – Acumen Fund.

Although the rapid growth of the Indian economy in the last two decades has brought prosperity to a large segment of its population, thereby leading to higher living standards, there still remain some dark spots that cast doubts on this success story. There are still many remote parts of the country which are deprived of power supply owing to lack of regular supply of electricity through normal grid connections. This scenario changed with the launch of Husk Power Systems (HPS), which was initiated after a conversation between two friends, Gyanesh Pandey in Los Angeles, the United States of America (USA), and Ratnesh Yadav in Patna, Bihar, India, and their strong desire to bring change to rural India. After several attempts over five years, to generate power through various biodiesel resources, they settled on rice husk as a source for generating electricity. Husk Power Systems was started in 2007 and today, they have already lit up more than 200 villages with a typical power plant by HPS catering to around five villages depending on the number of households. Currently, they can provide power for up to 12 hours a day, which can be scaled-up to an uninterrupted 24 hour power supply. The challenge here is that there is no current demand for 24 hour power supply in remote villages where people have just started realizing the benefits of electricity and don’t feel the need for continuous power and also don’t have adequate finances to pay for it. While working on scaling-up their business, the issue which is bothering them most is how to encourage villagers to increase their power consumption to 24 hours a day instead of just 6 hours a day.

Keywords

Frugal innovation, renewable energy, sustainable venture, scaling-up, bottom of the pyramid, rural population

Discussion Questions

The Daanish Schools: To Expand or Not to Expand!

Abstract

The case discusses the Daanish School System (DSS) as an innovative education system for the marginalized children of southern Punjab. The English equivalent of Daanish (an Urdu word) means ‘wisdom’. The Chief Minister (CM) of the province of Punjab had asked Mr Iqbal Qureshi, Chairman, Core Group of the Daanish School & Centre of Excellence Authority (DS&CEA), to recommend a strategy to expand DSS further and to ensure its financial sustainability as opposed to the upgradation of the existing public sector schools. The opponents of DSS were supporting the latter, while there were others who supported DSS expansion. The core group was also divided on the expansion strategy into two sub-groups: one sub-group was supporting the expansion strategy, whereas the other sub-group was not. In parallel, the core group was also expected to suggest steps to ensure future sustainability of DSS.

Keywords

Strategy, trade-offs, social change, budget for change, endowment fund, marginalized, religious education, extremism

Assignment Questions

Turnaround Challenges of a State-owned Enterprise: A Case Study of Orissa Remote Sensing Application Centre, India

Abstract

Orissa Remote Sensing Applications Centre (ORSAC), an autonomous technology organization established by the Government of Orissa, had grown tremendously; developing competencies in the fields of remote sensing, geographic information system (GIS) and space technology. Since ORSAC was established by the Government of Orissa, ORSAC’s relationship with the state, Department of Science (DoS), National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA) and Space Application Centre (SAC) helped it to secure remote sensing and GIS projects effortlessly, thereby ensuring a steady revenue stream for ORSAC during the early days of its inception.

Upon assuming the role of Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Amiya Kumar Mohapatra, an Indian Forest Service officer, realized that he was unable to bring desired changes within the organization. Low motivation amongst the employees prevented the organization from growing and winning large-scale projects. ORSAC faced stiff competition from private players and other government agencies in the ever-advancing remote sensing and GIS market in India.

The CEO realized that dependence on the government for patronage and funding had had a detrimental impact on ORSAC. The organization was unable to recognize the need for developing competencies in marketing its products and services to users until it was too late, and it had already lost large-scale projects in the manufacturing industry to private players. However, an increase in the salary expenses and the salary shortfall in comparison with Department of Science and Technology funding was forcing ORSAC to sustain its operational expenses by securing more projects from the open market.

The organization was facing diverse challenges ranging from high operating costs, especially salary expenses, to low productivity of employees, which were affecting ORSAC’s competitiveness negatively. Additionally, the organization faced a near-permanent recruitment ban by the state government preventing it from sourcing key competencies from the market to keep pace with the changing technologies and customer demands.

Thus, this case study aims to present diverse challenges of a state-owned enterprise by highlighting internal factors such as structural, financial and human resource challenges, as well as external factors such as technological change and competition in the industry, which influences organizational competitiveness and makes organizational turnaround a difficult task.

Keywords

Turnaround, organizational change, HR interventions, technology organization, India

Discussion Questions