Summaries and Discussion Questions

Abstract

The case focuses on the challenges faced by the state government in adhering to the Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC) goals to construct 120 million toilets by 2017 in rural areas of India in a bid to eradicate open defecation and achieve Open Defecation Free (ODF) status. This aim is in line with the seventh goal of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDG)—to ensure environmental sustainability. This was being spearheaded and funded by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and led by the Government of India. To accomplish this, UNICEF was trying to incentivize people in rural areas to build and use the toilets within their homes. Incentives were given to the below-poverty-line (BPL) homes to construct toilets with a small contribution from the beneficiary. However, after a few years of implementation initiated in 1999, it was realized that the majority were still going out to defecate despite having toilets at home. The toilets constructed were being used for other purposes or lying dilapidated.

The case centers on the progress of toilet implementation in rural areas in the state of Odisha, in which only 36 per cent of the target for toilet completion was achieved as against the national average of 54 per cent. To find out the reasons for such tardy progress, UNICEF decided to conduct a pilot study to ascertain the reasons, if any, for such low target achievement and arrive at a set of recommendations. Another objective of the study was to ascertain reasons as to why constructed toilets were still not being used despite their availability within the homes. The study was done in nine villages from three districts—three from each district. The criteria for selection of the districts were based on the performance of the TSC progress: good, average and poor. The selection of the villages for each district was based on the criteria as mentioned in the case.

Keywords

Sanitation, Open Defecation Free (ODF), Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC), toilet usage practices

Abstract

This case is about monitoring and evaluation (M&E) challenges in the Punjab Department of Health (DOH). Despite his substantial experience of working in senior managerial positions, Arif Nadeem, the department secretary, finds himself somewhat lost in the numerous department related reports and data sheets that keep on coming from various quarters. He feels under-informed and over-informed at the same time.

DOH regularly collects data on a range of indicators and there are multiple systems in place to collect the data from various health facilities. The following four systems are important. First, the District Health Information System (DHIS) collects data on around eighty indicators covering treatment and spread of communicable and non-communicable diseases, human resources, facility utilization, etc. Second, the M&E assistants (MEAs) inspect primary health care facilities and report on fourteen indicators covering the number of patients attended, staff presence, medicine availability, public opinion, etc. Third, the DOH field operatives visit health facilities and report on various functional aspects at the district level. Since 2011, they have been using simple smartphone based applications to enter data on site and transmit it to the points of analyses instantaneously. Fourth, progress on development projects is reported every month on prescribed pro forma covering physical progress as well as amount spent. In addition, tertiary care hospitals report on various aspects of their functioning on need basis and receipt/expense statements are regularly prepared by the budget and accounts section in the department.

Often there is too much information to absorb. There is no effective system of filtering and processing information according to the needs of various managerial tiers. Arif realizes that he needs a dashboard that can provide just enough detail to various users. Arif and his team deliberate on the choice of indicators for the dashboard. There is substantial disagreement on what to include and what to leave. The disagreement partly emanates from a lack of clarity on the mandate of the department and its senior management. Farasat, a key team member, proposes eight key areas for the dashboard. He proposes displaying these eight areas on the main screen and creating links to detailed district, tehsil and facility-wise data on selected indicators.

Keywords

Public sector governance, performance dashboard, monitoring and evaluation, collecting and managing performance data

Abstract

The National Spot Exchange Limited (NSEL) was launched to provide a nationwide platform for sellers (farmers) and buyers (consumers and traders) of agricultural commodities to transact and realize an efficient price in a highly fragmented and widely dispersed market. However, with the unearthing of a scam involving millions of dollars, this effort made to connect various local markets to enable efficient price discovery benefitting millions of farmers, failed to succeed. The case covers the objectives and evolution of NSEL and the regulatory environment on spot exchanges in India and provides a discussion point on the reasons for the failure of NSEL.

Keywords

National Spot Exchange Limited, Financial Technologies India Limited, trading, clearing and settlement mechanisms, spot exchanges, payment crisis, regulatory framework, Forward Market Commission, forward contracts, Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC), spot trading, commodity markets, farmers, traders and processors

Abstract

Yarn purchase at AmTex is a two-party, single issue, distributive negotiation case exercise. A buyer and seller of blue heather cotton yarn are required to negotiate the purchase of a lot of 1,000 bags of yarn. Only the price needs to be negotiated. Both parties are under a deadline and need to quickly make the deal. Alternatives are available to each party. The buyer and the seller represent their respective organizations and both are responsible for making the most profitable deal for their respective organizations.

This case exercise illustrates how to use bargaining techniques in a distributive negotiation setting in which negotiators are primarily concerned about claiming the maximum possible value through the deal. This exercise is well-suited to introduce the fundamental frameworks and techniques of negotiation and may be used as the first case exercise in a course on negotiation skills.

Keywords

Distributed negotiation, two-party negotiation, BATNA, reservation price, bargaining zone, information asymmetry

Abstract

Dong-In group is a contract manufacturer of outdoor gears and equipment for leading global outdoor companies. It provides complete manufacturing services to many global companies. Established in 1992, in Seoul, Korea, its headquarters are based in Gimpo, South Korea. The company has a highly automated aluminium forging facility in Gimpo, seven factories in the Philippines, and one in Vietnam. Within the Philippines, there are six manufacturing plants and one warehousing and fabric cutting service provider for the factories. The facility in Vietnam is also a manufacturing factory.

The company has been looking forward to moving up the value chain by taking up a larger share of the outdoor gear manufacturing supply chain. This is crucial if the organization wants to gain competitive advantage and have a sustainable business model. Being renowned worldwide for its excellence in low cost manufacturing, the next step is to add more value for the customers (i.e., outdoor companies). With this intention, the CEO of Dong-In is in the process of identifying what parts of the product development process can he acquire next and what are the challenges he would face in doing so.

Keywords

Dong-In Entech, supply chain management, operations management, global supply chain, supply value chains

Abstract

Launched by Dr Harish Hande in 1995, SELCO Solar Light Private Limited was a Bengaluru, India-based social venture whose mission was to bring solar energy to the bottom-of-the-pyramid customers. In February 2014, the company had weathered a number of challenges in its start-up phase and had succeeded in becoming a profitable venture without veering from its social mission. However, Hande and his team faced a number of challenges in scaling up the business. An early foray into franchising had failed, while a more recent venture to create replicas of the company (called Baby SELCOs) in other parts of India had gotten off to a slow start. Given that nearly 300 million people in India had no access to electricity, SELCO’s decentralized and low-cost model had tremendous opportunities. The inflection point that SELCO faced was in choosing the best way to leverage the immense potential for solar energy in India without compromising its social mission.

Keywords

Social entrepreneurship, solar energy, scalability, business model, non-governmental organizations (NGOs)