Editorial

Welcome to Volume 15 Issue 1. In this issue, we have seven very interesting cases for your classrooms. The case ‘KASB Bank Limited: Capital Shortage’ focuses on the efforts made by the KASB bank to generate the required amount of regulatory capital stipulated by the central bank. The challenging market conditions facing the bank along with the options available to the central bank to resolve the situation are also discussed. The case will be a good addition in a course on commercial banking to teach the importance, sources and methods of managing the capital of commercial banks.

The case ‘Capacity Building in a Government Regulatory Firm’ is a series of three chronological cases that document the need for training, and the subsequent processes of training needs analysis and training delivery and evaluation conducted by a public sector organization. After becoming Chairman, Mr Arun Nalwade realizes that his organization has historically not been active in building the capability of its employees. He feels that there is a need to create a well-trained workforce that can support not only the organization but also the industry as a whole. The cases are ideal for a human resource management (HRM) course that includes topics such as learning and development and training needs analysis. The cases can be taught individually or as a complete series.

An organizational strategy case ‘SIL Value Chain and Strategic Choices’ can also be taught in courses such as operations strategy and value chain analysis in a developing country. The case describes the recent changes in the strategic positioning of Service Industries Limited (SIL) in its supply chain. In the case, the CEO, Omar Saeed, is reflecting on SIL’s previous performance and thinking about the future. SIL’s top management wants to see the organization transform into a global player in its line of business.

In the analytical case ‘The Journey of Unicorn Uber from San Francisco to International Disruption’, authors, Barot and Chhaniwal, explore the start-up Uber from its creation to what it has become today. It comprehensively studies the ups and downs that the organization has faced in its journey of expansion and growth.

The last case of this issue is a unique negotiations case that touches upon the multiple dimensions of the operations of a multinational corporation in a foreign country. The setting of the case is the political and economic turmoil of the Tahrir Square Revolution of 2011 in Egypt. The CEO of Mediterranean Textile Company, Mr Usman Khan, has to negotiate the release of his employees, mostly Pakistani expatriates, from Egyptian workers who are demanding more lucrative salaries and better working conditions. The case can be taught in courses such as negotiation skills and organizational behaviour in the MBA program. It touches upon the issues of collective bargaining, labour-management relations, cultural (foreign vs local) and hierarchical divisions and organizational culture.

We appreciate the input and feedback from our reviewers and contributors. We are obliged to our readership for their continued support and encouragement. A reminder that you may contact the authors directly for the teaching notes to the cases published in the journal.

I hope that you enjoy teaching and reading AJMC 15:1.