Editorial

Welcome to the second issue of 2024. We continue our tradition of encouraging the adoption of case pedagogy in management education by publishing high-quality teaching cases in management sciences. In this issue, we have eight interesting and diverse cases for your classrooms.

The first case of this issue explores strategic and organizational lifecycle challenges in the construction industry. In MAJPADU: Bracing for the Future, the company’s journey from its inception in 1996 to 2017 is examined in detail. Over time, Majpadu faced various internal and external challenges that significantly impacted its financial performance. By early 2017, these issues had escalated, prompting Managing Director Mr Zaki Hayat to devise a strategic plan to address the company’s problems. This case provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the strategic and operational challenges within the building materials industry, the importance of technological innovation and the application of strategic management principles in navigating organizational issues. It is particularly relevant for advanced undergraduate and master’s students in business administration or management programmes.

The cases The Airblue Flight 202: Communication and Decision Making in Crisis (A) & (B) by Khalid and Ahmad focus on the events leading to the most devastating plane crash in Pakistan’s aviation history. The case documents the sequence of events prior to the crash and identifies key factors crucial for communication and decision-making under critical conditions. It examines themes such as superior–subordinate communication, empowerment, responsibility in life-threatening situations, understanding crisis situations and the importance of initiative, self-confidence and reliance on others. This case is ideal for graduate-level courses on team building, leadership and crisis management, providing valuable insights into communication, decision-making, teamwork and leadership during crises.

The third case of this issue, THDC India Ltd.—Performance Management System, authored by Singh, highlights the importance of sound and objective performance management, detailing the steps of the performance appraisal process. The case examines issues in performance planning, key result areas and the challenges of setting SMART goals. It also portrays a performance grievance incident between a superior, Mr Ajay Kumar, and a subordinate, Mr Prashant Kumar, illustrating the organization’s struggle to manage performance effectively. This case will help students understand the critical role of performance management systems in achieving individual and organizational goals, making it suitable for postgraduate courses in performance management systems and human resource management.

The case of MAA Masala explores the impact of a marketing mix strategy on achieving organizational and marketing objectives in the food brand segment. Focused on bottom of the pyramid customers, the case examines the effectiveness of the marketing mix in fulfilling the brand promise, building brand trust and addressing potential flaws in the distribution network and communication strategy. The author, Bukhari, highlights the challenges MAA Masala faced in enhancing consumer awareness and making a distinctive impact on consumers’ minds, given their socio-economic profiles. This case provides insights into the strategies needed to overcome market penetration challenges. It is particularly relevant for final-year undergraduates, academics teaching marketing mix strategy and senior and middle-level managers involved in marketing strategy development.

The case of a charitable organization in small livestock management, The Goat Trust, explores the challenge of supporting returnee migrant workers who lost their jobs due to COVID-19. The Goat Trust aims to reconfigure the value network of goat farming to navigate the economy during and after the pandemic. With significant economic disparities across India, the pandemic worsened the situation for migrant labourers returning home jobless. This case, Preparing for the Future in the Shadow of the Pandemic—The Goat Trust Emerges Digitally, highlights the organization’s efforts to upgrade and digitize the local economy, emphasizing the importance of local economic development to mitigate the pandemic’s impact. Major goals include standardizing pricing techniques, trialling data collection and collectivization processes, assessing livestock volume and quality, and exploring bulk livestock markets. This case is relevant for MBA students studying social entrepreneurship and local market-based solutions during and post-COVID-19.

The case Road Ahead—Post Collapse of Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative Bank by author Dipti Periwal addresses the challenges faced by depositors and the banking system following the collapse of the Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative Bank, which affected 0.3 million people. This case examines the strategies depositors can use to maximize the benefits of deposit insurance and encourages discussion on adopting risk-based premiums. Additionally, it highlights the challenge of premium payments being based on total deposits rather than insured deposits. Suitable for postgraduate programmes in financial regulations and risk management, this case will help students understand assessable and insured deposits, analyse the banking system’s post-collapse issues, evaluate the impact of increased deposit premiums on private banks and propose a shift to a risk-based premium model.

Paytm: Lack of a Cogent IPO Story? examines the surprising underperformance of Paytm’s IPO in 2021. Despite being India’s leading digital payments company and a major unicorn, Paytm’s shares were listed at a 9% discount to its issue price, contrasting sharply with the successful IPOs of other unicorns like Zomato and Nykaa. This case explores why Paytm, with its vast customer base of 3.33 billion, failed to captivate investors. Using secondary data, the case details Paytm’s journey in the digital payments sector, leading up to its IPO and subsequent stock price decline. It highlights the necessity of a strategic communication plan for IPOs, critiques Paytm’s IPO narrative and provides a framework for effective storytelling and strategic communication. This case is suitable for MBA courses in strategic communication and marketing of financial services/products, offering insights into the importance of market positioning, stakeholder analysis and compelling storytelling in financial markets.

The last case of this issue, authored by Aggarwal, Faridi and Garg, A Case Study of Globate 360 Solutions: Test on the Wheels, explores the logistical challenges faced by Rohit Prashar, Director of Globate 360 Solutions, a third-party logistics (3PL) company based in Chandigarh, India. In 2020, Rohit secured a prestigious project to deliver 200 consignments of COVID-19 testing equipment to northeastern states, Kashmir and Leh, authorized by the Indian Council of Medical Research. Despite securing the project during the national lockdown, Rohit faced numerous challenges, including strict government restrictions, the need to transport the equipment safely and the decision about using air or road transport. Additionally, Rohit had to choose between hiring a multinational logistics company at a premium price and a regional player at a lower cost while ensuring skilled labour. This case, aimed at master’s students studying supply chain management and logistics, provides insights into the complexities of 3PL, selection criteria, outsourcing decisions and risk factors involved in logistics during disruptions.

We appreciate the input and feedback from our reviewers and contributors. We are obliged to our readers 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 this issue.