During the Indian general election of 2019, the Nizamabad constituency in Telangana state found itself in an unprecedented situation with a record 185 candidates competing for one seat. Most of these candidates were local farmers who saw the election as a platform for raising awareness about local issues, particularly the perceived lack of government support for guaranteeing minimum support prices for their crops. More than 185 candidates had in fact contested elections from a single constituency in a handful of elections in the past. The Election Commission of India (ECI) had declared them to be "special elections" where it made exceptions to the original election schedule to accommodate the large number of candidates. However, in the 2019 general election, the ECI made no such exceptions, announcing instead that polling in Nizamabad would be conducted as per the original schedule and results would be declared at the same time as the rest of the country. This presented a unique and unexpected challenge for Rajat Kumar, the Telangana Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) and his team. How were they to conduct free and fair and elections within the mandated timeframe with the largest number of electronic voting machines (EVMs) ever deployed to address the will of 185 candidates in a constituency with 1.55 million voters from rural and semi-urban areas? Case A describes the electoral process followed by the world's largest democracy to guarantee free and fair elections. It concludes by posing several situational questions, the answers to which will determine whether the polls in Nizamabad are conducted successfully or not. Case B, which should be revealed after students have had a chance to deliberate on the challenges posed in Case A, describes the decisions and actions taken by Kumar and his team in preparation for the Nizamabad polls and the events that took place on election day and afterward.

Learning Objective

The case is centered around the timeline of the Telangana graduates’ MLC elections 2021, which were held against the backdrop of a known unknown: the COVID-19 pandemic. The electoral officials had to be mindful of the numerous security protocols and complexities involved in implementing the election process in such uncertain times. They had to incorporate additional steps and plan for contingencies to mitigate risks while executing the election process. Halfway through the election planning process, it became clear that the number of voters and candidates was unprecedentedly large. This unexpected development necessitated a revision of the prior plan for conducting the elections. Shashank Goel, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), and M. Satyavani, Deputy CEO, were architecting the plan for conducting the elections with an unexpectedly large number of voters and candidates under pandemic-induced disruptions. Goel was also reflecting on how to develop contingency plans for these elections, given the uncertainty produced by unforeseen external factors and the associated risks. Although he had the mandate to conduct free and fair elections within the stipulated timelines and was assured that the required resources would be provided, several factors had to be considered. According to the constitutional guidelines for the graduates' MLC elections, qualified and registered graduate voters could cast their vote by ranking candidates preferentially. Paper ballots had to be used because electronic voting machines (EVMs) could not handle preferential voting. The scale and magnitude of the elections necessitated jumbo ballot boxes. To manage the process, the number of polling stations had to be increased, and manpower had to be trained. Further, the presence of healthcare workers to ensure the safety of voters and the deployed staff was imperative. The Telangana CEO’s office had to meet the increased logistical and technical requirements and ensure high voting turnouts while executing the election process.

Postponing the election was not an option for the ECI from the standpoint of the legal code of conduct. The Telangana CEO's office prepared a revised election plan. The project plan was amended to incorporate the need for additional resources and logistical support to execute the election process. As the efforts of the staff were maximized effectively, the elections could be conducted smoothly and transparently although a large number of candidates were in the fray.

Teaching and Learning Objectives:

The key case objectives are to enable students to:

1. Appreciate the importance of effective project management, planning, and execution in public administration against the backdrop of uncertainties and complexities.
2. Understand the importance of risk identification, risk planning, and prioritization.
3. Learn strategies to manage various project risks in a real-life situation.
4. Identify the characteristics of effective leadership in times of crisis and the key takeaways from such scenarios

Set in April 2021, the case study traces the process of amalgamation of the Union Bank of India (UBI) with the erstwhile Andhra Bank (e-AB) and Corporation Bank (e-CB) following the announcement by the Ministry of Finance (MoF), Government of India (GoI), on August 30, 2019. With the Amalgamation Effective Date set as April 1, 2020, Rajkiran Rai G., the Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of UBI, who oversaw the amalgamation project was faced with formidable challenges. The banks had distinctive cultures and values. While UBI was pan-national, the employee and customer compositions of the e-AB and e-CB reflected their regional dominance. The case documents how Rai and his team successfully integrated people, products, policies, cultures, technology, and customers within a stringent and short timeline. It describes the sustained efforts to unify employees under a common identity and align them toward the shared vision of becoming the best in the industry. The case provides an overview of the differentiated measures undertaken by Rai and his team to engage the different stakeholders, the governance structure for decision making and implementation, comprehensive measures to ensure transparency through communication and access to resources, meticulous planning, delegation, monitoring, and course corrections in the face of obstacles. One year after the AED, the financial performance of UBI testified to the success of the amalgamation. However, Rai had to foster a customer-centric and performance-oriented culture at UBI. He had to fortify the bank’s future prospects by institutionalizing the learnings from the transformation. As the bank embraced digital transformation more frequent changes were imminent. Rai had to tackle the challenge of building an agile, mission-driven, and learning-oriented organization.

Learning Objectives:

By analyzing the case, participants will learn to

1. address the concerns of the different stakeholders in mergers and acquisitions,
2. lead organizational transformation in general and overcome the challenges of transforming public-sector entities,
3. promote collaborative cultures despite diverse backgrounds and priorities
4. foster a learning culture in an organization -implement measures to enhance organizational agility.

This case describes how SAP Labs India, a research and development center of SAP SE introduced and pursued a wide range of diversity and inclusion (D&I) programs across the organization. Set in September 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, it narrates the story of Sap Labs' D&I journey of over a decade. Told from the perspective of Shraddhanjali Rao, VP, Human Resources, and other company executives, the case outlines and examines different diversity programs that were instituted around four pillars of D&I, namely, (i) gender, (ii) culture and identity (LGBTQ employees), (iii) cross-generational employees and (iv) differently abled people. The case discusses the company's efforts to promote awareness and adoption of its diversity goals across these four pillars and the challenges it faced along the way through the perspectives of a cross-section of program leaders. The case raises the following questions: Did the programmatic efforts to implement diversity initiatives lead to inclusion at SAP Labs? What were the challenges in promoting these initiatives? Did they degenerate to tokenism? What could SAP Labs have done better to institutionalize its commitment to diversity in the workplace? Beyond diversity, what more could SAP Labs do in the future to embrace an inclusive culture?

Learning Objectives

In the short time between October 2018 and March 2019, two new Boeing 737 MAX 8 airplanes in different parts of the world were involved in deadly crashes. In both cases, the aircraft developed difficulties in seemingly calm weather and crashed shortly after takeoff, killing everyone on board. Preliminary investigations pointed to failures in a new automated software-driven system called the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) that had caused both aircraft to pitch forward and potentially nosedive. The probe also revealed gaps in the documentation and testing of the MCAS system and a lack of adequate pilot training. Case (A) delves into the causes of the 737 MAX crashes, Boeing leadership's questionable responses and poor crisis management, and the fallout from the grounding. It describes the erosion of a culture of integrity and mismatched management expectations that ultimately led to cutting corners and breakdowns in the engineering and development process. Participants have the opportunity to analyze the critical issues in the case and answer the crucial question posed by aviation expert Andy Stephen: How could a disaster of this magnitude occur in an industry so advanced and sophisticated, and so driven by safety? Case (B) looks at the timeline of events surrounding the recertification of the 737 MAX, from the investigations immediately following the first crash to early August 2020, when initial test flights for recertification commenced, following intense internal reviews. The case considers the sequence of events from various angles: regulatory approvals, the company's financial performance, its corporate culture, and how the COVID 19-related slowdown affected Boeing's efforts to get the 737 MAX off the ground. Stephen, having followed the events closely and having understood the gravity of the situation, poses the following key questions: What would it take for the MAX to fly again? And when could it happen?

Learning Objective:

The case can be used for discussion around:

• Lessons learned for governance and management of complex organizations
• Strategic decisions and risk management under uncertainty, competitive dynamics and time pressures
• Leadership styles and impact on organizational culture, behaviour and risk of stress dysfunction
• Guardrails and conflict resolution between marketplace drivers and engineering development
• Nurturing an open organizational culture and alignment with business goals
• Crisis management

In the short time between October 2018 and March 2019, two new Boeing 737 MAX 8 airplanes in different parts of the world were involved in deadly crashes. In both cases, the aircraft developed difficulties in seemingly calm weather and crashed shortly after takeoff, killing everyone on board. Preliminary investigations pointed to failures in a new automated software-driven system called the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) that had caused both aircraft to pitch forward and potentially nosedive. The probe also revealed gaps in the documentation and testing of the MCAS system and a lack of adequate pilot training. Case (A) delves into the causes of the 737 MAX crashes, Boeing leadership's questionable responses and poor crisis management, and the fallout from the grounding. It describes the erosion of a culture of integrity and mismatched management expectations that ultimately led to cutting corners and breakdowns in the engineering and development process. Participants have the opportunity to analyze the critical issues in the case and answer the crucial question posed by aviation expert Andy Stephen: How could a disaster of this magnitude occur in an industry so advanced and sophisticated, and so driven by safety? Case (B) looks at the timeline of events surrounding the recertification of the 737 MAX, from the investigations immediately following the first crash to early August 2020, when initial test flights for recertification commenced, following intense internal reviews. The case considers the sequence of events from various angles: regulatory approvals, the company's financial performance, its corporate culture, and how the COVID 19-related slowdown affected Boeing's efforts to get the 737 MAX off the ground. Stephen, having followed the events closely and having understood the gravity of the situation, poses the following key questions: What would it take for the MAX to fly again? And when could it happen?

Learning Objective:

The case can be used for discussion around:

• Lessons learned for governance and management of complex organizations
• Strategic decisions and risk management under uncertainty, competitive dynamics and time pressures
• Leadership styles and impact on organizational culture, behaviour and risk of stress dysfunction
• Guardrails and conflict resolution between marketplace drivers and engineering development
• Nurturing an open organizational culture and alignment with business goals
• Crisis management

On August 30, 2019, the Ministry of Finance of the Government of India (GoI) announced the consolidation of ten nationalized banks into four. As part of this move, Indian Bank and Allahabad Bank were to be merged into a single entity, and the new amalgamated bank had to start operations on April 1, 2020. Amalgamating two very different banks with thousands of branches and employees within a pre-set time window would be complex enough under normal circumstances, but the challenge was compounded by the advent of COVID-19 and the ensuing national lockdown in March 2020. Padmaja Chunduru, Managing Director (MD) & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Indian Bank, was given the formidable task of overseeing the amalgamation process. The case study describes the actual integration process in detail and the thorough planning and execution involved. It illustrates the role of the Integration Management Office (IMO) as a central point of information dissemination and an empowered body in the merger process. It also lays out the myriad challenges of the amalgamation process - personnel integration, IT/banking system management, branch rationalization, and customer integration, and the steps taken to tackle each one. The COVID-19 pandemic came as an unknown midway through the integration process and required Chunduru and her team to rethink several aspects of the integration plan and strategy. The case study concludes with the actual mechanics of the amalgamation process. With the worst of the COVID-19 crisis behind them, Chunduru looks towards building a bank of the future. Having undergone rationalization in several areas, Indian Bank not only emerged in a better financial state than before but also laid down its vision as a future-ready bank. How could the learnings from the integration process be made a continuous process and become part of the organization's DNA? These were the key questions facing Chunduru and her team.

1. To deliberate and evaluate the best ways to plan, organize and implement the enormous task of merging two large, similarly-sized organizations.
2. To emphasize the importance of careful and detailed integration planning, stakeholder management, and the role of leadership in a successful merger.
3. To illustrate the critical role of well-defined organizational structures in supporting integration efforts.
4. To deliberate how the bank can rebrand itself as a preferred bank of the younger generation.

During the Indian general election of 2019, the Nizamabad constituency in Telangana state found itself in an unprecedented situation with a record 185 candidates competing for one seat. Most of these candidates were local farmers who saw the election as a platform for raising awareness about local issues, particularly the perceived lack of government support for guaranteeing minimum support prices for their crops. More than 185 candidates had in fact contested elections from a single constituency in a handful of elections in the past. The Election Commission of India (ECI) had declared them to be "special elections" where it made exceptions to the original election schedule to accommodate the large number of candidates. However, in the 2019 general election, the ECI made no such exceptions, announcing instead that polling in Nizamabad would be conducted as per the original schedule and results would be declared at the same time as the rest of the country. This presented a unique and unexpected challenge for Rajat Kumar, the Telangana Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) and his team. How were they to conduct free and fair and elections within the mandated timeframe with the largest number of electronic voting machines (EVMs) ever deployed to address the will of 185 candidates in a constituency with 1.55 million voters from rural and semi-urban areas? Case A describes the electoral process followed by the world's largest democracy to guarantee free and fair elections. It concludes by posing several situational questions, the answers to which will determine whether the polls in Nizamabad are conducted successfully or not. Case B, which should be revealed after students have had a chance to deliberate on the challenges posed in Case A, describes the decisions and actions taken by Kumar and his team in preparation for the Nizamabad polls and the events that took place on election day and afterward.

Learning Objective

This case describes the plight of SpiceJet, an Indian low-cost airline that found itself in an acute liquidity crisis and on the brink of closure in December 2014. By the month's end, SpiceJet had no money to fuel its planes, run its operations or pay salaries, airport duties and taxes. Oil companies had refused to extend further credit to the airline until it settled its past dues. By late 2014, the operational footprint of SpiceJet, which had ballooned to 59 destinations, deflated when the airline had to reduce its fleet to 32 planes from 58 planes within a short span of six months. The lessors demanded that the planes be returned to them to reduce their risk exposure in SpiceJet. In January 2015, Ajay Singh, former chairman and founder of SpiceJet, came back on board five years after he sold the airline to media baron Kalanithi Maran of Sun Group. Singh was asked to bring the troubled airline back on track, a task that was fraught with challenges. Apart from managing the liquidity crisis, Singh had to find a way for SpiceJet to retain its key routes with a smaller fleet and recover ground where SpiceJet had been forced to recede. It was also crucial to raise employee morale and win back customer confidence and trust in the brand. The case unfolds the structural challenges of the Indian airline industry, which is characterized by steep discounting and overcapacity that eventually results in the underutilization of assets. Only an airline with limitless access to capital or very high operational efficiencies is likely to survive in this sector.

Learning Objective

This case aims to give participants an understanding of how Sterlite Power (Sterlite) successfully differentiated itself using technology in an otherwise traditional sector in an emerging economy. Sterlite deployed technological innovations to reduce inefficiencies in power transmission projects. The major challenges for the Indian power sector are the use of obsolete technology and high cost coupled with a low profit margin model. These make power evacuation difficult and inefficient, resulting in frequent power shortages in a country that actually generates surplus power. Although many private players had entered the power sector, there were no significant changes in the way projects were carried out. Realizing that products alone wouldn't improve its business prospects, Sterlite used technology as a disrupter and a differentiator to provide solutions in the power sector. The case shows how an Indian firm revolutionized project execution to get an edge in the Indian market. Having succeeded in India, the company turned its sights on the Brazilian market. The case invites participants to explore the following questions: What could be the possible challenges that lay ahead for Sterlite and how could it leverage its learning from India in Brazil? How challenging is it for companies to use technology as a point of differentiation and to monetize it in the long run, and in different markets?

Learning Objective

Evidence based medicine (EBM) requires a level of maturity in the processes, both clinical and non-clinical, which is gained typically over years through consistent deliberate efforts. It is argued that the role of clinical leadership is critical to this. In addition, challenges of implementing EBM are easiest to surmount in single location organizations but complicate considerably when there are multiple distributed locations. While EBM is gaining momentum in health care systems of more developed countries, examples of successful implementation are few in India. Indian institutions face the unique challenge of sorting through multiple bases of foreign evidence (differing guidelines in the UK and U.S.) in addition to domestic evidence covering interventions less frequently used outside of India. The Tata Memorial Centre (TMC) is a pioneer in cancer care and research in India. Over several decades, they have developed an indigenous approach to development and implementation of Evidence based medicine, which has catapulted them into leading cancer hospitals in the world. Set in March 2016, this case study describes TMC's journey thus far with particular emphasis on changes in organizational design as key enablers. TMC's next frontier is to propagate this model of clinical excellence to other cancer hospitals in India through the formation of National Cancer Grid. The key challenge confronting Dr. Rajendra Badwe, Director of TMC, is can these other hospitals accelerate their journey based on the learnings from TMC or whether they will have to customize their approach based on their own operating context. More broadly, which elements of TMC's clinical excellence model are replicable in other hospitals and what organizational changes would be required to implement them.

Learning Objective

Background note for "Patanjali Ayurved: Valuation of an Unusual FMCG Company in India", case ISB178.

An investment analyst at a fictional wealth fund (SWF) is concentrating on India's high-growth, high-potential fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector and selects a few strong performers in both public and private markets to recommend to the management as an investment. The Indian FMCG sector has been trading at high market multiples compared to other sectors, and thus, he also needs to analyze if these high valuation levels are justified. In valuing Patanjali, a privately-held company that is a very strong performer with an unusually rapid growth trajectory, he needs to factor in both tangible and intangible information, giving special attention to the company's unusual origins and atypical management.

Learning Objective

Intuit India, a fully owned subsidiary of Intuit Inc., a US multinational company, has been in the business of developing financial software for small businesses, accountants and individuals. The case is about how Intuit's India unit got to be recognized as India's no 1 "great place to work" through a competitive assessment among 600 of India's employers in 2017. This accomplishment was significant for Intuit India because it had toppled corporate giants like Google and American Express who had held on to the top rank in the previous years. The case narrates the history of Intuit's seven-year journey to the top rank in the Great Place to Work rankings and engages students in learning about what it takes to build a great place to work and sustain it over time. Intuit India was established in 2005, and grew to 1,050 employees on its rolls by 2017. Intuit India had consciously worked towards building a great place to work since 2010. The next seven years had been a roller-coaster ride, full of surprises and ups and downs. In its attempt to break into the top 10 and reduce its variability on the rankings, Intuit did many things that can give us insights into what it takes to build a great place to work. The case raises many questions and offers several insights in how sound HR and People Leadership practices can build a vibrant organizational culture and help build a great place to work.

Learning Objective

The case gives students an opportunity to analyze the ways in which the company's management uses Prem Watsa's value investment philosophy to guide its decisions, both in its core business and in its acquisitions. The case also gives students lessons the value investment philosophy offers to investors and managers of firms. The travel industry is beset by structural changes and new paradigms and owners have to respond to the changing environment.

Learning Objective

The changing fortunes of TCI are most apparent in the increase in its share price after making several acquisitions. The case gives students an opportunity to analyze the ways in which the company's management uses Prem Watsa's value investment philosophy to guide its decisions, both in its core business and in its acquisitions. The case also gives students an idea of how travel companies in India have had to adapt to new paradigms and what lessons the value investment philosophy offers.

Case A & B (ISB113 & ISB115) have also been made available in a combined version.

Learning Objective

1. To examine the challenges in managing an aggressive vision for growth. 2. To illustrate how a firm's performance and survival is impacted in a recessionary environment with declining industry factors. 3. To evaluate business turnaround and recovery strategies available to firms operating in challenging economic conditions. 4. To discuss the challenges in implementing and adjusting to tough strategies that would eventually take the firm on a path of recovery.

The second part of this two-part case examines the actions that Ashok Leyland (AL) took to achieve its aggressive growth plan and the consequences it faced when there was an abrupt negative demand shock. The case describes the challenge before AL's management when faced with bankruptcy, and invites readers to consider how this once-proud company could be transformed and led towards profitability and growth.

Learning Objective

This case documents the history of Ashok Leyland (AL), the second largest commercial vehicle manufacturer in India, and captures its growth and journey up to 2007, when the company adopted its new vision of more than doubling in size in a fairly mature industry. The challenge that the case poses to students is to understand how the firm, widely regarded as a small player globally and as a regional one even within India, could fulfill this ambitious vision.

Learning Objective

Antara Senior Living, a first-of-its-kind senior living community targeted at people in their mid-fifties and older, had been planned as a community, grounded in the principles of service and hospitality, and built specifically to ensure that its residents gained the maximum benefit from their environment. Built on a unique design philosophy that encouraged the highest quality of living, it aimed to provide for the care of the resident's physical health as well as their mind and spirit. The case, set in January 2017, describes the challenges facing Tara Vachani, the young CEO of Antara, as she watches her dream project take form and the project delivery date draws closer. Like any other startup, Antara was faced with the challenges of working in a new category with a unique product offering. Would Antara be able to establish a business model that would deliver on its commitments on service excellence? What should their operating strategy be? Should Antara look at any possible innovative service extensions that could be offered to seniors as a market at large? It was faced with the choice of either protecting its long-term vision of delivering a high-quality senior living offering or changing aspects of the product to bring it closer to traditional real estate offerings, thereby increasing the sales velocity and financial metrics of the business in the short term.

Learning Objective

This case is designed to highlight the vital role of promotion, the fourth "P" of the marketing mix, in a brand reinvention exercise. Using the context of the brand reinvention journey of Officer's Choice Whisky (OCW), the case highlights the importance and need for syncing brand objectives and communication objectives so as to build brand relevance in a competitive environment, increase revenue and enhance customer loyalty. The case also highlights the importance of systematic market research in identifying brand weaknesses and providing direction for effective marketing communications.Ahmed Rahimtoola, Head of Marketing at Allied Blenders and Distillers (ABD), was leading the process of conducting an extensive brand reinvention exercise for Officer's Choice. Market research had established the need for brand reinvention, indicating that Officer's Choice had to overcome the challenges of low brand salience, lack of emotional connect with customers, and outdated brand communication. Accordingly, the best advertising agencies in India were invited to come up with creatives that would answer the following question: How should Officer's Choice reposition and repackage itself and reconnect with consumers? ABD had the tough task of choosing the creative that held the magic recipe that would strategically weave brand objectives and communication objectives to yield optimal benefits. In discussing the firm's creative options, the case brings to light the crucial aspects of a brand reinvention process, the role of communication objectives in brand reinvention, and the mechanics of a successful marriage of marketing communication and brand strategy objectives.

Learning Objective

1. To illustrate the challenges of brand reinvention and the opportunities provided by marketing communications.
2. To understand how branding and positioning strategy should stem from consumer behavior insights gathered from market research.
3. To demonstrate that the selection of ad creatives can be facilitated by using systematic criteria that take into consideration the strategy of the firm, key brand objectives and communication objectives.

Sewells Group, India, a leading provider of retail solutions to auto original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and their dealers in the Indian market, developed an innovative engagement model for its clients. The model offered solutions based on the performance management of franchised automotive dealers using measurement, analysis, education and development. The first client for whom Sewells Group developed the dealer sales and service system was a late entrant into the Indian market and had about 100 dealerships across the country. It wanted to ensure that the brand promise communicated through its innovative and expensive marketing campaigns was supported at its dealerships when customers arrived to explore the cars. The client sought a comprehensive model of dealer management that did not suffer from the limitations of traditional models that were heavily focused on training and process compliance. In response, Sewells Group developed a novel 5-step dealer management model that applied principles of retail process efficacy to deliver three key outcomes: customer experience, productivity and profitability across all the departments of a dealership. As Jayesh Jagasia, CEO at Sewells Group, India, reviewed the impressive quarterly results of the model's implementation, he mulled over questions related to the sustainability, replicability and extendibility of this initial model to other firms in the automotive sector. What were the learnings from the first implementation of the model? Was it possible to effectively overcome the challenges that they had faced? Would the model work across the industry? Under what circumstances and for what brands or dealerships would the model work? What sort of consulting resources would the company need? Could some parts of the solution be automated? How would the IT departments of auto manufacturers respond to the automation of solutions?

Learning Objective

Set in April 2014, this case explores some of the important questions confronting Dileep Ranjekar and Anurag Behar, CEOs of the Azim Premji Foundation, which had entered the second decade of its existence with fresh plans and renewed vigor. Ranjekar and Behar had evolved an organizational strategy, after carefully reflecting on the Foundation's past work, that was characterized by the idea of working in an "institutional" mode and not merely in a "programmatic" mode. This meant establishing a long-term presence in the places where the Foundation worked (i.e., disadvantaged districts in the country), and engaging on a continuous and long-term basis with the public education system to facilitate change. Given the trajectory that the management team had set for the Foundation, it was constantly faced with issues related to finding the right people with the required skill sets and mindset, finding field staff to overcome the challenges of working in difficult, far-flung places, and scaling up at the right speed to achieve the desired reach and outcomes. Documenting the evolution and growth of the Foundation, the case brings to light some of the key challenges it faced in scaling up. The case highlights some of the challenges of building a large, professionally managed not-for-profit and the strategic decisions that have to be made to grow it into a sustainable organization.

Learning Objective

The case would fit well in courses at the MBA level and in other Master's and executive level programs on business strategy, nonprofit management, education management and service management. The case introduces the reader to the structural, monetary, capacity and human resource related concerns and, to some extent, the legal concerns of nonprofits and the restrictions they face when they plan the scaling up of their organizations.

Discovery Communications Inc., an American global networks company, had entered the Indian television market in 1995 with its eponymous channel offering that focused on non-fiction, infotainment programming. Nearly two decades later, steered by a solid senior management team, it had built a formidable operation with 11 channels spanning various genres and created a strong brand presence in India. Though the company was a leader in almost all the genres in which it operated, the Discovery team knew that they could not afford to be complacent even for a single day in the extremely competitive Indian television market. With close to 800 channels fighting for viewership daily, they had to make quick and tough decisions day in and day out. Looking back on their journey and some of the strategic moves they had made in India, it was evident that they had managed to pick up certain distinct capabilities along the way. Not only had they successfully "Indianized" a global brand, they had also deftly overcome some of the challenges inherent to the television industry in India. What was next for Discovery? This was the question that the team was grappling with in 2014. With their most recent launch, "Discovery Kids," it seemed that they were once again moving in the direction of children's edutainment. Did this mean they were coming full circle? Could they successfully apply what they had learned from the past to the unknown future? How could they do things differently and yet stay true to their vision and brand promise of making the Discovery television experience deep and enriching? The case presents the hard choices that Discovery needed to make at several strategic junctures as the cable television market changed and evolved over the years. It facilitates an in-depth discussion on whether, and how, Discovery has developed the ability to make astute decisions and acquired the necessary agility to respond to the dynamic market in India.

Learning Objective

"This case is set in December 2006 when the management at Moser Baer India Limited (MBIL) was faced with the critical decision of whether to pursue a strategic partnership with Optical Media and Technology (OM&T) and what form such a partnership should take. MBIL was India's largest and the world's third largest optical storage media manufacturer with a presence in over 82 countries, serviced through marketing offices in India, the United States and Europe. In 2006, MBIL had also entered the photovoltaic (PV) cells industry and aimed to succeed in this new business by leveraging its core process strength in "coating thin films on substrates". OM&T was based in a high technology cluster in Eindhoven, the Netherlands and was known in the industry for its contribution to prototyping, standardization and pilot production of advanced optical disc formats such as Digital Versatile/ Video Disc (DVD) and Blue Laser Discs (Blu-ray discs). For the MBIL management team, all the options were on the table -- a licensing arrangement, a strategic alliance by taking an equity stake in the company or a complete acquisition of the company. After careful evaluation, they had to choose the most appropriate option and arrive at a decision."

Learning Objective

The case is structured to achieve the following pedagogical objectives: a) Highlight the uncertain dynamics within a high-growth and a technology intensive industry. b) Allow students to choose between organic vs. inorganic growth options. c) Evaluate the costs and benefits of different modes of inorganic growth in order to identify the best option for strategic partnership in a given context.

The takeover of Bombay Suburban Electric Supply Ltd (BSES) in 2003 (eventually renamed Reliance Energy) marked the foray of Reliance Industries Ltd into the power transmission and distribution business. The power sector, plagued by bureaucratic controls and constraints on supply and demand, offered little managerial discretion to alter the traditional drivers of growth and profitability. The case illustrates how Reliance Energy leveraged technology to transform its strategy and operations in order to establish international standards of operational excellence and customer service in the Indian power sector. Students learn about the significant risks in technology-driven transformations and their critical success factors, such as complementary changes in firm structures and business processes. The case is set in 2008, when the Chief Information Officer (CIO) of Reliance Energy is found dwelling over the digital transformation of the company that has led to the decision to spin off the information technology (IT) department into a third-party technology solutions provider for the infrastructure sector. Was the digital transformation of the company a success? What were the lessons learnt from this transformation?