Title – Should “Tbgo” be dropped from UCF's product portfolio? Subject area – Business administration, brand management, marketing management, international marketing, strategic marketing. Study level/applicability – This case is suitable for MBA students with exposure to marketing strategy and basic marketing. It may also be useful for junior and middle level marketing professionals during their training programs. This case-study may find its application while teaching strategic marketing, marketing management, international marketing and pharmaceutical management. Case overview – Unicare Formulations was a reputable pharmaceutical company in India. It started small and with the growth of the industry, it could capture significant market share in it chosen segments. It introduced brands in small and niche areas with low innovation and where bigger companies showed little interest. It also infused new blood through outside talent. It brought newer brands to its brand portfolio. A relatively new but promising brand – Tbgo – was struggling. Its marketing head was confused whether to continue with the brand. He needs advice based on management principles. Expected learning outcomes – After covering this case study, a student should be able to: use SWOT and environmental analyses to solve complex business problems; explain segmentation, targeting and positioning (STP) and shall be able to use those for preparing marketing strategy; use 4Ps in different combinations in planning brand strategies; use Ansoff's model (product-market grid); use Porter's generic strategy to analyze brand performance and to take appropriate action for brand revival; and internalize the intricacies of brand-building and their impacts on the business performance of a firm. Supplementary materials – Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes. Close

Title – Never innovate to compete rather innovate to change the rules of the game. Subject area – New product development and introduction, Marketing. Study level/applicability – The case is suitable for post-graduate students in management, or in their final year. The case is intended for those business school students who are familiar with the basics of marketing management and are going through a course on new product development. The level of difficulty for post-graduate management students as far as this case is concerned is medium to high. The case can be a part of the following courses in marketing: new product marketing; technology marketing; brand management (how to build a technology brand). Case overview – The case concerns a computing technology company – Novatium Solutions – that has developed a new product, an affordable computing system, and is looking at ways of marketing it. The product offering in the initial stages is just hardware with limited local processing abilities that needs to be connected through a wire to a telecom broadband player to provide the internet browsing facility. As the case progresses, the product evolves into upgraded and newer formats. The theme of the case is intended to be new product marketing in a technology sector. Expected learning outcomes – The following will be the learning outcomes for this case: new product process and marketing in a technology company (compared to non technology consumer product company); bringing customer orientation to a product technology company; the role of a marketing head in a new product company; and building a retail brand for an affordable technology product. Supplementary materials – Teaching notes are available; please consult your Librarian for access. The teaching notes provide adequate questions and answers (four assignment questions and three class discussion questions) so that faculty members need not look beyond these to give student projects or assignments. Close

Title – Feeding the hungry surfers: www.justeat.in Subject area – Services marketing. Study level/applicability – This case can be taught effectively to MBA/MS students. The case provides students with an opportunity to closely examine various marketing activities and to understand how problems associated with intangible services can be dealt with by using effective integrated marketing communications. Case overview – On March 1, 2011, JustEat, the world's largest and premium online food ordering and table reservation portal, acquired a 60 per cent stake in India's premium online food ordering and table reservation portal – Hungryzone. Following this, Hungryzone was rebranded as JustEat.in. Ritesh Kumar Dwivedy, Founder and CEO of Hungryzone and now the CEO of JustEat.in, soon faced some challenges that cropped up as a result of this new development. Rebranding and the scalability of operations with the existing resources were the major causes of concern. To overcome these problems, JustEat.in undertook several marketing initiatives and in the process implemented innovative ideas like JustConnect Terminal; introduction of the global JustEast mascots Belly and Brain to replace the existing mascot Aloo Patel of Hungryzone; and various innovative promotional activities to promote JustEat.in. The case highlights the issues and challenges faced by the management. Finally some significant challenges yet to be resolved are posed. What should be done to deal with the problem of poaching of customers by partnering restaurants? How should JustEat.in ensure that the partnering restaurants do not perceive it as their competitor in spite of the fact that registering with JustEat.in helps increase their revenues by 10-15 per cent? How should JustEat.in convince popular restaurant chains to register with it keeping in mind the fact that they are already facing excess demand situations? Expected learning outcomes – The case is designed to enable students to understand: the concepts associated with delivering services through electronic channels; communications and the services marketing triangle; key service communication challenges; the integrated services marketing communication mix; strategies to match service promises with delivery; and the services branding model. Supplementary materials – Teaching notes are available; please consult your librarian for access. Close

Title – Vodafone marketing communications. Subject area – Integrated advertising, promotion and marketing communications. Study level/applicability – The case has been developed for use in marketing communication as well as strategic brand management courses of MBA and/or PGDM programmes. It highlights the fact that generating interest amongst customers is not the only task of marketing strategists but conversion of such interest into an effective purchase is what the marketing department should be looking for. Case overview – The case takes the students through the journey of Vodafone's marketing communication since its introduction in the Indian market. It gives the reader a briefing as to how Vodafone has grown in the past few years – the changes in communication strategies involved to propagate the product; the integrated marketing communications that have helped Vodafone increase its customer base considerably. As mentioned by Marten Pieters, CEO of Vodafone Essar, India is an emerging market and it is necessary for Vodafone not only to increase its customer base but also to generate revenues. Therefore, his dilemma is how to bring about the perceptual connect with customers which induces them into product usage. Expected learning outcomes – The area of integrated advertising, promotion and marketing communications is an integral part of marketing. It forms the foundation of creating effective marketing programmes that in turn helps develop positive product perception in the minds of the customers. It also helps the student understand the role of customizing the marketing communication according to the target audience and the importance of integrating advertising with not only the promotional activities but also other newer forms of marketing communications. The case has been structured to achieve the following learning objectives: the role of marketing communications in creating and building brand Vodafone; understanding the importance and key elements of Vodafone's Zoozoo ad campaign relating it to Vodafone's communication strategies; and the effect of marketing communication on the customers' perception about the brand. Supplementary materials – Teaching notes are available. Please consult your librarian for access. Close

Title – Taj: I will prevail. Exemplifying customer service in times of crisis. Subject area – Marketing. Study level/applicability – The case is suitable for MBA/MS students. Case overview – The famous Taj Mahal Palace and Towers became the centre of one of the most deadly terrorist attacks in the Indian sub continent on the night of 26 November 2008, which became famous as “26/11”. Terrorists created havoc shooting guests on sight and throwing grenades. The attacks lasted for three days but all of the four terrorists who entered Taj were killed. The terrorists had killed 160 people across Mumbai. Of these, 36 died at the Taj Mahal Palace and Towers, Mumbai. The dead included 14 guests, most of whom were foreign nationals. However, due to the selfless and extraordinary behavior of the employees and the staff of Taj, many guests were saved. They put forth an extraordinary example justifying the Indian code of conduct towards guests, “Atithi Devo Bhav” meaning “Guest is God”. In spite of knowing back exits and hiding spots, the employees did not flee, instead helping guests. The employees' behavior during the crisis saved the lives of nearly 300 guests. This gesture of Taj employees was much talked about, but it was amusing even for the management to explain why they behaved in that manner. The condition of Taj after the attacks was so disastrous that it would have been profitable to leave the hotel as it was rather than reopening it. This, however, would have dented the Taj brand as a whole, as well as the spirit of all employees and staff who had behaved bravely. Taj started its restoration and reopened a part of the Taj Mahal Palace and Towers on 21 December 2008. It became operational by August 2010. The case provides an opportunity to closely examine employee behavior in an extreme crisis situation, and the possible reasons and motivation behind such exceptional behavior which ultimately helped to sustain the Taj brand. However, the scope of the case can also be extended to illustrate recovery efforts typical to service industries. Expected learning outcomes – The case is designed to enable students to understand: the employee's role in service delivery; the service profit chain; the relationship between profitability, customer loyalty, employee satisfaction and loyalty, and productivity; service failure; service recovery; and the service recovery paradox. Supplementary materials – Teaching notes are available. Please consult your librarian for access. Close