Dear Learning Leader,

I will be the facilitator for “Certified Case Writer” program. Welcome aboard.

Introduction & Context:

Business schools are increasingly adopting experiential learning in business

management / business administration programs. Experiential learning uses experiences
of business managers / entrepreneurs rather than relying on textbooks and lectures to
teach. Faculty members and b-schools are embracing experiential learning programs
because of the idea that businesses today are facing challenges in highly volatile,
complex and unpredictable & ambiguous (VUCA) world, that can’t be solved with a one-
size-fits-all educational approach. It goes beyond theoretical knowledge to teach
students the “art” of practicing management through hands-on experience instead of a
traditional instructional approach. Case study is one of the most important tool of
experiential learning. It helps to develop / enhance career skills, taste of real-world
challenges, bridges the gap between theory & application, improves competencies,
engages participants in learning, and improves employability of participants as well as
higher overall satisfaction.

Hence, institutes and faculty members are increasingly searching good cases in all
courses/subjects. Approximately 80% of the case studies used in b-schools are the cases
written and published by other faculty members, often by paying license fee of in the
range of $ 0.5 to $ 6 per student per case study. This has created huge opportunity for
faculty members to write their own cases, use in own teaching / training sessions as well
as distribute it to other b-schools and earn royalty from use of these cases.

“Certified Case Writer” program is designed to cater to the needs of faculty members
who wishes to write / publish powerful case studies either for their own use to improve
engagement level, or establish their brand as subject matter expert, or earn royalties or
combination of these requirements.

Program Outcome:

 Write minimum one case study during the program to use it in your teaching /
training session

 Prepare minimum one case study for publication in reputed journal

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  List the case study at international case study distribution houses like The Case
Centre, UK etc. for global distribution & earn royalty

Program structure and Learning objectives

Day-1 (3:00 pm to 6:00 pm)

 To understand barriers and benefits in case writing

 To be aware about skills of a case writer

 To understand Case writing process

 To know different types of case studies

 How to conduct Case interview

 Case study & Teaching note structure, does and don’ts

Day-2 to Day-4 – Assignment of writing at least one case study & teaching note and
forward me for review. Incorporate suggestions to complete the case ready to use /
send for publication.

Day-5 (3:00 pm to 6:00 pm)

 Reflection of case writing assignment

 Select participants will have an opportunity to conduct their case

 To discuss improvement points

 To be aware about Common pitfalls of case development

 To be aware case study publication / distribution steps

 To align case writing projects with Program Objectives/Course Objectives

(PO/CO)

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  Case study for management research, problem solving, testing hypothesis &
teaching/training

Andragogy:

I use several pedagogical approaches during sessions. The case method is perhaps the
most prominent one among them. This short note is to familiarize you about
experiential learning approach, which will have to be kept in mind while writing a case
study. It serves dual purpose in this program.

Case Method

The case method pioneered by the Harvard Business School in the USA, which is widely
used in business schools across the globe as a vehicle for learning. A case study is a
description of an actual business situation confronting an organization or an individual
manager. The case is the outcome of research carried out by the case writer, in a
company which has agreed to share data and information for this purpose. The case,
often suffers from the imperfections common to all business problems: in sufficient
data, irrelevant data, sometimes incompatible information, opinions mixed with fact,
and the need to take a decision before information gaps can be filled. Some parts of the
case may require quantitative analysis while other parts will need a careful exercise of
judgment to evaluate conflicting opinions or qualitative aspects. There is no ‘Unique
right answer’, but some solutions will be superior to others although a final decision
may often depend upon an individual’s judgment weighing closely balanced
alternatives. There is no reason why the decision any participant make should be any
less valid than the one actually made by the company or the decision which the
instructor would make.

Normally the procedure to be followed in analyzing the case is;

1) Each participant reads and analyze the case individually

2) Participants meet in study groups to discuss the case
3) Participants meet in class room setting to discuss the case under the direction of
the instructor
4) Reflect and Summarize your learning in learning note and decisions note and
submit to faculty for evaluation

Following points will help you in adopting case method;

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 1) Individual analysis of the case

As there are many ways on analyzing a case, the following are suggestions;

a. Read quickly through the case to form a mental picture of the problem situation.
“Skim” reading involves the scanning of heading and glancing at charts, figures,
and appendices to form an overview of the case.
b. Read a second time more slowly and carefully, annotating the text or making
notes
c. The symptoms of the problem may now be clear. Can participant diagnose some
fundamental problem or issue to be resolved?
d. Postulate alternative courses of actions
e. Weigh up the pros and cons of the alternatives. In doing this, it is necessary to
decide which the relevant information is, whether it is fact or opinion, and hot
much weight should be attached to it in arriving at a decision.
f. Decide between alternatives and explore the implications (Some cases do not
involve any decision making; however will skill require rigorous analysis and
alternate interpretation to decipher the underlying logic and conceptual
understanding.

2. Discussions with in study groups

Study group should meet before attending class/session either previous evening or
on the same day, to discuss the case. Entire class will be divided into groups; number
of participants in each group will depend on total strength of the class. I am sure
college will be able to provide separate small rooms with white board, markers etc.
to enable groups to discuss and summarize case. In some cases, participant may
have been asked to prepare a presentation before the class supported by visual aids.
The group can decide what to present, how and who will present.

The purpose of working group is, however, not always to form a group solution. This
will be so where no group task has been assigned, in which event by discussing the
case with others from different backgrounds, skills, prior experience, participant will
find that there will be several different approaches to the problem. These
discussions will enable participant to gain from the knowledge and experiences of
others and will assist participant in refining her own analysis. Participants will also be
making contributions to the other members. These group discussions can make a

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 valuable contribution to the course. It is here where participants can exchange their
own experience and explore new ideas with colleagues.

a. Effective discussion groups work best when one participant is designated as

discussion leader.
b. Effective discussion groups are most effective when attendance and participation
is 100%
c. Effective discussion groups work best when all participants are allowed to
participate, speak and share his ideas and other participants build on without
imposing views.

3. Class discussions

When facilitator discuss the case in the class room, participants are there as an
individual, not a representative of study group. Consequently, participants should be
prepared to express a view on any aspects of the case. The following points should
also be borne in mind;

a. Try to understand the thoughts, ideas and points of view help by others which
are different; do not merely try to put across own viewpoints for acceptance;
offer them a vital contribution for consideration and discussion.
b. Try to relate the views of others to own in a logical fashion by identifying the
different assumptions or the apparently faulty steps in the logic, but in a
constructive and not a destructive manner.
c. Try, by means of own special contributions, to mould the discussion in to a
meaningful whole, not just a series of unrelated random thoughts.
d. Try to build up on what has already been said and relate your contributions to it.
e. Do not introduce a new topic until the one under consideration has been
adequately examined, bearing in mind its relative importance and the total time
available.
f. Try to create a challenging but not a hostile situation by requiring others to justify
what they have said and so to communicate effectively.

Conclusion:

Case method can be successful, if all participants come to the session/class well
prepared to discuss each case. This means participant need not only to read each case
but also use the assignment questions (if any) and work through numerical analysis

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seem warranted to help think carefully about the themes of the case. In preparation for
each in-class case discussions, participants will have some time own individual study of
the case, followed by discussion group meeting. The small group discussions will give a
chance to test ideas and to develop a deeper understanding of the case material before
coming into class room for the full case discussion.

My goal and objectives of this program are ambitious, and will require hard-work by all
of us, if we are to achieve them. I am excited by the opportunity to work with each of
you, and I believe we will also have some good fun along with our work.

Case method is participant centered learning method. Speed and coverage of learnings
depend on participation. Engagement of participants decides quality, speed of learning
& outcome.

Please don’t hesitate to let me know if there are ways in which I can help. I am looking
forward to spending time with you during next ten day and beyond. It will be
challenging, exciting, and I hope, very fulfilling, experience for all of us.

Other notes

1. Participants are expected to join Virtual live learning session 5 minutes prior to
start timings.
2. Since, our focus is on case writing, we may not use our time in group discussion
of sample cases of the course pack. However, I will be referring these cases while
discussing on case writing and teaching note topics, so please read them and do
your self-analysis of the case study.
3. Please ask questions. No need to assume anything. Participate in session, as you
might bring unique perspectives during discussions or while asking a question.
4. Since our focus is on skills enhancement, apply learnings in to practice during this
one week time. It will bridge the gap between knowing & doing.
5. I generally don’t prefer to use presentation in case sessions. However, this
program needs slides to share key points, I will be using my presentation slides to
make sure that we cover all the topics. I am sharing it with you also in this course
pack for your future reference.
6. Whatsapp Group for this group has been created. This Group will be operational
for the duration of the program. We will utilize this it for several activities;

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 a. Raise your general questions for me as answers might benefit to all
participants. Any specific questions related to your case study assignment
can be addressed in direct message to me
b. Share your views on questions as you all are experienced faculty members
/ industry professionals
c. share your learning and experiences during the sessions
d. Download documents that I will wish to circulate
e. Any other activities which can help us to achieve our program objectives
and build a strong community of all of us as case writers

7. Certification will happen on within 7 days of the last session of the program, once
final submission of your case study and teaching note would be received &
reviewed.
8. I can be reached at

Best wishes,

Ketan Gandhi

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This reference material is designed for Certified 27 May 2021
Case Writer Program - Universal Case Research
Centre

“Certified Case Writer”

the

Ketan Gandhi

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Program outcome
• Write minimum one case study to use in your teaching /
training sessions
• Prepare for its publication in reputed journal
• List the case study with international case study distribution
houses like The Case Centre, UK or other distribution centre.
for global distribution to earn royalty
• Enhance your brand as subject matter expert

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Session - 1

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Proposed Topics
• Context of case method
• Adult learning principles
• Types of case studies
• Checklist before case development
• Case Development Process
• Case Writing Style
• Ideas for case writing & selection of theme of case study

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Challenges – case method & case writing

• Share challenges you faced during adoption of case method
• Share challenges you faced in case study writing

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Result of traditional teaching / training

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Traditional teaching / Case based teaching

Approach in Traditional Teacher / teaching Case Teacher / teaching
content centred method
Teacher centered approach
Focus on theory, syllabus completion
Teacher speaks in the class most of the time
90% of time in explaining theory, sharing
knowledge
Students busy in taking notes
Focus is to crack exams / grades
Very low student engagement
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Success of adult learning sessions

• If at the end of the session participants
• Know something they didn’t knew before
• Can do something they couldn’t do earlier
• Can do something better than earlier time
• Form a view about something they didn’t have before

• Learning = Knowledge + skills + Behavior Change + Attitude

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Making sure adults learn

• Input – Discovery – Reflection – Input loop

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Critical considerations
Key questions Actions
Who will be participants?
What is to be learned?
How it is to be learned?
Where and under what circumstances is
the learning take place
What are the typical barriers to learning

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What is case study?

Description of situation / events / story

Raises an important issues / problems / best practices

For Analysis & Solution

To foster learning

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Types of the case

• The incident case
• The background case
• The decision case
• The complex case
• The situation case
• The exercise case

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Incident Case
• Can be modified easily to make it
as teaching case
• Short
• To illustrate concept
• To raise an issue
• Can be read quickly
• No pre-class preparation
• Single incident

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Background case
• Impart information for greater interest
• Used as a framework
• Introduces
• industry sector,
• global & national picture,
• evolution,
• historical developments,
• key players
• Issues, challenges, opportunities common to all players
• Example : Renewable Energy Sector Background Case

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Decision case
• Focus is to take a decision as “protagonist” would do
• Participant would analyze the issues /problems
• Develop and evaluate variety of feasible approaches
• Select an alternative that has highest probability of success
• Participant would select the best option and formulate an action plan
• Which case out of four cases in reference material would fit in to this
category?
• Discuss that case briefly from writing / teaching point of view

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Complex case
• Situation where significant issues are immersed in a mass of data
• Irrelevant data might also be included
• Differentiate vital issues from number of superficial issues
• Lot of information can distract attention
• Interdependent issues
• Activity – Which case study out of four case studies in reference
material can be categorized as Complex Case?

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Situation Case
• Analysis of information provided
• Look at significant relationship existing among data
• Questions – Why did things had gone wrong? How could this be
avoided?
• Few examples – Profit making company reports financial loss in a
particular year, market leader company looses significant market
share
• Activity – Which case study out of four case studies in reference
material can be categorized as Situation Case?

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Exercise Case
• Focus on application of tools / technique
• Often used for quantitative analysis
• Participants work on numerical data of real situation mentioned in a
case study
• Used in examination, interviews, competitions
• Example – Inventory control problem, Transportation problem,
Forecasting

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Questions to ask as you begin to develop case

Where will this case fit in?

Who will the audience be?
How fresh is the case topic?
What data to be included?
How much data?
Learning objectives
Type of case to be written?

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Questions to ask as you begin to develop case

Writing style
Supplementary materials
Decision focus
Additional data
Controversy, dramatic
Protagonist
Length of the case study

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Case Development

Data Data Case Teaching

Collection restructuring enhancement Note

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Writing Style
• Objective & Concise
• Direct & Simple
• Paragraphs & sections of reasonable length
• Headings are used as sign posts
• All other best practices of writing
• Write case study in past tense
• If any spoken words, current / future actions to be included as it is in
present or future tense, use “……………….. “ (Use quote/unquote)
• Auxiliary material – exhibits, tables, graphs, photos, videos, role play,
spreadsheet etc. to be included in the case study

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Ideas for Case Writing & Selection of theme

Program/Subject
Theory Topic
Learning Outcome
Company/Problems
Industry/Country
Timeline - Recent

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Few examples of writing a case for sessions

Finance Strategy HRM Operations Marketing
Ratio Analysis Competitive Industrial Relations Operations Competitor Analysis
Advantage Strategy
Investment Different strategies Employee Core & Customer complaints
Decisions Motivation / Morale supplementary
service
Bankruptcy – Why a Internal Analysis Impact of Customer service failure
successful company reduced recovery
fails? operations
Financial External Analysis Service Consumer buying
Statements Blueprint behavior
Turnaround Customer retention

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Assignment
• Identify
• your case writing idea,
• select theme,
• learning session objectives,
• Subject & topic
• Semester & program

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Session -2

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Proposed Topics
• Bloom's taxonomy for case development
• Structure of case study
• Data Collection for case study
• Writing a draft case study
• Conducting case interview
• Skill inventory of case writer
• Themes
• Challenges in case writing

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Bloom’s taxonomy

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Case Structure

Title

Opening Paragraph

Background information

Area of interest

Problem

Case Study
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Case structure - Summary

• Narrative – Flow of events in unfolding story
• Plot – Plan/scheme, Element of drama – clash of people &
ideas
• Main plot
• Sub-plots
• Different motivations & actions of actors and their contribution
• Time – Clear time sequence of events (historical)
• Expository – Disclosure, unearthing, discovery, breakthrough,
revelation, communication of information
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Case Data source

1. Field research
• Interviews
• Observation

2. Desk research
• Company reports
• News paper / Magazine articles, TV/Internet

3. Writer’s own experience

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Case drafting example - Activity

• Case # 1 – RCG Dairy
• Opening
• Middle Section
• Close

• Evaluate it from case writing point of view.

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Case Interview – Background Research

Questions
Who will be interviewed?
Primary source of material
Additional information like Annual Reports
What others say about organization
Company history
Information about industry sector
Information about competitors
Information about products/services
List of questions for which answers will be needed

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Case Interview Questions

Questions
Why your organization decided to take certain actions. Could you tell me
about that?
How do you feel about a key event or development?
Were there disagreements?
Would you please share reason of company’s success?
What are your observations about this information, and how would you
explain these trends?
You expressed concern about how challenging it was to offer products to
a particular customer segment. Would you elaborate more on this?

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Case Interview Questions

What factors you considered when evaluating whether your company

should acquire Company B?
What issues team considers when evaluating existing product/service
portfolio?
Were there any major risks on survival & growth during the journey of
company so far? How company handled those challenges?
Which are major challenges that company may face in future?
Decision maker’s name, position, company name
Dates, events, firm’s locations, type of business
Statement of the problem or symptoms

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Skill inventory of case writer

Focus

Integrating Information
/ Evaluating Gathering

Case
Writer
Generating Organizing

Analyzing

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Analysis of issues, challenges faced

Themes
Solving Problems & Decision Making

Evaluating options for better future

Sharing best practices, achievement

Relating theory to practice

Complex inter-disciplinary problems

Results achieved after introducing change

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Trade-off among solutions

Themes
Significant business issue

Reality, direct experience of manager

Shares evolution of industry sector

Student’s evaluation / Examination

Develop / Test hypothesis

Share own experience

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Application of tools / techniques

Themes
Draw attention

Provoking thoughts

Sensitivity to other’s feelings

Comparison with competitors

Business model

Quantitative / Qualitative analysis

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Few examples of writing a case for sessions

Finance Strategy HRM Operations Marketing
Ratio Analysis Competitive Industrial Relations Operations Competitor Analysis
Advantage Strategy
Investment Different strategies Employee Core & Customer complaints
Decisions Motivation / Morale supplementary
service
Bankruptcy – Why a Internal Analysis Impact of Customer service failure
successful company reduced recovery
fails? operations
Financial External Analysis Service Consumer buying
Statements Blueprint behavior
Turnaround Customer retention

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Ideas for Case Writing & Selection of theme

Program/Subject
Theory Topic
Learning Outcome
Company/Problems
Industry/Country
Timeline - Recent

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Challenges in case writing

• Construct a case
• Linking various issues within it
• Making case interesting for reader
• Easy to read
• Achieves intended teaching/learning
objectives
• Many guides on writing skills, but
hardly any resource available
specifically for case writers
• Previous experience of writing journal
articles, research papers, technical
papers

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Assignment
• Write a short case based on your own experience
Or
• Write a short case based on modifying news article
Or
• Write a case study based on case interview of protagonist of
an organization

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Session - 3

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Proposed Topics
• Participants share their case writing experience & Learning
• Barriers & benefits of case writing
• Improvement / Enhancement of case study
• Writing teaching note
• Case release

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Open house
• Share your case writing experience

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Barriers of case writing

•Self (Motivation, needs, fear, belief)
•Industry (readiness, collaboration)
•Institute (KRA, Reward, workload)
•Process (case development, publication)
•Training (Skill gap, know how)

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Improvement
• Effective Case Attribute
• Based on actual situation
• Ambiguous
• Full of conflicts
• Leaves important issues un-resolved
• Complex to allow multiple level of analysis
• Introduces tension between alternatives
• Ends with more questions
• Forces decision

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Improvements - Revision
• Catchy case title
• Title may or may not include theory topic name
• Few examples (1) Havells India – Transition from industrial brand to
consumer brand (2) P & G Japan – The SK II Globalization project
• Opening Paragraph
• Position case in time, major actors, company/sector, create dramatic interest
• Provide reader with motivation to go and with hook upon a point to hang
data & case
• Be brief
• Suggest flavour of case, culture of company, style of actors, case situation
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Editing the case draft

• Pruning
• Facts & Opinions
• Polishing the case
• Case enhancement
• Stop polishing case & use it
• Revise it after one / two
usage
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Teaching note - Structure

• Synopsis of the case / Summary of case
• Which course, subject, topic case can be used
• Intended audience
• Teaching objectives and key issues
• Teaching Strategy
• Questions for discussion / Assignment questions
• Analysis of data & answers of all assignment questions
• Board plan
• Experience of using the case

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Case Release
• Require for case studies
developed based on field
research
• Permission from manager,
leader, entrepreneur,
protagonist is required
• Obtain case release
permission
• One example of permission
letter
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Assignment

•Write teaching note of your case study &

submit for review

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Session - 4

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Proposed Topics
• Steps for publication
• Teaching note improvement
• Review / Evaluation of case study by publishers
• Case difficulty index
• Achieve success through adopting case method
• Road map of activities of IICMR Case Research Centre

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Steps for publication

• Develop case study & teaching note
• Get your case and Teaching note reviewed by other case writer for
feedback / improvements
• Use it at least once in your teaching / training session
• Do self evaluation
• Update teaching note and also case study, if required
• Send it to publisher / Case research Journal
• Pay the fees (If any)
• Distribute the case through publisher / case research journal

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Promotion after publishing live Case Study

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Improvement in teaching note

• Based on your first teaching / training experience
• All Important topics covered in stipulated time?
• Time allocation for each assignment questions enough?
• Any portion of case text / exhibits not used?
• Any missing text / data / information in the case, required to discuss /solve?
• Used boards as per board plan?
• Additional discussion questions asked while conducting case
• Achieved all learning outcome of that session?
• Care to be taken by other faculty members who will use your case in future
• ……. Update teaching note with these points

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Jobs good cases should do in class room

• Not just Story
• managerial issue to be confronted
• Situation / dilemma manager faces
• Problems faced
• issue of importance to the particular
class audience
• fit with educational / practice needs of
audience
• Onion analogy
• Opportunities for skills improvement

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Jobs good cases should do in class room

• Symptomatic problems and
fundamental problems
• Problems behind problems-surprise
• Voyage of discovery
• controversies,
• Different interpretation,
judgements/decisions & actions
• displaying different situations,
behaviors

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Jobs good cases should do in class room

• General lessons or concepts from a
specific case
• Application of generalized concept
• Adequate data in case text
• More quantified data in exhibits
• Companion videos to meet people /
field condition – brings life!
• Personal touch
• Well structured, easy to read, short
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Review / Evaluation by publisher

• Case study, teaching note and permission letter included in pack
• Possibility of high student’s engagement
• Tackles and important and relevant issue?
• Provides useful generalization
• Enough but not too much data
• Well structured
• Easy to read
• Supports learning objectives mentioned in teaching note
• Quality & depth of teaching note

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Evaluation by Case Reviewers (Scale of 1 to

10)
• Clarity of case objective
• Appropriateness for the journal
• Completeness of case and teaching note
• Accuracy of case facts
• Linkages between case study & theory topics
• Sufficient data collection in the case and analysis in teaching note
• Legitimacy of conclusions
• Practical significance
• Impact on society
• Quality of communication
• Organization of script

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Case difficulty Index

• You can perform self Concept
evaluation of your
case

Analysis
Presentation of
Material

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Role of case teacher – Adopting case method

• Define objectives (CO/SO) • Probe audience’s comments
• Select teaching aids/material • Manage assumptions & evidence
• Choose a start point for case • Mange conflict around central
discussion issue
• Keep discussion focused on central • Manage whiteboards
themes • Manage any audio-visual
• Select transition points • Summarise discussion
• Manage student contributions • Draw cross-case linkage
• Manage self • Conceptual framework and
generalization

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Your role as case teacher / trainer

• Coach • Time manager
• Learning experience expert • Summarizing on board
• Choreographer • Navigator
• Planner / Organizer • Leadership lab in charge
• Discussion leader • Sailor
• Innovator • Student engagement expert
• Motivator • Learner
• Listener • Probing expert
• Asking questions • Turbo charger to charge debate
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Teaching method mix

• Imposed structure V/s Feedback

• (Match Case method, Theory, Tutorial, Roleplay games) with below

description)

• Low impose structure – High feedback ---

• High impost structure – Low feedback ---
• Medium Feedback – Low imposed structure ---
• Medium imposed structure – high feedback ---

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Case method success depends on

• Existing knowledge of participants
• Their previous experience
• Number of learners in the session
• Facilities available
• Environment & Culture
• Mutual agreement about learning method
• Objectives of learners aligned with objectives of teacher
• Is it tied with evaluation / reward

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Road ahead
• Your individual action plan

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Individual / Team Action Plan

• Enhanced case writing skill
• To collect data and facts for writing the case
• Structure a case study
• Write real life case on business problem – Few case studies in a year
• Prepare teaching note
• Develop case writing culture at institute level
• Adoption of case method in all subjects and semesters
• Approach business houses for collaborating on case writing

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Reflection
472

• Have we achieved our learning objectives &

goals

• Join linked in group of case writers, if yet to be

done

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Assignment
• Circulate your final case & teaching note

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Questions / Conclusion

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Case Study

02-10032017-01
10-Mar-2017

KETAN R. GANDHI

Consumer Behaviour Analysis & Projected Income statement for RCG

Dairy Farm

G. Rameshchandra was planning to venture into supply of fresh and pure “Desi / दे सी” Gir Cow milk (A2
type) in Pune city in 2017-18. After a pilot project with supply of 30 liter milk a day with just two cows,
he had a mixed feeling about market potential of Gir Cow milk. However, based on his grandfather late
Vitthaldas Harichand’s advice of consuming only Gir Cow milk at home (from ancient time, Gir cow milk
was known for its inherent high nourishment and medical values), he felt that focused & dedicated
efforts in sales & marketing would help him to achieve desired results in future for his medium scale
dairy business. He decided to conduct consumer survey and prepare projected income-expense
statement for next five years for upcoming meeting with a bank manager.

His major challenges were to convince potential customer to purchase Gir Cow milk at price in the range
of ₹ 60 to 80 per liter (rate higher than competitors Amul, Katraj, Govind, Govardhan, Chitale etc. dairy
selling cow milk at ₹ 42 per liter & buffalo milk at ₹ 54 per liter), making customers aware about benefits
of Gir Cow milk (A2 type and also inform drawbacks of A1 type milk), drawbacks of milk processed in
traditional milk supply chain v/s. benefits of direct delivery of milk from RCG Dairy Farm to customer
without any delay or any kind of processing. Due to small scale operation with just 2 Gir Cows and in
future with 100+ Gir cows, in comparison with large private/cooperative dairies operating / aggregating
milk of thousands of cows, RCG Dairy farm couldn’t afford TV/newspaper advertisement, outdoor
hoardings and other sales promotional activities adopted by these large dairies. G. Rameshchandra
would be looking forward to your advice in setting up / scale up successful dairy business.

RCG Dairy Farm

RCG dairy farm was committed to provide its valuable customers fresh A2 type milk from desi Gir cows
in pure form without any adulteration, processing, without added water or any harmful material
contents.

©2017 KgGuruji Academy (A division of KgGuruji consulting & Services). This case was prepared by Ketan Gandhi, Sr. Principal
Consultant & Corporate Trainer ([email protected]). The author may have disguised certain names & their identifying
information to protect confidentiality. Some facts within the case have been altered. Cases & teaching notes are developed
solely as the basis for class discussion / corporate training and are not intended to serve as endorsements, sources of primary
or secondary data, or illustrations of effective or ineffective handling of management situation. To order copies or request
permission to reproduce materials, whatsapp no. +917972692474 or visit http://training.kgguruji.com or through Mobile App
“KgGuruji” from iOs and PlayStore. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, used in a
spreadsheet, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—
without the permission of the President of kgguruji.com

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He refrained from churning out the creamy layer or skim of milk which was high in protein and ensured
to retain the nutritive value of milk. RCGDF provided guarantee about purity & quality. It was committed
to provide fresh milk to any household in Pune city within 12 hours of milking the cow.

Gir Cow

The Gir was famous milk cattle breed of India. The native tract of the breed was “Gir” hills & forest of
Saurashtra region including Junagadh, Bhavnagar, Rajkot & Amreli district of Gujarat. The countries like
Brazil, Mexico, USA, Venezuela, New Zealand, Australia and many other countries imported Gir cow
breed from India for the milk.

The Gir was distinctive in appearance, typically having a rounded and domed forehead (being the only
ultra-convex breed in the world), long pendulous ears and horns which spiral out and back. Gir were
generally mottled with the color ranging from red through yellow to white, black being the only
unacceptable color. They originated in the state of Gujarat. The breed was known for its distinct
appearance, height & weight and natural beauty which made it very different from the Jersey cows etc.

The average milk yield for the Gir is 2000 liter per lactation (6-8 months in a year, 6 to 10 lactation
period in its lifespan), with a record production of 3182 kg at 4.5% fat in India. The breed was on the
verge of extinction from India as people of India preferred to consume more of buffalo milk then the
cow's milk and due to lack of breeding programs and irrational crossbreeding with breeds more
common to western nations.

Benefits of A2 (desi cow milk) milk

“A2 Milk contains only the A2 type of beta-casein protein rather than the more common A2 protein
found in regular milk.” A2 milk was characterized by a distinct golden color / yellow color in comparison
with white milk. There were many benefits of A2 milk reported through various research findings and
farmer’s experiences during last two hundred years. Desi cow mill was termed as “Amrut” in Ayurveda
because of its overall medical & health benefits thousands of years ago in India. Other benefits of A2
milk were summarised below;
 Most of Ayurveda medicines were prescribed to be taken with desi cow milk only by majority of
doctors & physicians
 highly recommended for infants & kids, pregnant women, senior citizen because of its enriching
milk protein contents

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 Ayurvedic ghee from desi cow milk cures acidity, used in panchakarma to treat headache,
strengthen bones
 contains important elements which helped keep up fitness, brain development and fighting
dreadful disease such as cancer, diabetes & heart diseases
 must for babies after few months of birth
 prevents formation of serum cholesterol
 one of the best natural anti-oxidants, which gave energy & full protection
 Regular consumption of A2 milk increased good cholesterol (HDL), stimulated digestion & aided
absorption of fat soluble vitamins
 good for kidney due to Amino acids that made protein easily digestible
 As milk has more protein, more calcium and more vitamins compared to A1 milk

Drawbacks of A1 Milk

A1 milk means the milk produce from Jersey, Holstein etc. cows. Most of the milk dairy across India
processed Jersey / Holstein cow milk mixed with Gir cow milk. Holstein cows were known as world’s
highest milk production dairy animal. This breed was developed in Netherlands, 2000 years ago through
artificial cross breeding of a wild animal named URUS for higher milk and meat production purpose.
originally a breed People of Europe haunted this wild animal for good quality and quantity of meat, but,
haunting was difficult, hence, this wild animal was cross breed with various animals, thus, were born
modern day Jersey, Holstein and F.S. cows.

Studies made in New Zealand revealed that A1 milk of foreign breed cows was the major cause of High
blood pressure, metabolic degenerative disease, Diabetes type-1 in children, mental disorder in old age,
cardiovascular disease, schizophrenia, sudden infant death syndrome, auto immune disease,
intolerances & allergies, digestive disorder, stomach ulcers, Crohn’s disease, hormonal changes in
children due to injection of hormones given to these cows for more milk etc. Hence, so many countries
like Brazil, European countries avoided consuming A1 milk for human being. A1 milk contained a
poisonous chemical / protein fragments namely “Casomorphine”, in a milk produced by foreign breed
Jersey, Holstein, FS cows etc.

Traditional milk supply chain v/s RCGDF’s direct fresh milk delivery

G. Rameshchandra firmly believed that RCGDF’s direct fresh milk delivery to customer with in few hours
of milking cow had several advantages over milk supplied to customer from Traditional milk supply chain
dairies. Traditional chain of milk supply starts with farmers / cow farms milking the cows and delivers it
to collection centre of dairy in their village. Milk was transported from village collection centres to
processing & chilling plants. Packed & branded milk bags transported to retail shop for delivery to
consumer on subsequent day. This process takes more days & hours than RCGDF’s milk distribution.

RCGDF’s direct milk distribution also could give assurance to customers that there was no chance of any
malpractice / adulteration of milk. (Several media channels reported how middlemen adulterated milk
with urea, sugar, salt, oil etc. Several rackets were busted in past who were engaged in manufacturing of
milk with harmful chemicals)

Gir cow milk sales price

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Although Gir cow milk was rich in its nutritive value, the Gir cow’s daily lactation capacity was less (10 –
15 liters) as compared with foreign breeds like Jersey / Holstein (25 – 30 liters milk/day). However, daily
fixed expenses for both types of cows remained same. RCGDF also would need to spend lot of money to
purchase Gir cow (average 80000 per cow. ₹ 30000 to ₹ 40000 more than Jersey cow).

RCGDF would incur ₹ 10 per liter cost for home delivery within Pune city area. Dr. G. Rameshchandra
knew that if A2 milk is marketed well, it can be sold in the market with ₹ 15 to 25 per liter profit margin.

Availability of Resources at RCG Dairy

G. Rameshchandra was planning to obtain loan from bank to purchase 100 cows (@ 15% simple
interest). He knew that a Barn for cows would not be available less than ₹ 2,00,000 per month. Other
expenses like electricity, fodder, veterinary aid, water, insurance and labour expenses will be nearly ₹
8000 per cow per month and sales & promotion cost ₹ 1,00,000 per month. Rate of income tax is 30%
for a dairy farm. The loan repayment will have to be completed in five years in equal instalments.

Road Ahead

Is Mr. G. Rameshchandra’s plan of starting dairy with 100 cow is fine? Share your key points of
consumer survey, plan capacity based on survey findings and construct projected Income-Expense
statement for five years. What would be your advice to Mr. G. Rameshchandra?

-------------------- Contact details for further interaction, communication --------------------------

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Case Study
(A division of KgGuruji Consulting & Services)

04-13022014-01
Feb 13, 2014
KETAN R. GANDHI

Ethics in Consulting : RCG Consulting & Services(RCGCS)

Nital Shah, team leader of CSMR project, felt happy and uneasy after her Tuesday meeting with Akshay
& Manish, analysts in RCGCS's industry analysis division. G. Rameshchandra, partner of RCGCS has
assured her that upon successful completion of Control System market strategy project (Project name
CSMR), she would be promoted to Partner. The promotion would mean higher pay as well as release
from the tedious fieldwork of consulting projects. As partner, her focus will be more on strategic
relationships & business development in future, a role she always dreamt. However, completing this
project is not easy. It would mean a second meeting with Harshad, the one person who could provide her
balance vital information required in CSMR project. Now, Nital reflected on pending activities, finishing
the project would mean following course of action proposed by Akshay & Manish seconded by
Rameshchandra: to pay Harshad off money that he demands for his services in the project.

Rise Technologies A/s., RCGCS's client, was leading electrical & control system company based in
Denmark. It was trying to identify the cost break-up and control algorithm of system being supplied to
prospective clients by one of its competitor, also Danish company. Everyone at RCGCS felt that Harshad,
who had worked in competitor's Chennai factory 9 years ago, could provide the detailed information on
parts, assembly & test procedure, cost break-up and control algorithm required by Rise. The first
interview with Harshad had caused Nital to have serious doubts about both the propriety of asking for
such information and Harshad's motivation in so eagerly offering to help her. Akshay suggested that she
prepare an action plan over weekend. Kinjal P., business head of Rise Technologies, would be in town on
Monday to meet RCGCS team. Nital could present her plan for completing the project.

CSMR project was turning out to be crucial project for RCGCS. It accounted for close to 30% of annual
revenue of the RCGCS's industry analysis division. Successful completion of the project to client's delight
also mean Euro 5 Mn / year additional business from single client for next 3 years. Over phone, Kinjal P.
confirmed additional 25% fee for CSMR project, if there is any issue related to additional cost in the
project required to acquire right information.

By Saturday, Nital worked out several approaches. She could ask Harshad to provide cost break-up of
several alternative systems & control algorithms, including the one used by Rise's competitor.

©2014 KgGuruji Academy (A division of KgGuruji consulting & Services). This case is prepared by Sr. Principal Consultant &
Corporate Trainer Ketan Gandhi ([email protected]). The author may have disguised certain names & their identifying
information to protect confidentiality. Some facts within the case have been altered. Cases are developed solely as the basis for
class discussion / corporate training and are not intended to serve as endorsements, sources of primary or secondary data, or
illustrations of effective or ineffective handling of management situation. To order copies or request permission to reproduce
materials, call +917972692474 or visit http://training.kgguruji.com. Or send request through mobile app “KgGuruji” that can
be downloaded from Google Play store or Apple iStore. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, used in a spreadsheet, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or
otherwise—without the permission of the KgGuruji Management.

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Case Study
(A division of KgGuruji Consulting & Services)

Extra analyses would be expensive and time consuming, however, Harshad would not suspect what
exactly she was looking for. Another option was to hand the project to someone else in RCGCS, as Nital
was not feeling good in seeking proprietary information without Harshad's knowledge or to follow third
option internally approved to pay him out & engage for specific scope. Nital felt that, whichever option
she chose, this project would compromise her values. "Where one can draw a line on proprietary
information? Was she about to execute what her friend in other consulting referred as necessary industrial
espionage? She reflected on her journey in RCGCS. She had been a star performer all these years and
until CSMR project, she felt that, she had followed high degree of ethics & integrity in her work. Now
Nital wondered, would the next step to success require playing the game the way everyone else does in
the industry?

RCG Consulting & Services (RCGCS)

RCG consulting & Services (RCGCS) was a small size boutique consulting firm based in Rajkot, India.
G. Rameshchandra founded it in Oct-2008, who ventured in to full time consulting & corporate training
professional services after quitting high paying Business Unit head position in US $ 5.5 Bn Indian MNC
engineering firm. He had 16 years of corporate experience in small to very large companies controlled by
owners, government or professional board in engineer, project manager, and business leader role. His last
corporate assignment gave him global exposure in supply chain, projects, vendor development,
manufacturing, ERP system, transformation projects business audit etc. leading large team in multi
country operation. He took one year study leave to complete General Management program from IIM and
later on executive program from Harvard Business School during his last assignment. These interventions
and his multi-dimensional industry exposure motivated him to start consulting practice. RCGCS service
portfolio expanded in to Business Audit, Management Consulting and Corporate Training in functional
areas of Business Strategy, Sales & Marketing, Operations, and Innovation & Change in high growth
industry sectors. Within 5 years, RCGCS had grown from micro to small size boutique consulting firm
offering various services to foreign clients including competitive intelligence, market research, and joint
venture with Indian company and technology transfer.

Nital Shah
Nital, 34 year old, had been with RCGCS for 60 months. An electronic engineer & MBA from Singapore,
worked in few companies before joining RCGCS as consultant. She managed assignments ranging from
product development strategy, market research, technology management, and supply chain optimization.
Within 3 years, she was promoted as Principal consultant and earned respect at RCGCS & their clients.
Looking to importance of the project to RCGCS, G. Rameshchandra assigned this project to Nital and
promised her appropriate reward & career growth.

The CSMR project for Rise Technologies A/s.

In 6th year of business, RCGCS received a marketing strategy assignment from Denmark based company
Rise Technologies A/s. which offers turnkey solution of "Electrical & Control system" that can be used
by renewable energy companies in the field of wind power, solar power & hydro power plants. The
assignment value is Euro 1 Mn, to be completed in 6 months. If Rise Tech A/s enters India market with
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(A division of KgGuruji Consulting & Services)

right strategies, it can capture Euro Mn 30 per year business with a potential to get Euro 50 Mn per year
in three years. Hence, stakes were very high for Rise Tech A/s. Success in CSMR project could also
demonstrate RCGCS's competence and build reputation as reliable strategic partner for Rise Tech A/s's
group companies (It was large European group with multiple businesses in construction & infrastructure
development, health care, food processing and many other businesses.)

In CSMR project, Nital began by contacting design & engineering managers of prospective clients to
understand their need, current price levels, problems they face in sourcing as well as performance in field,
service level needs etc.. However, to her surprise, technical and purchase managers of prospective clients
were unusually closemouthed. They could share such information only to their approved suppliers and not
to third party market research firms. Hence, she was unable to get any meaningful information which can
impress Rise Tech A/s. She met many people, however, couldn't collect required information. She
gathered lot of market environment, technology trends, present & future volumes etc. useful for making
strategy.

G. Rameshchandra inquired whether, she tried to identify ex-employees of prospective clients and
competitors of Rise Tech A/s, as for few previous projects RCGCS experienced that best source of
information had been ex-employees of target companies. Rameshchandra had generally found these
people quite willing to talk, share information due to several reasons. In general, people love to talk about
their "expertise", if willing listener is available. Industry consultants had been another good source of
detailed information. However, it could cost Rs. 25000 to Rs. 55000 a day on specific projects, but not
sure about their ability to collect balance information of CSMR project. Rameshchandra also shared that
consulting companies routinely pay ex-employee of target companies to obtain highly sensitive
information for their clients. Generally consulting firms have formal, written policies regarding the
solicitation and performance of contracts, e.g. consultants are required to identify themselves as working
for their firm before beginning their interview. However, RCGCS didn't have such written, formal
policies. Rameshchandra talked to employees of RCGCS number of times over lunch meeting & shared
that we don't do anything unethical. However, from her & her friends experience in few large consulting
firms, people occasionally broke the rules even when formal, written policies existed, if project demands.

During her search of who could provide required information, one of the renewable energy company's
R&D manager shared name of Harshad Ashar, freelance consultant based in Pune, India who could be the
best resource that she would find for CSMR project. He worked with Harshad when his company
developed prototype system with Danish company (competitor of Rise Tech A/s). Nital called Harshad to
set-up an interview. During the call, she learned that he had been a vice president at RS Technologies
A/s's competitor company 9 years ago. He left it in 2007 and became free-lance consultant.

Nital meets with Harshad

Nital met with Harshad the following Thursday. He was in his mid-40s, distinguished looking, and
relaxed. Nital's first impression about Harshad was that he was professionally competent and pleasant.
Even before getting into interview, she began to have confusion about asking him for detailed information
on CSMR project. Feeling uneasy, Nital opened the interview by saying that she represents an

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(A division of KgGuruji Consulting & Services)

international renewable energy company that was interested to develop wind turbines in India, which is
currently analyzing technologies, cost structure etc. He was willing to help her in whatever way he could.

Nital then suggested that they talk about the cost break-up of turbine & its key components. Harshad
responded that he would need more information about technical specification, site information, target cost
etc. if he was going to be of help to her. He explained that there were several control system architecture
available or under development, and it would make a difference which one they chose. It flashed an idea
in Nital's mind that this was an opportunity to talk about CSMR project. Harshad asked if he knew who
she was representing and what are the exact plans and need, it would help him to determine right
information he can suggest.

Nital felt increasingly uncomfortable as the interview progressed. She felt that Harshad was earnestly
trying to help her. He seemed to have an excellent technical and commercial background and knew what
he was doing. Nital began to feel bad with herself and the prospect of asking Harshad to give her
proprietary information on the CSMR project. As her discussion progressed, she couldn't help thinking
"This is a guy who's trying to do good in the work, how can I be doing this? I have electronics
engineering degree and MBA from Singapore, and here I am trying to sleaze him."

At this point, Nital settled on a scheme to end the interview but kept open the option of a second
interview with Harshad. From first meeting, she knew that he had all information required in CSMR
project. Instead of probing Harshad, she told that her client had not supplied her with adequate details to
focus on specific control system and cost structure. She added that this questions had helped her learn a
lot about what she needed to find out from her client before she came back to him and arrange next
meeting.

Key questions:
1. If you were a protagonist consultant like Nital, what will be your plan of action to complete
CSMR project?
2. By acquiring proprietary information from Harshad, is there a violation of trade secret by Nital?
3. What was troubling Nital the most? Do you agree with her assessment of the situation?
4. Was this situation avoidable?

***

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Teaching Note
(A division of KgGuruji Consulting & Services)

04-13022014-01_TN
Feb 13, 2014

Ethics in Consulting : RCG Consulting & Services(RCGCS)

Synopsis

The "Ethics in Consulting : RCG Consulting & Services (RCGCS) case (KgGuruji Case no. 04-
13022014-01) focuses on a very important stage in the career of Nital Shah, a high achiever and best
performer consultant. After completing 60 months at RCG Consulting & Services, Nital confronts an
ethical crisis situation. She works as Principal Consultant in RCG Consulting & Services (a disguised
name of consulting & service firm). She is selected as team leader of a new engagement in which
competitive intelligence is also scope of marketing strategy development for client, Rise Technologies
A/s., Denmark. Looking at her ability as one of the best consultant in RCGCS and importance of this
project in future revenue generation & enhancement of brand image of RCGCS, she has been assigned
challenging and important project nicknamed CSMR.

RCGCS's client is turning out to be lucrative client, an electrical & control system company based in
Denmark seeks market research, cost structure of competitor's system being supplied to prospective
clients and control system algorithm which will shorten development time to offer solutions to their
customers in India. Collecting cost break-up information about competitor's product and control system
algorithm proves difficult, except for one lead of Harshad, freelance consultant who worked for Rise
Technology's (Client's) competitor 9 years ago and have been helping other companies abroad. Nital feels
uneasy about asking information from Harshad and has not divulged to him her identity and true reason
for her inquiry.

During conference call among G. Rameshchandra, Partner of RCGCS, Kinjal P. of Rise Technologies,
Denmark and Nital, G. Rameshchandra shared that RCGCS has made contact with an ex-employee from
the competitor who could provide right & meaningful information at extra cost. Though Kinjal agreed for
25% more fee if required information can be acquired from reliable industry expert, Nital is concerned
that gathering information from Harshad may be illegal. She is disappointed about herself for
misrepresenting her project to Harshad during first meeting. She is worried about G. Rameshchandra's
enthusiasm for getting information from Harshad.

©2014 KgGuruji Academy (A division of KgGuruji consulting & Services). This note is prepared by Professor & Consultant
Ketan Gandhi ([email protected]) for the sole purpose of aiding classroom instructors in the use of "Ethics in consulting:'
RCG Consulting & Services KgGuruji Case no. 04-13022014-01. It provides analysis and questions that are intended to present
alternative approaches to deepening students' comprehensive business issues and energizing classroom discussions. The author
may have disguised certain names & their identifying information to protect confidentiality. Some facts within the case have been
altered. Cases are developed solely as the basis for class discussion / corporate training and are not intended to serve as
endorsements, sources of primary or secondary data, or illustrations of effective or ineffective handling of management situation.
To order copies or request permission to reproduce materials, call +917972692474 or visit http://training.kgguruji.com. Or can
request for download from mobile app “KgGuruji” from Google Play Store or Apple iStore. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, used in a spreadsheet, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the permission of the KgGuruji Management.

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Nital has to decide which of the three actions she must choose; ask Harshad to provide cost break-up of
several alternative systems & control algorithms, including the one used by Rise's competitor, as Harshad
would not suspect what exactly she was looking for; to pay Harshad a higher fee and gather the
information she needs, which she fears is similar to bribing him in exchange of proprietary information;
or to pass project along to Akshay or Mahish, analysts also interested to lead this project. As she was
performing trade-off analysis, G. Rameshchandra indicated that successful completion of this project,
means huge repeat business from the client and it will lead to Nital's promotion as Partner.

Use of the case in Course

This case will be good teaching aid if included in any courses "Consulting Practice", "Ethics",
"Professional Services", "Organization Behavior", "Leadership" and "Services Management".

This teaching note approaches the case as an opportunity to integrate themes relevant to ethical dilemma
that consultant faces, organization behavior, role of leaders, organization culture, ethical dilemmas in
consulting & research and can be used in courses in any of these domains. This case illustrates ethical
challenges confronting consultants & managers with in organizational context, which shapes the
individual's perception, behavior and career management issues, with implications on personal and
professional development.

Ethics in consulting : RCGCS case can be paired constructively with other sessions which guide students
to consider their own experience of taking actions that harmed someone else in order to fulfill their
responsibilities or projects allotted to them and advance an objective. Nital wonders, whether RCGCS's
objectives and her own ambitions warrant the violation of principles, values and conviction she holds as
important, necessary evils-tasks that require unavoidable harms in order to advance a purpose. These
sessions help students to understand actions required to be taken even when one has lot of doubts, faces
uncertainty and tradeoffs. This case also shares insight into where and how to draw a line between ethical
and unethical tasks and how to balance professional responsibility, which at times require accepting the
burden of violating principles and hurting people to advance objectives and at times withdraw self from
executing tasks to respect values, ethics and principles one follows in life and in these situations, exposes
individual to doubts, risks, opportunities and challenges.

Objectives

By focusing on moments in consultant's career, uneasiness of protagonist, a moment with significant

professional and personal implications, a moment of doubt whether to follow questionable industry
practice or not, RCGCS case aims to help students develop their capacity to:

 Perform analysis of situation, trade-offs and implication of their action on firm and self
 Take effective ethical action
 Understand how managers and professionals get in to these type of difficult situation and how
they can become alert to their own behavior and surroundings
 Equip themselves to act with integrity
 Prepare for difficult, subjective and ambiguous ethical situations
 Use difficult situation as developmental opportunities

Assignment

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Case : Ethics in consulting : RCG Consulting & Services (KgGuruji Case No. 04-13022014-01)

Study Questions:
1. If you are a protagonist consultant like Nital, what will be your plan of action to complete CSMR
project?
2. By acquiring proprietary information from Harshad, is there a violation of trade secret by Nital?
3. What is troubling Nital the most? Do you agree with her assessment of the situation?
4. Was this situation avoidable?

Case Analysis

Discussion of this case revolves around the question of what Nital should do. She faces a set of
ambiguous ethical dilemma, and she has a range of options for actions, backed by her boss and
colleagues. Discussion of the ethical issues and options for action also introduces question about how
Nital ended up in this situation.

Ethical Dilemma

A range of ethical issues confronts Nital, and she quickly recognized herself in a gray zone between legal
requires and ethical principles. The activity that provokes her concern, Nital is paying Harshad to provide
information about a company product for which he once worked 9 years ago. G. Rameshchandra
informed client that Harshad can provide the necessary information for the project and might require
additional money, hence, client offers additional funding of 25% project fee to provide greater incentive
to Harshad. As a result, following issues arises;

a. The client has been led to believe by RCGCS that it has access to inside information relevant to CSMR
project
 Is this true? May be not. Any information Harshad has from the targeted firm where he worked
in the past, will be out of date (9 years old) and may not be particularly valuable for RCGCS's
client based on assumption that Harshad might have information, it appears that G.
Rameshchandra has misled the client Rise Technology A/s.
 If it were true that Harshad could provide proprietary information of price break-up and
algorithm of competitor's system, Nital would be much closer to violating laws about trade
secrets. (To be deemed a trade secret, information must satisfy two criteria. First, the
information must provide economic value and that value must be contingent upon the
information's being kept secret. Second, the owner of the information must make reasonable
efforts to keep it confidential). Trade secrets are then protected from "improper means" of
acquisition, including misrepresentation. The difficulty Nital has encountered gathering
information about CSMR project would seem to suggest that it satisfies the two criteria of trade
secret. She can't be sure whether CSMR is truly treated as a trade secret until she approaches the
client's competitor and how client's competitor responds. However, Nital has misrepresented
herself in the first meeting and nature of her inquiry to Harshad, which would qualify as an
"improper means" of acquiring knowledge about the trade secret.
 It may be true that Harshad is likely free from any non-disclosure or non-compete agreements
with his previous employer, yet that might makes his information less valuable to the client.
Courts are reluctant to enforce non-compete agreements beyond 3 to 5 years, but information
over 9 years old will not be that valuable in such high technology products/systems because
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companies adopts new and advanced technology components frequently to make system better
and optimize the products & algorithm.
 Nital has misled Harshad about her objective. Nital told Harshad that she represents an
international renewable energy company that was interested to develop wind turbines in India,
which is currently analyzing technologies, cost structure etc., leading him to believe that she
needs his guidance on the various options. She has not told him that she is looking specifically
for information on control system of client's competitor (his previous employer company) this
might be violation of code of ethics that consultants must accurately disclose all relevant
information, including one's identity and organization, prior to all interviews. In the past
misrepresentation had led people to go behind bars in Jail when caught gaining information on
false identity.
 If Nital proceed with Harshad for second interview or engages him with additional scope, she
needs to make sure, Harshad doesn't violet non-compete & non-discloser agreement with his
previous employer. She also needs to make sure that his knowledge and information relevant to
client needs and data which also include cost information is the current costs of components in
the market.
 Client Rise Technology A/s. is willing to offer incentives to an ex-employee of the competitor
through consulting firm working on CSMR project and not engaging him directly to obtain
desired information, to avoid any kind of law violation with competitor directly. Client seems to
be more interested in proprietary information without the appearance of having obtained it
illicitly directly.

Nital feels the current dilemma is a cumulative effect of lot of ethical ambiguities compounded together.

What should Nital do now?

The case presents three options, however additional options are also likely to be considered by students
during class discussion. Options outlined in the case represents trade-off between she completing the
project by informing Harshad about the true scope, purpose of the project and pay him up, charges as per
his demand v/s. exit the project to let someone else in RCGCS completes remaining work and quit. Nital
knew that there is also a middle path of engaging Harshad on a wider scope of project with detailed cost
break-up and algorithm of many different technologies / products including the one of client's competitors
without Harshad's knowledge of purpose of his work, and pay Harshad even higher amount due to wider
scope of work, however, she feels uneasy by hiding purpose and usage of information.

Go ahead with project

All three options identified in the case assume that RCGCS will proceed with the project. First and third
option would have Nital complete the project herself, where as in Exit option, her colleague completes
remaining part of project. Now Nital has enough funds available to go back to Harshad and have him
analyze a number of alternative systems including one of client's competitors. She is confident that
Harshad may not suspect the true nature of the project, purpose of information he is providing to Nital.
Third option is to hand over this project to her friend and colleague Akshay or Manish, as they have been
member of analysis division, who are known for working on such more difficult and ambiguous projects.

Although Nital's doubt about proceeding with the project, students electing either of these paths may
conclude that if Nital is not violating any laws and is indeed providing value to clients and Harshad, even
if neither party is completely informed about the nature of source of information and use of information,

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no problem in going ahead. Few students might also argue that it is better for Nital to complete the project
rather than handover to someone else. If she is feeling uneasy about the project, she should not just shift
responsibility to someone else. Other employee also might feel uneasy like her. As she felt uneasy means
that she will be more conscious than others about these dilemmas. If she completes the project, she can
also get promotion. With greater authority in future, she can exercise influence on the form to reform its
ethics policies and practices so future dilemma situations can be avoided.

Handover project to someone else & quit RCGCS

Nital can handover project to someone at RCGCS and quit. CMSR project itself can provide sufficient
grounds. Nital's boss has misled the client about the true nature of the information to which they have
access. He promised inside information from an ex-employee of client's competitor. In addition, Nital
herself gave Harshad her wrong identify and not shared true use of information he will share for this
project. Her boss's conduct also indicates that RCGCS follows loose ethical standards. G.
Rameshchandra talk over lunch about ethics, but written policies about ethics, does and don'ts are missing
in organization. Case doesn't indicate how well consultants and analysts are trained on values and ethics.
One can assume that if written policies are not developed, training might be missing leaving employees to
take their own decision in dilemma. These pointers indicate that RCGCS lacks an ethical culture and
leaders with integrity. That is major worry for Nital, she fears that she is now compromising her own
integrity and getting ahead by violating ethical standards.

Students who favor quitting should be asked to explain how they would do so? When and how they will
announce decision? to whom? Nital, if leave project or firm, would be leaving at a critical stage of CSMR
project and eventually will be searching for another job (and thus asked for references and for the reason
she left RCGCS), two factors that make the way in which she exits especially sensitive. Asking students
further on the mechanics of how to exit can help them understand the realities of quitting, so they do not
treat it simply as a convenient and costless device to run away from difficult situations. What happens if
she might encounter similar situation in new consulting assignment in other company?

Raising concern and debate with partners & team members

The third set of options involves raising her concerns and attempting to find an alternative approach to the
work in these kinds of projects. This situation can become a learning opportunity for her own leadership
development, which will be helpful in her future role as partner. Nital can work hard to find a way to
solve client's problem, present her own integrity, and simultaneously pen down ethics policies. There is
no guarantee she will get success, however, by taking this path, she may well learn how to navigate out
from ethical dilemma.

This option will help her to be honest with Harshad about the project, indicating that she is trying to
specify the cost break-up of competitor's control system but doesn't want to violate any agreements that
Harshad might have with his ex-employer. She can acquire information lawfully. She can also find out
whether Harshad's knowledge will be valuable to the client and relevant in this project. Nital could set
high standard for RCGCS to be clear with Harshad about the guidelines she wants their relation to adhere
to.

This approach also requires honest disclosure to the client. If Harshad has valuable information, she will
only acquire, if he has gained it through own expertise or through proper means and is not through
violation of legal agreements. If the information is not sufficiently helpful to client, Nital have to accept

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the consequences of the client's disapproval, including her own failure, her bosses' disappointment and
could be loss of future business.

Raising concern might also involve an open discussion with everyone at RCGCS. She could do this
before she approaches Harshad and client and presenting concern, issues and an approach for finishing
CSMR project that would be less ethically questionable. Other team members may well respect her and
might give her an opportunity to try this alternative approach.

How did Nital get in to this situation? Was this situation avoidable?

Understanding of how Nital ended up in this difficult situation can help students recognize both
organization and individual factors that lead people down towards misconduct and also highlight gray
zone of legal-ethics. Three perspectives, first focused on individual analysis, second focused on
organizational analysis and third focused on client's analysis in CSMR project, can explain why Nital
finds herself in this situation and whether it could have been avoided?

Individual analysis of Nital

Natal's sequence of actions can also be analyzed to gain a greater understanding of how a well intentioned
executive can end up in the mess she faces. Students may criticize Nital for doing insufficient due
diligence about ethics before accepting this project. Although, it is easy as an outsider to find fault of
Nital, student should be guided to see how Nital's attraction to this project was reasonable. She had
successfully completed all previous projects, earned respect in RCGCS as high achiever, promoted in
short time as Principal Consultant in recognition to her work. This project is complex compared to other
projects and strategically important for future business of RCGCS, she is selected to lead it. Successful
completion of project also means that she will be promoted to Partner, her dream job profile that she
always aspired in her initial year of consulting career.

Nital is benefitted from a series of success in which she uses her prior expertise to deliver results, gained
her credibility, broaden expertise, and responsibility, upon which she again builds and deliver results. Her
success has propelled her into a complex situation of intense responsibility, but it has also left her
unprepared, lacking sufficient capability to handle complexities she faces. However, Nital is exceptional
to stop, reflect and assess her situation in this project and also think alternatives rather than simply
moving forward as per need of project and wishes of her boss.

Analysis of RCGCS culture

Culture, structure, team behavior and leadership of RCGCS indicate how even a meticulous member of
RCGCS may glide toward troubling practices.

RCGCS appears young, aggressive, dynamic, resourceful, growing company highly responsive to client
needs, and take quick decisions even in complex projects. Nital was feeling good at RCGCS because of
rapid career growth and her selection in exciting & challenging projects. The problem is, there is no
counter force to keep culture in check. There seems to be no guiding mission, no formal or informal
control system, and no written policy about conduct of employees in projects and in soliciting contracts.
G. Rameshchandra delivers lunchtime talk about RCGCS's policies and how it complied with ethical
practices, but these are quite vague.

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G. Rameshchandra is entrepreneur, tireless and intellectual leader. He appears to be a good salesman

primarily driven by his passion, huge industry experience and ability to execute challenging projects for
money. Much like the culture of running a successful firm. However, there is no balancing set of
attributes, risk analysis, due diligence of project scope vis-a-vis ability of its consultants and commitment
to a set of values.

These factors together, create an environment for intentional or unintentional misconduct. There are more
changes of consultants confronting such dilemma situations in complex projects. Most client
opportunities would be hard to turn down, and once engaged, pressure mounts on consultants working on
the project to find ways to complete them, whether the lines are crossed, whether entered in to gray zone
or faces conflicts. Cost of not satisfying client is huge - including loss of business to competition and loss
of reputation, cost of executing such complex projects accepted without due diligence - higher risks, cost
of violating principals, spoiling personal integrity. With in such an environment, it is obvious for
consultant working in RCGCS to feel doubts and dilemmas.

Analysis of Client

Client is aware about information of competitor product cost break-up and algorithm they wish to acquire
and how it might violates agreements and laws. Client is even ready to pay 25% higher fees of the project,
if right information can be obtained from ex-employee of client's competitors. It appears that client is in a
hurry to enter in to the market by acquiring information of competitors and suggest solutions to clients
based on these information, rather than working with prospective clients and developing solutions for
them (without looking at competitor's algorithm & cost break-up). Such approach may not yield long term
results for Rise Technologies A/s, as it hardly helps in developing capability of its people and
organization. There is also a huge risk of losing respect, if client come to know about how Rise
Technologies have acquired algorithm and cost information and competitor might also file legal case
against ex-employee as well as Rise Technology A/s citing intellectual property misuse.

This situation could have been avoided;

 if RCGCS had done due diligence of the assignment scope before accepting the project and not
accepted this particular client need of competitor's cost break-up and algorithm and shared with
client how it might violate internal policies of RCGCS or ethics/laws.
 G. Rameshchandra would not have mislead client about ex-employee of client's competitor can
provide this information.
 Nital shared her real identity, real purpose of her project and what she expects from Harshad and
sharing of this information doesn't violate any agreement, trade secret or laws.

Class discussion plan (90 minutes)

1. Introduction (5 minutes)

2. Case Facts (5 minutes)

3. What should Nital Do? (20 minutes)

a. Complete project or pass it to Akshay or Manish analysts
b. Discuss any other additional options
c. Debate rationale for each options

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4. What troubles Nital? (10 minutes)

a. her boss mislead clients about ex-employee of competitor can provide right information
b. her boss's decision to pay Harshad to seek right information
c. her misrepresentation to Harshad in an interview

5. How should Nital do it? (15 minutes)

a. How might Nital complete this project, so she satisfies the client's need in a manner
consistent with her values
b. What should would have done differently

6. Broader learning (20 minutes)

a. Leadership issues in consulting / professional service firm
b. Project scope due diligence
c. Control system, written policies about does and don'ts
d. learning & development opportunity in complex and dilemma situation
e. Quit & runaway from difficult situation or learn to navigate

7. Brief about values & ethics in general and in organization (10 minutes)

8. Wrap up (5 minutes)

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KETAN R. GANDHI

Competitive strategy Dilemma of RCG Blood Bank

"After all blood is Life" ... Anonymous source

Dr. G. Rameshchandra felt differentiation strategy followed by RCG Blood bank (RCGBB), it adopted since founded
in 2001, was successful till 2012. It was challenged by recent changes in blood banking sector environment of
Rajkot city, impacted 12% drop in issue of blood & blood products, increased financial losses and raised question
about Rs. 2.1 crore value new investment in Nucleic acid Amplification (NAT) testing technology for higher
sensitivity screening test of blood than current enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). (NAT test picks up
human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in blood sample within window period of seven days of infection in
comparison with ELISA test method that detect virus after 3-4 weeks)

He was concerned about patient's behavioral preference based on price of processing charges instead of quality &
safety of blood in acquisition of blood & blood products. RCGBB had to reduce processing charges (Rs. 400 less
than even Ministry of health permitted charges) in response to other local blood bank's aggressive discounting to
acquire more patients. Due to price sensitivity, his team asked whether patient would be ready to pay additional
Rs. 1200 for NAT test for higher safety & quality of blood for them & their loved one's treatment? Should RCGBB
go ahead for investment in NAT testing system, even if test will not be made mandatory? Will RCGBB be able to
achieve break-even & able to generate surplus by installing this equipment? Would decision to acquire NAT test
equipment aligned with RCGBB's generic competitive strategy it adopted so far & whether it would provide
competitive advantage?

He realized that a comprehensive study should be carried out to analyze several factors from all stakeholders &
beneficiaries point of view, cost benefit analysis and then take quick decision. He assigned 'Vision 2020' project to
strategy & planning manager Ms. Donna, a management graduate with two years of not-for-profit organization's
management experience, recently joined RCGBB. He shared the major dilemma of RCGBB with her and gave lot of
historical & environmental information to cut down time period of her learning curve. He suggested her to collect
data & analyze external environment, global trends in blood quality & safety, RCGBB's past strategies & success,
competitor blood banks' approach for quality & safety, patient's behavior and prepare long term strategic action
plan as Vision 2020 document for review of board of directors. Donna felt thrilled to be part of such project,
however, felt little uneasy too due to 4 weeks’ timeline to complete the assignment.

Introduction & History of RCGBB

Dr. G. Rameshchandra, after taking voluntary retirement from a leading blood bank of Europe, decided to settle
down in his native place Rajkot city in Gujarat state in 2001 to serve people through not-for-profit blood bank to
meet growing need of patients. Rajkot had emerged as medical tourism hub of entire Saurashtra region, grew at
13% population growth rate. There were few blood banks in operation at that time. His vision of world class blood
banking facility similar to Rajkot Voluntary Blood Bank & Research Center (RVBB & RC established in 1981 as first
blood bank in entire Saurashtra & Kutch region) helped him to find financial donors to established blood bank
within 6 months.

©2015 KgGuruji Academy (A division of KgGuruji consulting & Services). This case is prepared by Sr. Principal Consultant & Corporate
Trainer Ketan Gandhi ([email protected]). The author may have disguised certain names & their identifying information to protect
confidentiality. Some facts within the case have been altered. Cases are developed solely as the basis for class discussion / corporate training and
are not intended to serve as endorsements, sources of primary or secondary data, or illustrations of effective or ineffective handling of
management situation. To order copies or request permission to reproduce materials, call +7972692474 or visit http://training.kgguruji.com. No
part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, used in a spreadsheet, or transmitted in any form or by any means—
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the permission of the KgGuruji Management.

1 01-30012015-08 Rev 1 30-Jan-2015

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RCGBB increased its processing volume performance from average 10 units/day to 30 units/day (900 units/month)
in short period. Out of monthly requirement of entire area of 8500 - 9000 units / month it supplied 10%. RCGBB
was second till 2010 and forth in volume of blood processed per month in 2014 among six blood banks. RCGBB
achieved break-even in 2011, first time in 10 years, otherwise, incurred losses due to lower capacity utilization in
initial years. Costs had gone up in last 10 years, however, government revised processing charges rate only at the
interval of 7 years (in 2014 - earlier revision was in 2007). In spite of such difficult situation, RCGBB performed well
due to its focus on quality, safety, and technology & manpower development. It achieved total quality
management system certification and other national accreditation required for blood bank and charted plan to
apply for American Association of Blood Bank accreditation in 2016.

"We achieved success due to support of blood donors, financial donors, skilled & committed team of doctors &
laboratory technicians & adopting world class equipment & infrastructure" said Dr. G. Rameshchandra. He was
happy that he could established one of the best blood bank of the country with over 10000+ blood units/year
processing capacity. Out of 1103 blood banksi supported by NACO in India, very few had higher capacity than
RCGBB. His focus had always been on providing 'safe blood' to patients for transfusion and differentiate RCGBB
from other blood banks on these parameters. In India total 2662 blood banks were functioning (NACO supported -
1103 + Charitable trust operated - 197 + Private Hospitals - 714 & Private Commercial - 648 blood banks)

He followed RVBB & RC very closely and often received technical help to improve RCGBB operations. RVBB & RC's
publications like "How to start a blood bank", "Blood Transfusion Handbook" and several research papers helped
RCGBB team. He was impressed by RVBB & RC's achievements.

RCGBB acquired several new technologies, state-of-the-art equipment in blood processing, storage & testing
during 2007-2012. In 2007 RCGBB had purchased Automatic blood component separation (Blood fractionation)
machine, in 2009 machine for Leuco depletion of blood products, 2010 fully automatic Galileo machine for
automated blood grouping, antibody screening & cross matching, in 2011 adopted ELISA testing method. (See
Exhibit - 5 for overview of all blood banks and their infrastructure) (See Exhibit 6 for equipment, technologies
acquired by RCGBB)

RCGBB adopted blood fractionation technology to separate whole blood in to components like Red Cell
Concentrate (RCC), Fresh Frozen Plasma, and Platelets. It had helped to support & save 3 lives from one whole
blood unit instead of one in the past. (See Exhibit - 1 for blood processing flow chart). This was significant step by
RCGBB because hundreds of blood banks in the country still haven't installed these machines. RCGBB achieved
95% blood volume fractionation, only 5% whole blood distributed.

RCGBB's initiatives like 24 hours X 7 days a week operation, quick remote delivery based on requirement received
over phone, interactive web portal, blood donation awareness drive, conducting seminars & lectures to motivate
people for blood & financial donation, technology up gradation, tie-up with corporate/industries for blood
donation camps, setting up remote satellite storage unit in large hospital etc. initiatives helped it to earn a huge
respect from all stake holders. Though it was processing lesser volume than other blood banks, RCGBB was
considered as one of the best blood bank by everyone.

"Our next target should be to take RCGBB's quality & safety standards to next level by detecting transfusion-
transmitted infections (TTI) within window period, which can't be detected by current test method using advanced
method like ID-NAT (Individual test) before blood cleared for transfusion. Though in India, NAT testing was not
mandatory (in other countries it was made mandatory like Australia), RCGBB could take a lead among blood banks
of the region by purchasing NAT testing system in 2015" said Dr. G. Rameshchandra in an internal review meeting.
Leading blood bank RVBB & RC had also planned to install it in 2015. If RCGBB would take steps now, NAT system
could be made functional by end of 2015.

RCGBB's positioning & competitive strategy had always been "providing blood with high quality & safety using
state-of-the-art technology in blood testing, processing & distribution". Till 2011, only RVBB & RC blood bank

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followed similar focus, hence, built a brand name & achieved success for 33 years, whereas other blood banks had
no clear strategy or focus.

Blood, blood donation & blood banking in India(1)

Human Blood
Blood comprises of elements called cells suspended in a pale yellow fluid known as plasma. Each drop of blood
contains primarily three types of cells - about 250 million red corpuscles, 400,000 white corpuscles and 15 million
platelets. Each of them plays a part in keeping the body healthy. Blood is red in color, comes from red blood cells.
These cells contain a substance called Haemoglobin (Hgb), a combination of iron and other materials that give
them the red color. Haemoglobin makes it possible for red cells to pick up oxygen from the lungs and to carry the
oxygen to all parts of the body. The trillions of cells that make up the body need oxygen to survive. As such, the red
blood cell distributes its load of oxygen, it picks up carbon dioxide waste from the body cells and takes it to the
lungs to be breathed out. Red blood cells have no power to move on their own. They must be pumped throughout
the body in the blood stream. The red cells are manufactured in the bone marrow of the larger bones of the body.
The red cells are continuously at work and they have an average life span of 120 days. New ones are made
constantly at a rate of millions per second. Old blood cells are sent to an organ called spleen, where they are taken
apart. The wastes are disposed of and iron is recycled to go into new red blood cells. (See Exhibit - 2 for blood &
blood components)

There are several types of white blood cells. Together these cells provide an active defense to protect the body
when it is invaded by bacteria, viruses or other harmful substances (to attack and literally eat up bacteria and
other harmful substances)

Platelets are tiny irregular shaped cells are made in the bone marrow. Platelets are sticky. They can and do stick to
each other and to the inner surfaces of blood vessels. When a blood vessel cut or punctured, platelets begin to
gather at the site of the injury. The platelets stick to each other and to the edges of the injury, forming a plug that
reduces the loss of blood. As the plug gets bigger, it becomes more solid and firm. It becomes a clot or scab,
stopping the flow of blood and providing a foundation upon which the healing process can take place.

The fluid part of blood called plasma carries all cells. 55% of blood consists of plasma while cells constitute 45% of
the blood. Out of the 55% of plasma, 92% is water, the balance 8% of plasma consists of proteins, sugar, fats,
vitamins and minerals that are needed by the body cells. In addition, plasma contains antibodies and hormones.
Hormones are chemical messengers that regulate growth, physical responses to emotions and other body
functions.

A standard blood fractionation begins with the separation, by low-speed centrifugation, of platelet-rich plasma
(PRP), red cell concentrates (RCC) and buffy-coat (BC) from whole blood (WB). In a subsequent high-speed
centrifugation, platelet concentrates (PCs) and platelet poor plasma (PPP) are derived from the PRP. Plasma (FFP)
& Platelets (PC) are byproducts when RCC is extracted from Whole Blood (WB) unit.

It is possible to obtain only Platelets from a Donor by a process called ‘Apheresis’. Like in routine blood donation,
350 ml. of blood is drawn from the donor. This is sent to a special Blood Bag, which is housed inside the Apheresis
Machine. Platelet donors can donate every 15 days (24 times a year, whereas whole blood can be donated only at
interval of every 3 months)

Blood Donation
"One can't make blood in factories or laboratories, it is the gift to us to give to those who need it. The love of fellow
human and a desire to share something of oneself is what separates blood donor from the others." said Dr. G.
Rameshchandra. Emergencies occur every minute. For each patient who need blood, it's an emergency and the
patients could suffer set back, if blood or components are not available. Human body have between 4 to 6 liter

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volume blood in adult bodies depending on size / weight. Humans can donate 350 to 450 ml blood every 3 months.
(In developed countries like USA, donor can donate 450 ml blood 5 times a year, but in India one can donate 350
ml blood only 4 times). Blood volume is restored within 24 hours in body naturally and Haemoglobin cell
components would be restored in 2 months.

Eligibility for blood donation(3)

Any healthy adult, both male and female, can donate blood once in every three months (350 ml quantity 4 times in
a year). Good health of the donor must be fully ensured. The universally accepted criteria for donor selection are:

 Age : between 18 and 60 years

 Hemoglobin : not less than 12.5 g/dL
 Pulse : between 50 and 100/minute with no irregularities
 Blood Pressure : Systolic 100 : 180 mm Hg and Diastolic 50 : 90 mm Hg
 Temperature : Normal (oral temperature not exceeding 37.5 degree C)
 Body weight : not less than 45 Kg

To find out the eligibility of the blood donors and to rule out any contra indication for blood donation all the
donors need to be elaborately interrogated for the history and the incidence of the specific ailments by a planned
questionnaire. Only after satisfactorily fulfilling the laid down basic criteria, the blood donors could be selected.

After blood collection, as a routine and mandatory procedure, the donor's blood specimens will be screened as per
test standard. Blood collection is differed temporarily if potential donor had suffered illness or had undergone
surgical procedure. Potential donors can be differed from life, if suffering from critical illness / disease like Cancer,
heart disease etc. "If a donor can donate a blood, it is also an indication that individual is healthy & fit"

Voluntary Donation
"A voluntary blood donor donates blood out of his/her free will without expecting anything of monetary value from
the blood bank or patients, relatives or any other source at the time of donation or in future". Acceptance of
voluntary blood donor’s certificates, badges or cards is permissible according to the law of the land. Such
recognition of donor is universal and must be done.

Dr. G. Rameshchandra became first volunteer donor, donated more than 50 times at RCGBB. RCGBB's efforts &
donor engagement programs were supported by blood donors and it had hardly faced a shortage of blood unit
because voluntary donors were always available. RCGBB had only collected blood from non-remunerative
voluntary blood donors. RCGBB observed percentage of male donors was in range of 92-93% and female donors in
range of 8%-7%, whereas consumption percentage used to be 45% and 55% by male & female respectively. This
issue would need a separate attention and several steps could be taken to improve health of female to make them
capable for blood donation.

General Perception & Myths about donating blood impacted voluntary blood donation in the country. (See Exhibit
- 3 about Misconception / myths & fact related to blood donation). There is no truth in any of the myth. Hence, by
spreading blood donation awareness, voluntary blood donors could be motivated. As per WHO report of 2012,
India had a shortfall of 3 million blood units (country require 12 million units of blood only around 9 million units
were available) however, this requirement would go up in future as more hospitals would be built & more people
could access medical treatments.

At present only 0.5% people donate blood in comparison with other countries, India has been way behind. If 2% of
India's population donate blood, it will be more than sufficient to meet the need of a country like India (See Exhibit
- 4 that indicates the enormous variations of blood donor per 1000 population among different countries)

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Indian blood banks v/s. blood banks of other developed countries

Due to limited shelf life of donated blood, there is a constant need to replenish stocks in blood banks. The need is
not only for blood but for "safe blood". Safe blood include all that is available for transfusion. Safe blood can be
collected with donor screening, proper & advanced sensitivity tests, best processes & quality management and an
experienced and efficient team of blood bank.

Blood transfusion services in India is fragmented. Blood banks have different practices and funding processes
based on who support them three types of blood banks, government, private for-profit and voluntary/charity
blood banks not-for profit. Blood banks in India compared to developed country were characterized with following
features;

 Most of blood banks were smaller in scale in terms of operation, poor infrastructure, economically
unstable, lack of hygiene, lack of funds
 Acute shortage of voluntary blood donors, more dependence on replacement donors
 Less awareness and use of blood components, acute shortage of blood
 No judicious decision to use blood/blood products leading to wastage of whole blood
 Mistrust
 Lack of management system & expertise
 Poor quality of screening & test methods
 State-of-the-art Infrastructure, technology to separate blood components (fractionation) from blood not
available in all blood banks
 Shortage of techno-medico trained people, lack of training
 Restriction of pricing of blood unit even though costs have gone up (excluding private for profit blood
banks associated with hospitals, as they have been charging higher processing charge), review of
processing charge recovery at interval of 6-7 years where as costs, technology changes every year
 Low awareness about blood group, blood donation, blood disorders like Thalassemia
 Not easy procedures for not-for profit blood banks for start-up, approval & renewal
 Lack of an effective blood authority, blood is still part of old 1940 act
 Lack of strategic framework for developing a safe, reliable and efficient blood transfusion service
 Poor laboratory procedures

One could find hundreds of Indian blood banks still fall short on several blood banking criteria, however RCGBB has
been different. At national level there were few more challenges in blood banking. (1) "judicious use of blood in
the country (approx. 40% blood is given to patients who don't need it), as transfused blood is after all 'foreign
blood'", (2) "in developed countries only Hematologists( ii) recommend transfusion of blood and not the surgeons,
physicians or pathologists (3) "transfuse only blood component that is required and not whole blood", (4)
"shortage of qualified experts in transfusion medicine & paramedical staff for 2800+ (numbers growing) blood
banks in the country", (5) "in developed countries, municipal corporations & Health department of state
government's organizes & manages to provide safe & quality blood on their own", (6) "how to increase support
from state governments to blood banks who have been doing outstanding work for society". If all stakeholders
work together to solve these challenges, it will reduce demand-supply gap of blood in the country & make
transfusion safer. What can be done in these areas? Donna felt that these points would certainly help to build
context of RCGBB's future decisions.

Risks & Challenges in Blood Transfusion

Government of India adopted the National Blood Policy in 2002 (2), which aimed at ensuring easy accessibility and
adequate supply of safe and quality blood & blood components collected from voluntary donors. Recent concept
of blood transfusion emphasized on the transfusion of component therapies instead of transfusion of whole blood.
This can be achieved, if blood would be collected only from voluntary donors, quality testing is performed as per
standards to ensure its freedom from infectious markers and rational use of blood. Infection through blood supply

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could be a major issue in any countries in general and in developing countries in particular where economic
constraints limit safety.

Blood banking in India had posed several challenge leading to higher disease transmission risk. Recently published
article (4) highlighted quoting National Aids Control Organization (NACO) figures of people contracted the HIV virus
due to transfusion of infected blood during last 5 years. The article indicated;

Quote
Experts say a fundamental problem is the fact that HIV in most blood banks is still tested through enzyme-linked immune-
sorbent assay test (ELISA) that has an innate shortcoming. “If a person has recently contracted HIV, this test may not show in the
blood. It can detect HIV antibodies that take a minimum of three months to show. So if a person donates blood, it will end up
getting transfused, “said staffer from KEM Hospital.

“Due to financial constraints, most blood banks have not graduated to advanced tests such as nuclear acid testing (NAT) that
cut down the HIV detection window period from a few months to a week, “said Vinay Shetty of NGO Think Foundation.
Currently, only a handful of the city's leading private hospitals offer NAT tested blood, which again comes at a premium fee of at
least Rs 1,200 per unit. “None of the state-run blood banks has this facility, though, “he said.
Unquote

Dr. G. Rameshchandra felt that many steps would be necessary in future to reduce or avoid transfusion risks by all
stakeholders i.e. Central & State government ministries & agencies, blood banks, patients, doctors, accreditation
bodies etc. It is important to screen blood before transfusing it. "Who would want to go to a hospital for surgery
and come back with Hepatitis C or HIV?" This might be right time for RCGBB to acquire state-of-the-art and high
sensitive system for testing of viruses to improve quality & safety of blood & blood components.

Blood screening test in India and other countries

All licensed blood banks in India perform mandatory tests for blood screening. However there are limitations in the
widely used serological tests (i.e. ELISA). Serological tests takes time as they detect anti-bodies - the body's
response to virus. Since these viral infections take time to manifest, accurate results may not be noted and
infected blood is transfused as safe blood. Blood banks were used to perform these tests;

 ELISA for HIV I/II Antibody

 ELISA for Hepatitis B (HBV) surface antigen
 ELISA for Antibody to Hepatitis C (HCV)
 VDRL (venereal disease research laboratory)/RPR (Rapid Plasma Reagin) for Syphilis
 Screening for Malaria Parasite

Difference between ID-NAT and ELISA tests

The main difference between ID-NAT and ELISA would be the time taken to detect infection. Being a direct test, ID-
NAT greatly reduces the ‘Window Period’ or the time between donor exposure to a virus and the presence of
detectable amount of antibodies / antigens.
ID-NAT ELISA
Direct test Indirect test
Targets antibodies – i.e. body’s response
Targets viral DNA/RNA to virus
Doesn’t detect the virus, only the
Can detect small amounts of virus in blood antibodies
Time taken for HIV-1 detection: 4.7 days Time taken for HIV-1 detection: 15 days
Time taken for HCV detection: 2.2 days Time taken for HCV detection: 58.3 days
Time taken for HBV detection: 14.9 days Time taken for HBV detection: 38.3 days

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Benefits of ID-NAT test

 ID-NAT is the most sensitive and specific test for detecting HIV, HCV and HBV infections in blood. It
has raised the bar in blood safety.
 ID-NAT complements serological screening by providing an additional layer of safety to Blood Supply,
particularly in regions of high prevalence like India.
 ID-NAT prevents spread of HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis by significantly reducing the window period,
resulting in fewer TTIs and safer blood.
 There are published cases where ELISA found the blood sample safe, but ID-NAT caught the infectious
virus.
 ID-NAT not only prevents transfusion of window period infections but also detects occult infections
(chronic cases where no antibodies are present and mutant viruses (where the virus has modified its
structure))
 ID-NAT reduces risk of TTI’s among multi-transfused patients like Thalassemics and those with cancer.
 Improves confidence in the nation’s blood supply by detecting false negative serology results.

Countries uses NAT test

Blood safety is a major concern all over the world, and most countries have added NAT as part of their routine
blood screening protocols. NAT is used in Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Caribbean, Czech Republic, Denmark,
Egypt, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Ireland, Italy, Korea, Latvia,
Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovenia, Slovakia,
South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, and United States.

ID-NAT tests in India

Many private hospitals, government and not-for-profit voluntary blood banks have incorporated ID-NAT testing as
their regular screening protocol. Partial list of these institutions are Indraprashtha Apollo Hospital, AIIMS, PD
Hinduja, CMC, Vellore etc. offer ID-NAT tested blood. Several Public interest litigations filed for making NAT tests
mandatory in the country & the matter is still being discussed at various levels about pros & cons of mandatory
NAT test in country (Approx. $ 1 bn will be required to upgrade all blood banks to NAT testing). Donna interacted
with other alternative technologies like Multi-pool testing (samples of 6 blood donations pooled together for test,
if test result would be positive, individual test of all samples would have to be performed to dis-card the one which
was infected. Multi-pool net test equipment was being offered by manufacturer on rental basis with equal or
similar operating cost per donation, without any investment from blood bank in Capex. Though rental option
appeared to be different, due to huge salvage value of equipment at the end of 5 to 10 year duration would make
outright purchase option better & economical.

ID-NAT test machine

ID-NAT test machine can be acquired in the range of Rs. 1.3 crore to 2.1 crore depending on configuration &
specification. Refer Exhibit - 7 for NAT equipment and Exhibit - 8 for break-up of capital cost & operation cost per
blood donation. Every test require variable cost like chemicals & other material etc. RCGBB knew that with current
volume of 900 blood units / month, it might not achieve break-even for this machine & will face additional
financial losses. However, if RCGBB wouldn't go for it and if other local blood bank offer NAT tested products, its
blood issue might drop even further. Donna interacted with NAT test equipment supplier and got an idea that
RCGBB can offer ID-NAT test services to other blood banks/ hospitals to increase volume to achieve feasibility.
Donna was not sure, how other blood bank would respond to such offer. Donna felt that after installing this test
equipment, monthly volume of blood units might go up because of more safe & quality blood & blood products
offered to patients.

Changes in external environment in blood banking

Dr. G. Rameshchandra explained several changes in blood banking environment in Rajkot during 2001-2011, as
Donna was new to this field, summarized below;

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Social & consumer trends

Rajkot's population has grew from 1.1 million to 1.4 million, due to increase in medical treatment cost patients
became price sensitive, patient had no time & ability to evaluate different blood banks, quality & safety standards
required & followed, blood & blood components perceived to be commodity, all blood banks perceived to be
same, increased immigration from other villages, cities & districts- hence no idea about blood banking facilities, so
they had to rely on references from hospital staff or their local relatives to select blood bank.

Business trends
Hospitals & blood banks established strong alliance to source hospital's entire requirement from single blood bank,
due to fund constraints couldn't allocated enough resources in sales & marketing, but now blood banks started
emphasizing on sales, marketing & communication, more blood banks adopted state-of-the-art equipment
machines, hence removing differentiators among blood banks, dropping of entry barriers due to high cost
equipment offered by suppliers on lease model, hence blood bank need not to invest upfront huge amount,
increased price based competition by few blood banks, whose fixed cost were less due to not mandatory staff &
other compliance & lesser variable cost uses cheaper raw material, bags and inferior tests compared to RCGBB,
increased demand from large multi-specialty hospital to set-up blood bank's satellite storage & distribution center
in their premises, no of hospitals gone up to 750 from 150.

Statutory & regulatory trends

Mandatory free blood to patients who require repeated transfusion, mandatory free blood to be supplied by not-
for-profit & private blood banks to government hospital, revision of processing charges (National Aids Control
Organization, Ministry of Health, Government of India) (5) from to 1670/- per unit Red cell Concentrate and 1970/-
for Whole blood and additional Rs.1200 if blood is NAT tested.

These changes shaped blood banking in Rajkot area & would continue to impact blood banks in future. Donna felt
that if right & timely steps would not be taken, RCGBB might face bankruptcy. Short term goal & immediate
challenge would be how to charge these government approved rates and still attract customer to create
reasonable financial surplus? (RCGBB's processing costs including fixed cost 22% (salary, electricity), variable cost
64% (bag, various tests), other 14% (overheads, blood donation drive) are Rs. 1670/- per whole blood unit. RCGBB
had to reduce its rates by Rs. 400 on price of Rs. 1970/- to match other blood banks rates, hence incurring loss of
Rs. 100/- per whole blood unit. Dr. G. Rameshchandra talked to Donna to also find out ways to reach out to
customer, make them aware about differentiators, benefits of RCGBB's technology, quality tests, standards etc.
and pursue them to pay government approved rates and also acquire blood from RCGBB.

Road ahead for RCGBB

Several forces had driven RCGBB's growth, shaped its competition and determined the basis for competition. He
proactively took strategic decision to navigate RCGBB successfully all these years. However, recent changes in the
environment impacted RCGBB the most than any other local blood bank due to RCGBB's huge investment in
infrastructure, underutilization of capacity of blood units, highly educated & trained staff leading to higher fixed
cost, best in class raw material like bags & costly quality tests conducted leading to higher variable cost, process
automation and many other strategic choices it has made which other blood banks haven't on one side and on
other side not allowed to recover processing charges more than government guidelines & forced to offer further
reduction in processing charges in response to aggressive approach of other blood banks. Donna couldn't figure
out, how other blood banks offer blood collection, processing & storage services at such a low price and survive
even without national & international accreditation, infrastructure, technologies and basic standards?

Dr. G. Rameshchandra was trying to understand patient's perspective and asked Donna, "In case your relative
would be admitted to hospital for surgery which quality of blood would you prefer; "a cheap, inferior tested blood
from not accredited blood bank" or "NAT tested, high quality blood from a world class blood bank"? Since you
have been working with RCGBB, would you ever consider going to small blood bank with poor infrastructure, no
qualified staff and no proper tests conducted?"

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Donna shared that she encountered three categories of hospitals with different rates of same treatment, different
infrastructure, different service levels & three categories of patients, elite class, middle & blow poverty line who
have no idea about blood banking, quality & safety requirements & also no time to do comparison when they need
blood. RCGBB catered to the need of all types of hospitals, all categories of patients all products for broad market
& customer base. Donna wondered whether after starting ID-NAT system, RCGBB could cater to niche patient
segment who would be willing to pay additional charges for NAT test and whether RCGBB can offer NAT tested and
without NAT tested products together at different processing charges to all different categories of patients.

Donna compiled all inputs, analyzed data, compared other blood banks to evaluate reasons of RCGBB's success in
the past due to differentiation strategy, recent shift to the cost leadership strategy and whether focus strategy to
prepare her report. She performed SWOT analysis of RCGBB, five force analysis, unique selling point analysis as
well to remove subjectivity from her recommendation. What will be her major recommendations?

Exhibit 1 Process Flow Chart of Blood processing

Source: http://www.who.int/bloodsafety/publications/DesignGuideBloodCentres.pdf
http://www.who.int/bloodproducts/publications/WHO_TRS_840_A2.pdf

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Exhibit 2 Elements of Blood

Source: http://www.aboutthemcat.org/human-body-systems/circulatory-system.php

Component Details Used in treatments

RCC Red Cell Concentrate - Unit of blood from which most Anaemia, surgery, bone marrow transplant,
of the plasma & platelets have been removed giving 55- neonates, Haemorrhage
75% of haematocrit with shelf life between 35-42 days.
LR-RCC Leuco reduced Red Cell Concentrate - It is obtained by Haemophilic patients , Chronic Anaemia ,
process of filtering passenger white cells from red cell or Thalassemic patients
platelets. (reduce leucocytes from 109 / unit to 5 x 106 /
unit ) Leucodeplated blood is especially recommended
in patients with haematologic malignant disease
PC Platelet Concentrate - Platelets are small, regularly- Patients suffering from Haemorrhage due to
shaped clear cell fragments. Average life span is causalities, accidents, burns, surgical
normally 5 to 9 days. Platelet unit must be maintained at procedures including organ transplants,
room temperature and agitated during storage. Infectious conditions like Malaria and Dengue,
Thrombocytopenia
FFP Fresh Frozen Plasma - a fluid portion of one unit of surgical procedures including organ
human blood that has been centrifuged, separated and transplants, Immunological disease, liver
frozen solid at -30 deg C within 6 hours of collection. It disease, disseminated intravascular coagulation
contains all the coagulation factors and plasma proteins
(such as albumin), shelf life 1 year if maintained in
freezers. 200-250 ml FFP obtained from single 450 ml
whole blood transfusion bag. Its usage increased tenfold
in last 10 years. Unused plasma can be converted in dry
form to make powder by bio-tech companies
Cryo Cryoprecipitate - Concentrated source of von Willebrand surgical procedures including organ
factor, fibrinogen, factor VIII and fibronectin. It is transplants, von Willebrand's disease,
produced by slow-thawing (at 4 Deg C) fresh frozen hypofibrinaemia
plasma, followed by centrifugation. One unit of Cryo
obtained from a single FFP bag. Often transfused at four
to six unit pool instead of as a single product. Shelf life
1 year.
SDP Single donor platelet are harvested by specialized Patients suffering from Haemorrhage due to
procedure called Apheresis using cell separator device. causalities, accidents, burns, surgical
(See Exhibit 23 for SDP procedure) procedures including organ transplants,
Infectious conditions like Malaria and Dengue
Whole Blood donated by human voluntary blood donor surgical procedures including organ transplants
Blood

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Exhibit 3 Misconception / Myth v/s Reality about Blood Donation

Sr. No. Misconception / Myth Reality

1 Blood donation hurts. No, it doesn't hurt. Worldwide millions of people
donate blood regularly.
2 Someone else will donate all the blood that's If everyone will think like this, who will donate? It
needed is everyone's responsibility to donate blood to help
others.
3 I don't have time, will not be able to carry out day Donating blood save someone's life. One must take
to day activities out 30-40 minutes time for one blood donation
every 3 months. Blood donors can carry out day to
day normal work after blood donation, may be
avoid hard work / exercise for some time.
4 I am weak, & donation will make me tired & No, one won't feel weakness, if will continue to
weaker. It leads to weakness drink plenty of water, juices & normal meal after
blood donation.
5 I take medication, so I can't donate Not all medication & illness prevents you to
donate. Better to talk to doctor at blood bank to
find out your eligibility for donation
6 I might get infected from donating No. If you will donate in a good set-up and make
sure that disposable syringes and needles are used
7 Blood bank ask embarrassing questions It is mandatory process for a blood bank to do
blood donor screening to ask questions about past
health, diseases etc. and decide eligibility of
donation.
8 I am woman. Women & girls can't donate blood Women can and must donate if fit enough to
donate, there is no distinction between male
donors or female donors.
9 I feel pain while donating & afterwards Not really, one feel just a pinch of pain, there will
be no paid during and after donation.
10 Too much time will be wasted Entire process from registration to rest after
donation takes 30-40 minutes. Actual donation
takes less than 10 minutes, recommended rest time
is 20 minutes.
11 My own blood will decrease and I will become Human have enough blood in the body and if 350
weaker. ml is donated at interval of 3 months, blood will
not decrease, because new blood will be generated
by body.

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Exhibit 4 Number of blood donors per 1000 population in different countries

120 113

100

80 70
58 56 55
60
40
40 33
27 24 23
22 21
17 13
20 10 10 9 9 7
4 4 2 2 2 0.4
0

India
New Guinea
Hongkong

Malaysia

Zimbabwe

Ethiopia
Canada

Sudan
Spain
Singapore

Philippines
Switzerland

 Australia

Korea
New Zealand

Macao

Vietnam
China
 Japan

Brazil
Mexico
Jordan

Fiji
UK
Greece

Source: http://gscbt.co.in/ Gujarat State Council for Blood Transfusion website

Exhibit 5 Comparison of Rajkot City based blood banks (Source: RCGBB internal analysis)

Sr Parameter RVBB & RC Red Cross Blood Blood Bank B RCGBB (Govt.)
Blood Bank Blood Bank Bank A Blood Bank
1 Established in Year 1981 2008 2000 2009 2001 No info.
2 Capacity (Whole Blood Units / 2000 1800 1200 1800 800 800-1000
Month)
3 NABH Accreditation Yes No No No YES No
4 ISO-9000 Certification Yes No No No YES No
5 American Association of Yes No No No Proposed in No
Blood Banks Accreditation 2015/16
(AABB)
6 4th Generation ELISA Test Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Equipment
7 Cross matching by automatic Yes (Neo Yes (Diagast No Yes (Galileo Yes (Galileo No
machine system fully system fully system fully system fully
automatic) automatic) automatic) automatic)
8 NAT Testing Proposed in No No Pooled NAT No No
2015
9 Antibody screening of patients Yes Yes - Yes YES No
& donors
10 24 X 7 X 365 days operation' Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
11 No of Satellite storage unit One Three NA NA One NA
with large hospital
12 No of employees 60` 20 25 25 25 20
13 Blood Component Automation Automation Yes Yes Automation Yes
manufacturing through T - through T - (Manua (Manually) through T - (Manually)
ACE II+ ACE II+ lly) ACE II+
machine machine machine

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Exhibit 6 Automatic Blood Component Extractor & Platelet agitator with incubator (Source: RCGBB)

Blood component extractor Platelet agitator

Exhibit 7 High technology testing, processing, NAT test & storage devices

Galileo cross matching system Storage

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Centrifuge NAT Test

Source: RCGBB

Exhibit 8 NAT Test cost break-up (If equipment would be purchased)

CAPEX Indian Rupee

Cost of equipment 21120000
Tax on equipment 1056000
Cost of ancillary items 500000
Cost of Lab making 1200000
A) Total Capital Expenses 23876000

OPEX
Cost per test (CPT) 875
Tax on CPT 43.75
Consumables / donation 24
Total CPT with Tax per donation 942.75
Comprehensive maintenance cost / 2000000
year
B) Total Operation cost of testing *

C) Total Capex +Opex (A+B) *

* Depends on number of donations to be tested in one year, if this machine is utilized for more donation to be tested in a year,
cost per donation would go down, under-utilization of machine will lead to financial loss in operation of NAT test equipment, as
maximum revenue can be recovered in the form of additional processing fee limit set by Government is Rs. 1200/- for NAT
tested blood.

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Bibliography:
(1) http://gscbt.co.in/ Gujarat State Council for Blood Transfusion website

(2) http://www.naco.gov.in/upload/2014%20mslns/BTS/National%20Blood%20Policy.pdf

(3) http://cdsco.nic.in/html/guideline.htm (Regulatory requirements of blood and/or its components including blood
products, Central Drugs Standard Control Organization, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Govt. of India and

(3) "Clinical Transfusion Medicine Handbook by Dr. R. B. Sawant, Director, Rajkot Voluntary Blood Bank,
Published on 1-Feb-2009

(4) Times of India article, http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31814&articlexml=1000-HIV-cases-

in-state-due-to-infected-29012015001016

(5) Ministry of Health, Government of India Guidelines (No. S. 12015/01/2012-NACO(NBTC) dated 12-Feb-2014

i
http://naco.gov.in/upload/Blood%20Saftey/Statewise%20List%20of%20NACO%20Supported%20Blood%20banks.pdf - List prepared by
National Aids Control Organization, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare accessed on 31-Mar-2015.
(ii) Hematologist - is an expert doctor of the study of blood in health and disease. Hematology includes problems with the red blood cells, white
blood cells, platelets, blood vessels, bone marrow, lymph nodes, spleen, and the proteins involved in bleeding and clotting (homeostasis and
thrombosis). In developed countries, only Hematologists decide whether a person should be given a blood or blood component or not.

15 01-30012015-08 Rev 1 30-Jan-2015

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01-19102018-01
19-Oct-2018
KETAN R. GANDHI

Harley-Davidson’s India market dream

“Can Milwaukee-USA based Harley-Davidson (H-D) roar into India-the world’s largest market for two
wheelers, and attract buyers despite strong competition from local and global bike brands?” G.
Rameshchandra, Business Intelligence Expert & Analyst asked this question to his team members in a
meeting. His team had to collect data and submit analysis in two weeks.

Harley-Davidson

Throughout the world, Harley-Davidson united people deeply, passionately and authentically. From
town to town and country to country, H-D’s ideals of freedom and self-expression transcend cultures,
gender and age. Being recognized as an iconic brand was gratifying, but igniting the fire within people on
the many roads of the world. H-D fulfilled dreams of personal freedom – it’s the purpose, and took it
seriously. And while freedom means different things to different people, it’s a bond that brought Harley-
Davidson customers, employees, dealers, suppliers and enthusiasts together.

Harley-Davidson manufactured and sold custom, cruiser and touring motorcycles that featured leading-
edge styling, innovative design, distinctive sound, and superior quality with the ability to personalize. It
also provided (1) Riding experiences and events (2) Accessories to customize motorcycles (3) Riding
apparel and gear for riders and passengers (4) Casual apparel and accessories for riders, passengers and
enthusiasts (5) Motorcycle service parts

Its full-year net income was $521.8 million (operating income was $ 621.9 million) on consolidated
revenue of $5.65 billion in FY 2017 (Refer Annexure – 1 Financial Performance Summary)

“On our quest to build the next generation of riders globally, we welcome all who share these values
and a desire to enjoy the world on a motorcycle. Our strategy is to build the next generation of riders
Case : Harley-Davidson’s India market dream

globally and fostering the incredible feeling of personal freedom you get from behind the handlebars of
a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Our goals are, to add 2 million new riders in the US and hundreds of
thousands in other countries who will keep us cruising for another century and beyond and our efforts
are squarely on inspiring new riders who will one day carry the torch for our sport and our brand and to
grow international business at the rate of 50% per annum in volume.

©2018 KgGuruji Academy (A division of KgGuruji consulting & Services). This case is prepared by Sr. Principal
Consultant & Corporate Trainer Ketan Gandhi ([email protected]). The author may have disguised certain names
& their identifying information to protect confidentiality. Some facts within the case have been altered. Cases are
developed solely as the basis for class discussion / corporate training and are not intended to serve as
endorsements, sources of primary or secondary data, or illustrations of effective or ineffective handling of
management situation. To order copies or request permission to reproduce materials, contact Whatsapp
+917972692474 or visit http://training.kgguruji.com & www.facebook.com/kggurujiacademy or download mobile app
“KgGuruji” from Google playstore for android phones or from Apple iOS store. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, used in a spreadsheet, or transmitted in any form or by any means—
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the permission of the KgGuruji Management.
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Our product plan is the most aggressive in our history, and we can’t wait to show the world what’s next.
High impact, iconic motorcycles that will reinvent the product segments where we compete. We would
launch 100 new high impact H-D motorcycles. We will also be increasingly environmentally and socially
responsible, paying close attention to the impact we make on the planet and society and there by grow
our business without growing our environmental impact.” H-D CEO said during an investor meet.

Harley-Davidson in India

H-D had a tremendous opportunity in developing and emerging markets internationally, where the
strength of the H-D brand was just as strong as it was within the U.S. It needed to enhance reach and
brand awareness in these markets to build the next generation of riders globally. With more than a
century of tradition behind its iconic American brand, H-D wasn’t starting from scratch in India. It
enjoyed high brand recognition worldwide and began planning for the presence in India in 2005. Two
years later, a US – India trade deal paved way for foreign made, heavy-weight bikes like Harley-Davidson
to be imported and sold throughout the country (In exchange of export of India mangos to USA). Once
H-D had the green light to go into high gear, it began recruiting dealers in five metropolitan areas.
Harley-Davidson started out strong in India. Before the first bike was delivered, the company had
hundreds of preorders. Harley Davidson made its debut in Indian in August 2009 and had seen a steady
rise in sales for the initial years (Refer Annexure-2). Over the last few years, their sales growth had not
been that impressive.

With its headquarters in Gurgaon, Harley-Davidson India commenced operations in August 2009
and appointed its first dealership in July 2010. It started assembly plant in Bawal, Haryana (First
assembly unit outside USA) Harley-Davidson offered 16 models in the existing line-up (Refer
Annexure-3 for product offerings). In addition to a full range of genuine parts, accessories and
general merchandise were also available through its authorized dealerships. H-D in India
distributed motorcycles through independent dealers (26 dealers in 2017 in India, 1400 dealers in 100
countries), most of which exclusively sold Harley-Davidson® products and provided world class customer
service and experiences. Harley-Davidson also launched an exclusive merchandise showroom at
Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai.

In 2016, Harley-Davidson also launched the Harley-Davidson Financial Services Program in India
Case : Harley-Davidson’s India market dream

that offered customized financing solutions with flexible and attractive rates, terms and EMIs
for riders to finance their dream motorcycle. HDFS offered to dealers and customers range of
services including (1) Wholesale and retail financing (2) Insurance (3) Extended service and other
protection plans (4) Credit card programs

Sales in India

FY 2016 it sold 4708 bikes, in FY2017, it sold 3,690 motorcycles in all (with the Street 750
making up 2,164 of those numbers). In current financial year till Jun-2018, it sold 901 bikes. Jul-
2018 sales volume was 264 bikes (151 units of Street 750). Sales & marketing team in India was
worried about reduction in its market share from 95% few years ago to 56%. Even though it was
a market leader in 600+ cc segment, reduction in market share was a major concern. (Refer
Annexure – 2 for Sales volume of H-D motorcycles in India during last five financial years & first
quarter of current financial year 2018-19)

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Customers

Global management team of Harley-Davidson saw India’s economy growing rapidly. Its expanding
middle class had both considerable buying power and an appetite for world-class, brand-name products.
Most of these consumers had seen H-D bikes in Hollywood movies, and some met H-D owners at events
or tested H-D bikes.

H-D focused on diversifying customer base within the U.S. as well as expanding reach outside the U.S. To
build on that momentum, it evolved our customer-led approach to include a deeper understanding of
consumer life stages and cultural shifts. These insights were driving a richer, more targeted marketing
and product development approaches that would help it continue to diversify customer base and reach
the next generation of riders globally.

H-D® motorcycle riders come from diverse backgrounds. What all riders had in common regardless of
their age, gender or ethnicity was they were all freedom-loving, adventure-seeking individuals who
aspired to the values H-D stands for – independence, authenticity and the passion for being on the open
road.

As in most of the world, the majority buyers in India were men. Unlike most H-D markets, however, here
the fastest growth in sales was to men in their 30s and 40s. Women were also being targeted. According
to company official “While we strongly believe H-D is more of a state of mind and it transcends gender
and age, we see a tremendous potential with Indian women riders”. In fact, H-D was already the most
popular brand among US women bike buyers, a trend that could spread to India in the coming years. H-
D sales & marketing team collected lot of data & information about consumer behavior and purchase
decision criteria of Indian consumers while purchasing motorcycle based on their interaction with
potential motorcycle consumers.

Competition

Even though, there was huge opportunity for H-D, it must compete against long established bike brands
such as Royal Enfield, which has its own loyal customer base. Consumers in India can compare Royal
Enfield’s four stroke engines responsible for “thumper” sound associated with the brand-with Harley-
Case : Harley-Davidson’s India market dream

Davidson’s more powerful V-twin engines, which produce that brand’s signature thundering sound.

Looking at price, they will find Royal Enfield’s bikes carry a lower price tag than Harley-Davidson’s in part
because of import duties. Consumers concerned about the availability of repair services will also
compare Harley-Davidson’s handful of dealerships with Royal Enfield’s countrywide dealership network.

According to SIAM data, H-D India sold 2,470 motorcycles in the April-October 2016 period,
taking a huge advantage over other premium bike players, including big names like Kawasaki
and Triumph. India Kawasaki was in second place with 870 bikes sold in the same period, while
Triumph Motorcycles sold 750 bikes in the same period, taking third place. H-D also leads the
sales numbers in bikes costing Rs 5 lakh or more, selling 901 units in the same period, while
Kawasaki with 761 bikes and Triumph with 750 bikes are trying to grab a larger share of the
market. (Refer Annexure – 4 Sales volume and market share of all companies in different
product segment in first quarter of financial year 2014-15 and 2015-16)

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British brand Triumph said it started assembling locally as part of its Make in India strategy. Most of local
manufacturers of two wheelers offer products for masses in less than 500 cc size segment. In FY 2017-
18, motorcycles segment saw a total domestic sales of over 1.26 crore and scooters contributed to 67.19
lakh units. As per SIAM report, India has 11 motorcycle manufacturers and 7 scooter manufacturers.
Motorcycles contributed to 62.4 percent of the total sales, scooters contribution was 33.27
percent. (Refer Annexure – 5 List of top 10 two wheelers sold in India during last two years)

Harley Davidson’s competitive advantage

Harley-Davidson’s unique image of independence and individuality was a clear point of differentiation.
The company also had other competitive advantages. One was that it offered a full range of motorcycles
and accessories, with customization options that bike buyers particularly value. The company was
developing special customization kits so buyer in India could mix and match H-D engines and parts to
create one-of-its-kind motorcycles, as they do in other markets.

A second competitive advantage was that only H-D buyers can join the Harley Owners Group (HOG), a
global group whose one million plus members are invited to events such as bike training “boot camps,”
weekend rides and film festivals exclusively for H-D owners. HOG members also get to attend the
company’s owners-only rock concerts featuring top Indian bands. “We want to give bike lovers the full
ownership experience in India” Harley-Davidson’s MD says about local HOG activities.

A third advantage was that H-D dealership permit buyers to test drive every bike in the product line,
which not every competitor allowed. Test-drives help buyers try the various features, experience
firsthand the difference among models and form an impression of how it would feel to ride a H-D bike.

Road Ahead

H-D India would keep focus on bringing new riders into the sport of motorcycling while
broadening brand appeal through an expansion strategy, quality motorcycles and key initiatives
like Legend on Tour, Passport to Freedom, Harley Rock Riders and Discover More campaign.

Few analysts and industry experts believed that in order for H-D to grow in India, the formula was to
Case : Harley-Davidson’s India market dream

launch more affordable, smaller cc motorcycles (Less than 500 cc) directly or by partnering with a local
player. BMW had already done that (G310 twins model), Triumph was working towards that (in
association with Bajaj Auto) and now Harley Davidson might joined the list. “Exciting times ahead, if one
was a biker.” Will there be exciting time for H-D, India?

Questions

1. How do you evaluate success of Harley-Davidson in India so far?

2. How consumer purchases two wheelers in India? What are the implications of consumer’s
decision making process & behavior for H-D?
3. List all challenges H-D faced in India market & what can be done to overcome those challenges?
4. Do you agree with a decision allowing buyers to test-drive any of the H-D bikes? Why or why
not?

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5. If you would be global CEO of H-D, would you consider launching smaller cc motorcycles for
India market? What will be impact of Harley-Davidson’s decision on its current & future sales,
brand image, market leadership in 600+ cc segment & consumer behavior?
6. What will you do as MD & CEO of Harley Davidson to increase your market share and to
maintain your market leadership?

Annexure – 1 – Financial Summary & comparison of performance in years 2016 and 2017

$ in thousands Full-Year
%
2017 2016 Change
Motorcycle Shipments (vehicles) 241,498 262,221 (7.9)
Revenue
Motorcycles $3,825,206 $4,122,113 (7.2)
Parts & Accessories $804,363 $842,637 (4.5)
General Merchandise $262,776 $284,583 (7.7)
Gross Margin Percent 33.6% 35.1% (1.5)
Operating Income $615,958 $773,406 (20.4)
Operating Margin Percent 12.5% 14.7% (2.2)

Annexure – 2 Harley Davidson’s Motorcycle sales volume in India during 2013-2019*

Year Market Share Volumes Volume

H-D Total (All motorcycles

600+ cc)
Till FY12-13 95% 3400
FY 13-14 92.3% 1269
FY 14-15 88.3% 1884
FY 15-16 46.7% 4641
FY 16-17 53.2% 4708 8732
Case : Harley-Davidson’s India market dream

FY 17-18 48.8% 3690 7596

FY 18-19 (Till Jun-18) 56.4% 901

*till Jun 2018

Harley-Davidson Sales Report (July 2018)

1. Street 750 – 151 units 9. CVO Limited – 3 units

2. Iron 883 – 28 units 10. 1200 Custom – 2 units
3. Street Rod – 21 units 11. Deluxe – 1 unit
4. Roadster – 18 units 12. Road King – 1 unit
5. Fat Boy – 14 units 13. Street Glide Special – 1 unit
6. Fat Bob – 11 units 14. Street Bob – 0 units
7. Forty Eight – 9 units 15. Heritage Classic – 0 units
8. Low Rider – 4 units 16. Road Glide Special – 0 units
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Annexure – 3 Harley Davidson product offerings in India market

Harley Davidson LiveWire : 20 Lakh Harley Davidson CVO Limited : 50 Lakh

Harley Davidson Custom 1250 : 15 Lakh Harley Davidson Road Glide Special : 33 Lakh

Harley Davidson Forty Eight Special : 10.55 Lakh Harley Davidson Fat Boy Anniversary : 18.15 Lakh

Case : Harley-Davidson’s India market dream

Harley Davidson Iron 1200 : 10 Lakh Harley Davidson Deluxe : 18.70 Lakh

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Harley Davidson Street fighter 975 : 9 Lakh Harley Davidson Iron 883 : 9.20 Lakh

Harley Davidson Street 750 : Rs. 5.31 Lakh Harley Davidson Street Rod : 6.51 Lakh

CVO (Rs. 50 Lakh) - Fully loaded, limited-edition machines built for those who want it all when it comes
to custom touring.
Touring (Rs. 25 – 33 Lakh) - Go the distance and discover the wide open world in the most epic way
possible.
Softail (Rs. 12.64 – 19.75 Lakh) - Authentic heritage and custom soul meet modern edge and
technology, for a ride unlike anything you’ve felt before.
Sportster – Racing (Rs. 9.2 – 11.05 Lakh). Land speed records. Epic road trips. The motorcycle that's
done it all, now does it all better.
Case : Harley-Davidson’s India market dream

Street (Rs. 5.3 – 6.5 Lakh) - Built to shred city streets. Sleek and nimble, with an authentic urban
attitude.

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Annexure - 4 Product segment wise sales comparisons in Q1 of FY 14-15 and FY 15-16

Case : Harley-Davidson’s India market dream

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Annexure – 5 : Top 10 list of two wheelers sold in India

(Total 2.01 crore two wheelers sold in India in FY 2017-18)

Models 2016-17 Rank Models 2017-18

Activa 2,759,835 1 Activa 3,154,030
Splendor 2,550,830 2 Splendor 2,733,586
HF Deluxe 1,408,356 3 HF Deluxe 1,883,047
TVS XL Super 890,518 4 CB Shine 987,271
Passion 870,382 5 Passion 930,996
CB Shine 777,006 6 Glamour 878,303
Glamour 743,798 7 TVS XL Super 859,520
Jupiter 613,838 8 Jupiter 810,916
Pulsar 582,912 9 Pulsar 657,276
CT 452,712 10 Classic 350 555,513

Case : Harley-Davidson’s India market dream

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WRITING TEACHING CASES: A QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE

Ali Farhoomand
The University of Hong Kong
[email protected]

ABSTRACT

Writing a teaching case is different from writing a research article. This short guide explains
what is involved in writing a good teaching case. More specifically, it describes how to
increase the teaching value of a case by linking it to pertinent theories and concepts, how to
make a case more appealing to students through contextual nuances, and how to write useful
teaching notes.

Editor’s Note: This editorial was prepared by Prof. Ali Farhoomand of the University of The University of
Hong Kong. He observed that authors are not preparing cases in a form suitable for classroom use. He
therefore prepared this brief guide to assist authors so that the time between submission and publication
is speeded.

INTRODUCTION

The case method is a powerful approach to teaching and learning business subjects. It’s main
advantage is that it is a “question-oriented”, as opposed to solution-based, approach to
teaching and learning. It allows students to participate in “real-life” decision making processes
by first identifying the major “question” in the case before formulating appropriate solutions.

Writing a teaching case is more similar to writing a spy thriller than a research article. To
begin with, a case has to have a hook: an overriding issue that pulls various parts together, a
managerial issue or decision that requires urgent attention. The trick is to present the story
such that the hook is not easily evident but “discovered” by students by putting relevant
pieces together. More importantly, the hook must be linked to a particular concept, theory, or
methodology.

Before starting to write a case, first think of several important “design” questions:

1. What theories or concepts are you going to teach through the case?
2. Are there any interesting hook(s) that can bind the story together?
104 Communications of the Association for Information Systems (Volume 12, 2003)103-107
Writing Teaching Cases: A Quick Reference Guide by A. Farhoomand
3. Is the case sufficiently rich in terms of contextual nuances (the setting, personalities,
cultures, urgency of issues)?
4. How would students react to the case? Is it sufficiently challenging? Interesting?
5. Is there enough dynamic tension in the case to produce contentious and competing
views?
6. Would the case lend itself to an interesting and useful teaching and learning approach
(e.g., role playing, simulation)?

A case typically consists of three main parts.

Part 1. The Opening Paragraph

In the opening paragraph, invariably the most important part of a case, you set the general
scene and tone. It is not a summary, and is different from the abstract of a research article.

Use the opening paragraph to paint a concise and interesting picture of the main issue(s) in
the case; describe the context within which the case occurs; introduce the principal
protagonist(s); set the timeline. It is customary to finish the opening paragraph with one or two
overriding questions facing the characters in the case.

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The opening paragraph should provide a summary of the five questions posed by journalists:
• what • who • why• where • when

Part 2: Body of the Case

The second part, the body of the case, is used to tell the whole story -- usually in a
chronological order. It typically contains general background on business environment,
company background, and the details of the specific issue(s) faced by the company.

Paying attention to contextual shades is particularly important at this stage. How you tell the
story is often more important than the story itself. A good case should exude dynamic tension.
Tell more than one side to the story so that students can think of competing alternatives. A
good case usually revolves around at least one major issue that is usually simple to identify
but not necessarily easy to resolve. Engage the reader by using quotations from interviewees
or stakeholders of the case.

Part 3. Concluding Paragraph

In the last part, the concluding paragraph, provide a short synthesis of the case to reiterate
the main issues, or even to raise new questions.

Principles

• Use simple and clear English to avoid clutter [Zinsser, 1998].

• Write neutrally. As a case writer, you should play the role of an honest investigative
journalist without “taking sides”.

• Don’t provide any analysis, or “lessons learned” in the case; leave that in the teaching
note. Communications of the Association for Information Systems (Volume13, 2004)103-107 105
Writing Teaching Cases: A Quick Reference Guide by A. Farhoomand

• Let students decide about the merits of any particular argument based on their
understanding of the facts provided in the case.

• Embellish to highlight or downplay certain points, but stay true to the facts.

Purely descriptive cases provide a snapshot of an interesting issue, but they usually are of
limited academic value. Description (what) is only the first stage in the learning process. A
bona fide teaching case should be, at a minimum, decisional and analytical. It should
challenge students to move to higher orders of learning by prompting them to ask “how” the
issues are related to one another and “why” things happen the way they do. By learning how
to identify business patterns, students can improve their analytic skills.

Characteristics of a Good Case

A good case should give enough information so that students can break down the relevant
facts. But it mustn’t provide any diagnosis or prognosis.

A good case should challenge students to make a “business case” for a particular decision by
articulating how and why they came up to their decision.

A good case should provoke students to think laterally.

A good case should ideally promote both analysis and synthesis skills. Students usually learn
quickly how to break down a case into clusters of related issues; they are mostly good at
analysis. They have more difficulty, however, with synthesis -- how to put related facts into a
coherent, articulated plan of action.

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A good Information systems case often involves implementation issues. Take advantage of
these issues to increase dynamism by highlighting the human and socio-political factors in
implementation.

HOW TO WRITE A CASE1

1. Teaching cases tell a story about what happened. They should therefore be written in the
past tense.

2. Identify and establish an issue/problem which can be used to teach a concept or theory.

3. The opening paragraph of the case should typically contain the following information:

• WHOSE role is the student to assume?

• WHO is the key decision maker?
• WHAT is the nature of the issue/problem?
• WHEN did the case take place? Specify the date line in this paragraph.
• WHERE did the case take place; what organization?
• WHY did the issue/problem arise?

4. Establish teaching objective(s) and revise the opening paragraph as necessary:

• Specify the purpose of writing the case.

• Check if the opening paragraph matches the purpose.
• Check if the case is appropriate for the course for which it is intended.
• Check if the case is appropriate for teaching the relevant concepts/theories.

5. Structure the case and decide on subheadings

HOW TO WRITE TEACHING NOTES

Generally speaking, teaching notes should convey what the student is to accomplish at the
end of the case. They are designed to provide the instructor with a general understanding of
the case content, objectives, key issues or questions, and suggested teaching approaches of
the case.

Additional information such as financial data and exhibits may be included to increase the
level of difficulty of the case. Teaching notes should be written concurrently with the case.
Unlike the case, which is written in past tense, teaching notes should be written in the present
tense because they are the writer’s current analysis of issues raised in the case. They may
include:

• Potential uses of the case

• Potential audience of the case
• Teaching objectives
• Suggested teaching approach/plan
• Case description/synopsis of the case
• Immediate use(s) of the Case
• Basic issue(s)
• Possible discussion questions
• Suggested student assignments
• Suggested additional readings or references
• Analysis
• Computer and multi-media support, if any.
• Teaching themes and lessons from the case

CONCLUSION

A good teaching case encourages lateral thinking by unraveling the dynamic interplay
between the inductive and deductive methods of discovery. As business issues increasingly
become more complex and interdependent, it is important for business students to

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• learn how to differentiate between major and minor issues,
• discover business patterns,
• distinguish problems from symptoms, and
• synthesize their thoughts into coherent, articulated and actionable decisions.

It is important to write teaching cases in such way that students learn that there is no “one
solution” to business problems and that tradeoffs are possible among competing alternatives.

Communications of the Association for Information Systems (Volume13, 2004)103-107 107

Writing Teaching Cases: A Quick Reference Guide by A. Farhoomand

The ability to make tradeoffs, and communicate the logic behind such tradeoffs, enhances
students’ strategic orientation in dealing with business issues.

REFERENCES AND ADDITIONAL READINGS

Leenders, M. R., Mauffette-Leenders, L. A., Erskine, J. A., (2001), Writing Cases, (Fourth
Edition), Ontario, Canada, Ivey Publishing, Richard Ivey School of Business, The University of
Western Ontario.
Leenders, M. R., Mauffette-Leenders, L. A., Erskine, J. A., (1998), Teaching with Cases,
Ontario,
Canada, Ivey Publishing, Richard Ivey School of Business, The University of Western
Ontario.
Leenders, M. R., Mauffette-Leenders, L. A., Erskine, J. A., (1997), Learning with Cases,
Ontario,
Canada, Ivey Publishing, Richard Ivey School of Business, The University of Western
Ontario.
Zinsser, W., (1998), On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction, (Sixth Edition),
New York, HarperCollins Publishing.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ali Farhoomand is Director of Centre for Asian Business Cases (CABC) at The University of
Hong Kong. He is the author of over 70 case studies related of information systems, which
can ordered through Harvard Business School, the European Case Clearinghouse and the
CABC(www.cabc.org.hk). Ali is the author of Global e-Commerce: Text and Cases (Prentice
Hall,2001) and Managing e-Business Transformation (Palgrave/Mcmillan, 2004).

Copyright © 2004 by the Association for Information Systems. Permission to make digital or hard copies
of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are
not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and full
citation on the first page. Copyright for components of this work owned by others than the Association
for Information Systems must be honored. Abstracting with credit is permitted. To copy otherwise, to
republish, to post on servers, or to redistribute to lists requires prior specific permission and/or fee.

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