SK-II, a leading luxury beauty brand in Japan, was experiencing a decline, losing customers to aggressive rivals, and struggling to stay compelling in a changing society. This loss of momentum called for a new strategy that would transform the brand and transcend the competition.

The case describes the story of Sri Lanka-based Dilmah Ceylon Tea. Founded in 1988 by the current CEO’s father, the company pioneered the concept of ‘single-origin tea picked, perfected and packed’ in Sri Lanka, with a brand based on taste, goodness and purpose. Present in over 105 countries, it is one of the most well-known Sri Lankan brands worldwide.

After breaking into China’s smartphone market, where it becomes a leading brand, Xiaomi sees sales stagnate and then decline as the disruption strategy that empowered its rise loses momentum. As competitors counter every move, targeting its core consumer segment, the company urgently needs to reignite growth and develop a sustainable competitive advantage.

After breaking into China’s smartphone market, where it becomes a leading brand, Xiaomi sees sales stagnate and then decline as the disruption strategy that empowered its rise loses momentum. As competitors counter every move, targeting its core consumer segment, the company urgently needs to reignite growth and develop a sustainable competitive advantage.

The Kolo Nafaso programme was started in 2009 in Burkina Faso by AAK, a 140-year-old Swedish supplier of vegetable fats and oils. AAK created a direct link with the producers – women in West Africa who traditionally harvested shea nuts – and cut out the middlemen. The aim was to improve productivity and pay a fair price.

This case explores how an Indian firm breaks into a product category dominated by international players. Titan, a Tata Group subsidiary and leading jewellery firm, wants to enter the fragrance category and challenge established foreign brands.

Inspired by C.K. Prahalad’s “The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid”, Novartis was exploring ways to build a sustainable business for the BOP in India that would improve access to healthcare for the poor while being financially profitable, unlike Novartis's traditional philanthropic and corporate social responsibility approaches.

Mrida (Sanskrit for soil), a fledgling social business venture, uses the ‘Earthspired’ brand to sell products made from high-value plants and herbs – sourced sustainably from small farmers in India – to middle-class consumers.

The case decribes Johnnie Walker’s efforts to move from a multi-local product-focused brand to a global master brand, underlining that the switch is a strategic business decision.

By late 2014, Easypaisa, a mobile financial service (MFS) that enabled financial transactions through a mobile phone, had 54% of the MFS market, and was a leader in both over-the-counter (57%) and mobile accounts (75%). However, its OTC market share had dropped precipitously from 88% in the first quarter of 2013 to 62% by the end of 2014.