Groom Canine was a pet grooming venture launched in Gurugram, India, by Richa Maheshwari and Vikalp Srivastava. The startup earned a reputation for its pet-first approach, customized services, and growing market presence. As they were looking to scale the business, the founders sought financial backing. As a first step, Richa turned to her accountant to help prepare structured financial statements that could be presented to potential investors. The .....more

Set in April 2025, this case examines the collapse of Indian clean-energy firms Gensol Engineering Ltd. and BluSmart Mobility Ltd. (BluSmart) and the ethical challenges faced by BluSmart cofounder Punit Goyal. Once recognized for advancing sustainable transportation, both companies faltered amid allegations of fund misuse, governance breakdowns, and regulatory noncompliance. The case explores founder accountability, interfirm dependencies, and the .....more

Indian Cyber Security Solutions (ICSS), a cybersecurity firm based in Kolkata, was at a crossroads. Through resilient leadership and strategic innovation, the company had previously navigated the dual crises of the COVID-19 pandemic and an internal betrayal. By 2024, having achieved financial recovery and market credibility, ICSS faced a defining strategic dilemma: whether to expand globally to compete with international giants or consolidate domestically .....more

VTR Marketing Private Limited (VTR) manufactured a premium national polyvinyl chloride and wood plastic composite (PVC/WPC) brand, VTR Boards, in Kharagpur, West Bengal, India. Despite significant investments in quality manufacturing and distribution over the past five years, VTR’s founder and director found that the business was not generating sufficient profit. In January 2024, after recommendations from a market research team, he was considering .....more

By early 2025, Pride Circle (a unit of Inclusion First Consultancy Private Limited), a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) organization focusing on LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion, faced a critical point. Following the momentum from the 2018 Supreme Court of India ruling decriminalizing homosexuality, Pride Circle had become a trusted corporate partner and had gained visibility through its flagship event, Reimagining Inclusion for Social Equity (RISE), .....more

In the wake of heightened political polarization in the United States, Target faced backlash over rolling back its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) commitments. The retailer had long positioned itself as an inclusive brand, supporting LGBTQ+ initiatives, diverse suppliers, and workplace equity programs. However, the rollback sparked strong sentiment, with rising political criticism, calls for boycotts, and concerns from some investors, creating .....more

In early 2024, Cooperative Radish (Radish), a multi-stakeholder food delivery co-operative based in Montreal, Canada, faced a critical moment of strategic uncertainty. Launched as an ethical alternative to mainstream food delivery platforms such as Uber Technologies Inc. (Uber Eats) and DoorDash Inc., Radish had built a reputation for fair labour practices, transparent governance, and community-driven service. The co-operative had thrived during the .....more

United Breweries Limited (UBL), India’s leading alcohol beverage company, faced a strategic dilemma: despite strong growth in its premium beer segment, overall revenues declined as mass-market sales dipped while profitability improved. Its chief executive officer, Vivek Gupta, had to decide whether to prioritize premiumization, defend the mainstream business, or focus on driving overall category growth amid tough regulations, fragmented distribution, .....more

As fiscal year 2025 drew to a close, Albinder Dhindsa, co-founder and chief executive officer of Blinkit Commerce Private Limited (Blinkit), was faced with some serious questions due to the growing competitive pressure. Without consumer loyalty to the company, Dhindsa had to find creative ways of maintaining Blinkit’s leadership position. His core challenge was determining what competitive strategy would allow Blinkit to sustain its lead in an increasingly .....more

When the current chief executive officer (CEO) at Women Entrepreneurs of Saskatchewan (WESK), based in Saskatchewan, Canada, accepted the position in August 2022, her first role as a CEO, she was unaware that the organization had undergone significant changes in 2022 and that, with the CEO role having been vacant for a few months prior to her joining, decisions had been paused as the organization awaited the new CEO. She realized early that the organization’s .....more