Bhagwati Products Limited - Making in India for Micromax Case Study Analysis & Solution

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Bhagwati Products Limited - Making in India for Micromax is a Harvard Business (HBR) Case Study on Strategy & Execution , Fern Fort University provides HBR case study assignment help for just $11. Our case solution is based on Case Study Method expertise & our global insights.

Strategy & Execution Case Study | Authors :: Sunita Mehta, Surya Kant Sharma, Arun Pereira

Case Study Description

Emerging markets have become an attractive destination for multinationals as they provide these companies with high growth potential due to low product penetration and also help them in reducing costs of production due to reduced labor costs. The case brings out the trajectory of growth of Micromax Informatics Limited which started as a company depending on China and Taiwan for manufacturing of their handsets because of better technological infrastructure, stronger supply chain and cost effective workforce. As the government enhanced import duty on CBU (Completely Built Unit) electronic products and reduced excise duty and import duty on SKD (Semi Knocked Down) units required for manufacturing of electronic products, Micromax started its production facility, Bhagwati Products Limited in India and reduced import of finished electronic products to a large extent. To keep the cost low all across the value chain, it focused on development of indigenous design and manufacturing capabilities to achieve higher localization. This helped Micromax in keeping the cost of the products low and thus being a cost leader in the market. The case also brings out how costs can be kept low by utilizing central and state government initiatives in providing subsidies that helped the company build competitive advantage and how these specific actions resulted in creation of a vibrant electronics industry in the country. This case focuses on the specific issues faced by Bhagwati Products Limited, the production arm of Micromax in production of mobile phones locally, with regard to sourcing of raw material, manpower, research and development, competition and reduction in cost of production. The case also discusses the decision dilemma faced by the chairman on diversification of products to consumer electronics or to move into new territories with the core product in context of increased competition from multinationals in India.

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[10 Steps] Case Study Analysis & Solution

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Step 1 - Reading up Harvard Business Review Fundamentals on the Strategy & Execution


Even before you start reading a business case study just make sure that you have brushed up the Harvard Business Review (HBR) fundamentals on the Strategy & Execution. Brushing up HBR fundamentals will provide a strong base for investigative reading. Often readers scan through the business case study without having a clear map in mind. This leads to unstructured learning process resulting in missed details and at worse wrong conclusions. Reading up the HBR fundamentals helps in sketching out business case study analysis and solution roadmap even before you start reading the case study. It also provides starting ideas as fundamentals often provide insight into some of the aspects that may not be covered in the business case study itself.

Step 2 - Reading the Bhagwati Products Limited - Making in India for Micromax HBR Case Study

To write an emphatic case study analysis and provide pragmatic and actionable solutions, you must have a strong grasps of the facts and the central problem of the HBR case study. Begin slowly - underline the details and sketch out the business case study description map. In some cases you will able to find the central problem in the beginning itself while in others it may be in the end in form of questions. Business case study paragraph by paragraph mapping will help you in organizing the information correctly and provide a clear guide to go back to the case study if you need further information.
My case study strategy involves -

  • Marking out the protagonist and key players in the case study from the very start.
  • Drawing a motivation chart of the key players and their priorities from the case study description.
  • Refine the central problem the protagonist is facing in the case and how it relates to the HBR fundamentals on the topic.
  • Evaluate each detail in the case study in light of the HBR case study analysis core ideas.

Step 3 - Bhagwati Products Limited - Making in India for Micromax Case Study Analysis

Once you are comfortable with the details and objective of the business case study proceed forward to put some details into the analysis template. You can do business case study analysis by following Fern Fort University step by step instructions -

  • Company history is provided in the first half of the case. You can use this history to draw a growth path and illustrate vision, mission and strategic objectives of the organization. Often history is provided in the case not only to provide a background to the problem but also provide the scope of the solution that you can write for the case study.
  • HBR case studies provide anecdotal instances from managers and employees in the organization to give a feel of real situation on the ground. Use these instances and opinions to mark out the organization's culture, its people priorities & inhibitions.
  • Make a time line of the events and issues in the case study. Time line can provide the clue for the next step in organization's journey. Time line also provides an insight into the progressive challenges the company is facing in the case study.

Step 4 - SWOT Analysis of Bhagwati Products Limited - Making in India for Micromax

Once you finished the case analysis, time line of the events and other critical details. Focus on the following -

  • Zero down on the central problem and two to five related problems in the case study.
  • Do the SWOT analysis of the Bhagwati Products Limited - Making in India for Micromax . SWOT analysis is a strategic tool to map out the strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats that a firm is facing.
  • SWOT analysis and SWOT Matrix will help you to clearly mark out - Strengths Weakness Opportunities & Threats that the organization or manager is facing in the Bhagwati Products Limited - Making in India for Micromax
  • SWOT analysis will also provide a priority list of problem to be solved.
  • You can also do a weighted SWOT analysis of Bhagwati Products Limited - Making in India for Micromax HBR case study.

Step 5 - Porter 5 Forces / Strategic Analysis of Industry Analysis Bhagwati Products Limited - Making in India for Micromax

In our live classes we often come across business managers who pinpoint one problem in the case and build a case study analysis and solution around that singular point. Business environments are often complex and require holistic solutions. You should try to understand not only the organization but also the industry which the business operates in. Porter Five Forces is a strategic analysis tool that will help you in understanding the relative powers of the key players in the business case study and what sort of pragmatic and actionable case study solution is viable in the light of given facts.

Step 6 - PESTEL, PEST / STEP Analysis of Bhagwati Products Limited - Making in India for Micromax

Another way of understanding the external environment of the firm in Bhagwati Products Limited - Making in India for Micromax is to do a PESTEL - Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental & Legal analysis of the environment the firm operates in. You should make a list of factors that have significant impact on the organization and factors that drive growth in the industry. You can even identify the source of firm's competitive advantage based on PESTEL analysis and Organization's Core Competencies.

Step 7 - Organizing & Prioritizing the Analysis into Bhagwati Products Limited - Making in India for Micromax Case Study Solution

Once you have developed multipronged approach and work out various suggestions based on the strategic tools. The next step is organizing the solution based on the requirement of the case. You can use the following strategy to organize the findings and suggestions.

  • Build a corporate level strategy - organizing your findings and recommendations in a way to answer the larger strategic objective of the firm. It include using the analysis to answer the company's vision, mission and key objectives , and how your suggestions will take the company to next level in achieving those goals.
  • Business Unit Level Solution - The case study may put you in a position of a marketing manager of a small brand. So instead of providing recommendations for overall company you need to specify the marketing objectives of that particular brand. You have to recommend business unit level recommendations. The scope of the recommendations will be limited to the particular unit but you have to take care of the fact that your recommendations are don't directly contradict the company's overall strategy. For example you can recommend a low cost strategy but the company core competency is design differentiation.
  • Case study solutions can also provide recommendation for the business manager or leader described in the business case study.

Step 8 -Implementation Framework

The goal of the business case study is not only to identify problems and recommend solutions but also to provide a framework to implement those case study solutions. Implementation framework differentiates good case study solutions from great case study solutions. If you able to provide a detailed implementation framework then you have successfully achieved the following objectives -

  • Detailed understanding of the case,
  • Clarity of HBR case study fundamentals,
  • Analyzed case details based on those fundamentals and
  • Developed an ability to prioritize recommendations based on probability of their successful implementation.

Implementation framework helps in weeding out non actionable recommendations, resulting in awesome Bhagwati Products Limited - Making in India for Micromax case study solution.

Step 9 - Take a Break

Once you finished the case study implementation framework. Take a small break, grab a cup of coffee or whatever you like, go for a walk or just shoot some hoops.

Step 10 - Critically Examine Bhagwati Products Limited - Making in India for Micromax case study solution

After refreshing your mind, read your case study solution critically. When we are writing case study solution we often have details on our screen as well as in our head. This leads to either missing details or poor sentence structures. Once refreshed go through the case solution again - improve sentence structures and grammar, double check the numbers provided in your analysis and question your recommendations. Be very slow with this process as rushing through it leads to missing key details. Once done it is time to hit the attach button.