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Case Study

Hindustan Lever (B): The reality check

By Ulrich Steger, Wolfgang Amann and Aileen Ionescu-Somers

4 pages

January 2006

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Reference: IMD-2-0123

The B-case of this three part series shows how performance lagged behind expectations. Women dropped out of the scheme, sales decreased during the harvest season, and the system risked losing momentum. HLL needed to decide whether to wait for the system to eventually take off, or to implement changes to the complex system of interdependent variables and players. This case shows how a mere innovation, as outlined in the A-case, is insufficient to create a sustainable model. Learning, facing reality, and giving the system time to evolve are key success factors.

Keywords

Rural Marketing, Sustainable Marketing, Consumer Goods, Corporate Sustainability Management

Settings

India
2001-2005

Type

Field Research

Available Languages

English

Related material

Teaching note, Video

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2006 OIKOS AWARD WINNER (Sustainability)

This case study is part of a series

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