South Asian Journal of Business and Management Cases

Cross-sectoral knowledge spillover in the apparel value chain enables incumbent firms in the Global South to transform industry challenges into social innovation (SI) opportunities, redefining B2B dynamics through collaborative learning. This study explores knowledge spillover mechanisms in the B2B apparel value chain, particularly between dominant buyers in the Global North and apparel industries in the Global South. Still, it is largely unclear what knowledge spillover is made of and how it happens. It investigates how buyers facilitate SI practices and how local production firms adapt them to their operational environments. The research employs a qualitative approach using a single case study method. Data collection includes document analysis and in-depth interviews with managers, supervisors, and employees. Thematic analysis, supported by NVivo software, is used to interpret the data. The study finds that SI is embedded within new business models introduced by incumbent firms. Several SI practices contribute to sustainability transitions, enhancing corporate image and legitimacy amid global competition. Additionally, buyer-imposed conditions such as job quality, gender equality, and inclusion are transformed into economic empowerment and livelihood improvements for machine operators in local firms. The research provides valuable insights into how businesses in the Global South can effectively localize global SI practices to enhance sustainability and improve working conditions. It highlights the role of international buyers in shaping responsible business practices through knowledge spillover. The study underscores the importance of SI in addressing human rights concerns, improving labour conditions, and promoting economic empowerment within the apparel industry. This study contributes to the ongoing discourse on the business-society relationship by highlighting the transformative potential of SI in the apparel sector. It offers a nuanced perspective on how firms localize global knowledge to drive sustainability transitions, thereby enriching the understanding of knowledge spillover in the global value chains.

The current research case examines how the new ₹ 2,500-million Jagannath Temple in Digha (West Bengal) is changing the branding identity of the destination to a spiritual tourism destination, and how this transition has influenced how tourists perceive, construct stories and form emotional– symbolic attachments to the destination. It answers three questions: the extent to which the temple has contributed to visitors’ perceptions of Digha as a spiritual destination; the specific symbolic and emotional connections visitors have developed during their temple visit; and the resultant socio-economic and community developments after its opening. Theoretically, the research combines destination brand love, self-congruity theory, place attachment theory, destination identity, social identity theory, brand community theory, experiential marketing and symbolic interactionism to understand identity congruence, ritual-based bonding, communal pilgrimage experiences and the reformation of Digha’s semiotic landscape. It is methodologically a mixed qualitative research design comprising phenomenological interviews with domestic tourists, participant observation, semi-structured interviews with hospitality providers and hospitality government officials, analysis of documents and focus groups with repeat tourists and residents, which is backed by phenomenological thematic-based analysis, discourse analysis, visual ethnography and NVivo-based sentimental analysis. The results show that spiritual and tourist participation intensifies, the duration of stay is longer, and entrepreneurship and arrivals are higher during festivals, as well as pressures on local trade and the necessity of more comprehensive and inclusive planning. The research contributes to theoretical knowledge by developing temple-induced place attachment and provides practical insights into the balance between spiritual tourism growth and the involvement of multiple generations in the community, as well as sustainable religious heritage-based destination branding.

Analysing differences of leadership styles in the economies of the United States and India has provoked discourse. Finding the ‘sweet spot’ as a tool for community engagement will resolve the issues that exist. Those skills previously required in policy development, advocacy, teaching and stakeholder engagement that socially impact communities have been transferred into an operational model. In this article, sustainability discourse was addressed by finding the ‘sweet spot’ as it is related to management practice in the holistic implementation of programmes that improved human welfare, education and mental health. Implementation of sustainable programmes can now be used as a model for those that stagnate. Objectives developed that reflect the model that moved organizations towards goal achievement have been elucidated. The methodologies of Appreciative Sharing of Knowledge (ASK) and Positive Design have been reflected as proposed frameworks for developing trans-organizational collaborations among stakeholders and nonprofit government organizations (NGOs) to improve lives in the United States and India. The qualitative methodology adopted in this article is based on the case method and ethnographic approach. The study is relevant as it presents real examples of the implementation of best community practices advancing SDG 3 and SDG 17.

This study explores why resource-constrained small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries and weak institutional contexts embrace corporate sustainability (CS), focusing on a Sri Lankan apparel firm that institutionalized CS, despite systemic challenges. Drawing on institutional, resilience, and identity framing theories, the study adopts an exploratory single-case design to examine how internal leadership decisions interact with external pressures and are interpreted and embedded through leadership framing. The findings question the common belief that CS in the Global South is driven by external forces, symbolic actions, or structural limits. Instead, sustainability is shown as a moral and risk-management-oriented survival strategy, shaped by a strong underdog identity and close-knit operations. An emergent conceptual framework highlights how SMEs translate buyer demands and local constraints into embedded practices, through purpose-driven adaptation. It offers fresh insights into how SMEs in low-capacity and weak institutional environments lead sustainability efforts and suggests the need for context-aware policy support.

This study explores how managers discursively construct innovation cultures as relational phenomena in Finnish innovation-oriented companies. Drawing on critical discursive psychology (CDP) and a collective case study design, this research analyses in-depth interviews with five senior managers to uncover the interpretive repertoires and subject positions they employ when discussing innovation. The findings reveal three key repertoires: (a) culture-through-communication, where managers function as communicative facilitators fostering shared understanding; (b) collaborative development, positioning managers as partnership builders engaging internal and external stakeholders; and (c) purposeful integration, where managers serve as community developers aligning individual purpose with collective innovation goals. These repertoires highlight how innovation cultures are co-constructed through everyday dialogue, relational practices, and meaning-making processes. Rather than viewing innovation culture as a static or top-down construct, this study emphasizes its dynamic, discursive, and relational nature. Theoretically, the research contributes to organizational discourse studies by providing a nuanced framework for understanding managerial agency in shaping innovation cultures. Practically, it emphasizes the importance of communicative leadership and relational competence in fostering innovation. The study invites further exploration into how discursive practices shape innovation across diverse organizational and cultural contexts.