Domain : Corporate Strategy

Materials of future and TATA steel

Introduction

The new century has ushered the materials of future. New materials are continuously replacing
traditional ones. They provide unprecedented qualities and/or costs unmatched by traditional ones.

Background

Since the Bronze Age and Iron Age, metals have widely been used in various industrial and
household applications. Innovation has mostly been limited to new alloys of existing metals. These
alloys have continuously evolved to provide efficient usage and new applications.

Materials of future do not fit into a particular definition. Some prominent examples are Carbon fibre,
Graphene, Bamboo fibre, Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs), Advanced Ceramics etc.

Various materials of future are expected to impact the steel industry.

Carbon fibre is being extensively used instead of steel in automobile bodies. Koenigsegg has already
produced a complete car body out of carbon fibre. Improvements to the carbon fibre technology
along with decreased costs could deeply impact steel needs of the automobile industry.

Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) upon combination with concrete can provide enough compression and
tension to replace steel in construction industry.

Graphene is already being hailed as the miracle material which is 200 times stronger than steel and
lighter than paper. It has the potential of completely changing the entire landscape of the industry.

Problem Statement/Challenges Faced

The steel industry today suffers from increased costs of procuring raw materials, declining prices and
onslaught of highly competitive Chinese players. A lot of alternatives are now replacing steel in
traditional applications. Along with maintaining its lead in the traditional business, Tata steel wants
to stay ahead in adoption of new technologies and also pivot into related businesses.

Critical Case Questions

1. With Steel Prices declining and most Steel companies facing stiff challenges to stay
profitable; should Tata Steels focus shift to developing new products/technologies or on
bringing down costs?

2. Will these materials of future have a significant impact on the steel industry?

3. What are the new businesses that Tata steel could foray into with the help of materials of
future?

4. Develop a Business Strategy with a plan for Tata Steel to stay ahead of its competitors, via
adaption of materials of future.
Domain Corporate Strategy
Name of the Case: Business model for the professional football club Jamshedpur FC in ISL
Introduction
Tata Steel has maintained its long standing partnership with community through varied
initiatives in the areas of health, education, livelihood and sports. Having been a pioneer in
promotion and development of sports in India, Tata Steel has recently forayed into the
Indian Soccer League through its own professional football club- Jamshedpur FC. The team,
along with, Bengaluru FC, will increase the Indian Super League from eight teams to
ten. This would not only promote soccer as a sport in Jharkhand but also give an
international platform to the rising football talent in India.
Background
The objective of any professional club franchise is to be financially self-sustainable and at
the same time work towards real community benefit, by working closely and in partnership
with the local community. Jamshedpur FC wants to develop the culture of sports in the
community and provide recognition to Jamshedpur city on national platform through ISL.
Challenges Faced
There is a clear lack of football culture in the country. Needless to say, professional football
industry is at a very nascent stage. Lack of proper infrastructure, adequate training facilities
has marred the sport. The introduction of competitive Indian Super League has given some
impetus to the sport. Franchise owners are yet to record profits given the lack of
enthusiasm around the sport in the country.
Critical Case Questions (5 in nos.)
1. Study the business models of major sports franchises in the country.
2. Develop a business model for Jamshedpur FC with a 5-year horizon, keeping in mind the
current market for football in the country
3. Design a marketing plan for the franchise, include different media platforms where w e
can mark our presence. How can Jamshedpur as a brand be taken to a national level?
4. How can the franchise create fan engagement and also increase the footfall in the
stadium?
5. Formulate an overall strategy to promote the football culture in the community.
Domain Corporate Strategy
Name of the Case: Strategy for effective internal communication for Tata Steel

Introduction
In its 110 years of trendsetting journey, Tata Steel has evolved into a major global steel
nd
manufacturer. It is, today, the worlds 2 most geographically diversified steel manufacturer. Our
74000 employees are spread across 5 continents with operations in 26 countries and
commercial presence in over 50 countries. This is bound to grow more.

But Tata Steels origin was rather humble in the newfound town of Jamshedpur in the year 1907.
This young town has now transformed into a bustling city and is acting mentor to Tata Steel
Kalinganagar in Odisha. It is the steel plant of Tata Steel with an initial capacity of 3 million
tonnes per annum commissioned last year in May

Tata Steel has always tried to match pace with future. Geographical diversification, business
expansion, investment in digital technology, progressive HR policies etc. are all examples of
futuristic thinking

Background

While the fourth industrial revolution has made the media consumption shift from
analogue to digital, the 1.8 billion strong youth population is getting ready to enter the
workforce soon. The younger workforce has interests and preferences that are vastly
different from their counterparts. Simultaneously, the communication channels are rapidly
digitizing and improving; through which we receive and deliver a staggering amount of
content. Many organizations are struggling to adapt to such ecosystem changes. This leads
to a lot of dis-satisfied employees directly affecting the bottom line.

Predominantly, Tata Steel has a very strong bond with its employee base. There is a
mutual trust and respect between the organization and all former and present employees. We
had championed employee welfare schemes before the concept became main-stream. Our
employees make us who we are, and matching up to their expectations means a lot to us.
Transparent communication with them facilitates their empowerment and the smooth flow of
information.
Communication with our employees is an evolved process to a great extent. The existing
communication channels (refer annexure 6.1) cover major segments of our employee base
for all types of messages. But, now, were looking at a paradigm shift; in terms of message,
channel, audience, and feedback. The purpose is to reposition ourselves as a contemporary
and dynamic brand.

We have been regularly recognized for our employee friendly policies and welfare
initiatives. And we have a young and dynamic senior leadership who is embracing the
changing landscape. Our core business is very stable and is going strong.

The next generation of leaders is increasingly disengaged.

The vast geographical footprint, uninteresting content, ever changing channel dynamics and
user preferences and being culturally slow to adopt change are the issues were dealing with.
Employees whove been part of our family for less than 5 years, and/or are under 35 years of
age are relatively disengaged. This gap needs to be addressed on priority. (Add asterisk)

Problem Statement/Challenges Faced

As an organization that aims to achieve 100% internal reach, the focus on disengaged and under-
engaged section of employees needs to be prioritized. These sections include Young
 employees, shop floor workers and contractual employees (refer to annexure 6.2 and 6.3).
Were looking for a comprehensive strategy for effective internal communication and
change management that has to be driven organically and innovatively. Were keen to
adopt interventions that have been benchmarked and were happy to evolve our own
industry benchmarks.
The strategy should address the below mentioned aspects. Note that the intention of keeping up
with the future should always encourage us to think two steps ahead.

Critical Case Questions :

1. Communication content strategy To become more contemporary, how should the
communication with various employee sections of the organisation evolve? How should
our employee stakeholders be segregated and mapped vis--vis the proposed
communication content strategy? You may comment on the tonality of the communication
as well.
2. What newer communication channels can be adopted for internal communication and
how to leverage the existing ones for optimum effectiveness for the content and
stakeholders already mapped in the above point?
3. Short term and long term plan for digital disruption in internal communication space
4. Leveraging our biggest content resource employees; steps to popularize crowd-
sourcing amongst the employees
5. Reward and recognition innovative ideas for a sustainable employee reward and
recognition system, with a focus on digital technology
6. Feedback - ways to actively listen to employees and make them feel heard
7. Analysis: Metrics for measuring effectiveness and reach, trend-spotting
1. Annexures:

6.1 Existing Communication Channels

6.2 Stakeholder Matrix

6.3 Target Internal Stakeholders

Domain Corporate Strategy
Name of the Case: Community building, Brand Advocacy & Influencer Outreach Strategy for Tata
Steel

Introduction
In its 110 years of trendsetting journey, Tata Steel has evolved into a major global steel
nd
manufacturer. It is, today, the worlds 2 most geographically diversified steel manufacturer. Our
74000 employees are spread across 5 continents with operations in 26 countries and commercial
presence in over 50 countries. This is bound to grow more.

But Tata Steels origin was rather humble in the newfound town of Jamshedpur in the year 1907.
This young town has now transformed into a bustling city and is acting mentor to Tata Steel
Kalinganagar in Odisha. It is the steel plant of Tata Steel with an initial capacity of 3 million tonnes
per annum commissioned last year in May

Tata Steel has always tried to match pace with future. Geographical diversification, business
expansion, investment in digital technology, progressive HR policies etc. are all examples of
futuristic thinking.

Background
For the hyper-connected world, information is now a digital commodity: easily accessible at almost
no cost, anytime, everywhere. The ever-changing and ever-evolving media landscape mainly led by
technology has irrevocably altered the way people interact with each other, communities are formed,
opinions are formed & shared and consumers think about businesses and brands.
The age of social media has allowed a new era of media where creators and influencers have
achieved online celebrity status by amassing a network of followers who trust what they have to say.
Its a new world of heavily opinionated and sometimes owned content in a world where your target
audience has instant access to information.
Tata Steels digital presence includes website (www.tatasteel.com) and social media platforms
handles - corporate handles (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube) and campus connect
handles (Facebook, Twitter and YouTube). The campus connect handles were launched with an
objective to connect and engage with the youth.

Problem Statement/Challenges Faced

Tata Steel has been the industry pioneer in many spheres over the years. But we have our eyes set
beyond the horizon. Our objective is to be the most respected and admired brand guided by our vision
to be the global benchmark for value creation and corporate citizenship.
Brand Advocacy programmes, Influencer outreach and online brand communities will have a key role
to play in achieving the objective. These brand advocates/ influencers/ communities will help spread
the positive word about the brand thereby increasing the brands share of voice during both fair
weather and crisis situations

Critical Case Questions :

a) Global benchmarks to identify best cases of corporate brand communities, brand advocacy
and Influencer outreach programmes. Also includes examples from the competition if any.
(Competitors list shared in annexure)

b) Suggestion on ways to create active and engaged Tata Steel communities online: detailed
approach on subject/ topic, platforms & content, engagement and sustenance.
c) Identification, categorisation and engagement with brand loyalist/ advocates/ influencers on
digital platforms. (Suggestions should include specific platform mapped with content and
engagement strategy).

d) Strategy to leverage the brand loyalist/ advocates/ influencers in following scenarios:

i. Big Corporate Announcements (Financial Results, Acquisition, Product Brand
Launch, Awards etc.)
ii. Corporate Signature Events (Refer to corporate initiatives page:
http://www.tatasteel.com/corporate/our-organisation/corporate-initiatives/)
iii. Crisis Situations

e) Recommend parameters to evaluate the effectiveness of online communities, brand advocacy

and Influencer outreach programmes.

Annexures:
 6.1 Stakeholder Matrix

6.2 Stakeholder wise communication strategy

6.3 Competition

Benchmark may be done against following players in additional to global benchmarks:

Industry players: World Steel Association, Arcelor Mittal, Essar steel, Jindal Steel
Other B2B players: Maersk, Dell, HP, Shell, GE
 Other B2C players (You are free to pick and 5 brands under this category)