Terror at the Taj Bombay: Customer-Centric Leadership

Rohit  Deshpande

Case | HBS Case Collection | March 2011

Terror at the Taj Bombay: Customer-Centric Leadership

Abstract

On November 26, 2008, heavily armed terrorists launched a series of attacks throughout the western-Indian city of Mumbai (formerly Bombay). One of the locations attacked was the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower, which was occupied by the terrorists for over three days, resulting in the deaths of 34 people and 28 people injured. However, the Taj received praise in the aftermath of the attacks for the selfless actions of the staff in placing the safety of the hotel's guests before their own and working to save the lives of its guests. This case seeks to address how leaders develop a customer-centric organization, as well as how an organization saves its flagship brand after a crisis.

Keywords: Safety; Leadership; National Security; Service Delivery; Organizational Culture; Crisis Management; Customer Focus and Relationships; Brands and Branding; Accommodations Industry; Mumbai;

Format: Multimedia

1 pages

Educators Purchase

Citation:

Deshpande, Rohit. "Terror at the Taj Bombay: Customer-Centric Leadership." Harvard Business School Multimedia/Video Case 511-703, March 2011.

This case follows the conception and emergence of the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF). In an already crowded and highly competitive industry, Abdulhamid Juma was attempting to define and establish a unique brand positioning for DIFF. Committed to its vision, Juma led the introduction of various initiatives over the years and was able to effectively grow the festival’s profile amid emerging regional and well-established global players like the Cannes, Sundance, and Toronto film festivals. By the end of 2016, Juma found himself at a crossroads. Could he continue to follow the historical strategy, or was it time to consider a change in order to take it the next level? What would be the best strategy for ensuring DIFF’s survival for many years to come?

Silkroad—a cross-cultural music collaboration that world-famous cellist Yo-Yo Ma had spearheaded since 1998, was preparing to celebrate its 20th anniversary. In parallel, Ma was stepping back from his role as the organization’s Artistic Director. Silkroad had come of age, gaining international recognition for its uniquely global music, which blended musical traditions from across the world—especially Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and America. The Ensemble had also forged strong partnerships with universities, local governments, and civic groups and developed an array of outreach programs to help people understand and express themselves through music. Ma was confident that there could be no better time to hand over leadership. But the transition was bittersweet: He felt a deep personal connection both to the Ensemble as a whole and to every one of its performers and staff members. And he wondered how reducing his involvement would affect the organization’s sustainability.

This case concerns Yıldız Holding’s acquisition of Godiva Chocolatier from its previous owner, Campbell Soup, and its salient strategy in preserving Godiva’s “made in Belgian” brand position. Provenance Paradox, a problem faced by companies in emerging countries trying to establish their brands in developed markets, had not become a problem for Yıldız Holding. The chairman Murat Ülker asked the Godiva management to execute a highly ambitious plan of making the brand widely-available at supermarkets, drug stores and mass channels in the U.S. market. How was the Godiva brand affected by the change in its marketing strategy? How was the execution different in international markets vs. the U.S. market?

Faculty & Research

Terror at the Taj Bombay: Customer-Centric Leadership

Abstract

Citation:

About the Author

More from the Author