Abstract

This case on CavinKare’s founding describes the entrepreneurial journey of the founder, C K Ranganathan. As the enterprise outperformed expectations, the organization set itself an incredible vision. This case traces the history of the entrepreneur and the growth story of the enterprise. The case describes the context of opportunity recognition and exploitation, and elucidates the significant decisions taken by the entrepreneur and the organization in order to sustain rapid growth amidst liberalization and stiff competition from multinational companies with deep pockets and significant stakes in the industry.

Learning Objective

1. To highlight the need for change in entrepreneurial orientation across the lifecycle of the enterprise, as it grows and the organizational process formalizes.
2. To demonstrate the need for various trade-offs across the lifecycle of a rapid growth family enterprise – personal competence vs. opportunity at the opportunity recognition and exploitation stages; vision and strategic intent vs. organizational competence at the rapid growth stage; performance vs. loyalty at the professionalization stage; and the separation of ownership and management at the succession stage.