Ferromagnetic Co-doped TiO2 thin films at room temperature have been synthesized by RF sputtering and ion-irradiated with 100 MeV Au ions. The surface roughness of the film increases with increasing Au-ion fluence. Kerr microscopy measurements at room temperature give isotropic hysteresis loop with negligible coercivity, which gets modified into in-plane uniaxial magnetic anisotropy after anion fluence of 5×1011 ions/cm2. Further ion-irradiation reduced the coercivity of the film. X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) measurements have been performed in total electron yield mode, to investigate the effects of ion-irradiation on magnetic properties of the Co-doped TiO2 thin films. From the XMCD analysis, we observed that the total magnetic moment of Co atoms in case of as-deposited film is 1.771±0.016μB. After the ion-irradiation it became 0.3818±0.014μB at room temperature.
Learning outcomes
The readers will gain practical insights on the key attributes of a women entrepreneur, the role of innovative product design and usage, the core challenges and opportunities and the strategies to overcome entrepreneurial hurdles in the Moonj handicraft business.
Case overview/synopsis
The case is about “Rekhaakriti”, a handicraft artisan-oriented firm, which deals in the business of selling handicrafts items like traditional wooden toys, Moonj baskets, rice bowls and vermilion boxes, in both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) markets. Incorporated as a non-governmental organization (NGO) in the year 2014, “Rekhaakriti” was founded with the purpose of preserving, promoting and advancing the Moonj handicraft. Throughout its formative years, the organization experienced several organizational and operational challenges and got almost on the edge of collapse. The dilemma that surrounded Rekha Sinha, a key founding member of “Rekhaakriti”, was whether to carry or dissolve the organization. But, after much contemplation, she decided to convert the organization to a sole proprietorship firm in the year 2017. However, the restructuring decision was also proving to become less effective in attaining the objectives for which the firm got established. This led the owner, Rekha Sinha, to further dug deep to identify obstacles (both internal and external) that impede her firm’s expansion and growth. This case narrates Rekha Sinha's intricate entrepreneurial path in building an innovative handicraft organization and explains how she overcame the overall organizational and operational obstacles. The case provides the context for students to assume the role of protagonist and explore creative strategies for overcoming market obstacles through upskilling, design intervention and product innovation.
Complexity academic level
The case study is intended for the students pursuing their graduation and post-graduation courses in business, management studies, marketing and entrepreneurship. The case also provides suitable insights to management trainees and executives.
Supplementary material
Teaching notes are available for educators only.
Subject code
CSS 8: Marketing.
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