Case Name :      Parul’s Profit Predicament: Growth and Branding Challenges of a Publisher

Authors :           Subhadip Roy, Soumya Sarkar

Source :             Ivey Publishing

Case ID :            W14401

Discipline :        Entrepreneurship

Case Length :    13 pages

Solution Sample availability : YES

Plagiarism : NO (100% Original work)

Parul Prakashani started out as a textbook publisher in 1961. Slowly, it diversified into a wide repertoire of non-textbooks for children, young adults and adults. In early 2013, the non-textbook division of the company is not earning enough revenue, while strong revenues are coming from textbooks. The major issue faced by Parul is how to grow the non-textbook business. This requires significant branding activity and a marketing communication plan. Phasing out the non-textbook business is not an option, since it is close to the founder’s heart and lends prestige to the company. The major dilemma facing the founder is whether to allocate more resources to the non-textbook division to improve growth, and if so, how to allocate these resources. Parul must think up new products and new markets in order to stay in the business of publishing non-textbooks.