Instructor’s Manual Abstracts
Vol. 2, Issue 2 IM Abstract: Flourish and Grow
Richard S. Bloomfield and Mekhalaa Muraly
Case Overview
Flourish and Grow (F&G) was a sole proprietorship based out of London, Ontario, retailing handmade fine art, jewelry, and apparel that conveyed a narrative of the founder’s Indigenous Mi’kmaq culture and values. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Mikaila Stevens, founder of F&G, had ample time to spend at home and developed a newfound passion for beading and creating art as a way to connect with her Indigenous Mi’kmaq culture and values. In the next year, she created a collection of fine art products to expand her business. After obtaining government grants, Stevens was able to expand F&G and forge connections with her customers through her expression and personal creations. Stevens sought to explore her Mi’kmaq ancestry and had a strong desire to create unique introspective pieces that showcased techniques from her heritage. Reflecting on the next steps for F&G, Stevens recognized the urgent need to optimize the product, pricing, promotion and distribution of her sole proprietorship to remain competitive and increase revenue to sustain full-time F&G employment and continue her work of passion. Where should she start?
Learning Objectives
By working through this case, students should be able to
- Analyze marketing strategies for a sole proprietorship and evaluate past data (industry, competitive, consumer) to assess the situation from a marketing perspective.
- Evaluate the opportunities and challenges of marketing a sole proprietorship addressing the key factors of price, product, promotion and placement.
- Apply the PEST model to a sole proprietorship to identify constraints and opportunities imposed by the internal and external environment.
- Apply a quantitative breakeven analysis to evaluate the efficacy of marketing strategies.
- Develop useful and actionable recommendations for a well-supported marketing plan for a sole proprietorship that considers both quantitative and qualitative case analysis of the product, place, price and promotion decisions.
Course Suitability
Flourish and Grow is a comprehensive marketing case designed for an introductory marketing class where students are asked to conduct an internal analysis (corporate capabilities), external analysis (PEST, consumer analysis, competitive analysis), and recommend a marketing plan (product, place, price, promotion) for F&G going forward. This case provides a good learning experience for students in preparation for an introduction to marketing management or entrepreneurial strategy course.
Recommended Reading
Saloni, P., Maynard, R., Abdulkadir, A., Stokes, S., Gisonni, C., Lin, H., Bourdeau-Marche, J., Arif, M., Ilias, N., Bridgenanan, S. & Namasya, S. (2020). Management of the Enterprise. OER Lab, Ontario Tech University.
Manuel, L. (2022). Global Marketing in a Digital World. Fanshawe College Pressbooks.
Moritz, J., A (2020). A Marketing Handbook: Frameworks to Guide Your Marketing Plan. CUNY.
Laverty, M. & Little, C. (2022). NSCC Foundations of Entrepreneurship. (2022) Nova Scotia Community College.
Pearce, M. (2023). Winning with marketing. Product no. W34985. Ivey Publishing, 2023.
- This resource provides a foundational understanding of marketing strategy concepts, namely the four “Ps” (product, price, promotion, placement) that are required to analyze this case.
Read the Flourish and Grow case.
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