Industrial Hemp case for 2020
Using the proven Problem Formulation approach, this Industrial Hemp case presents a marketing mix product (4Ps) problem. The case is written by Mohan K. Sarma, VCU Department of Marketing adjunct and the Director of the VCU Executive MBA program.
Undergraduate and graduate marketing students will see a contemporary case on Industrial Hemp. Industrial Hemp is the low tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) sister plant to Marijuana/Cannabis. Leading a class discussion on a controlled substance will likely boost attendance for that session! Using the traditional case format, information and data will be presented that will focus a discussion on a crucial long term part of the marketing mix (from the 4Ps). This case is designed for the typical 50-minute class session for undergrads. Graduate students would be expected to make additional calculations.
Faculty will get access to the teaching notes, board plans, Powerpoint slides, calculations, and sample exam questions.
Why HaightHemp.com? Haight-Ashbury is an iconic 60’s hippie counterculture nexus in San Francisco, California. I believe the irony is where many people protested the establishment are now leading the legalized commercialization of Industrial Hemp and cannabis. America’s Industrial Hemp’s planted acreage is projected to be over 75,000 acres in 2019 due to the new legal status as detailed in the US Farm Bill 2018. It is now a “regular” agricultural crop again after more than an 80-year ban.
Thanks to my wife Bettie Duke Sarma, for understanding and constant support. The fictitious company described in the case, Mount Ida Tobacco Company, is a nod the Duke family farm in Hanover County, Virginia, where tobacco was grown for hundreds of years. To gain the first-hand experience, I planted Industrial Hemp in our garden! Virginia required me to get a permit from the state agriculture agency, VDACS. Also, I want to thank my VCU School of Business colleagues, Ms. Brittany Gracik and Mr. Addison Gills, for their encouragement.