IIUM Journal of Case Studies in Management

Strategic Quality Management and Operational Scaling in Digital Healthcare SMEs: A Case Study of Qaisar 99

Siti Mariam Man, Syazwani Samshir, Jannatul Ferdous — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0800

This case study investigates the operational workflows, Total Quality Management (TQM) frameworks, and brand protection strategies of Qaisar 99 (operating commercially as Kaasan 99), a Malaysian direct-to-consumer (D2C) healthcare enterprise specializing in natural herbal wellness remedies, specifically "USD Oil." Utilizing a primary qualitative field interview conducted with the company’s General Manager, Haja, by academic interviewer Shazi, this paper analyzes how small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) navigate multi-stage quality control, online customer consultations, digital counterfeit risks, and operational scaling within a lean 12-person organizational structure. Key findings demonstrate that integrating continuous quality control across four operational gateways (raw material screening, in-process monitoring, finished container inspection, and pre-dispatch logistics checks), quarterly workforce training, system-driven inventory management, and structured Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are critical for maintaining high product efficacy, mitigating market risks, and sustaining customer trust.

Front Matters

Suhaimi Mhd Sarif — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0800

Front Matters

PT. Amal Husnul Maad

Suhaimi Mhd Sarif, Rakhmad Agung Hidayatullah, Yayan Firmansah — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0800

This case study examines PT. Amal Husnul Maad and its development of BATAFA (Bina Tahfidz Lil Athfal), a collaborative ecosystem for early childhood Qur’anic education in Indonesia. BATAFA emerged from concerns that Tahfidz education should extend beyond memorisation towards cultivating love for the Qur’an, understanding, character, righteous action, and service. The social enterprise integrates educator development, parental engagement, standardised curricula, quality assurance, educational resources, and collaborative learning among participating centres. Its commercial activities are designed to sustain rather than displace its da‘wah mission, reflecting the principles of niyyah, amanah, ihsan, and barakah. Rapid demand, investor interest, and opportunities for digital expansion subsequently created a strategic dilemma between nationwide scaling and quality-controlled growth. The case illustrates how Tawhidic governance can guide social enterprises in balancing commercial sustainability, educational quality, social impact, and spiritual accountability while preserving their founding mission.

Keywords: Islamic social enterprise; Tahfidz education; Tawhidic governance

Implementing Customer-Centricity in a Late-Night Outdoor Food and Beverage Business Model: A Case Study of Suito Café

Siti Mariam Man, Avinie Aurora Tembriany, Nur Rudiana Norazman — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0800

This case study investigates the operational strategies and service excellence practices of Suito Café, an outdoor late-night Food and Beverage (F&B) enterprise originating in Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia. Established during the Movement Control Order (MCO) pandemic period with a bootstrapped capital of RM 6,000, Suito Café successfully expanded into a multi-branch operation backed by over RM 1.5 million in infrastructure investments, a 41-member workforce, and a customer repeat rate exceeding 90%.

Drawing on an in-depth qualitative interview with the co-founder, Danly, this study examines how Total Quality Management (TQM) principles specifically Customer-Centricity, Process Standardization (SOPs), Empathetic Leadership, and Continuous Process Quality Control can be operationalized in an inherently volatile outdoor, late-night business environment. The study addresses critical Small Medium Enterprise (SME) challenges including building Halal trust through operational transparency without formal certification, mitigating environmental climate risks, managing intergenerational (Gen-Z) crew dynamics, and protecting brand equity by enforcing strict price integrity over promotional discounting. This case serves as an instructional framework for business students, academics, and F&B practitioners studying service operations, strategy, and quality management in emerging markets.

Managing Inventory Complexity and Supply Chain Resilience in Malaysia’s Agro-Food Wholesale Industry: The Case of Kitchen Care Agro Food Products (M) Sdn. Bhd.

Hasanuzzaman, Arif Ullah , Md Tazimul Islam, Md Tasiqul Islam — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0800

Kitchen Care Agro Food Products (M) Sdn. Bhd. is a Malaysian agro-food wholesaler established in 2007. The business began with basic agricultural commodities such as rice, lentils, and flour and later expanded into baking ingredients, imported groceries, spices, seasonings, and other consumer food items. The company now manages more than 800 Stock Keeping Units (SKUs) and serves both Business-to-Business (B2B) and Business-to-Consumer (B2C) markets. This case study analyses inventory management, warehouse operations, working-capital liquidity, and the company’s phased digital transformation within a fast-moving wholesale operation handling a highly diversified product catalogue. Based primarily on a semi-structured interview with the Business Operations Manager, the case identifies four central operational areas: working-capital management in a low-margin environment, coordination across a multi-location warehouse network, manual inventory rotation alongside phased ERP and WMS deployment, and workforce adaptation during digital change. The interview identifies several existing practices, including rapid stock turnover, a dedicated supplier-payment reserve, manual product separation for rotation, and a responsive return and replacement policy. The case offers practical lessons for food wholesalers operating in competitive markets where financial flexibility, supply chain responsiveness, operational accuracy, and customer trust must work together.

Transforming Healthcare Marketing Through AI-Driven Digital Strategies: Evidence from Lifespring Bangladesh

Hasanuzzaman — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0800

Lifespring Consultancy Ltd. is a community-based health organisation in Bangladesh. It began its journey in 2017 with the goal to redefine mental health care. Today, it serves people suffering from both physical and mental disorders. From the start, it depended on digital marketing rather than conventional media. In early 2024, it added artificial intelligence (AI) to its marketing work. This case study examines how Lifespring transforms its healthcare marketing through AI-driven digital strategies. It draws on a semi-structured interview with the organisation’s Digital Marketing Consultant. The analysis applies Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovations (DOI) theory and the Technology-Organisation-Environment (TOE) framework. The findings reveal a management-led adoption process. They also reveal early staff resistance, followed by steady acceptance. Lifespring uses AI mainly for copywriting, research, communication, and video creation. AI now shapes about one-third of its content. The team relies on two tools: OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude. A two-month AI chatbot pilot exposed a clear language gap in Bangla. The organisation also faces growing “AI content fatigue” among its audiences. The case offers practical lessons for healthcare marketers in developing economies. It shows that AI adds value when it supports human judgment rather than replacing it. It also shows the worth of a staged, tested approach to adoption. Future research could measure the effect of AI marketing on patient engagement, trust, and access.

The Midnight Dilemma: Navigating Nigeria's 2023 Fuel Subsidy Removal

Abubakar Ijoko — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0800

This decision-focused teaching case examines the strategic dilemma facing the incoming Nigerian presidential administration in May 2023 regarding the removal of the country's entrenched fuel subsidy. For decades, the subsidy served as an implicit social contract in Africa's largest oil-producing nation, despite consuming vast fiscal resources and disproportionately benefiting wealthier citizens. As President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu prepares for his May 29 inauguration, his transition committee faces a critical choice: remove the subsidy immediately to avert fiscal collapse, delay removal to build social consensus, or adopt a phased approach. The case requires students to navigate competing stakeholder pressures from labor unions, international financial institutions, and a skeptical public. Furthermore, it challenges students to apply principles of ethical governance (amanah or stewardship) and justice to balance macroeconomic necessity with the welfare of vulnerable populations. The narrative ends at the decision point, inviting students to analyze the constraints, evaluate alternatives, and formulate a strategic action plan.

Entrepreneurial Leadership and Digital Innovation Strategies in an EdTech Start-up: A Case Study of Omni Learn Consulting Commerce LLC, France.

Jannatul Ferdaus kana, Hasanuzzaman — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0800

The global education technology sector has expanded rapidly over the past decade, driven by rising demand for flexible, industry-relevant learning pathways and by the accelerating digitalisation of skills training worldwide. However, behind these aggregate market figures lies a more intimate story: that of individual founders translating personal professional experience into scalable ventures, often while balancing revenue-generating operations against the uncertain, capital-intensive work of digital transformation. This case study examines Omni Learn Consulting Commerce LLC, a Wyoming-registered, France-focused EdTech venture founded by Hamza Abid, a practising Microsoft Certified Trainer and software consultant. Drawing on an in-depth interview with the founder, the case traces Omni Learn's evolution from instructor-led, practitioner-taught courses in cloud computing, programming, and IT certification toward a self-paced, multilingual digital learning platform intended to remove the founder as the operational bottleneck. The narrative explores the entrepreneurial reasoning behind a self-funded platform rebuild undertaken. At the same time, live courses and consulting contracts continued, the leadership habits sustaining quality in a small, department-less team, and the strategic tension between partner-driven enrolment and long-term direct-to-learner growth. The case offers business and management students a grounded, decision-oriented lens on entrepreneurial leadership and digital innovation within a resource-constrained, founder-led EdTech enterprise.

CV Berkah Agung Farm

Suhaimi Mhd Sarif, Rakhmad Agung Hidayatullah, Yayan Firmansah — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0800

This teaching case examines how CV Berkah Agung Farm transformed a rural agribusiness venture into an integrated enterprise that combines commercial sustainability, farmer empowerment, youth retention, and Islamic values. Located in Desa Beruk, Karanganyar, Indonesia, the company was established to address persistent rural youth migration despite abundant agricultural resources. Rather than pursuing conventional profit maximisation, the founders developed a partnership-based business model that preserved farmers' land ownership, promoted equitable risk-sharing, institutionalised support for Islamic education, and embedded Tawhidic values into corporate governance. The case illustrates how complementary leadership, professional mushroom cultivation, stakeholder engagement, and strategic partnerships created competitive advantage while strengthening community welfare. As the company expanded, new strategic opportunities emerged, including large-scale commercial contracts, agritourism development, and increased social commitments, creating complex strategic dilemmas regarding growth, governance, and mission preservation. The case enables students to analyse strategic management, stakeholder theory, Islamic business ethics, sustainable entrepreneurship, and balancing commercial objectives with long-term social impact.

Keywords: Islamic Strategic Management; Sustainable Agribusiness; Farmer Partnership

Editorial Notes

Suhaimi Mhd Sarif — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0800

Leading Change with Tawhidic Values: Innovation, Sustainability, and Strategic Transformation

This issue presents a collection of teaching cases that demonstrates how organisations across diverse industries respond to contemporary strategic challenges while remaining anchored in values, innovation, and long-term sustainability. Spanning food wholesaling, retailing, hospitality, Islamic banking, digital media, education, and entrepreneurial ventures, these cases provide rich opportunities for classroom discussion and managerial reflection. More importantly, they remind us that management is not merely a technical endeavour but also an amanah (trust) bestowed by Allah SWT upon human beings as His vicegerents (khulafa') on earth.