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Product cover image for Gokaldas Exports Limited: Navigating Shifting Trade Winds

Gokaldas Exports Limited: Navigating Shifting Trade Winds

Anita Singh, Veena Keshav Pailwar

Product #:W50095
Supplier:Ivey
Discipline:International Business, Strategy
Setting:India, 2026
Details:Case (PDF) • 18 pages • 2026-08-05

Subjects:

International businessStrategyCompetitive strategy

Industries:

Fabrication and manufacturing

Geography:

India
Your Price:$10.54

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In early January 2026, the United States of America (US) confirmed that it was considering legislation proposing tariffs of up to 500 per cent on imports from countries that continued to trade with Russia, including India. In reaction, on January 8, 2026, the shares of Gokaldas Exports Limited (GEL) fell during intraday trading. As one of India’s leading apparel exporters, GEL derived more than 75 per cent of its revenue from this market. The company’s share price had already fallen significantly in 2025 amid President Trump’s tariff flip-flops. Sivaramakrishnan Ganapathi, the managing director of GEL, needed to choose a strategic path. Should GEL continue to focus on the US market, which supported its existing scale, despite rising policy vulnerability? Or should it move decisively to diversify markets and manufacturing locations, even if that implied higher average costs, operational complexity, and slower near-term momentum?

Learning Objectives

This case is suitable for undergraduate- and graduate-level courses on international business (IB) and strategy, including strategic management, business strategy, and global strategy. It examines the complex decision-making involved in responding to policy shocks and trade barriers by one of the key players in the textile and apparel manufacturing and exports industry in India. In the process, it also explores how varying trade tariffs are reshaping the competitive advantages enjoyed by countries such as India versus competing export hubs such as Bangladesh and Vietnam. This case can also be used in executive education programs, focused on geopolitical and trade policy risks and export competitiveness. Whether it is used in an IB or strategy course, the case encourages students to evaluate strategic options for firms operating in an uncertain and volatile global trade environment. After working through the case and assignment questions, the students will be able to do the following:
  • Evaluate the factors influencing a firm’s competitive position in the global textile and apparel industry.
  • Analyze the impact of trade shocks and tariffs changes on firm competitiveness and strategic decision-making.
  • Assess short- to medium-term strategic responses available to exporting firms facing trade policy disruptions and supply chain uncertainty.
  • Evaluate long-term strategic options, analyzing trade-offs within the context of a complex and evolving geopolitical landscape and trade policies.
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Case Study: Gokaldas Exports Limited: Navigating Shifting Trade Winds (English version) | Ivey Publishing