SPM52
George Foster, David Hoyt
2014
Through the first part of the twenty-first century, the number of people playing golf in the United States had been in decline. Fewer people played the game, they played less frequently, and more golf courses were closing than opening. Players…
E505
Peter Ziebelman, Pamela Yatsko
2014
A swelling current account deficit, ballooning interest rates, and a plunging currency: These were just some of the worrisome trends in India that Krishna ‘Kittu’ Kolluri contemplated on his 20-hour return flight from Mumbai to Silicon Valley in September…
E448
David Miller Dodson
2014
1. Decision to transfer an African American employee to a different shift at the request of a customer that is uncomfortable with the employee’s race.
2. What, if anything, to do about promoting an existing employee to become the protagonist’s…
E455
Jim Ellis, Justin Randolph
2013
The case profiles the protagonist, Ilana Stern, founder of Weddington Way (http://weddingtonway.com)—a wedding-related e-commerce site—during the company’s early formation stage.
The case begins with an introduction of Stern’s professional background…
E467
George Foster, David Hoyt
2013
In early 2009, following the collapse of the housing market, Doug Brien and Colin Wiel began buying single family homes (SFH) to renovate and rent. SFH rental had previously been a mom-and-pop business due to scaling difficulties—buying and managing…
A210
Maureen McNichols, Nate Blair
2013
In July 2011, the European Banking Association (EBA) published EU-wide stress test results for 91 banks, which collectively represented 65 percent of the total assets of the European banking system. The aim of the test was to provide transparency…
E427
Stefan Reichelstein, Sara Rosenthal, Anshuman Sahoo
2013
In 2012, KiOR was in the process of starting biofuels production at its first plant in Columbus, Mississippi. This initial plant was to provide a commercial scale proof-of-concept of KiOR’s production technology, and the company expected to build another…
SPM51
George Foster, David Hoyt
2013
Professional boxing was once a mainstream sport, whose stars were widely known to the general public. Major fights were broadcast on network television. By the 2000s, the landscape had changed dramatically. Boxing had become a niche sport in the United…
E490
Jeffrey Chambers, Jason Luther
2013
It was February 2009, when Eric Edelson wondered to himself how he had gotten into this situation. Less than two years earlier, Edelson had been an MBA student at the Stanford Graduate School of Business ready to market a footwear product to the elderly…
E472
Robert B. Chess, Austin Kiessig
2013
Brown Robin Capital details the experiences of Stanford GSB graduates Ryan Robinson and Lucas Braun in pursuing a search fund acquisition. The case explains the search fund model and provides historical asset class performance statistics. Then, the…
A209
Maureen McNichols, Anne Casscells, Jaclyn Foroughi
2013
Amid worldwide market and economic uncertainty, Tesla debuted its stock in June 2010 on the NASDAQ Stock Market (Ticker Symbol: TSLA). The stock price jumped over 40 percent in its first day of trading to close at $23.89 in an upsized deal that valued the…
E411B
George Foster, Arar Han
2012
Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS), which began play in March 2009, rose from the ashes of the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA), a league that played its third and final season in 2003. After WUSA failed under the mounting pressure of flagging…
E411A
George Foster, Arar Han
2012
Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS), which began play in March 2009, rose from the ashes of the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA), a league that played its third and final season in 2003. After WUSA failed under the mounting pressure of flagging…
E410
George Foster, Sara Rosenthal
2012
FullBloom Baking Company was started in 1989 by Karen Trilevsky to provide wholesome, all-natural and delicious baked goods to coffee shops in and around San Francisco, California. Over the last 20-plus years, FullBloom has grown to $35 million in…
E399
George Foster, Sara Rosenthal
2012
The Financial Engines case chronicles the firm’s evolution from launch to IPO, highlighting the various decisions and events that impacted the company’s business model from 1997 through 2010. The concept for the company sprung from Nobel Prize winning…
E453
Mark Leslie, Kirk Bowman, Sara Rosenthal
2012
These three short vignettes involve challenges faced by Andrew Markham, the CEO of Sage Networks. In the first, Markham believes that one of his VPs, Robert Salinas, may be having covert discussions with the CEO of a competitive company to discuss the…
SPM49
George Foster, David Hoyt
2012
Thoroughbred horse racing was in decline at the end of the 20th century and beginning of the 21st century. Nearly all metrics, from number of horses and races, to attendance, and amount wagered, was falling. Studies indicated this was likely to continue…
SPM50
George Foster, David Hoyt
2012
By the early 21st century, the economics of thoroughbred horse racing in the United States was backwards – owners invested about four times as much money into the sport than the total amount of purse money available. Owners raced their horses as early as…
E447
Ilya Strebulaev, Theresia Gouw Ranzetta, David Hoyt
2012
Most venture capital profits come from a small percentage of investments, despite high expectations for each investment made. As a result, a small improvement in selecting portfolio companies can make a substantial improvement in fund results.
This…
BE17
David Hoyt, Stefan Reichelstein
2011
In 2010, Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI) considered adding photovoltaic solar panels to the roofs of some of its facilities. This was driven by both financial and environmental considerations. In 2008, the company had added solar panels to 11…
E384
George Foster, David Hoyt
2011
In 2003, Andrew Forrest planned to enter the iron ore industry, which was highly capital intensive, consolidating, and dominated by three companies. Less than five years later, his start-up, Fortescue Metals Group, loaded its first ore onto a ship bound…
HR29B
James Baron, David Larcker, Brian Tayan
2011
This case is a follow up to HR-29A, and explains the actions taken by Keller Williams in response to the residential real estate market downturn in 2008 and 2009. The case explains the programs and initiatives put in place by the company to boost agent…
A208
Maureen McNichols, Nate Blair
2010
Normally, serving on a company’s board of directors is not a full-time job, but in the summer of 2002, Nick Donatiello (GSB 1986) found himself in exactly that position. As a member of Gemstar-TV Guide International’s (Gemstar’s or the Company’s) board…
E376
George Foster, Jocelyn Hornblower, Norman O'Reilly
2010
The case follows Mel Young, Founder and President of Homeless World Cup, a non-profit organization whose mission is to eliminate homelessness around the world. Homeless World Cup organizes annual football (i.e. soccer) tournaments in host cities and…
