E229
Erica Plambeck, Joshua Spitzer
2007
“Khosla Ventures: Investing in Ethanol” presents the background and premise of Khosla Ventures’ investments in the ethanol value chain. It asks students to determine where in the ethanol value chain Khosla should consider investing, how the firm should…
GS57A
Charles Holloway, David Hoyt, Hau Lee, Michael Marks, Amanda Silverman
2007
This case discusses the astounding growth of Crocs, Inc., a manufacturer of plastic shoes, from 2003 through early 2007. Much of the company’s growth was made possible by a highly flexible supply chain which enabled Crocs to build additional product…
GS60
Shinya Fushimi, Jason Kaminsky, Veronica Rocha, John Tsou, Seungjin Whang
2007
Tamago-ya is a family-owned business located in Tokyo, Japan. The company has captured a unique position in the market of selling pre-packaged lunch boxes to business professionals, by maintaining high quality and reliable delivery. In order for Tamago-ya…
GS18
Casey Koshijima, Hide Saito, Takafumi Ueda, Steve Van Horne, Seungjin Whang
2006
Seven-Eleven, Inc., founded in 1927 in Dallas, Texas, was the world’s largest operator, franchisor, and licensor of convenience stores. As of 2004, it had 22,648 units worldwide, serving 6 million customers a day (www.7-eleven.com). Of these stores…
EC37
Tristen Langley, Haim Mendelson
2006
Since the company launched its software product in August 2003, the word “Skype” became synonymous with free calls over the Internet. Skype developed software that allowed people around the world to talk to each other for free. Prior to the company’s $2.6…
E214
Joshua Spitzer, Stefanos Zenios
2006
EndoNav developed an innovative medical device that will make colonoscopy procedures easier and faster to perform and less painful to receive. In spite of excellent technology, IP protection, a reasonably large market, and relatively low regulatory risk…
OIT50
Lyn Denend, Stefanos Zenios
2006
By the mid 2000s, no segment of the $180 billion global medical device industry was as dynamic as the market for drug eluting stents (DES). In 2005, two-and-a-half million drug eluting stents were expected to be implanted in patients around the world. In…
OIT49
Robert Chess, Lyn Denend, Stefanos Zenios
2006
In late October 2003, Randy Scott and the Genomic Health team had just received the results of Genomic Health’s first pivotal trial. The company’s product, Oncotype DX, a first-of-its-kind genomic assay that quantified the likelihood of breast cancer…
SM146B
Robert Burgelman, Philip Meza
2006
This case reveals the decision made concerning whether and where to locate a new fab in 2002. It discusses the specific decision made by the CEO and discusses the rationale for the fab location decision. This case should be used in conjunction with SM…
SI82
David Hoyt, Erica Plambeck
2006
In 2000, FedEx Express and Environmental Defense began a collaboration to develop a source of new generation delivery trucks with dramatically improved fuel efficiency and environmental impact. By 2005, prototypes had been developed by Eaton Corporation…
OIT52
Erica Plambeck, Joshua Spitzer
2006
This technical note presents basic background information on the technology, economic forces, and non-market issues that affect ethanol’s supply, distribution, and demand. While it recognizes significant controversies, it does not attempt to summarize or…
OIT51
Elizabeth, Rodriguez, Stefanos Zenios
2006
In 2006, all major U.S. dialysis providers were facing a daunting set of challenges. Having survived a period of intense consolidation and ever-diminishing operating margins, they were now struggling to understand what lay ahead. With more than 80…
E221
Charles Holloway, John Morgridge, Joshua Spitzer
2006
“ExlService: Business Process Outsourcing in India” charts the development of outsourcing service provider ExlService. Founded by Indian nationals Vikram Talwar and Rohit Kapoor, the firm has moved through several phases of evolution. At the conclusion…
GS49
Charles Holloway, David Hoyt, Hau Lee
2006
In November 2005, Microsoft prepared for a global launch of its next-generation game console, the Xbox 360. Microsoft’s original Xbox had been introduced a year behind Sony’s Playstation. The Xbox 360 would beat Sony’s next-generation system to market by…
GS51
Mike Gozycki, M. Johnson, Hau Lee
2006
Geoff O’Neill had led the implementation of a ground-breaking Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) inventory tracking system for Woolworths in the U.K. Bringing together leading edge technologies to build the first such commercial tracking system…
OIT46
Lyn Denend, Stefanos Zenios
2005
By the mid-1980s, it was clear that not all transplant centers in the growing organ transplantation market were able to achieve and sustain the same levels of quality and high rates of transplant procedure success. Similarly, significant variation had…
SM146A
Robert Burgelman, Philip Meza
2005
This case describes the highly complex strategic and financial considerations Intel’s CEO must take into account in the decision of whether and where to build a state-of-the-art microprocessor factory (known as a “fab”). The case specifically examines a…
SM145
Robert Burgelman, Ming Lei
2005
This case examines the fast developing Chinese market for Internet and Internet-search businesses. By 2005, China had the second-largest market of Internet users in the world (measured by population). However, per capita Internet usage was still quite…
SM137
Robert Burgelman, Philip Meza, Les Vadasz
2005
At a time when many things Americans consumed were “supersized,” Internet access in the United States was decidedly sparing. Instead of using always-on broadband to gulp down Internet access, most Americans sipped the Web through slow dial-up connections…
OIT45
Charles Holloway, David Hoyt
2005
Flextronics, the world’s largest contract manufacturing firm, made a strategic decision to expand its business to include original design and manufacturing (ODM) services. As an ODM supplier, Flextronics designed and built products that original…
SM112B
Robert Burgelman, Philip Meza, Les Vadasz
2005
This case looks at the state of digital music in late 2005 and the impact of several key forces upon the creation and distribution of music online. In particular, the case examines the phenomenon of podcasting, and looks at the impact of this and other…
OIT44
Robert Chess, Lyn Denend, Stefanos Zenios
2005
In a conference room in the northern suburbs of Chicago, excitement was in the air. It was August 2002 and the executive steering committee for Abbott Laboratories’ new rheumatoid arthritis drug had just been notified by the FDA to expect approval…
OIT44 Condensed
Robert Chess, Lyn Denend, Stefanos Zenios
2005
In a conference room in the northern suburbs of Chicago, excitement was in the air. It was August 2002 and the executive steering committee for Abbott Laboratories’ new rheumatoid arthritis drug had just been notified by the FDA to expect approval…
E192
Charles Holloway, Joshua Spitzer
2005
“TerraMai: Reclaimed Woods from Around the World” follows the business ventures of former river guides Erika Carpenter and Richard McFarland in the early days of the reclaimed wood industry. Reclaimed wood suppliers mill wood from deconstructed…
