SI107
Victoria Chang, William Meehan III
2008
In the Fall of 2007, Jacob Harold, the Philanthropy Program officer at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation in Menlo Park, California, was on his way to meet with Paul Brest, the Foundation’s president. Harold had set up a meeting with Brest, also the…
M317A
Arar Han, Wesley Hartmann
2008
American Securities Capital (AS), a private equity firm based in New York City, seeks to research and analyze the Chinese foodservice market, to assess opportunities for AS portfolio restaurant chains and identify additional restaurant related…
SPM37
Antonio Davila, George Foster, David Hoyt
2008
In 1994, John Moores purchased the San Diego Padres baseball team. The team shared Qualcomm Stadium with the San Diego Chargers football team, which was the senior tenant and received a far higher share of stadium revenue than the Padres. As a result…
OIT80
Robert Chess, Lyn Denend, Stefanos Zenios
2008
Historically, the biggest obstacle that healthcare innovators, such as pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers, needed to overcome on their way to market was securing approval by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) or other international…
SI88
James Phills, Lyn Denend
2008
In mid-2006, Overstock.com faced a daunting set of business challenges. Founded in 1999 as an online “closeout” retailer, the $800 million company had more than 15 million unique visitors a month, 10 million life-to-date customers, and greater than 500…
OB71
Victoria Chang, Jesper Sorensen
2008
As Green As It Gets was a nonprofit “economic development organization supporting small, independent producers in disadvantaged Guatemalan communities.” The founder was an American named Franklin Voorhes. As Green As It Gets sponsored a collective of 18…
P59
David Baron
2008
In late 2006 and early 2007 a number of imports from China, including toys, were found to pose health risks. With safety concerns about Chinese imports on the minds of readers, on July 26, 2007 the New York Times carried a feature article on the…
E320
Katherine Bose, R. Ellis
2008
The protagonist,David Dodson, is a second-time search fund entrepreneur who in mid-2004 purchased Mountain Auto, a leading auto parts retailer in the Rocky Mountain United States. The venture started off strong, and Dodson grew the organization along with…
E302
Sean Harrington, Dennis Rohan
2008
This note gives a broad overview of the energy sector, highlighting trends and market dynamics in 2008. It is intended to be used as a basic primer for entrepreneurs and investors interested in the energy sector, not an exhaustive or definitive textbook…
E300
Bethany Coates, Andrew Rachleff
2008
Carl Russo, CEO of optical equipment maker Cerent Corporation, leaned back in his desk chair and reflected on the recent developments at his company. Cerent had just filed its S-1 registration document with the SEC on July 22, 1999, and was now less than…
E284
Sean Harrington, Peter Reiss
2008
Pete Flint and Sami Inkinen, co-founders of RealWide.com, a real estate search web site, met for lunch at the Fish Market restaurant in San Mateo, Calif. to discuss the coming week. It was September 21, 2005, and they planned to have their web site go…
E286B
Katherine Bose, Robert Chess, Peter Reiss
2008
The protagonist (“Howard Glass”) is a recent GSB graduate (2007) heading up a biomedical device start-up focused on the gastric bypass market. The case tracks Glass and team from the team formation and idea generation phases through the company’s first 6…
E290
Sean Harrington, Garth Saloner
2008
It was December 2007 and Patrick Awuah, founder and president of Ashesi University, began updating his school’s business plan. He looked back on the university’s short history with pride—in only 10 years Awuah and his team had turned a lofty vision into…
E291
Sean Harrington, Garth Saloner
2008
By 2008, Databank had built a reputation as one of Ghana’s premiere companies, earning the #1 ranking in Ghana’s Most Respected Company and CEO annual awards. Founded in 1990 by Ken Ofori-Atta, Keli Gadzekpo, and James Akpo, Databank had grown from a…
E289
R. Ellis, Sean Harrington
2008
The case follows Josh Greenberg and John Fowler, two recent graduates from the Stanford GSB, as they complete the entire search fund process. It covers the formation of their search fund vehicle, Montebello Capital, their 16-month search phase, the…
E288
Bethany Coates, Garth Saloner
2008
By the end of 2007, Kiva, the first online person-to-person microfinance organization, had produced a number of compelling results. The site regularly “sold out” of loans. Every business listed on the site was funded within hours. New borrowers were…
E321
Dick Allen, Bethany Coates
2008
Kim D. Blickenstaff, President and CEO of Diagenx, a developer of a next generation technology for continuous insulin infusion therapy, headed into the office one morning in August 2008. As he drove through the San Diego streets, he thought about a…
IB91
William Barnett, Jae-Gu Kim, Mooweon Rhee
2008
At the turn of the 21st century, Korea’s Hyundai Motor Company (HMC) announced ambitious plans to become a global leader in the automotive industry. It established plants in Europe, India, and North America, and in 2002, turned its attention to China…
IB84
Wasim Azhar, Davina Drabkin
2008
In July, 1991, Irfan Mustafa, West Asia Area Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of Pepsi Cola Pakistan Incorporated (PCI), faced several dilemmas. First, as part of the 7-Up acquisition, Mustafa had to convince the remaining Pakistani 7-Up…
E323
Jocelyn Hornblower, Dennis Rohan
2008
This note explores the idea identification stage of becoming an entrepreneur. It covers common sources of inspiration for ideas, such as career, education, hobbies and interests. It discusses the importance of team creation, execution and passion. It…
EM5
Victoria Chang, William Guttentag, Roderick Kramer
2008
Forty-one year old Andrea Wong, the president and CEO of Lifetime Entertainment Services, oversaw the Lifetime Networks which included the flagship women’s cable channel, Lifetime Television, as well as its sister networks, Lifetime Movie Network…
E324
Claire Magat, Evan Porteus, Dennis Rohan
2008
The purpose of the venture viability research process is to identify the key questions underlying the viability of a venture, to facilitate reframing of the venture to enhance its viability, and to provide evidence to support the founders’ answers to…
E294
Katherine Bose, Joel Peterson
2008
Rachael Hinkley and Stephanie Paulson establish a publishing venture and web portal aimed at mothers, but quickly run into challenges, including the strength of their partnership itself. Beyond that, Hinkley encounters problems with: licensees, non…
HR31
David Hoyt, Hayagreeva Rao
2008
Intuit’s “Spotlight” employee recognition system had rapidly become an integral part of the company’s culture after it was introduced in late 2004. The program enabled any employee to recognize outstanding performance by any other employee by sending an…
