E165
Robert Chess, Alicia Seiger
2004
The goal of this note is to provide entrepreneurs with an understanding of how to use market research and market information to test the validity of a business concept and to refine a business plan. It introduces the key questions entrepreneurs should…
A190
Nicole Bastian, Stefan Reichelstein
2004
In December of 2003, the management teams at the automotive and steel businesses of The Timken Corporation, headquartered in Canton, Ohio, were principally in agreement that market price was the appropriate instrument for valuing internal steel transfers…
HR26B
Victoria Chang, Charles O'Reilly III, Jeffrey Pfeffer
2004
On June 8, 1998, California-based Wells Fargo and Minneapolis banking company, Norwest announced a “merger of equals” in a stock deal valued at $34 billion and one that created the Western Hemisphere’s most extensive and diversified financial services…
E188
Glenn Carroll, Greg Powell
2004
In 2000, chocolate was consumed by 81 percent of U.S. adults. Despite the popularity of chocolate in the U.S., many analysts believed that the market was far from saturated, noting that European per capita consumption of chocolate remained considerably…
E178
George Foster, Eric Liu, Emily Melton, Maria Taft
2004
The case details the beginnings of Denver-based Exclusive Resorts, LLC and follows the company to the decision point of how and when to expand their operations internationally, The case gives a detailed overview of the emerging Private Residence Club…
E185
Jerker Denrell, Chris Tilghman
2004
Professional success in the venture capital industry depends in part on a venture capitalist’s ability to learn about new areas of potential investment. By definition, a “venture” is a new pursuit; its specifics are unknown in the beginning. For…
BME7
Margaret Eaton
2004
In November 1998, Steven Briggs was appointed CEO of the Novartis Agricultural Discovery Institute, Inc. (NADII), a new research institute created under the corporate umbrella of Novartis AG. NADII had a mandate to jump start Novartis’s basic research…
IB53
David Hoyt, John McMillan
2004
In 2003, the 25 million international coffee growers faced a crisis. Prices for coffee beans were the lowest they had been (in real terms) in 100 years. The coffee growing business had historically been one of boom-and-bust. Several countries had to…
A189A
Colm Callan, Maureen McNichols
2004
It was June 9, 1998, and Charles Elson, a law professor and Director on Sunbeam’s Board, had just left a distressing board meeting. The board had met suddenly because, the previous day, Barron’s had published an article suggesting that Al Dunlap, CEO of…
IB34
R. McKern, Margot Sutherland
2004
In March 2002, Singapore Airlines (SIA), recognized internationally for quality, profitability and management, was faced with the most difficult operating conditions it had ever had to face. Dr. Cheong Choong Kong, deputy chairman and CEO, gazed out his…
HR22
Charles O'Reilly III, Irene Wang
2004
In 2003, Norman Walker, head of HR at Novartis, received approval from the Management Board to implement a global HRIS system. Although Walker had made substantial progress in transforming the HR function, much of their efforts remained transactional and…
GS34
Lyn Denend, Hau Lee
2004
In January 2003, West Marine (the nation’s largest boating supply retailer) was on the verge of acquiring its biggest competitor — BoatUS. Several years earlier, the company had acquired E&B Marine, another boating supply company of a similar size…
HR25A
Charles Catalano, Charles O'Reilly III
2004
Following the do-com bubble burst in August 2001, Libby Sartain, new chief of people and SVP of human resources at Yahoo!, must determine the direction of human resources management at the traumatized media company. Suffering revenues, a collapsed stock…
E166
Mary Burnham, John Glynn
2004
Successful Silicon Valley executive, Peter Levine, finds himself at a career crossroads, trying to decide between pursuing numerous options including being a CEO of a growth company or a venture capitalist. This case explores the different qualifications…
BME9
Marko Curavic, Margaret Eaton, Madhuri Roy
2004
Pharmaceutical company Merck had created the U.S. Managed Distribution Team to handle a unique problem. In March, 1996, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had approved Merck’s new drug application for Crixivan, a novel antiviral drug to fight…
E176
John Glynn Jr., Alicia Seiger
2004
The case details the history of Juniper Networks with a specific emphasis on idea formulation and the founder, Pradeep Sindhu’s decision relating to funding the company and his relationship with its venture capital investors. The case then explores the…
IB59
John Glynn Jr., Ray Koushik
2004
The case examines the early-stage venture capital industry in India, in 2004. The study is focused on technology-based early-stage venture capital, as opposed to private equity type investments. Using the past success of Draper International Fund as…
IB52
John McMillan
2004
This case focuses on corruption in Angola surrounding oil production. In 2001, corruption in Angola was extreme. More than US$1 billion per year of Angola’s oil revenues had reportedly disappeared in each of the five previous years. Angola presented a…
BME10
Margaret Eaton, Gerald Farquharson, Clare Ozawa
2004
In the spring of 1999, scientists, biotechnology companies, ethicists, religious leaders, patient advocates, abortion opponents, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and members of Congress were all engaged in a protracted debate about human embryo…
BME8
Margaret Eaton, Anjali Reddi, Aradhana Sarin
2004
In December 1999, Paul Goeld, president medical device startup Adiana, Inc., faced several decisions about the company’s sole product: a new female sterilization catheter. The catheter had proved to be extremely successful in both animal and preliminary…
M304(B)
Davina Drabkin, Chip Heath
2003
Don Tyson, the “king of chicken,” was thinking about fish. As president of Tyson Foods, he had taken Tyson from a small family-owned company to number 110 on the Fortune 500. His relentless work helped move chicken ahead of beef on America’s dinner…
M304(A)
Davina Drabkin, Chip Heath
2003
Don Tyson, the “king of chicken,” was thinking about fish. As president of Tyson Foods, he had taken Tyson from a small family-owned company to number 110 on the Fortune 500. His relentless work helped move chicken ahead of beef on America’s dinner…
IB39B
R. Bruce McKern, Susan Mackenzie
2003
On November 17, 1997, Jon T. Elsasser, then vice president of The Timken Company’s Bearings business for Europe, Africa and West Asia, reviewed the company’s proposal to the Romanian government for the acquisition of Rulmenti Grei, S.A., an industrial…
F234
George Parker, Ann Pattyn
2003
In April 1987, financial executives of Tri-tech Computer were meeting to determine the form of a capital issue of $200 million needed for an acquisition that would complement Tri-tech’s current business. Financing alternatives available to the company…
