P37
David Baron, D. Hoyt
2001
eBay hosts the world’s largest online trading community. Members of this community buy and sell in auctions conducted on the eBay website. The success of this marketplace depends on the ability of buyers and sellers to feel secure in conducting…
SM86
Thomas Hellmann
2001
SpiffyTerm, Inc. is a fictional case that is meant to teach students about the term sheets commonly used in venture capital deals. At the time of the case, the three company founders concentrate on understanding the term sheet just received from a…
OB35B
Glenn Carroll, Victoria Chang
2001
Discusses the strategies for restructuring the company.
OD1A
William Barnett, Glenn Carroll, Victoria Chang
2001
On March 2, 1999, Hewlett-Packard (HP) announced a plan to create a separate company, subsequently named Agilent Technologies, made up of HP’s businesses in Test and Measurement, Semiconductor Products, Healthcare Solutions, Chemical Analysis, and the…
SM90B
Robert Burgelman, Philip Meza
2001
The case describes USA Networks following its failed bid to buy the Internet portal Lycos in 1999. By 2001, USA Networks was an agglomeration of assets in two distinct areas: electronic commerce (something USA Networks refers to as interactivity) and…
SM82
Robert Burgelman, Vik Murthy, Paul Staelin
2001
This case examines the strategic position of Rambus, Inc. The company designs, develops, and licenses high-speed chip connection technology to enhance the performance and cost-effectiveness of computers, consumer electronics, and communication systems….
SM57
William Barnett, Christopher Flanagan, Jason Salgado
2001
This case examines an entrepreneur’s efforts to capitalize on what he considers to be a greenfield opportunity in the entertainment industry. Believing there to be a relatively under-served market for world-class, indoor, mid-sized live entertainment…
SM29C
Robert Burgelman, Philip Meza
2001
Disney has long been an industry leader in content creation. The company has a successful history of creating both animated and live action films and television programming as well as multi-purposing its content for alternative forms of consumption…
SM96
Robert Burgelman, Philip Meza
2001
French utility, Vivendi, purchased the United States-based entertainment giant Universal in late 2000. In so doing, the rechristened Vivendi Universal became a major force in music, films and television production, adding to its European-based cable…
SM87
Robert Burgelman, Philip Meza
2001
The venerable British retailer Marks & Spencer suffered a series of setbacks in the late 1990s. The company’s performance, which had been solid for decades, quickly deteriorated, forcing the rapid turnover of chief executives and many restructurings….
P36
David Baron, Alan Wiseman
2001
The case describes the debate surrounding Internet taxation when H.R. 3709, the “Internet Non-Discrimination Act” was passed, on May 10, 2000. The act provided a five-year extension of an existing moratorium on new Internet taxes that had been due to…
SM48
Thomas Hellmann
2001
The founders of a software company met their first round milestone of building an operational prototype that directs the flow of information across networks. The company now has to develop a business plan. The company’s original intent was to sell…
SM56
Blair Boardman, Thomas Hellmann
2001
When the first Discovery Zone, opened January 2, 1990, was immediately popular, chairman Jorgensen and his small team decided to open multiple stores quickly in the belief that whoever was first would own the business. They decided to use franchising as…
SM24B
Robert Burgelman, Philip Meza
2001
Electronic Arts is a leader in the creation and distribution of game content for consoles and PCs. The company operates in an extremely challenging environment and must navigate challenges such as console platform transitions while continuing to produce…
P38
David Baron
2001
In an unprecedented move in mid-1998, Blue Cross of California, a unit of WellPoint Health Networks, Inc., filed a Citizen Petition with the FDA to switch Claritin, manufactured by Schering Plough, and two other second generation antihistamines from…
P27
Terry Anderson, J. Grewell
2001
In 1977, Peter O’Neill envisioned a 120-acre residential community running alongside the Boise River to the east of Idaho’s capital city. He planned to cater to the desire of the modern day homeowner for a natural environment. This would ensure a premium…
P28
Terry Anderson, J. Grewell
2001
Roger Beattie became involved in the business of abalone fisheries as an owner and operator in 1976. At the time a good diver could typically catch 500 kilograms of abalone in a day. With the price averaging NZ$0.50 per kilogram, a day’s work…
SM81
Terry Anderson, J. Bishop Grewell
2001
Mark Alsentzer never saw himself as an environmentalist. He was a business man. It turned out, however, that a lucrative business opportunity and a boon to environmental health were meant to be one and the same for Alsentzer. Alsentzer began investing…
SM80
Terry Anderson, J. Bishop Grewell
2001
Jack Sheaffer had a unique wastewater treatment system that produced no organic sludge, no odor, and was cheaper than conventional systems. He was worried, however, that his business might suffer if a turndown arose in the marketplace. A previous…
SM61
Thomas Hellmann, Philip Alphonse, Jane Wei
2001
Allied Equity Partners provided equity related financing to minority-owned businesses or minority entrepreneurs for the acquisition of established companies, expansion into growing companies, and start-up or early-stage financing. At the time of the case…
SI10
Beth Anderson, J. Dees
2001
It’s August 2000, and Maitri AIDS Hospice in San Francisco is re-evaluating its approach to fundraising. In recent years, Maitri has been relying increasingly on government, corporate, and foundation grants. Yet Don Spradlin, Maitri’s Associate Director…
SI11
Lesley Koenig, William Meehan III, Robert Ransom
2001
In the winter of 2001, the Quest Scholars Program faced strategic growth issues. Several months earlier — following five summers running a youth empowerment program at Stanford University for low-income, at-risk, bright high school students — Quest’s…
A168
Antonio Davila, Buaboocha Semapakdi
2001
The case presents the various challenges that a start-up faces during its growth. Buck French, OnLink’s CEO, has to decide how to move to the next stage and this decision involves how to retrain or replace its sales and marketing people. The case…
A174
Mary Barth, Carlos Schonfeld
2001
In the spring of 1999, Marta Fontanez, a new analyst with Capital Appreciation, needed to make a recommendation to the investment council concerning the value of Microsoft’s stock. She was concerned with announcements made by the company between 1997 and…
