The Ze-gen case covers the first 5 years in the life of a clean-tech start-up. Set in summer 2010, Ze-gen had developed an innovative technology that converted solid waste into synthesis gas (called syngas). This technology was in testing at the company's pilot plant, built next to the New Bedford, Massachusetts landfill. By summer 2010, Davis's team was poised to take the next big step in building a successful clean tech company. It was time to take the company's technology to market, identify customers willing to pay, and scale the business for commercial success.

Ray Gilmartin faces a dilemma. His company's credibility has been damaged by the recent withdrawal of Vioxx, a multi-billion dollar drug. Moreover, the withdrawal of Vioxx would imply that Merck would fail to meet analysts' earnings expectations for 2005 unless Gilmartin cuts the R&D budget. Cutting the budget might hurt morale and productivity in Merck labs.

The chairman and CEO of Bush Brothers grapples with leading and managing changes in strategy, governance and board composition, as well as succession, compensation and ownership issues, as he takes the family owned/family operated business into its fourth generation. As the company faces the prospect of hiring a non-family member to lead it into its second century, chairman and CEO Jim Ethier and the board strive to ensure that the business both remains faithful to the values of its founders and is well-positioned to take on the multiple challenges it faces.

Matchstick Inc. (A) case introduces students to how brands are starting to put in place non-traditional advertising, such as word-of-mouth campaigns. The founder of Toronto-based Matchstick Inc. is working on a campaign for the Ketel One vodka brand. Ketel One, managed by Diageo, a global beverage firm, is trying to increase its awareness and sales in the Canadian market. Ketel One's brand manager has turned to Matchstick to generate awareness among its elusive target audience.

This is a supplement to Matchstick Inc. (A), product 9B10A019. The cases introduces students to how brands are starting to put in place non-traditional advertising, such as word-of-mouth campaigns. The founder of Toronto-based Matchstick Inc. is working on a campaign for the Ketel One vodka brand. Ketel One, managed by Diageo, a global beverage firm, is trying to increase its awareness and sales in the Canadian market. Ketel One's brand manager has turned to Matchstick to generate awareness among its elusive target audience.

In 2006, Hermann Gudmundsson (the chief executive officer [CEO] of Bilanaust, an Icelandic automotive spare parts retailer) was part of a group of partners that had purchased Esso Iceland. He had subsequently been appointed to the CEO position at Esso Iceland. The two companies were quite different: Bilanaust dealt with real-time customer needs, carried a wide range of products, and enjoyed a rising market share and profits. Esso Iceland was 12 times the size of Bilanaust, skilled at developing and executing medium- to long-term strategies, and was operating in a stagnated market. Gudmundsson evaluated the opportunities in front of him: could a successful merger be wrought from the two companies or would it be better to maintain two separate entities? He determined that a lot of work would need to be done to gain consensus around the right strategic direction for the future. Careful thought identified three areas of initial focus: 1) improving staff morale; 2) creating a sense of optimism; 3) placing effective leaders at key points in the organization.

Hermann Gudmundsson, the new chief executive officer (CEO) of both Esso Iceland (provider of fuel and lubricants) and Bilanaust (an automotive spare parts retailer) was starting to develop an organizational strategy to carry the two firms forward for the next few years. His overriding concern was to create value for themselves and the customers they served, and Gudmundsson considered several methods to achieve that goal: should each company be led and managed on a stand-alone basis, or would a formal merger bring the hoped-for synergies? He determined that the best approach would be to capture an accurate picture of the talent existing in both organizations but was unsure of the best method to sort, rank and evaluate the talent existing in each of Esso Iceland and Bilanaust. Ultimately, he wanted to create a list of objectives for the evaluation program and methods to implement the findings.

By December 2006, Hermann Gudmundsson (the chief executive officer of both Esso Iceland and Bilanaust) had spent the past 10 months evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of both organizations, and determined that the best approach going forward would be to, consider creating a new organization with a new structure and a new brand name. He weighed the advantages, disadvantages and costs of either retaining two separate companies and their associated brand-image, or merging into one new organization. Gudmundsson was facing resistance from both the board of directors and three different advertising agencies to forgo the Esso brand; but with an ultimate mandate to increase shareholder value he needed to figure out the best method, from a branding perspective, to achieve that objective.

In December 2006, Hermann Gudmundsson (the chief executive officer of both Esso Iceland and Bilanaust) announced to employees of both companies that a merger was to occur. Various workshops were held to involve employees in the developing structure of the new organization, resulting in a tenable logistics strategy and increased trust between members of the different organizations. By April 2007, Gudmundsson and his team had merged the two organizations, created a new company name and designed a new logo. On the official launch day, over 800 employees were expected to be in attendance as Gudmundsson unveiled the new brand. Gudmundsson wanted to deliver a memorable speech that captured all the excitement and conveyed the right message of the brand going forward - but was unsure of what issues to address in the speech and concepts he should emphasize to create the right first impression.

By the end of 2007, Hermann Gudmundsson (the chief executive officer of N1) created from the merger between Esso Iceland and Bilanaust) was focused on building trust within his organization. By involving employees in decision-making, N1 had received valuable suggestions on effective business operations. But Gudmundsson had noted a lack of chemistry between employees of the two former firms, and thought that a stumbling block to better relations was the separate clubs or societies for Esso Iceland and Bilanaust employees. After human resources was unable to find a satisfactory resolution, Gudmundsson reluctantly stepped in to render his opinion on how to resolve the issue.

By October 2008, the merger of Esso Iceland and Bilanaust into the new company N1 was considered a success. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) was on its way to doubling in three years, and cross-selling was gaining traction. But N1's plans were under threat of derailing due to a looming currency crisis. In October 2008, the Icelandic banking sector collapsed. Gudmundsson called upon his team to determine what internal and external changes needed to be made to remain viable and productive now that they were without access to commercial credit.

In February 2009,the human resources associate at the Toronto office of advertising agency Ambrose & Bisaro (A&B) had just finished interviewing a candidate for one of eight summer internship positions. Due to the economic downturn, A&B anticipated a larger number of qualified applicants for these positions, especially notable in 2009 as many of their direct competitors had scaled back their internship programs. Throughout the interview, the candidate impressed the human resources associate with their demeanor, enthusiasm and extra-curricular activities; however, the candidate had no previous marketing experience. At the end of the interview the candidate revealed she had secured interviews at five competing advertising agencies and had three firm offers. Somewhat taken aback, the human resources associate realized she had to make a very quick decision: extend an offer to the candidate, or wait and interview the remaining applicants and risk losing this one?

The green belt specialist at the Cintas Torlake facility near Toronto had four days before he was to present his recommendations to the executive steering committee (ESC) for correcting the capacity problem in the mat department, which was causing product shortages and negatively affecting customer satisfaction. The case provides data that students can use to analyze the processes used at the company for cleaning and replacing mats for its approximately 5,000 customers. The case provides students with the opportunity to develop their process and capacity analysis skills and to explore six sigma methodology.

In March 2010, the owner of Anita Norris Model Management (ANMM) was trying to discern a strategic direction to best serve the growth of her company. Its quick growth in the past two years was due to the owners' efforts to pursue any revenue stream opportunity that presented itself. The owner was concerned that this pace was unsustainable in the long run and would in fact stretch the business too thinly. Currently, the business's revenue stemmed from four main areas: modeling workshops, signing and booking models, model development and speaking fees. The owner wanted to develop a future business strategy that would allow her to focus the business and spend the majority of her time on developing and managing her models. To do this she had to carefully analyze the strengths and weaknesses of her company within the context of her competitors and the industry as a whole.

This case is based on a Canadian real estate trust's need to obtain financing for a large capital expenditure at a time when credit markets have effectively frozen. Students are asked to evaluate the trust's financial statements to determine the amount of financing required, and then to evaluate alternatives in order to meet the financing gap. Students are also asked to value the project by using basic present-value techniques.

In August 2008, there was a large propane explosion at a propane facility located in Toronto, Ontario and the resulting media coverage was nothing short of extensive. Within 24 hours of the explosion, media coverage shifted from developments at the site to the responsibilities of the Technical Safety and Standards Authority (TSSA). The TSSA was a not-for-profit corporation that was responsible for the delivery of regulatory services and ensuring technical safety in a number of areas. It currently fell under the supervision of the Ministry of Small Business and Consumer Services (the Ministry), although it had been separated from the government since 1996. By the fourth day of the crisis, the TSSA was perceived to be underperforming and had lost all credibility with the media and public. Opposition parties were calling for the TSSA to be brought back in-house. The Ministry was under criticism for actions of this arm's-length body, and was determined to deliver a media statement that would accurately capture the nuances of this politically sensitive event, thus showing leadership without taking ownership.

In August 2008, there was a large explosion at a propane facility located in Toronto, Ontario. The Technical Safety and Standards Authority (TSSA) was a not-for-profit corporation that was responsible for the delivery of regulatory services and ensuring technical safety, and fell under the supervision of the Ministry of Small Business and Consumer Services (the Ministry). By day four of the crisis, the TSSA was perceived to be underperforming and the minister was called to deliver a statement. He decided neither to support nor reject the TSSA but instead called for the TSSA to audit all propane facilities in Ontario. The audits revealed that many of the facilities had minor compliance issues. The reporting of these results, combined with intense public scrutiny of the event, again called TSSA's credibility into question. Faced with TSSA's damaged reputation, the minister evaluated three actions: 1) change TSSA's leadership; 2) bring TSSA back into the government; or 3) perform an organizational review.

In August 2008, there was a large explosion at a propane facility located in Toronto, Ontario. The Technical Safety and Standards Authority (TSSA) was a not-for-profit corporation that was responsible for the delivery of regulatory services and ensuring technical safety, and fell under the supervision of the Ministry of Small Business and Consumer Services (the Ministry). After the explosion, with the TSSA facing intense public and political scrutiny, the Ministry requested that the TSSA perform audits at every propane facility in Toronto. The audit results were reported by the media in such a way as to damage TSSA's reputation. The Ministry then ordered an organizational review of the governance structure of the eight Delegated Administrative Authorities (DAAs) of which the TSSA was one. Determined to act in the best interests of the province, the Ministry subsequently ordered a 30-day Propane Safety Review but needed to make three decisions: 1) select an insider or outsider to lead the panel? 2) should the leader be a prominent figure or technical expert? 3) what is the optimal timing of the review?

The chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Vancouver's Ondine Biopharma Corporation (Ondine) - a biotechnology firm specializing in the developing of medical devices - was faced with a strategic dilemma. Her publicly listed firm had developed a product that appeared to address an unmet need in the dental profession. She gathered her team to discuss whether management's efforts should be focused on maximizing returns from its new product by developing a new capability (building a direct sales force) or by capitalizing on its current expertise in photodynamic disinfection (PDD) technology to develop a host of new applications (navigating the complex regulatory approval process). Ondine did not have the financial resources to pursue both strategies, so had to choose one path and execute it well.

Eveline Charles, the founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of EvelineCharles (a chain of upscale salon and spas focused in western Canada) was planning the next growth phase of her company. It was currently well positioned for growth: it had nine locations, a 26,000-square foot training facility, a warehouse and its own line of over 1,800 different spa and salon products. Despite these advantages, EvelineCharles was a small company and the CEO needed to be selective in her chosen growth strategy. She was trying to determine whether franchising her stores made more sense than relying on either organic growth or product distribution.