Eu Yan Sang International was an Asia-based traditional chinese medicine (TCM) provider. The company was established in the late 1890s and had been in operations for over 100 years. By 2007, it was managed by a combination of fourth-generation descendents and professional managers. The first section of this case examines the dramatic rise and fall of the Eu family business empire over several generations, and illustrates the complex interplay of preserving family values, managing personal egos, and reviving a 100-year-old business using modern management techniques. The second section discusses Eu Yan Sang's growth in the 1990s as it transitioned from a purely family-run business to one which had to balance preserving traditional values and meeting the expectations of a modern day corporation. The last section discusses Richard Eu's, fourth generation CEO of the company, considerations in succession planning as the business prepared for a new generation of leadership.
DermaCare has developed an innovative new product for the treatment of acne that they hope to sell to consumers via direct-response television. The unconventional nature of the product and its distribution has led the company to seek angel financing. The Silicon Valley Band of Angels has agreed to finance the company and has submitted a proposed term sheet. Recently, however, a venture capital (VC) group has submitted a competing term sheet. The company must decide whether to accept financing from the Angels or the VC group.
Presents data on opportunities to conserve energy in buildings, which account for about a third of all energy use. Encourages readers to think about the impediments to energy efficiency in the buildings sector and the ways in which entrepreneurs can profitably surmount the obstacles.
The Home Depot case is a great story. It's about entrepreneurship, growth, CEO leadership, and the dramatic impact, good and bad, a CEO can have on a company's growth culture, strategy, and performance. Home Depot had faced market growth challenges for the last seven years as it tried in numerous ways to reignite its growth engine. The case explores the growth strategies of CEOs Bernie Marcus, Arthur Blank, and Blank's successor Bob Nardelli, a former GE executive. After examining Home Depot's growth history, the case challenges students to devise a growth strategy for the company under a new CEO.
Well known actor Paul Newman started a business to give profits to charity. Summarizes his experience in making the transition from one kind of leadership to another.
Identifies the challenges for experienced leaders who transition from their primary income-earning careers to a next phase of public service or social-purpose work, based on interviews and published sources.
A French real estate firm must choose to report its primary asset (investment property) using either cost or fair-value accounting methods upon adoption of international accounting standards (IAS) in 2005.
The U.S. Navy Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Depot (AIMD) Lemoore Power Plants Division (F404 engine maintenance) was a real mess. Not-Ready-For-Issue parts were everywhere. Division through-put was poor (35 engines and 190 modules awaiting maintenance), there were 30 F/A-18 aircraft with bare firewalls (no engines), the maintenance crews were working 12-hour days, manning was at 61% of authorized levels, reenlistment rates were an abysmal 50%, and crew morale was lousy. And more parts and engines arrived in daily. The Officer-in-Charge of the Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Detachment decided to use Lean manufacturing to tackle the challenge. It would be the first application of the Lean concept to Naval Aviation.