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Vizio has grown in the U.S. flat-screen television market with a focused low-cost strategy. The roles of Vizio and its partners along the value chain are described to understand the sources of its competitive advantage. Vizio's fast growth in a dynamic industry raises the question of what its strategic priorities should be going forward.

The focus of the case is on Enterprise, a firm operating within part of the UK facilities management industry. Set in 2012, the focus is on how Enterprise should respond to changes in market conditions, including the ongoing effects of the 2008 financial crisis, and competitor strategies.

The case examines the factors that influenced the founders' decision to establish Bayt.com in Dubai, and how the online job site transformed recruitment practices in the Middle East by facilitating access to skill and talent throughout the MENA region. Among the locational drawbacks the company had to overcome were low internet penetration rates, cultural barriers, and diverse legal and regulatory systems.

The focus is on the flat-screen television industry from the early 2000s to the early 2010s. Aspects considered include consumer purchase behaviour and the role of retailers, diverse approaches taken by TV manufacturers, examples of entry and exit, and changing sourcing arrangements, which supports discussion of the industry structure and dynamics.

In December 2014, Brad Hirsch stood on the gaming floor at Harrah's Metropolis Casino and Hotel in Metropolis, Illinois, where he had recently been assigned the position of General Manager and Senior Vice President. The property was part of Caesars Entertainment, the world's most geographically diversified provider of casino entertainment. Evidence from customer surveys and data on loyalty-card usage patterns, as well as competitive pressures across the casino industry, indicated a general need for process improvement at the Metropolis facility. Hirsch had successfully led employee-centered efforts to apply LEAN operating principles to improve customer service in three of his company's casinos in Tunica, Mississippi. He believed what he learned from those experiences would be applicable in the Metropolis location, but wondered if he should consider a modified approach that could potentially produce results more quickly with the help of a team of internal experts.

In the summer of 2014, the founder and sole owner of F.P. Journe, a maker of luxury watches, sat in his Geneva headquarters and wondered about the future. Founded in 1999, the private company had 125 employees and a strictly limited production of 850 to 900 watches per year. It was a well-respected brand that was distributed globally through a network of company-owned boutiques and third-party jewellery stores. Its exclusively designed and individually manufactured products were prized by collectors and had won many awards and distinctions. However, the "haute horology" market had become increasingly competitive. Was producing 95 per cent of all watch components in-house a good idea? Should he scale up his business through mergers and acquisitions or by increasing the company's online presence? Or should he rest on his laurels and preserve the status quo?

Privately held Simplot has developed a new genetically engineered potato that substantially reduces waste and does not turn brown after cutting. Unlike other GMOs, it does not contain foreign genes. The case describes the company's commercialization plans in light of the complex environment surrounding genetically modified foods.

The case considers the evolution of the Indian pulses market and the ensuing opportunity in the branded pulses segment. India was the world's largest producer, importer and consumer of pulses because of the high percentage of vegetarians in the local population. The Indian food industry is expected to reach US$65.41 billion by 2020 owing to the rise in middle class income, changing urban lifestyle and modern retail trade. Agro Tech Foods, the Indian arm of ConAgra Foods, USA has an opportunity to enter in the Indian branded pulses sector. The decision that Agro Tech has to make was whether to go ahead and gain the prime mover advantage or wait for the other players to cultivate the market and reap the benefits later. Company also required to see whether the Indian market was demographically, economically and psychologically ready to make investments in branded pulses and to pay a premium for the same.

The case - Buchanan Renewables: Bringing Power to Liberia - focuses on a proposal to build two 17 megawatt facilities to provide power to Monrovia, the capital of Liberia. The country has just come out of a bitter civil war in which almost all of its power system was destroyed. The case can be taught as an energy case - comparing the alternative supply options or as an infrastructure case - looking at the question - should Liberia pursue a project that can supply power quickly to create hundreds of jobs, but one that key donor agencies believe is overpriced and would place an untenable financial burden on the Liberian Electric Company (the state-owned distribution company)? This case allows for a discussion of energy alternatives for developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa. It also raise the tough question of deciding between meeting short-term political and energy goals versus pursuing less expensive options that might not be available for 4-6 years. HKS Case Number 2022.0.

The plant manager of an aluminum alloy production plant is faced with capacity constraints and must determine which of two new speciality orders to take on. Both orders cannot be filled simultaneously.<br><br>Students are asked to: (1) perform an industry size-up of the global metals industry and its subset, the aluminum industry; (2) perform a business size-up of the company's current operations; (3) determine the pros and cons of accepting each customer order; (4) calculate the projected contribution margin rates for each product order; (5) analyze, using differential analysis, each customer order and (6) make a decision as to which order to accept.

This case traces the evolution of thinking about, and the implementation of, performance assessment at one of Turkey's largest and most respected nonprofit organizations, the Educational Volunteers Foundation of Turkey (TEGV). TEGV delivers a broad array of educational enrichment programs to low income children across Turkey through a team of volunteers. In contrast to many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) across the world, which have adopted performance measurement reluctantly, as a necessary but onerous condition of receiving grant funds, TEGV embraced the idea early, for its own organizational purposes. In the course of telling TEGV's performance assessment story, the case includes detailed descriptions of two different approaches to program review and two broader impact studies. It includes 17 pages of exhibits-most of which provide samples of study results for students to review and discuss. TEGV's approach to assessment has been varied, creative and has evolved over time. Students of performance evaluation will likely see both pluses and minuses in the nature of each assessment described in this case, ensuring a rich and lively discussion. HKS Case Number 2028.0.

An ethical hacker had recently started his entrepreneurial venture, EnterAll InfoSec Solutions. A technologist who believed that "ethical hacking" had huge market potential, he and his partner were searching for a business model that would address the information security needs of corporate clients, public sector undertakings (PSUs) and government institutions. Ethical hacking was a specialized and relatively nascent field, and the entrepreneur foresaw many challenges in convincing customers to use the services of his start-up company. The immediate concerns were how to expand the business, identify an optimal business model, explore sources of funding and create a strong team.

BioLite started out as an evening and weekend project for two men who wanted to design a more efficient camping stove. From those humble beginnings grew a company that has won accolades and attention for its innovative design. BioLite's stove could potentially improve the lives of millions of people worldwide while combatting global climate threats. With its roots in sustainable design, the company has become a social enterprise dedicated to finding a market-based solution to the range of problems caused by the open fires that millions of people rely on for cooking and heating their homes. A unique feature of BioLite's business model is its dual-innovation streams: The lessons and innovations gleaned from testing its HomeStove prototypes in developing countries like Ghana, Uganda and India are then adapted to create products that can be sold to the European and North American recreational markets. The revenues from sales in developed markets can then support the company, be reinvested in new research and help incubate its efforts in developing countries until those fledgling markets become self-sustaining. However, BioLite is at a transitional stage, having completed much of its field-testing, it has an adaptable and well-accepted HomeStove design. At the end of the case, the future viability of BioLite's proposed model is brought into question given the complexities of successfully selling its product in a developing country. Learning objectives: The BioLite case could be used in several subject areas as it incorporates elements of entrepreneurship, business strategy and corporate social responsibility/sustainability. Of particular interest is the way BioLite has combined design and strategic thinking to embed sustainability and transformational values into its core business strategy. Therefore, it is applicable for use in undergraduate, MBA level or executive courses.

In August 2013, the United States Securities and Exchanges Commission ("SEC") opened a bribery investigation into JPMorgan's "princeling hiring" practices in Hong Kong, China's Special Administrative Region. The investment bank's Hong Kong operation hired the daughter of a senior official of the state-owned China Railway Group ("CRG") in 2007, and the son of the chairman of state-owned China Everbright Group ("Everbright") in 2010. Months after the 2007 hiring, JPMorgan successfully secured the job of underwriting CRG's initial public offering ("IPO"). Similarly, although few business deals between JPMorgan and Everbright and its subsidiaries were made before 2010, JPMorgan then successfully secured several financial advisory jobs for the company. The US Security Exchange Commission's subsequent investigation put investment bank efforts to build "guanxi" in China by hiring princelings in the spotlight.

Financing New Ventures: An Entrepreneur's Guide to Business Angel Investment is a seven chapter book published in 2014 by the Business Expert Press and written by Geoffrey Gregson, Director of the Centre for Entrepreneurship Research at the University of Edinburgh Business School. In this book, the author provides practical guidance for growth-oriented business ventures looking to secure funding from external sources. He reviews the features of an investable business opportunity and advises the entrepreneur on how to present the opportunity to potential funders, as well as sharing insight into the investor's decision-making process. In addition to his focus on business angels (BA), Gregson offers insights into the work of venture capitalists (VC) to provide a comprehensive view of financing new ventures. The author includes definitions of key terms, real world examples, notes on current research, and commentary from practitioners. The book includes five appendices. Appendix A provides insight for Chapter Two by reviewing the requirements for becoming a business angel with a summary of the United Kingdom's "Enterprise Investment Scheme." The author includes investor regulations in both the United Kingdom and the United States. Appendix B provides an outline of the key sections of a traditional business plan, which is first mentioned in Chapter Three. Appendix C outlines three documents that are essential parts of the business plan financials. The author describes each document and explains the underlying goal of each one. Also referenced in Chapter Three, Appendix D outlines the investment screening criteria used by the largest BA group in the United States, the Tech Coast Angels. Appendix E provides a sample outline of a Preferred Investment Term Sheet, which is discussed in Chapter Four.

Financing New Ventures: An Entrepreneur's Guide to Business Angel Investment is a seven chapter book published in 2014 by the Business Expert Press and written by Geoffrey Gregson, Director of the Centre for Entrepreneurship Research at the University of Edinburgh Business School. In this book, the author provides practical guidance for growth-oriented business ventures looking to secure funding from external sources. He reviews the features of an investable business opportunity and advises the entrepreneur on how to present the opportunity to potential funders, as well as sharing insight into the investor's decision-making process. In addition to his focus on business angels (BA), Gregson offers insights into the work of venture capitalists (VC) to provide a comprehensive view of financing new ventures. The author includes definitions of key terms, real world examples, notes on current research, and commentary from practitioners. Chapter 1, Introduction (10 pages), begins with a discussion of new ventures and sources of funding. The author explains his focus on growth-oriented ventures and why business angels are the major source of funding for these types of opportunities. He reviews key considerations for business angel financing and provides an overview of concepts and chapters in the book.