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After a massive earthquake destroyed many buildings in Haiti, reconstruction has become a source of opportunity and competition for non-governmental organizations, international business and local companies. The Haitian chairman and CEO of a very successful, multi-million dollar information technology company wants to provide affordable quality housing, especially for the disadvantaged poor, using steel frame technology from his start-up, KayTek. What he has not yet determined is how to get his product to market. He has three options: to keep sales and construction in-house, to outsource, or to franchise in order to create opportunities for young Haitian engineers to become entrepreneurs. Each option has costs, in terms not only of finances and time but also of control of brand quality and accessibility.

After a massive earthquake destroyed many buildings in Haiti in 2011, reconstruction has become a source of opportunity and competition for non-governmental organizations, international business and local companies. The Haitian chairman and CEO of a very successful, multi-million dollar information technology company wants to provide affordable quality housing, especially for the disadvantaged poor, using steel frame technology from his start-up, KayTek. What he has not yet determined is how to get his product to market. He has three options: to keep sales and construction in-house, to outsource, or to franchise in order to create opportunities for young Haitian engineers to become entrepreneurs. Each option has costs, in terms not only of finances and time but also of control of brand quality and accessibility.

Partners in Nunavut Iron Ore Acquisition Inc. (Nunavut), an entity that had been set up to bid for control of Baffinland Iron Mines Corporation (Baffinland), are forced to respond to a rival bid. Baffinland owned the Mary River project, one of the most significant iron ore reserves in Canada, and had been trying to develop the project since 2004, but the number of prospective mining and financing partners declined following the onset of the global financial crisis in 2007. Baffinland’s share price tumbled as a result of its inability to move the project forward, falling from over $4.68 in October 2007 to $0.17 cents in 2008. In September 2010, sensing an opportunity to pick up an asset at a distressed price, Nunavut, backed by a private equity firm in the United States, had sparked a bidding war for Baffinland against ArcelorMittal, a Belgium-based steel company.

This case introduces students to the value chain of the oil and gas industry in Canada. Through examining the current position and future plans of a small, independent oil and gas exploration company, they will discover the challenges of growing through acquisition and the risks associated with expanding beyond a company's core competencies. The case includes an overview of the industry, the history of Oleum Resources Ltd., and the opportunities it has to revise its business strategy by expanding into the innovative but risky ASP technology. The company's first two options entail not only investing considerable capital but also hiring highly specialized personnel. However, the third option, to stay the course, may mean facing losses and investor unhappiness.

This case investigates issues of obsolescence and inventory control in a local sportswear company that is competing on the global stage with both multinational corporations and foreign, low-cost distributors. Athletic Knit, a family-owned company in Toronto, faces the need to balance peak-season demand during the third quarter of the year with the available knitting production capacity. Inventory, if it serves a purpose, can be an asset to a company, but too much inventory can be a liability. Trade-offs between capacity, inventory, and flexibility to meet custom orders must be met to support corporate strategy. Given the competitive nature of the industry, tighter inventory controls are essential, but the company must weigh endangering its reputation for fast responses to custom orders with managing inventory to prevent stock-outs and/or overruns of stock that cannot be sold.

This case investigates issues of obsolescence and inventory control in a local sportswear company that is competing on the global stage with both multinational corporations and foreign, low-cost distributors. Athletic Knit, a family-owned company in Toronto, faces the need to balance peak-season demand during the third quarter of the year with the available knitting production capacity. Inventory, if it serves a purpose, can be an asset to a company, but too much inventory can be a liability. Trade-offs between capacity, inventory, and flexibility to meet custom orders must be met to support corporate strategy. Given the competitive nature of the industry, tighter inventory controls are essential, but the company must weigh endangering its reputation for fast responses to custom orders with managing inventory to prevent stock-outs and/or overruns of stock that cannot be sold.

This case introduces students to the value chain of the oil and gas industry in Canada. Through examining the current position and future plans of a small, independent oil and gas exploration company, they will discover the challenges of growing through acquisition and the risks associated with expanding beyond a company's core competencies. The case includes an overview of the industry, the history of Oleum Resources Ltd., and the opportunities it has to revise its business strategy by expanding into the innovative but risky ASP technology. The company's first two options entail not only investing considerable capital but also hiring highly specialized personnel. However, the third option, to stay the course, may mean facing losses and investor unhappiness.

It was late January 2011, and although Rachel De Marchi had gotten used to the long days of physical labour, she knew it was bothering her, and today brought her to a reality that she knew she would have to face. Since having founded her dog-walking service six years ago in Oakville, Ontario, this was the first time she had asked for help. She made a very embarrassing phone call to her father when she could not wrestle a dog into her car. What made the day even more frustrating was that she received three phone calls from potential clients, none of whom she could fit into her schedule. De Marchi knew that she was running out of capacity, both in terms of time and energy, and that something would have to change, but she wondered where to begin.

It was late January 2011, and although Rachel De Marchi had gotten used to the long days of physical labour, she knew it was bothering her, and today brought her to a reality that she knew she would have to face. Since having founded her dog-walking service six years ago in Oakville, Ontario, this was the first time she had asked for help. She made a very embarrassing phone call to her father when she could not wrestle a dog into her car. What made the day even more frustrating was that she received three phone calls from potential clients, none of whom she could fit into her schedule. De Marchi knew that she was running out of capacity, both in terms of time and energy, and that something would have to change, but she wondered where to begin.

Jamie Bailey, owner and president of C. R. Plastics, had successfully grown his business every year since 1994 when he began producing recycled plastic outdoor furniture. This rapid growth had provided its own challenges in terms of constrained financing and by summer 2010, Bailey was desperate for a new source of cash. He subsequently auditioned to be on Dragon’s Den, a television show where entrepreneurs could pitch their business to a group of venture capitalists, who could then choose to invest their own cash in exchange for a share of the business. With a week remaining before he had to present his final pitch, Bailey had to make a difficult prediction: How much money would he need to meet the growing demand into 2011? Complicating his analysis were competing proposals to fundamentally change how production was managed. In addition to reconfiguring labour allocation, one method required significant investment in equipment, while the other increased inventory during the off-season. Which alternative would allow the company to retain a greater share of the equity when Bailey pitched his business to the Dragon’s Den panel?

Spreadsheet for product 9B11M087.

Spreadsheet for product 9B10N037.

Jamie Bailey, owner and president of C.R. Plastics, has successfully grown his business every year since 1994 when he began producing recycled plastic outdoor furniture. This rapid growth has provided its own challenges in terms of constrained financing and by summer 2010, Bailey was desperate for a new source of cash. He subsequently auditioned to be on Dragon's Den, a television show where entrepreneurs can pitch their business to a group of venture capitalists, who may then choose to invest their own cash in exchange for a share of the business. With a week remaining before he has to present his final pitch, Bailey has to make a difficult prediction: How much money will he need to meet the growing demand into 2011? Complicating his analysis are competing proposals to fundamentally change how production is managed. In addition to reconfiguring labour allocation, one method requires significant investment in equipment while the other increases inventory during the off-season. Which alternative will allow the company to retain a greater share of the equity when he pitches his business to the Dragon's Den panel?

It was August 2011 and Martin Cartier, senior board member, was beginning to feel the pressure of Drowling Mountain's 2010 general meeting that was coming up in two months. Drowling Mountain had historically been the ski resort of choice for the local residents of Syracuse, New York. However, the company had recorded losses for the past two years. At last year's annual general meeting, Cartier explicitly stated that he would bring the company to sustainable operations. He felt personally responsible for the company's struggles since he was the longest serving member on the board. Management had been keen on developing a new marketing plan focused on increasing sales and new pricing schemes, but Cartier thought an advance meeting to discuss the plan with select board members would be advantageous. Cartier held significant influence in the meeting coming up in October, and any recommendations that he made were likely to determine the future success of the company.

Bruce Ballantyne had recently joined CRP Products (CRP) of Stratford, Ontario, to help review the company's operations and assess what changes were necessary to keep up with demand. Although it was early 2011, and the peak season was still four months away, Ballantyne knew that he would have to determine what equipment was needed over the next three weeks to ensure it was delivered and installed before the peak season. Jamie Bailey, the owner of CRP, had also concluded that CRP did not have the financing available for both the new equipment needed to make its unique design of outdoor furniture and the seasonal working capital required to support inventory and accounts receivable. He had turned to Ballantyne to develop a solution that would keep up with demand, keep inventory low and work within the available financing.

In March 2005, the president of Digital Extremes in London, Ontario, had just received the latest industry data. The new Xbox 360 was a success and the president knew that Digital Extremes would have to add significant resources and fundamentally change its operations in order to focus on the growing console market rather than on PC gaming. However, given only three months before game development would begin for the next new console, the Playstation 3, the president was unsure of what changes would be possible.

In March 2005, the president of Digital Extremes in London, Ontario, had just received the latest industry data. The new Xbox 360 was a success and the president knew that Digital Extremes would have to add significant resources and fundamentally change its operations in order to focus on the growing console market rather than on PC gaming. However, given only three months before game development would begin for the next new console, the PS3, the president was unsure of what changes would be possible.

Bruce Ballantyne had recently joined C.R.P. Products (CRP), a furniture manufacturer in Stratford, Ontario, to help review the company’s operations and assess what changes were necessary to keep up with demand. Although it was early 2011 and the peak season was still four months away, Ballantyne knew that he would have to determine what equipment was needed over the next three weeks to ensure it was delivered and installed before the peak season. Jamie Bailey, the owner of CRP, had also concluded that CRP did not have the financing available for both the new equipment needed to make its unique design of outdoor furniture and the seasonal working capital required to support inventory and accounts receivable. He had turned to Ballantyne to develop a solution that would keep up with demand, keep inventory low, and work within the available financing.

It was August 2011 and Martin Cartier, senior board member of Drowling Mountain, was beginning to feel the pressure of Drowling Mountain Ski Resort’s 2010 general meeting that was coming up in two months. Drowling Mountain had historically been the ski resort of choice for the local residents of Syracuse, New York. However, the company had recorded losses for the past two years. At last year’s annual general meeting, Cartier explicitly stated that he would bring the company to sustainable operations. He felt personally responsible for the company’s struggles, since he was the longest-serving member on the board. Management had been keen on developing a new marketing plan focused on new pricing schemes and increasing sales, but Cartier thought an advance meeting to discuss the plan with select board members would be advantageous. He held significant influence in the forthcoming meeting in October, and any recommendations that he made were likely to determine the future success of the company.

It was the beginning of December, 2010 and a newly formed team of analysts and consultants at Kristoffer Consulting were gearing up to complete their report for Bei Capelli, an Indianapolis-based hair salon catering to middle-class women. The co-owners felt that Bei Capelli had reached capacity at their current location, and wanted to develop a strategy to pursue future growth. Kristoffer Consulting was looking at growth strategies ranging from franchising, new locations, and new services to increase Bei Capelli's financial performance. The report was due the last week of January, and the team was trying to determine what information they need to gather from the owners to complete their analysis. The team has some challenging client issues and business integrity issues.