個案總覽

The owner and sole shareholder of a Vanderbilt Financial Services brokerage in London, Ontario, must decide on the best course of action to grow his business. In 2018, the owner was concerned that he had not accomplished as much as he could with his current business strategy. He was a financial adviser specializing in life insurance and mutual fund products, and he was looking to find new ways to grow. The owner had come up with two options to help achieve growth within his brokerage: enter the real estate market by building business office space to use and to rent to prospective tenants, or build a larger team of life insurance and mutual fund representatives to help manage his growing client base.

In May 2017, the owner and operator of Master Decker, a deck restoration business, had an opportunity to expand his business by adding to the company’s current service offerings. His three expansion alternatives were offering deck building, marketing an exclusive line of stains, and manufacturing deck cleaning chemicals. He planned to analyze the costs and benefits of each alternative. He wanted to continue growing the business but wondered which of these options, or combination of options, would provide the best return on investment for his company. Because he had no set timeline, he wanted to move forward with at least one of the options immediately.

The Fire Roasted Coffee Company (Fire Roasted) was a small regional roaster and seller of coffee in London, Ontario. The company sourced green coffee beans from over 20 different countries and managed the roasting process in house. Its coffee was primarily served at Fire Roasted’s own coffee shop locations, but was sometimes sold wholesale to other cafés and interested parties. In 2017, as the company was about to update its point-of-sale system, the company’s founder and president recognized the opportunity to implement a new set of prices for the premium coffee beverages on the menu. The list of beverages included Americano, cappuccino, drip coffee, latte, macchiato, and mocha. He considered a few different methods of costing selected items, intending to use these costs as an aid to his pricing decisions. He was also determined to incorporate industry and competitive dynamics into the decision.

In 2018, the vice-president of operations at Fleetway set out to make some decisions regarding the company's future strategy. Fleetway, a family entertainment centre in London, Ontario, was a popular destination for family fun. With a new entrant in the region and a few expansion opportunities to choose from, the vice-president had to decide whether adding go-karting or an escape room presented the best opportunity for future success. Doing both was feasible too, but should Fleetway become a premium service offering or remain in its current space? The expansion could better position the company for future success because most family entertainment centres had slowly moved toward a premium service mix, as represented by a new local competitor. Should Fleetway move toward a premium service offering or remain operating in its current space?

In May 2017, the owner and operator of Master Decker, a deck restoration business, had an opportunity to expand his business by adding to the company's current service offerings. His three expansion alternatives were offering deck building, marketing an exclusive line of stains, and manufacturing deck cleaning chemicals. He planned to analyze the costs and benefits of each alternative. He wanted to continue growing the business but wondered which of these options, or combination of options, would provide the best return on investment for his company. Because he had no set timeline, he wanted to move forward with at least one of the options immediately.

The Fire Roasted Coffee Company (Fire Roasted) was a small regional roaster and seller of coffee in London, Ontario. The company sourced green coffee beans from over 20 different countries and managed the roasting process in house. Its coffee was primarily served at Fire Roasted's own coffee shop locations, but was sometimes sold wholesale to other cafés and interested parties. In 2017, as the company was about to update its point-of-sale system, the company's founder and president recognized the opportunity to implement a new set of prices for the premium coffee beverages on the menu. The list of beverages included Americano, cappuccino, drip coffee, latte, macchiato, and mocha. He considered a few different methods of costing selected items, intending to use these costs as an aid to his pricing decisions. He was also determined to incorporate industry and competitive dynamics into the decision.

In early July 2017, the shareholders of RollUP Solutions Incorporated (RollUP), a social enterprise in London, Ontario, had just received great news about a partnership with Goodwill Industries International Inc. that would result in process efficiencies and business growth for RollUP. RollUP collected used mobility devices from long-term care homes, upcycled the devices, and sold them to consumers at discounted prices. Before launching their online sales channel and implementing their new sourcing and upcycling process, the shareholders needed to make key marketing decisions such as selecting a target market, price, and promotional methods.

In early July 2017, the shareholders of RollUP Solutions Incorporated (RollUP), a social enterprise in London, Ontario, had just received great news about a partnership with Goodwill Industries International Inc. that would result in process efficiencies and business growth for RollUP. RollUP collected used mobility devices from long-term care homes, upcycled the devices, and sold them to consumers at discounted prices. Before launching their online sales channel and implementing their new sourcing and upcycling process, the shareholders needed to make key marketing decisions such as selecting a target market, price, and promotional methods.

In April 2017, a third year student at Western University was contemplating launching a new business, Backyard Pub. The company would rent inflatable pubs and party supplies to individuals planning outdoor summer gatherings across Southwestern Ontario. This start-up enthusiast needed to evaluate his product offering and marketing strategy in addition to projecting the new venture’s financial performance for the first three years of operations. Was there a market for this product? What target demographic would buy into this product? Where was the best place to market Backyard Pub?

In April 2017, a third year student at Western University was contemplating launching a new business, Backyard Pub. The company would rent inflatable pubs and party supplies to individuals planning outdoor summer gatherings across Southwestern Ontario. This start-up enthusiast needed to evaluate his product offering and marketing strategy in addition to projecting the new venture's financial performance for the first three years of operations. Was there a market for this product? What target demographic would buy into this product? Where was the best place to market Backyard Pub?

Netflix Inc. (Netflix) had surpassed Blockbuster, the previous movie rental leader, before making the successful transition to digital delivery of video content. But despite Netflix's success, in 2017, numerous competitors, including both established, mainstream content producers and digital upstarts, were making it difficult for Netflix to recreate its earlier dominance. Critics pointed to Netflix’s slowing acquisition of subscribers and accelerating debt levels. Netflix's chief executive officer was confronted with disruption from a variety of digital rivals. How should he respond? Should Netflix continue to try to be a content producer, competing with Hollywood’s industry leaders? Should it form a partnership with other media companies to align everyone’s incentives? Perhaps it could move into other media content areas outside of traditional entertainment. Further, there remained the question of how to treat its legacy DVD-by-mail business. As the incumbent firm, Netflix needed to respond to competitors and avoid a fate similar to that of Blockbuster.

In 2016, the founder of Enigma Escape Rooms Ltd. (Enigma) was investigating an opportunity to expand his business to a second location. A new location would offer three additional escape rooms, and Enigma would enter the horror-based genre of the market. Enigma had strong demand for its adventure-themed escape rooms during its first year of operations. With escape room popularity at an all-time high and new competitors in or entering the market, the owner wondered if this was the best time to grow his business. He planned to complete a business size-up, assess the competition, and then project the costs and benefits of opening a second location before making a final decision.

In 2016, the founder of Enigma Escape Rooms Ltd. (Enigma) was investigating an opportunity to expand his business to a second location. A new location would offer three additional escape rooms, and Enigma would enter the horror-based genre of the market. Enigma had strong demand for its adventure-themed escape rooms during its first year of operations. With escape room popularity at an all-time high and new competitors in or entering the market, the owner wondered if this was the best time to grow his business. He planned to complete a business size-up, assess the competition, and then project the costs and benefits of opening a second location before making a final decision.

During the summer of 2013, the company founder and operations manager of Hockley Valley Brewing Co. Inc., a microbrewery situated in rural Ontario, were reviewing the company’s product mix. Sales at a recent summer festival showed a strong demand for light beers, rather than the dark ales that made up the majority of Hockley’s sales. Not only did the company compete with large multinational brewing companies, but they faced stiff competition from the established and new microbreweries that were springing up all over Ontario to meet consumer demand for fresh, local and unique beers. They had to decide whether the company should launch a new lager to further penetrate the light beer market; if so, they also had to make recommendations on pricing, distribution and promotional strategies for the new brand.

During the summer of 2013, the company founder and operations manager of Hockley Valley Brewing Co. Inc., a microbrewery situated in rural Ontario, were reviewing the company's product mix. Sales at a recent summer festival showed a strong demand for light beers, rather than the dark ales that made up the majority of Hockley's sales. Not only did the company compete with large multinational brewing companies, but they faced stiff competition from the established and new microbreweries that were springing up all over Ontario to meet consumer demand for fresh, local and unique beers. They had to decide whether the company should launch a new lager to further penetrate the light beer market; if so, they also had to make recommendations on pricing, distribution and promotional strategies for the new brand.

The sole proprietor of a small cake-baking and cake-decorating business needs to make some decisions regarding the company’s future. The company’s growth has brought new challenges including possible space constraints. The desire to improve profitability and to take the business to the next level leads the owner to consider increasing prices and the development of a new advertising strategy.

The president of a new venture that sells a high-quality men's made-to-measure clothing line is considering opening the company’s first retail store in the downtown core of major city. He wants to grow the business to become the next big luxury fashion brand, and he believes that opening a flagship retail store is a logical step, but he first wants to analyze its financial feasibility and the investments required to pursue this strategy. The analysis includes a differential analysis, ROI and payback calculations.

The president of a new venture that sells a high-quality men's made-to-measure clothing line is considering opening the company's first retail store in the downtown core of major city. He wants to grow the business to become the next big luxury fashion brand, and he believes that opening a flagship retail store is a logical step, but he first wants to analyze its financial feasibility and the investments required to pursue this strategy. The analysis includes a differential analysis, ROI and payback calculations.

The finance director of a football association is considering adding a fourth team to the organization. Parents and players in the community want the football association to field a football team in the varsity division for players aged 17 and 18. The finance director needs to identify the amount of financing that would be required to operate a varsity team. She must project a cash budget for the upcoming operating period and also evaluate other scenarios that could help reduce the needed amount of financing.

The finance director of a football association is considering adding a fourth team to the organization. Parents and players in the community want the football association to field a football team in the varsity division for players aged 17 and 18. The finance director needs to identify the amount of financing that would be required to operate a varsity team. She must project a cash budget for the upcoming operating period and also evaluate other scenarios that could help reduce the needed amount of financing.