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 late 2015, the chief executive officer of Shaw Communications was considering whether to reduce or divest the company’s media assets. Shaw Communications had been founded as a cable television provider and, over the years, had grown its consumer connectivity businesses to include Internet services, satellite television, landline telephony, and, most recently, cellular network services. Similar to most other major Canadian telecommunications companies, Shaw Communications had acquired media assets, including the Global Television Network and specialty channels such as History and Treehouse. Selling all or, some, of these media assets would strengthen the company’s balance sheet and help finance the expansion of its cellular network. The company’s chief executive officer needed decide how important media assets were to the company’s core strategy.
In late 2015, the chief executive officer of Shaw Communications was considering whether to reduce or divest the company's media assets. Shaw Communications had been founded as a cable television provider and, over the years, had grown its consumer connectivity businesses to include Internet services, satellite television, landline telephony, and, most recently, cellular network services. Similar to most other major Canadian telecommunications companies, Shaw Communications had acquired media assets, including the Global Television Network and specialty channels such as History and Treehouse. Selling all or, some, of these media assets would strengthen the company's balance sheet and help finance the expansion of its cellular network. The company's chief executive officer needed decide how important media assets were to the company's core strategy.
In 1959, Unilever was one of the world's most internationally established companies, and its products had gained substantial market share in the consumer goods segment. Unilever was prepared to make a capital investment outside its home market of Europe, and considered entering one of two developing economies (disguised in these documents). The (A) case relates to the decision in 1959, whereas the (B) case revisits the same decision in 1969. Balonia and Banchuria were two of the world's poorest areas, and both had begun to emerge from their post-colonial ties to adopt policies and establish institutions in an effort to spur economic growth. Unilever's strategic planning group needed to weigh the data on these economies and make an entry recommendation as to which location provided the better investment environment.