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Michael Geranen and Joe Roberts forged a business relationship around a disruptive drug delivery technology that was developed by Dr. Cherng-ju Kim, a researcher and Professor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, College of Pharmacy. After an exclusive licensing agreement was negotiated with the University, EZRA Innovations, LLC began the long and arduous process of capitalizing on a flexible and low cost series of technologies that enabled EZRA to compete in the international pharmaceutical industry. EZRA reformulated drugs that were currently available in the marketplace that faced little or no competition, using drug delivery patents that EZRA had licensed. The aim was to become one of the first generic drug competitors to enter the market, and though competitive market entry put downward pressure on drug prices, maintaining what was referred to as premium-priced generics. While many drugs cost upwards of $100 million to develop and take 10 years or more, EZRA's business model offered an accelerated FDA pathway to market and the potential for exponential investor returns within 4-5 years. EZRA first needed to decide how much money to raise and then, how to craft an impactful message to acquire those funds. The challenge was to adequately allay investor fears around a complex business model while still knowing each drug they developed had to negotiate the complex world of FDA filing and approvals. Should their pro forma come to fruition, huge returns for the investors, and EZRA, were possible.

Sunpharma Group, a chain of pharmacies in Slovakia, had recently come under new ownership, and the new CEO recognized the need for better customer service in order for the company's expansion strategy to be successful. The company had, as its stated strategic goal, "to be a long time favorite and most in-demand pharmacy renowned for world class professionals, comprehensive services, and individual approach." Typical pharmacy training only addressed physiological and pharmacological concerns, so it was up to the company to address customer service needs for its pharmacists and technicians. Results from a "mystery shopper" project, which investigated the quality of services in pharmacies in standard situations, highlighted the lack of interpersonal skills among pharmacy staff. This case describes the first steps undertaken by the Human Resources department to analyze work behaviors and identify training needs. The student is asked to design a training program for the company that the HR manager can present to the CEO.

This case describes the process of launching and developing a U.S.-Belarus joint venture that produces wood pellets in Belarus for sale in countries in the European Union. The combination of high demand for biofuels in EU countries and the potential for producing a good product at a low price in Belarus, provides a compelling business opportunity for brothers Victor and Aleksey Kruglov. Victor, who lives in the U.S., had experience in business in the U.S., and has access to capital. Aleksey, who lives in Belarus, has experience in wood-products production in Belarus, and has access to qualified workers. Having a well organized operation and continuous demand for its products, the company grew quickly. However, growth put the company in jeopardy in state-controlled Belarus. Local institutions (city and regional governments) perceived successful firms as sources of revenue for solving city infrastructure problems. Central institutions viewed successful firms as potential parts of their system of the larger government-controlled economy. Government involvement would most likely require the firm to follow specific directives, implement specific procedures for export operations, and share revenue. To avoid the threat of government control, the partners saw three options. Staying its course, their company could continue to grow and accept the role of major donor for the city's needs, and become a part of the larger government-managed wood-processing industry. Alternatively, it could control its growth by slowing down or splitting up into several smaller firms located in different regions and still stay considerably invisible. A third option was to relocate operations entirely, to a country that provides a friendlier environment for business operations, yet has similar cultural and economic advantages.

The Academy for Professional Development (APD) was launched in 1993, shortly after Perestroika and the turbulent time of Soviet disintegration. With the support of the Soros Foundation and a local Ministry of Privatization, APD became the most prestigious professional business education and consulting firm in the country. Assembling and training a "team of talents" is always difficult, more so in this case because of the nature of local business practices, the proliferation of professional service firms competing for business and state-director clientele, and the lure of opportunities in more stable environments. As APD gained experience in business education and consulting, different directors implemented new programs and brought different styles of management. As the organization experiences turnover of its professional staff, its founder and Chairman of the Board is concerned about the role he should take as the organization matures.

This case is about an affluent and educated woman who decided to start her own organization to support young mothers. Shortly after the birth of her first child, Karin Marques stopped working full-time and soon felt the pangs of "maternal isolation" that mothers commonly report. Finding no satisfaction in the already-existing network of Mothers' Centers, which were geared more towards childcare, Karin formulated a concept for a mothers' center that would "provide support to women before, during, and after their maternity leave." By adopting a theme of "equal opportunities for men and women" - a priority for European Union Member States and an area where the Czech nation planned to grow - Karin registered Klub K2 as a non-governmental (non-profit) organization (NGO), and hoped to access funding from foundations or the European Union. The thematic focus Karin has chosen - women's reentry to the labor market after maternity leave - is a hot-button issue, particularly in new European Union Member States. Yet as Karin's start-up costs rose, and some members of her team of instructors backed out, Karin wondered how all of the pieces would come together by the time she was ready to launch her organization.

This case illustrates the financial, strategic, and managerial challenges faced by a manufacturer of audio amplifiers and vacuum tubes in the Czech Republic. Eunice Kron became CEO of KR Audio Electronics when her husband, the founder of the company, died unexpectedly. From 1996 until her husband's death in 2002, Eunice Kron had been only marginally involved in the business, writing letters, translating documents and answering phone calls. When her husband died, Eunice decided to manage the company herself, despite the skepticism of suppliers and customers. Eunice solicited payments and orders herself, and traveled to electronics tradeshows to learn about the industry and court potential buyers. KR's engineering team continued its technology innovations and developed new products. In 2002 and 2003, the SARS epidemic, the U.S. involvement in the war in Iraq, and the devaluation of the dollar on the international currency market had an adverse impact on the company's ability to sell its products. As losses mounted, Eunice was not sure how or if she should continue to keep the business afloat. In 2004, Eunice is faced with the decision of whether to hire a young man to help market KR's products at the upcoming audio show in Las Vegas. Ultimately, she must decide how to proceed for the longer-term: should she continue to manage the company herself, try to find a partner, or sell out.

Aegis Analytical Corporation was founded in 1995 by Gretchen L. Jahn and Justin O. Neway to provide process manufacturing software and consulting services to pharmaceutical and biotech manufacturers. Aegis developed a software program that quickly compiles disparate data into a single report. Within minutes, the program develops reports on drug tests and manufacturing quality that previously might take months to compile. With a target market of large pharmaceutical manufacturers, Aegis knew it faced a challenge of getting "in the door" of these companies and of convincing them that Aegis and its software would be around for awhile. To help with the marketing, Aegis formed two alliances with two companies that manufactured and sold complementary products to pharmaceutical manufacturing companies. While there were advantages to partnering with these divisions of Honeywell and Rockwell, most notably the visibility and credibility that these big names offered, many disadvantages developed. Most important is that Aegis's product was just one of many that Honeywell or Rockwell would promote. While there were incentives in place to encourage Honeywell and Rockwell to promote Aegis's product, after a year neither strategic alliance had resulted in a sale of Aegis's software. Aegis's founders were faced with the decisions of whether they should continue with either or both of the alliances. If they chose to continue the alliances, what could they as a small company do to encourage their much larger partners to promote the Aegis product? If they chose to terminate the alliances, can they rely only upon their internal sales staff to adequately promote and sell their product? What would be the effect on their reputation by no longer partnering with Rockwell or Honeywell? Another option might be to attempt to set up new alliances? If so, what steps should they take to increase the probability of success?

This case is about a manufacturer of textile products in the Czech Republic. Founded in 1991 by Jitka Entlichová and her husband Milan Fiedler, EnFi manufactured an extensive line of standard and customized bath and table linens, bedding, draperies, chair covers and display banners for upscale restaurants, conferences, receptions, hotels and boutique retailers. EnFi purchased fabrics from the Czech Republic and abroad, mostly from France, Spain, Italy, India, and Slovakia. In 2004, EnFi had over 1,200 hotel, resort, restaurant, and business customers throughout Bohemia. The Czech Republic had rapidly changed from a controlled economy prior to 1989 to a vibrant international marketplace by the time it entered the European Union in 2004. As competition and costs increased, Entlichová had to reposition her company over the years. With limits on Chinese textile imports set to be lifted in 2005, Entlichová again had to decide the direction her company should take.

In 1992, Maureen Clarry and Kelly Gilmore quit their jobs to start CONNECT: The Knowledge Network, an Information Technology Consulting company. Maureen and Kelly did not take a salary for the first six months of operation, and expected to keep expenses down by working out of their homes. When both women became pregnant, they had to redefine their business model and find a suitable office space. They found an old Victorian house with a separate building to serve as an on-site daycare center and proceeded to create a family-friendly office environment. They focused their business strategy on building a network of consultant "partners" to provide data warehousing and information systems consulting to large companies in the Denver area. In 1998, as companies attempted to expand their workforce in an increasingly tight job market, CONNECT added permanent-placement to their temporary-placement services. This new service line required an increase in CONNECT's workforce, and within a year, CONNECT expanded from 8 to 20 employees. The economic downturn of 1999-2000 prompted CONNECT to refocus the business once again, forcing a layoff of some long-time staff as well as its recently hired recruiters. This case chronicles the process that Maureen and Kelly and the entire staff of CONNECT went through in making the difficult downsizing decisions.

Supplementary Material to Product # NA0119