A successful business executive and avid sailor had been thinking about new solutions to an old problem: safely transporting oil products. In late June 2014, the Canadian government had just approved a pipeline to carry bitumen from Alberta to the British Columbia coast. The immediate reaction from First Nations and environmental groups was extremely negative. Against this backdrop, the executive had put forward a radical proposal to refine the bitumen in British Columbia before shipping it across the Pacific Ocean. Ultimately, he would need a $10 billion loan guarantee from the federal government. In the short term, he needed $150 million to undertake a feasibility study. What, he wondered, was the best way to proceed?

A successful business executive and avid sailor had been thinking about new solutions to an old problem: safely transporting oil products. In late June 2014, the Canadian government had just approved a pipeline to carry bitumen from Alberta to the British Columbia coast. The immediate reaction from First Nations and environmental groups was extremely negative. Against this backdrop, the executive had put forward a radical proposal to refine the bitumen in British Columbia before shipping it across the Pacific Ocean. Ultimately, he would need a $10 billion loan guarantee from the federal government. In the short term, he needed $150 million to undertake a feasibility study. What, he wondered, was the best way to proceed?

The microstock photography industry took shape in the early 2000s, when iStockphoto commercialized its online catalogue of images contributed by a community of amateur and semi-professional photographers. This case takes place about four years after iStockphoto's purchase by Getty Images, an event that signalled a shift of market dominance from traditional stock photo houses to their microstock competitors. The industry has changed dramatically. Three firms - iStockphoto, Shutterstock and Fotolia LLC - control the lion's share of a mature market, and each dominates a particular segment. The Fotolia management team must find ways to grow Fotolia N.A., even as competitors also seek to exploit the "long tail" in the market. The case asks students to develop strategies to generate new revenue in this rapidly changing environment.

After three years of rapid growth in a relatively young industry, the affiliate and payment-processing company RevenueWire.com found itself operating in a very different environment. Sales growth in the company’s affiliate network service had leveled off, and orders for Q1 2010 looked just like those for Q1 2009. New competitors, low entry barriers, and a plateau in the affiliate market meant few opportunities for growth across the industry. Despite these conditions, the company’s owners had set aggressive revenue targets for 2010 to 2012. The general manager needed to evaluate options for growth, including new markets and new products, to determine how to meet her targets. Because RevenueWire.com’s competitors were privately held, there was little public data on the state of their finances or the size of various markets. The general manager had learned how to use surrogate data to gauge the market and make strategic decisions, and the students must do the same to develop an effective three-year plan that will hit or exceed the owners’ expectations.<br><br>The case exposes students to decision making in a global industry dominated by privately held companies. It also exposes students to the affiliate marketing industry from the viewpoint of an entrepreneurial company that serves as an intermediary between merchants and affiliates. It describes many of the challenges facing an intermediary in an industry that includes not only legitimate merchants but a vast array of scam artists and phony products.

After three years of rapid growth in a relatively young industry, the affiliate and payment processing company RevenueWire.com found itself operating in a very different environment. Sales growth in the company's affiliate network service had leveled off, and orders for Q1 2010 looked just like those for Q1 2009. New competitors, low entry barriers, and a plateau in the affiliate market meant few opportunities for growth across the industry. Despite those conditions, the company's owners had set aggressive revenue targets for 2010 to 2012. The general manager must evaluate options for growth, including new markets and new products, to determine how to meet her targets. Because RevenueWire.com's competitors are privately held, there is little public data on the state of their finances or the size of various markets. The general manager has learned how to use surrogate data to gauge the market and make strategic decisions, and the students must do the same to develop an effective three-year plan that will meet or exceed the owners' expectations. The case exposes students to decision making in a global industry dominated by privately held companies. It also exposes students to the affiliate marketing industry from the viewpoint of an entrepreneurial company that serves as an intermediary between merchants and affiliates. It describes many of the challenges facing an intermediary in an industry that includes not only legitimate merchants but also a vast array of scam artists and phony products.

In 2005, e-business was on the rise again, and one of the companies that was doing well was eBay, the most successful online auction website. In addition to generating revenue, transactions on eBay also produced a substantial amount of data about purchases, prices and products. The chief executive officer (CEO) of the 18-month-old company, Advanced Economic Research Systems, Inc. (AERS) analyzed this data for consumers and businesses interested in maximizing their return from eBay. Recently, AERS had earned the rights to license eBay data in North America. Now the CEO must decide how to capitalize on the data license agreement without cannibalizing his company's business of selling the results of analysis to large and small eBay sellers.

In 2005, e-business was on the rise again, and one of the companies that was doing well was eBay, the most successful online auction website. In addition to generating revenue, transactions on eBay also produced a substantial amount of data about purchases, prices and products. The chief executive officer (CEO) of the 18-month-old company, Advanced Economic Research Systems, Inc. (AERS) analyzed this data for consumers and businesses interested in maximizing their return from eBay. Recently, AERS had earned the rights to license eBay data in North America. Now the CEO must decide how to capitalize on the data license agreement without cannibalizing his company's business of selling the results of analysis to large and small eBay sellers.

When the founder of iStockphoto.com started the company in 2000, his objective was to share his vast collection of stock photography with graphic designers worldwide, and, in the process, help others do the same. By 2002, the organization was a respected and successful online community, but the founder and his partners now had to consider the profitability of their company. iStock was founded on community and collaboration - not commerce. Should the model change and if so, what would it take to make a significant culture change work? The case examines the culture and business opportunities for this start-up. It demonstrates the challenges of generating profit from an online community, as well as the key factors needed to build a community that can be turned into a profitable business.

When the founder of iStockphoto.com started the company in 2000, his objective was to share his vast collection of stock photography with graphic designers worldwide, and, in the process, help others do the same. By 2002, the organization was a respected and successful online community, but the founder and his partners now had to consider the profitability of their company. iStock was founded on community and collaboration - not commerce. Should the model change and if so, what would it take to make a significant culture change work? The case examines the culture and business opportunities for this start-up. It demonstrates the challenges of generating profit from an online community, as well as the key factors needed to build a community that can be turned into a profitable business.