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Maliks, a major stationery retailer and provider of photocopy and printing services, had operated in Beirut, Lebanon, for over 25 years. The company’s founder was considering the most suitable strategy for his goal of 100 branches by 2020. He was assessing the advantages and disadvantages of adopting the franchising business model as an expansion strategy and wondered what operational problems he would encounter. The Maliks management team was also assessing the viability of using the franchise model to expand beyond the greater Beirut area to achieve substantial growth. The company enjoyed strong brand-name recognition, but there were still many questions about the company’s next steps, including whether the franchise business model was the most suitable strategy for Maliks. Did the company have the necessary resources and skilled management team to adequately monitor and support prospective franchisees? How would prospective franchisees be selected? What marketing and operational costs was the company likely to incur as a franchisor? Most importantly, did the Maliks management team have the required skills to effectively manage the franchise model?

Maliks, a major stationery retailer and provider of photocopy and printing services, had operated in Beirut, Lebanon, for over 25 years. The company's founder was considering the most suitable strategy for his goal of 100 branches by 2020. He was assessing the advantages and disadvantages of adopting the franchising business model as an expansion strategy and wondered what operational problems he would encounter. The Maliks management team was also assessing the viability of using the franchise model to expand beyond the greater Beirut area to achieve substantial growth. The company enjoyed strong brand-name recognition, but there were still many questions about the company's next steps, including whether the franchise business model was the most suitable strategy for Maliks. Did the company have the necessary resources and skilled management team to adequately monitor and support prospective franchisees? How would prospective franchisees be selected? What marketing and operational costs was the company likely to incur as a franchisor? Most importantly, did the Maliks management team have the required skills to effectively manage the franchise model?

The Diet Center (DC) was Lebanon’s first nutritional company to offer food consultancy services and meal catering to the public. The company faced numerous challenges competing in an unstable local market. Despite her company’s growth in sales and product development, DC’s general manager was extremely frustrated with the operating results and the bottom line. In November 2014, she decided to consider migrating to an enterprise resource planning system that would integrate all of DC’s operations and deliver real-time relevant financial and operational data. The sales manager of System, Applications, and Products in Data Processing (SAP) for the Middle East and North Africa region suggested that DC should migrate to the gold standard SAP business management software to reap many benefits. Should DC implement the new SAP system? Would the benefits exceed the costs? What challenges would DC face if it chooses to adopt a SAP system?

The Diet Center (DC) was Lebanon's first nutritional company to offer food consultancy services and meal catering to the public. The company faced numerous challenges competing in an unstable local market. Despite her company's growth in sales and product development, DC's general manager was extremely frustrated with the operating results and the bottom line. In November 2014, she decided to consider migrating to an enterprise resource planning system that would integrate all of DC's operations and deliver real-time relevant financial and operational data. The sales manager of System, Applications, and Products in Data Processing (SAP) for the Middle East and North Africa region suggested that DC should migrate to the gold standard SAP business management software to reap many benefits. Should DC implement the new SAP system? Would the benefits exceed the costs? What challenges would DC face if it chooses to adopt a SAP system?