The case study documents the efforts of the African Development Corporation (ADC) and the Loita Group to acquire shares in Nile Commercial Bank (NCB) - the number one banking icon in South Sudan - and thus participate in the development of South Sudan as an independent, commodity-rich state. The case focuses on ADC's CEO, Dirk Harbecke, who in 2011 ran a fund that invests in banking and insurance services in sub-Saharan Africa. The case discusses whether or not ADC and Loita should invest in NCB. The real-world result of the case is ADC and Loita's eventual investment in the bank, as explained in the chapter "Restructuring the bank," which outlines the investment as it happens in real time in September 2011.

The case describes a critical external incident which will have fundamental consequences for a small but very successful family business. At the beginning of 2010, Konnopke's Imbiss was considered to be one of the, if not the most famous snack bars in Berlin. This family-owned business was especially famous for the legendary "Currywurst", a Berlin invention that consists of a sausage fried in hot oil and served with ketchup, chili sauce, curry-powder and French fries. The Konnopke Imbiss main branch was located in the Berlin district of Prenzlauer Berg, which was considered to be one of the "coolest" districts of Berlin. Konnopke's had become a Berlin fast food icon, winning critical acclaim in almost all major Berlin travel guides. But at the same time, the snack bar did not any longer seem to fit to its environment which had changed from a working class district, to a posh neighborhood mainly consisting of young freelancers and tourists.