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For several months, things had been spiraling downwards at Savage Beast, the music-recommendation company started three years before by Tim Westergren. The company's founder-CEO recently left due to pressures both at home and within the venture. Dozens of investors turned thumbs-down on the venture; salaries had been cut, and tensions had risen within the founding team. Now Westergren, the founder who has taken over as CEO, is facing even deeper pressures as he finds out about a lawsuit filed by former employees, and he is wondering if it is time to give up on ever achieving his vision. Note: The content of this version is the same as the content in the Savage Beast (A) case (809-069) but includes two directives in the text to students. At the end of page 8, the student is asked to pause and complete a one-question poll. The "page-8" poll asks, "At this point, should Tim persist in trying to build Savage Beast?" Yes or No, and why. At the end of the case, the student is asked to complete a second poll. The "end-of-case" poll asks, "Should Tim persist in trying to build Savage Beast?" Yes or No, and why. If you do not have polling capabilities, you should use the Savage Beast (A) case.

Polar Challenge was a company that offered an annual 320 nautical-mile race to the magnetic North Pole organized by Arctic experts. It had been successful in the United Kingdom, establishing marketing partnerships with the BBC, Sony, Fujitsu and others. Polar Challenge saw the United States market as untapped potential for both sponsors and racers. In 2008, with the centennial of polar exploration approaching in 2009, the company decided to offer the race to Americans. The director of marketing is given responsibility for establishing a presence in the United States, but he soon finds that U.S. companies and media outlets do not have the level of interest he expected. In addition, companies worldwide were cutting back on advertising spending in response to the global economic crisis. This case examines a number of issues focused on expansion into new markets and resource commitments to such endeavours. It can be used to discuss the importance of understanding the target market, targeting the unique needs of different customer segments, adapting product offerings to international markets and establishing realistic goals.

The founder of organicKidz is trying to create a plan to grow her start-up manufacturing firm. Calgary-based organicKidz is a manufacturer of stainless steel baby bottles and is sold in more than five countries. The founder's challenge is how to convey the superior benefits of her product and manage her retail channels given her limited resources. The setting of the case is at the September 2009 juvenile products tradeshow in the United States where organicKidz has to make a few key decisions about product promotion. All the key buyers from the retail organizations the founder is targeting will be at the show. In particular, the buyer from Costco, a large warehouse club chain, is interested in carrying her bottles and the founder wonders how she should respond.

The president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Goodwill Industries of Greater Grand Rapids Inc. (Goodwill) was analyzing a staff proposal to begin selling donated books online. Her initial response to the proposal had been to approve the idea without any reservation; however, some pointed questions raised during discussion at a recent board meeting caused her to revisit her support for the project. The CEO determined that to make a thoughtful recommendation about the proposal, she needed to evaluate three main criteria: 1) The strategic and financial fit of the proposal in relation to the current salvage buyers of Goodwill's books; 2) The operating and revenue needs of Goodwill's retail stores, and; 3) Alignment of the proposal with Goodwill's mission statement.

These three vignettes present various issues around the strategy and management of a private equity firm. In one, a senior partner must decide how to manage an over-extended colleague and how to reduce the risk of the firm's portfolio; in the second, a limited partner must decide how to respond to tensions between general partners in a fund, and in the third, the general partners must decide whether to invest in an intriguing opportunity that lies outside the firm's carefully developed investment strategy.

It had taken Phil Knight sixteen long years to build Nike into the number one athletic-shoe company in the country. When Knight had first conceived of the company for an MBA class project, Adidas had had more than 80% market share, but Knight's marketing approach had revolutionized the industry, his company had developed several ground-breaking shoe technologies, and Nike's brand had become one of the most recognizable in the world. In 1980, the same year that Nike had knocked Adidas off its throne, Nike had gone public and Knight, its founder-CEO, still owned close to half of the company. He had led the company through dramatic changes as it evolved from a scrappy start-up to a large public company. However, now, barely half a decade later, Knight had just received the news that Nike itself had been dethroned by Reebok, an upstart competitor. Knight closeted himself in his office, faced the wall, and sat there, weak and sick and devastated for hours.

It was June 2008 at Midland Bull Test in south-central Montana. The (A) and (B) cases feature Leo McDonnell, Jr. and his wife "Sam," the owners of Midland Bull Test, a long-time leader in the performance testing of bulls. Leo was a charismatic entrepreneurial leader in the cattle industry. Sam was an astute manager of their business affairs. In 2007, the two invested $700,000 in a feeding and monitoring system to produce feed efficient cattle that consumed less feed and produced less methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. Cattle produced 20% of the methane emissions in the US, and feed efficient cattle produced up to 40% less methane. Leo felt the potential for reducing methane production through increases in feed efficiency and other improvements in ranch practices was huge. He saw the feed efficiency program as environmentally unique. ... sustainable," and "part of a growing movement to reduce greenhouse gases in a socially responsible way." In June 2008, Sam was concerned about meeting their cash flow objectives. Leo said, "I agree, but global warming is important too." The conflicting interests emerge when Sam says, "Show me how 'social responsibility' adds value to Midland Bull Test. Why should we risk our money and reputation on going green?" The (A) case focuses on Leo and Sam's analysis of installing an anaerobic digester to convert the biogases in manure to electricity for use or sale. The (B) case focuses on their marketing strategy and the possibility of positioning Midland as a green business. In addition, Leo and Sam wanted to leverage the emerging relationship with Pfizer who was developing DNA-marker technologies to improve animal health, quality, and productivity.

With a change in management in 2005 came a radical reorganization and the announcement of several new strategic initiatives. Among the initiatives was the establishment of the Vestas Technology research and development (R&D) business unit with an aim of achieving global leadership in all core technology areas and, consequently, strengthening the core competence for the company. By 2008, Vestas had succeeded in setting up a global R&D network with R&D centres in Denmark, the United Kingdom, Singapore and India, and, in early 2009, a centre was opened in the United States. This transformed Vestas into a high-tech company and put a greater emphasis on its technological innovations.

In 2005, the Qianjiang Group (QJ), a large-scale Chinese state-owned group, acquired the Italian company Benelli to expand its business in Western markets beyond Italy. Benelli's brand advantage was intended to provide the core competency for QJ to compete in the global motorbike markets; in addition, Benelli's capabilities and know-how in motorbike and scooter engineering also helped QJ complete its product portfolio. After a successful start, the many cultural differences related to an Italian business model and a Chinese company became problematic. Problems arose in integrating Chinese and Italian cultures and in coping with a completely different way of doing business, and the company was facing stiff competition from Japanese competitors. Despite excellent press and large industrial investments aimed at gaining efficiency and reducing prices, penetration of Western markets was difficult.

TISM Solutions Inc. is a dot-com company that connects buyers and sellers of expert advice through the Web site Timeismoney.com. The founders of the company spent many hours turning their concept into a business plan and, with the support and funding of Vision Venture Capital (VVC), have drafted their vision statement, technology infrastructure and business model - focusing on the business-to-consumer model. However, investors wanted more stable and attainable goals when considering a dot-com startup to invest in. VVC has clearly outlined their expectations of the company and with less than 24 hours before the next meeting with VVC, the founders had to rethink their business plan that would encourage VVC to continue the funding for their dot-com startup.

Appropriate for entrepreneurship and strategy courses. The focus in the case is on how two entrepreneurs created a differentiating business model that was dependent on quality service and excellent execution. From a growth perspective, the case discusses two very different approaches to geographical expansion so as not to dilute the customer experience or the brand. Now the business faces the difficult question of how to scale the business faster.

Could be used in entrepreneurship business strategy courses. This is a social entrepreneurship case that demonstrates the application of business best practices to a large rural community health organization. The case raises issues regarding growth/expansion and the examines the conflict between the mission and strategic focus. It asks the question: What are the business model limits to "doing good?"

As his major-league pitching career was starting to wind down in 2006, baseball all-star Curt Schilling decided to become an entrepreneur. Looking to focus his tenacity and his passion for online role-playing games on a new challenge, he founded an online gaming venture, which later became known as 38 Studios. During the venture's first two years, he built a team of 70 people, including an executive team of business and industry veterans, and learned key lessons about the challenges faced by industry-changing entrepreneurs. Wanting to self-fund the venture initially, and later finding it hard to raise outside money, he put a substantial percentage of his net worth on the line to build 38 Studios. Now he is facing a critical acquisition decision that could either double his problems or help solve them.

An entrepreneur must decide whether to proceed with the business plan for his startup business. This mini case exercise presents all startup costs to open a fruit juice outlet in a mall in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi Emirate, United Arab Emirates.

This case has been developed to highlight the challenge facing many small and medium enterprises (SMEs) all over the world. Many SMEs have successfully overcome the initial survival challenge. They have a stable base of loyal customers, are able to command attractive prices, and have built up a reputation for good quality. Yet they are unable to grow beyond a certain point. Why? What must they do to overcome the growth challenge? Swagruha Foods is a good example of an SME that has enjoyed considerable success, thanks to the dedication and commitment of the Chagarlamudi family, as well as to the changing socio-economic situation in India. Yet, there are several indications that it is unable to fully exploit its growth opportunities. The case discussion will help students/participants appreciate the key growth constraints in SMEs and how to overcome them. This case can be taught in an entrepreneurship course, to highlight the growth challenges faced by entrepreneurs who have successfully overcome the threat of survival. It can also be taught in courses focused on SME development.

Iris Running Crane, an MBA candidate, must choose among three different job offers in private equity. One is with a top-tier megafund buyout operation; the second with a geographically focused mid-market fund; and the third with a one-time top-tier fund that is trying to reposition itself as a turnaround expert, starting with its own portfolio. Iris must consider the advantages and drawbacks of each position, and how each will help her achieve her personal goals.

This case is set at a golf course in Aurora, Ontario. The club superintendent and the assistant superintendent will be interviewing three candidates for a green keeping position at Maple Retreat Golf and Country Club. The club superintendent must decide what questions to ask of the three applicants, keeping in mind what questions he could not ask of the candidates. This case is intended to be used for the managing people module of an organizational behavior or human resource management core course, or for a managing people elective. The case provides students with the opportunity to develop interview questions for the candidates and to interview the candidates in role play situations.

As the economies of Greater China continued the process of rapid transformation and industrialization, newly industrialized countries (NICs), such as Taiwan and mainland China, experienced dramatic changes in their business settings. Accompanying the industrialization of east Asian economies, business ethics were in a state of flux, as traditional values were often swept aside to justify profit maximization. In this ever-changing business environment, what were the characteristics and benefits of Chinese business ethics? What role did they play? Could an integrity-based business practice serve as a source of competitive advantage? What business settings were supporting business ethics? Few studies have paid attention to these kinds of questions. Sinyi was one of the most successful real estate agent companies in Taiwan and mainland China. From a Confucian perspective, Sinyi's founder cultivated a people-centered culture for both its customers and employees. By applying business ethics as a central differentiating strategy, Sinyi established an excellent corporate image and was regarded by many as the role model of responsible business. Sinyi service was regarded as premier in Taiwan. Its customer satisfaction rating was also far above the industry average. Trustworthiness and fair dealing were the company's guiding principles. This was in contrast to the-then chaotic environment of the real estate industry in Taiwan, where basic trust between buyers and sellers was rare and deceit existed everywhere. Focusing on using business ethics as a central differentiating strategy, Sinyi had grown into Sinyi Group, which successfully integrated upstream, midstream and downstream industries and established a highly-acclaimed business model. Over the past two decades, Sinyi Group had expanded its operations to mainland China and forged an alliance with global real estate brokerage Coldwell Banker. The case can be used for MBA and EMBA courses in business ethics (in a module on culture and business ethics) and strategic management (in a module on strategic business ethics). This case should provoke holistic thinking and discussion on sustainable business, Confucian entrepreneurship and the relationship between business ethics and competitive advantages.

An entrepreneur must decide whether to proceed with the business plan for his startup business. This mini case exercise presents all startup costs to open a fruit juice outlet in a mall in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi Emirate, United Arab Emirates.

An Irish Air Lines pilot has re-created his home city of Dublin on Second Life. His Second Life alter ego, Ham Rambler, is busy running the site, and selling office space and advertisement on the property. The property includes a popular bar, a venue for live music performances, as well as a realistic rendering of Dublin's core. Second Life "residents" flock to the site for its entertainment and to experience Dublin. Mahon/Rambler needs to decide if the innovative business model he has developed is sustainable, or whether he should sell the business to other developers. The case is useful to introduce the concept of immersive Internet-based environments, and Internet advertising and selling.