個案總覽

An entrepreneur's transition from chairman/CEO of a large privately held company, to chairman of a public company, to leadership in several large nonprofit organizations is chronicled.

Chronicles an entrepreneur's transition from chairman/CEO of a large privately held company, to chairman of a public company, to board member, to president of several major nonprofit boards, to founder of a new nonprofit for women business owners and founder of a new business journal for women.

Spotfire, a software start-up, must address the question of dividing its effort between Sweden and the United States in addition to raising venture capital, obtaining new customers, and managing early-stage growth.

Chantal Cookware is a small, private company with a 15-year record of success in the design, assembly, and sale of high-end cookware. It experiences serious setbacks when consumers' tastes shift from colorful enamel-on-steel products to commercial-style cookware. Thurlow must decide how to revitalize the business and considers several alternatives, including entering a lower priced niche or repositioning the existing product line. Includes color exhibits.

Cityspace, a kiosk-based tourism services company, is facing a number of challenges to its development. The most pressing is the need to raise capital.

Boston Beer's current light-beer offering, Boston Lightship, has not been successful, and a student team is charged with investigating the problem and recommending a strategy. Highlights issues around branding, target customer selection, and cannibalization, and introduces the ZMET. Includes color exhibits.

Presents Andrew Cousin's efforts to buy a manufacturing business via a search fund. Includes the investment memorandum for the proposed purchase of Terry Hinge & Hardware.

Supplements the (A) case.

After establishing a small but profitable skiwear business, an entrepreneur decides to sell a minority stake in the firm to outside investors. His goal is to acquire the capital needed to grow the business, even though this will entail a substantial transformation of the firm's management and financial structure. This case examines the resulting private equity transaction from both the company's point of view and that of outside investment.

The Walnut Group's investigation of the RBS Group, a young software company is described. The RBS business plan is also included.

Supplements the (A) case.

Supplements the (A) case.

Spreadsheet supplement for case 899-062.

The new owner and CEO of Arnold Advertising, a relatively small regional agency, aims to build it into Arnold Communications--a much larger, stronger firm competing successfully for national accounts. As part of this growth strategy, the agency develops a process for identifying the "brand essence" of a client's product and using the essence to guide the development of all creative work on the client's campaign. In most cases, the approach appears to be successful at winning new business. Questions arise, however, about the effectiveness of the process for guiding the ongoing creative development and implementation of advertising campaigns.

In 1998, most officials in El Salvador recognize that the water infrastructure and the institutions responsible for managing that infrastructure are in disrepair. Without reforms, the country would be unable to provide water and sewerage services to a majority of its people. The Inter-American Bank had made it clear that financial aid to El Salvador was contingent upon the country's willingness to restructure its water system. Admittedly, there were major differences among the parties as to how the system should be reformed, but not whether it should be. HKS Case Number 1483.0

Owners of the Inn at the Falls are deciding whether to expand their operation. After nine years of growth, 1996 sales had levelled off, and the owners were considering a building expansion to resume growth. Although the expansion would add significantly to the debt load, it would reposition the Inn's facilities for a more upscale clientele. In addition, the owners would like to retire in two to five years by selling the business and are wondering if they will be able to recoup their investment in this time period.

Kent Dauten, a former general partner at the Chicago private equity firm of Madison Dearborn Partners, has engaged in a search to personally sponsor a buyout in which he can play an active management role. He has received a selling memorandum for Record Masters, a records storage company providing management and retrieval services for active medical records to health care institutions. The case presents excerpts from the selling memorandum and asks students to assess the attractiveness of the opportunity, key risks, valuation, and deal structuring.

Himscorp is an industry consolidation of records storage companies providing management and retrieval services of active medical records to healthcare institutions. Kent Dauten, a former general partner at Madison Dearborn Partners with 15 years of venture capital and buyout experience, has personally sponsored the industry consolidation and is considering whether to invest in growth, sell to a strategic buyer, or pursue an initial public offering. This case presents an opportunity to discuss the process of a roll-up and the sources of value creation.

Summarizes the business plan for a concept restaurant focused on late evening dessert service as well as its subsequent rollout plan.

The president and general manager are reviewing a pay for performance system. The president needs to determine whether or not these systems were properly designed to ensure that they are producing higher quality product at progressively lower costs. If not, he needs to consider how he might suggest that these and other systems be changed in order to achieve cost and quality objectives.