個案總覽

The founders of Nantucket Nectars are trying to decide whether to sell their company. The case describes how the founders started the company and grew the Nantucket Nectars brand name.

Spreadsheet supplement for case 898-171.

In February 1998, developers Ted Leonard and Charlie Sexton are attempting to acquire and develop a large multifamily site in Maryland, north of Washington, D.C. They are attempting to win financing and government approvals to develop a new kind of product for the market based on "new urbanism" precepts created by their architect, Andres Duany. They must convince their banker, city officials, and local brokers and contractors that their traditional neighborhood development plan is socially and economically viable.

Chronicles development of a new business concept. Starts with Stemberg's search for a new employment opportunity, then provides details of his decision to launch a new venture concept through careful matching of personal capabilities and experience against a variety of marketing opportunities. Stemberg redefines his supermarket skills as distribution skills and systematically searches for industries where they can be applied.

The search for appropriate hardware and software to support the launch of a new large-scale retail operation forces the management team to define their goals at a very detailed level and to make all underlying assumptions explicit.

After meeting with a mediator, Montagu and Davis decided their goals were not in accordance, and Davis left General Scanning. Montagu and Brosens wrote three-year objectives for the company and proceeded to search for a new professional manager. Chuck Winston took on the role of CEO/president with the goals of growth, profitability, consistency, and solid management. Winston decentralized the company by forming four separate divisions: Recorder Products, Laser Systems, Optical Scanning, and Laser Graphics. By the end of 1994, General Scanning was worth over $76 million, was showing a profit with a strong balance sheet, and had over 1,000 customers. Having turned around the company and grown it threefold, Winston and the founders need to decide what to do next: merge, acquire, do an IPO, or spinoff the successful Laser Systems division. There remained the haunting issue that most of the stock was held by the two founders. The case discussion challenges students to deal with the core problem of managing this technology company--that is, formally changing the roles of the founders by changing the ownership and board of directors.

An Internet start-up company is developing an online marketplace for specialty chemicals and reagents. David Perry has been named a runner-up in the 1st annual HBS Business Plan contest and now faces seed-stage financing questions--how much money to raise, at what valuation, in how many stages, and from whom.

Because they face rising costs, more competition for fewer donations and grants, and increased rivalry from for-profit companies entering the social sector, many nonprofit organizations are looking for commercial ways to raise more funds. For example, San Francisco's Delaney Street program for addicts has opened a restaurant staffed by clients, which helps pay the bills while providing on-the-job training. There are many such opportunities but also many pitfalls in this approach. Professor J. Gregory Dees of the Harvard Business School offers a framework to help nonprofit leaders figure out when commercial activities will or will not work.

When the administration of Peru president Alberto Fujimori embarks on an ambitious privatization program, it turns inevitably to the nation's creaking telephone system. With but 2.5 phone lines per 100 persons, Peru, in the mid-1990s, had the lowest phone "density" in Latin America; installation of a new line took years, except via a thriving black market in existing lines. But the privatization committee which begins to plot the role of both the existing local and long distance phone monopolies, knows that it faces formidable obstacles to change: a suspicious and powerful military which nationalized the phone system in the 1970s; an influential cellular phone operator with his own agenda; existing unions, doubtful legislators who must approve a constitutional amendment to allow privatization to go forward. This case is about the political management of privatization. It describes the "interest group map" developed by the privatization committee and poses the question of what tactical approach should be taken with each. Case users must envision the potential conflicts, the objective desired, and the most useful tactics. The sequel describes the early success of the privatization process, after the phone system's sale to the Spanish phone giant, Telefonica. HKS Case Number 1404.0

When the administration of Peru president Alberto Fujimori embarks on an ambitious privatization program, it turns inevitably to the nation's creaking telephone system. With but 2.5 phone lines per 100 persons, Peru, in the mid-1990s, had the lowest phone "density" in Latin America; installation of a new line took years, except via a thriving black market in existing lines. But the privatization committee which begins to plot the role of both the existing local and long distance phone monopolies, knows that it faces formidable obstacles to change: a suspicious and powerful military which nationalized the phone system in the 1970s; an influential cellular phone operator with his own agenda; existing unions, doubtful legislators who must approve a constitutional amendment to allow privatization to go forward. This case is about the political management of privatization. It describes the "interest group map" developed by the privatization committee and poses the question of what tactical approach should be taken with each. Case users must envision the potential conflicts, the objective desired, and the most useful tactics. The sequel describes the early success of the privatization process, after the phone system's sale to the Spanish phone giant, Telefonica. HKS Case Number 1404.1

A new service is being developed to help investor-relations managers at public companies communicate with investors over the Internet.

Traces the development of Hewlett-Packard Co. from a small start-up company in 1938 to a world-class manufacturer of electronic instruments and computer products. Examines the challenges of starting and running a small company, including financing, human resources management, product strategy, human relations, and management succession. The creation of a unique and enduring set of values and a philosophy of running and growing a company, known as the "HP Way," is emphasized.

Richmond Engineering is a successful Vancouver-based entrepreneurial manufacturer of roadway light poles that has decided to expand into Asia rather than attempting to compete in Eastern Canada or the United States. The process of finding and qualifying leads for joint ventures, the stages for developing an agreement according to Chinese business practice, and the pressures of negotiating with the Chinese are all described in detail.

An entrepreneurial shrimp farm in Belize is evaluating its future growth strategy in every segment of the vertical value-added food chain.

A young company in the medical devices area, ArthroCare, has been public for six months, and its stock--after initially performing very well--is now dropping. At the same time, the company is confronted with several tactical decisions that could impact near-term earnings and thus potentially hurt the stock price.

The efforts of two recent Harvard Business School graduates to start a venture capital/consulting firm focused on opportunities related to the Internet are recounted. Raises the question of what the nature of this opportunity is, how well-positioned the protagonists are to pursue it, and what the deal structure should be.

The president, Donna Dubinsky, and the chairman and founder, Jeff Hawkins, discuss an opportunity to sell their company to U.S. Robotics. They must weigh this option versus accepting venture capital funding, partnering with a large company that could provide distribution channels and capital, or continuing a search for capital from other sources.

A developer attempts to get into the elderly housing business. The case reviews the various elderly housing options, how they differ from one another, and how the industry differs from other types of real estate.

Dr. Franklin Lowe is CEO of a new kind of company in a new kind of industry--medical foods. He must select a business model and partners that will help make this a viable business.

Big City Courier is a small regional courier company operating in Toronto, Ontario. The business was started two years ago, and has grown rapidly since its inception. The company is making profits, but has a severe cash flow problem. This case may be used to illustrate the statement of cash flows, the impact of rapid growth on a company's cash position, and the financing gap between receivables and payables.