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Eat2Eat.com was an Internet-based restaurant reservation service covering a dozen cities in the Asia Pacific region. It was the principal business of Singapore-based Eat2Eat Pte Ltd. It was launched in 2000 by an entrepreneur and former investment banker with US$1 million of his own capital. He quickly established the capabilities and business model, but after five years, the registered user base remained relatively small at about 12,000. He thought the next step for the company was to expand that user base and hoped that the company could change the way people made plans to eat out. Resources - specifically, time and money - were limited, so any promotional efforts would have to be innovative and efficient. The case focuses on entrepreneurial marketing with sub-themes of financing and small enterprise management. It is a story of an entrepreneur who had an idea and enough money to launch it, but then struggles to achieve adequate scale.

The owner and founder of Boman Communications, was proud of the company's business concept which utilized technology to allow flexibility and efficiency in the production of marketing materials. However, despite this strategic advantage, the company had been unable to attract more than one large client. More importantly, recent events had led the owner to believe that many of his own employees did not understand the company's business concept. If they did not understand the company's business concept, how could they sell it to customers? Bowman knew he had to address these issues soon but was unsure how to do so.

Ocean Park was the only amusement park in Hong Kong until 2005 when Hong Kong Disney exploded onto the entertainment scene. This case outlines Ocean Park's history and its response to Disney's encroachment into its market. Ocean Park acted swiftly and decisively to capitalize on the excitement generated by Disney, thus turning what could have been a threat into an opportunity. In terms of business-level strategy, the park moved to accentuate the differences with Disney rather than compete with Disney head-on. As the CEO stated We have no intention of trying to out-Disney Disney. The park focused on its aquarium, animals and thrill-rides as opposed to the fantasy and animated characters that make up Disney's core competence. By following such a strategy, the park was able to capture a large portion of Disney visitors that came from Mainland China. The case also discusses a recent restructuring, as well as, human resources management issues and other challenges that the park faced in 2006.

This note uses several reports to compare China and India, and it encourages students to analyse the long list of public policies that have restrained India's economic growth and FDI inflows, and that have acted as barriers to liberalization reforms. Presented are the historical realities that supported India's political philosophy of autarky and government intervention. Finally, the note leads students to consider the future prospects for India, and potential foreign investors there, through comparisons with China.

Lulu.com is an e-commerce company that distributes content for book authors, video producers, calendar designers and other intellectual property creators that can be captured in digital formats. At this time, Lulu.com has developed a successful niche market in print-on-demand books within the United States. However, the vision of its founder is much larger. The president is faced with the strategic dilemma of whether to expand Lulu.com's product offerings or to focus on internal operations for the next six to 12 months.

This case presents a summary of U.S. trade and investment sanctions in effect as of 2006. The case examines in detail the U.S. sanctions against Cuba, and it discusses the challenges and opportunities that these sanctions have created for Cuba's largest foreign investor, Sherritt International. The discussion concerning Sherritt presents the wide array of forces that impact a business that is contemplating trade or investment with a country against which sanctions have been imposed. In spite of U.S. sanctions, Sherritt International, based in Canada, developed profitable businesses in Cuba, in mining, oil and gas, hotels and food processing. The U.S. policies, while imposing costs, also reduced the competition that Sherritt would otherwise have faced. The ability to work with the Communist government gave Sherritt a strong competitive advantage and a protected market. Sherritt had positioned itself with a first mover advantage if sanctions were lifted.

In 2001, the Dabhol Power Company (DPC) ceased operations following several years of bitter acrimony between the state of Maharashtra and the foreign owners. GE and Bechtel each owned 10 per cent of the equity, the Maharashtra State Energy Board (MSEB) owned 15 per cent and Enron owned 65 per cent. The Overseas Private Insurance Corporation (OPIC), a U.S. government agency, had lent $138 million and also had provided insurance against political risk for some of the other 19 foreign lenders. The lengthy and convoluted experiences of the Enron Dabhol power project are described in detail in Andrew Inkpen's case Enron and the Dabhol Power Company, Thunderbird Case # A07020008. The purpose of India's Negotiations Concerning the Dabhol Power Company 2001-2005 is to discuss the negotiation between the various foreign investors and the government of India in an attempt to reactivate the Dabhol project. Ultimately, in 2005 a settlement was negotiated. This case adds a further dimension to the case by Andrew Inkpen, and it can be taught most effectively as a sequel to that case.

By 2006, Hungary had experienced more than 15 years of transition from central planning to free markets. The reform process had involved several distinct phases. The initial leap to the market, with its widespread privatizations, included a dramatic deregulation with a guillotine procedure. A more refined process of regulatory impact assessments (RIAs) followed this period. A newly empowered competition office sought to strengthen the extent of competition within markets dominated by a single firm or a small group of firms. The goal of EU membership was a consistent driver of the reforms as early as 1991, since the EU model was compulsory for EU members. These years had been turbulent, and the transition was not yet complete. In 2006, Hungary faced the challenge of a fiscal deficit that was 9.5 per cent of GDP, and responded by raising corporate tax rates from 16 per cent to 20 per cent as an attempt to close the fiscal gap. However, Hungary was in an intense competition with Poland, the Czech Republic and Romania to attract opportunities. Tax rates were an important element in this competition, but so were the regulatory impediments and distortions that still remained in the economy. How to create a rapidly growing economy was a question at the forefront of public policy debate. A 2006 Financial Times article discussed this dilemma.

The managing director of Pakistan State Oil (PSO) must oversee the most significant transformation in the company's 29-year history, from a lumbering bureaucracy-laden state enterprise to the most technologically sophisticated oil marketing company in Pakistan. The company had recently embarked on a New Vision marketing program, which included loyalty cards, a 24 hour toll-free customer relations line, and renovated state-of-the-art service stations replete with convenience stores and Internet kiosks. However, at the time of the case, only about one in four service stations had been renovated under the New Vision program. A more recent proposal involved automating the company's retail outlets by linking online tracking of fuel deliveries to retail outlets, where specially designed sensors could monitor gasoline inventory and automatically place orders when stocks were low. Retail automation would allow PSO to know its exact inventory at any given time and thereby more efficiently manage its supply chain and logistics. To keep capital expenditure costs within limits, the managing director must decide whether or not to invest in retail automation or expand the company's New Vision program. At the same time, deregulation of Pakistan's oil industry was expected to result in increased levels of competition.

<p style="color: rgb(197, 183, 131);"><strong> AWARD WINNER - Corporate Social Responsibility Award, European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) Case Writing Competition</strong></p><br>In early 2005, Nestle is in the midst of a decision: whether or not the Fairtrade mark should be applied on Partners' Blend, a new instant coffee product to be marketed in the growing UK 'ethical' coffee segment. Application of the Fairtrade mark on the Partners Blend product means that Nestle must go against its historical position of not offering minimum guaranteed prices to coffee farmers. As part of their deliberations, Nestle executives must consider their coffee sourcing program at large, their corporate social responsibility framework, Nescafe and corporate Nestle branding, the UK market and the potential consumer benefits or backlash that could result from releasing such a product.

This supplement to product # 9B06A020, Nestle's Nescafe Partners' Blend: The Fairtrade Decision (A) outlines the company's decision.

The chief executive officer of Calgary-based Guest-Tek Interactive Entertainment Ltd., a leading provider of high-speed Internet access to the hotel industry, must consider whether and how his company should grow its business overseas. Ninety-seven per cent of Guest-Tek's fiscal year 2003 revenue was derived from North American hotels - a market he knew would eventually become saturated. Guest-Tek had listed publicly in January 2004. Both internal and external investors now demanded results. Other geographic markets held the promise of new growth and competitors were already pursuing those opportunities.

This note introduces students to the annual report of a company and ratio analysis, comparing over time and across industry.

A research institute has a concern with the reliability requirements of a military vehicle. Reliability is the probability that a system will accomplish its designated mission in a satisfactory manner or in more specific terms, the probability that it will perform in a satisfactory manner for a given period when used under specified operating conditions. Reliability of a weapon system is often expressed in terms of mean time between failure (MTBF). Two military vehicles were tested to obtain reliability life data for reliability evaluation. The objective of this case is to introduce reliability concept, MTBF, life data analysis and objective procedure for a decision making.

Asian Paints, recognized as one of the best managed companies in India, has recently embarked on a significant push to internationalize its activities. The president of the international division is faced with the challenge of simultaneously meeting sales volumes expected, and to contribute to the company's goal of becoming one of the top five decorative paint companies in the world.

Activplant is a software firm specializing in monitoring, measuring and analysing the performance of factory automation systems in London, Ontario, Canada. It is a pioneer of the industry, and has installations in most of the largest automobile manufacturing firms in North America as well as some clients in consumer goods. Activplant is considering the opportunity of expanding their business to include a much more aggressive sales and service approach in Europe. An entrance into Europe involves how both sales and service will be delivered to clients, which could be done through a number of different channels including: consulting partners, value-added resellers, a joint venture or fulltime Activplant staff. The case allows students to evaluate both the dollar costs and benefits of each choice as well as qualitative concerns like product quality and maintaining contact with customers.

This case presents the situation faced by three people in the United States as they exit a restaurant in California. They are discussing whether tipping is a form of private sector corruption, similar to public sector corruption that pervades many countries worldwide. Discussion ensues on what constitutes corruption, and whether private and public sector corruption are required and ethical business practices.

Pharmaxis is a new biotechnology venture based in Sydney, Australia. The case brings to light the important stages in the growth of the company and the commercialization decisions the company faced. It also highlights both the uniqueness of some of the managing team's decisions and their understanding of the industry. The case underscores the point that good decision-making can overcome apparent barriers to growth. The company is now at a key decision point. It needs to determine the best approach to commercialize its first diagnostic product. The wrong decision could waste scarce financial resources, divert the time of managers and researchers, and jeopardize the reputation of the firm with potential investors.

In January 1997, Sir John Craven, a highly respected investment banker and chairman of the investment bank Deutsche Morgan Grenfell, was offered the chairmanship of Lonrho, a conglomerate with headquarters in London, England, and operations primarily in Africa. Lonrho's more significant interests were in hotels, mining, agribusiness and trading. The company was experiencing financial trouble, and was no longer respected by the financial community in London. Tiny Rowland, the tycoon entrepreneur who built the firm, had recently been fired. The firm lacked the leadership and direction it needed to remove itself from its current financial troubles and prosper in the future. Sir John needed to decide whether he should accept the offer of the chairman position, and if he did, what direction Lonrho should take. Supplements From Lonrho to Lonmin (B): Restructuring a Conglomerate, product 9B05M068 and Lonrho (C): Lonmin, product 9B05M069 look at the Sir John's decision and the company's focus.

In this supplement to Lonrho PLC (A): An African Conglomerate, product 9B05M067, Sir John Craven discusses his decision to accept the chairman position. It also looks at the general direction taken by Sir John, and how Lonrho had faired as it took this new direction. Lonrho has decided to focus on mining in Africa and dispose of non-mining related assets.