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The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) is asked to provide an opinion about the risk and return characteristics of an all-equity portfolio. The CPPIB is analyzing the potential of investing in other asset classes because of the potential for increased returns over the long-run. The Canada Pension Plan's assets currently completely comprise federal and provincial bonds and short-term securities.

From the 1970s onward, after the emergence of microfinance, lending for the poor started shifting from informal sources (e.g. moneylenders) to formal sources. The Grameen Bank (Grameen) led this change, primarily due to its chief executive officer (CEO) and his innovative microcredit model. On the basis of the CEO's rich understanding of on-the-ground realities, he began to experiment and modify the business model for microfinance, which, in the past few years in Bangladesh, was largely dominated by a few big players. As a result of some very interesting and insightful experiments that had been conducted, the microfinance landscape was changing the way banking services were modeled for the poor, not only in Bangladesh but throughout the world. The case profiles a situation wherein Baring Private Equity Partners India, one of the largest private equity players in emerging markets, was looking to invest in the high-growth, profitable microfinance industry of South Asia.This case is oriented toward helping students understand the credit needs of the poor and their perspective on money management, hunger, investment and savings. Students should be made to appreciate how an innovative business model can be developed through a deeper understanding of the local context combined with conceptual thinking. The case strongly vouches for the development of sustainable solutions that require both financial viability and sensitivity to the conditions of the poor. The most important point to be highlighted about the microfinance landscape is that the entrepreneurship model is changing from being socially focused to being business focused. Earlier, most players entered the microfinance arena as a not-for-profit venture; however, many for-profit organizations have now entered this sector.

This case describes the creation of the Juno Beach Centre in France, located where Canadian troops hit the Normandy beach on D-Day. The centre honours and explains Canada's role in the Second World War. It also has a section on contemporary Canadian culture and society. Canadian D-Day veterans, with help from the next generation, formed the Juno Beach Centre Association (JBCA) in the 1990s to raise funds for a museum that would highlight the country's contribution to the Allies winning the Second World War. The many donations from individuals would not be nearly enough. Canadian governments and corporations declared their support and goodwill, but had yet to make significant financial commitments. In time, Wal-Mart stepped up to help, but more money was required. The remaining WWII veterans were now approaching their eighties. How could the JBCA secure the resources needed to make the centre a reality?

This case focuses on the issue of corporate governance in the Middle East. A senior official at the Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) is looking at a recent transaction in which Qatar Telecom (Qtel) acquired National Mobile Telecommunications Company KSC (Wataniya). The KSE official wondered whether, at the company level, inadequate corporate governance measures had allowed this alleged unequal treatment to pass unchallenged. More importantly, at the exchange level, the KSE official wondered what actions - if any - could have been taken to enhance the rights of minority shareholders.

Your Home is a Good Place, Inc. was a unique business. It brought together homeowners, contractors and other service suppliers in a one-stop shopping environment that emphasized convenience as a marketing strategy. Your Home is a Good Place, Inc. (YHGP) needed to know more about the demand in the area and to decide how to attract both suppliers of services and customers as well as promote the business and build a brand identity. The owner has decided to hire a consultant to: 1) identify target market demographics in Michiana developed from the census data provided 2) provide a general description of potential competitors for YHGP 3) develop a marketing plan focused on bringing in clients as well as contractors and facilitators as partners. Discussion of building a brand identity for a new business will be a consideration here. This case will fit with upper-level marketing strategy or entrepreneurship courses, a management capstone course or within an MBA-level marketing course. The objectives for this case are for the students to learn SWOT analysis, to apply the data to complete a marketing plan, and to advise a difficult client. It is best suited for team applications although individuals can complete the exercises. Additionally, students should consider the implications of, and how to deal with, a client who is in need of advice but is reluctant to accept ideas that are not his own.

Vineland Research and Innovation Center, a not-for-profit organization looking to work with the Ontario local food industry, has requested two researchers to analyze the local food business landscape and propose a technology-driven solution that connects farmers in the Niagara region with buyers in Toronto. The case illustrates the challenges faced by each stakeholder in the local food supply chain, and allows students to analyze the farming and restaurant industries, assess the current Canadian market, and investigate technological advances that could enable improving the current local supply chain procurement and distribution model. This case allows students to identify competencies and gaps within the current environment, challenges facing the farming and restaurant communities, as well as opportunities to drive growth in a new market.

In December 2008, Erica Mills and her husband, Craig, were making plans. They had recently decided to start a family within the next 12 months and were now making decisions about how to manage their careers as they were about to take this momentous step. Erica had started Warm Fuzz Cards, a Toronto-based greeting card company, just over two years ago in 2006. The business was growing slowly but profitably. Craig was employed as a human resources executive at a large company. He was very supportive of Erica's business. In fact, he believed that the business could grow much more quickly. Erica, on the other hand, liked her slow growth strategy. However, she was not sure that she could manage the business as it was currently structured and raise a family at the same time. They were going to have to decide what to do soon. They would need time to decide how fast to grow, develop a plan, raise money, and possibly hire staff, all before they started their family. This case provides students with an example of an entrepreneurial start-up and an understanding of: 1) the decision of how fast to grow 2) the decision of how much and where to invest in a growing business 3) how management skills, knowledge and preferences can impact decision-making in entrepreneurial/family business ventures 4) how important cash management is in the early stage of growth 5) how various stages in the development of a new venture will dictate the need for the detailed financial tracking and management of a business. This case is appropriate for a 75-minute introductory entrepreneurship class.

PANELpro is a startup company and presently a subcontract assembler of control panels. Its president is a former high-tech executive with technological, management and sales experience who wants the company to grow rapidly based on such expertise. He is unsure of the business model to follow (design, assembly, parts distributor or consulting) and how to promote PANELpro. He has some information about potential customers and competition but wants more before proceeding. Two marketing research approaches have been suggested but he ponders whether he should spend his limited funds on research or act based on what he already knows from his corporate experience. If he spends on research, what should be its objective, method and possible payoff?

The owner of an indoor beach volleyball and rock climbing recreational facility in London, Ontario, is considering expanding by adding a rooftop patio and outdoor beach volleyball court. Students are asked to perform a business size-up and to analyze the expansion qualitatively. Students are required to list all the cash flows associated with the expansion and classify them as relevant (cash, future and different), recurring or one-time costs. Once this is completed, students are to perform a differential analysis, with sensitivity analysis, where necessary, to determine the return on investment and to establish the payback period. Finally, students are to make a decision about going ahead with the expansion.

In May 2007, the chief operating officer at TSC Stores in London, Ontario, asked the director of distribution to evaluate the company's supply chain strategy and make recommendations to the board of directors. The chief operating officer was concerned about the ability of the company's supply chain to support the corporate business plan, which called for 20 per cent annual growth over the next three years. Preliminary analysis indicated that TSC would need more distribution capacity by first quarter 2008, which gave the director of distribution only six to eight months to evaluate options and implement a plan. The chief operating officer and the board would want to know the process and schedule that the director of distribution intended to follow to deal with the evolving capacity demands in distribution.

The case outlines the conflicting ethical demands on a Danish pharmaceuticals company, Novo Nordisk, that is operating globally and is aspiring to high standards of corporate social responsibility. A recent report alleges that multinational pharmaceutical companies routinely conduct trials in developing countries under alleged unethical conditions. The company's director reflects on how to respond to a request from a journalist for an interview. This triggers a discussion on the appropriate ethical principles and how to communicate them. As a company emphasizing corporate responsibility, the interaction with the media presents both opportunities and risks to Novo Nordisk. The case focuses on clinical trials that are required to attain regulatory approval in, for example, Europe and North America, and that are conducted at multiple sites around the world, including many emerging economies. Novo Nordisk has implemented numerous procedures to protect its various stakeholders, yet will this satisfy journalists and non-governmental organizations, and how should the company communicate with these stakeholders?

Kathy Engle was one of four executive directors of the LEADER Project (LEADER), an MBA student-run volunteer organization associated with The Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario. LEADER's objective was to contribute to international development by teaching introductory business and decision-making skills in a free market economy to institutions in emerging economies. In March, 2002, Engle had to quickly decide a course of action for LEADER: Whether the LEADER Project should maintain the status quo of working in the countries of the former Soviet Union (FSU) or instead focus its energies on expansion into a new country outside the FSU with a transition economy. If expansion was considered, Engle needed to determine which new emerging economy should be selected and how to manage the transition into a new country beginning in two months' time. Engle had gathered a considerable amount of information about Cuba that led her to believe it may be an appropriate target for expansion, but the information was both positive and negative.

The case focuses on the turnaround situation facing the newly elected chief executive officer (CEO) of the Vancouver YMCA. The YMCA has suffered a long series of operating deficits ($9 million per year), has mounting debts to third parties, declining membership, and a maxed out $1 million operation line of credit. There are issues with its assets (old facilities with little renovations done over the past three decades), political infighting and union issues. The CEO has to work to turn the situation around before the organization goes bankrupt.

The developers of a simple, inexpensive, locally produced rain water harvesting system tackle the social marketing issues in the undeveloped market of rural Kenya. The benefits of the product are obvious but the poverty levels and entrenched traditions create significant and unique marketing challenges.

Two inexperienced, but strongly committed, entrepreneurs face the hassles of a new venture: exporting dough from Puerto Rico to cities in the United States with large numbers of Puerto Rican immigrants who are longing nostalgically for their beloved pan sobao (bread made with vegetable shortening). With thousands of Puerto Ricans living in and/or moving to the United States and after several incidents of fraud by partners of the entrepreneurs, they are thinking about how to take advantage of what seems to be an opportunity for doing business outside their Caribbean home. These entrepreneurs are confronting several challenges: 1) Preparing to detect opportunities and to get personally involved in a demanding export business 2) Differentiating and positioning the brand in a crowded market. Is a nostalgic feeling enough of a motivator to engage customers with the brand? 3) Deciding whether institution is a substitute for market data and feasibility determination.

This case presents the decisions facing the managing director/executive director of PacificLink iMedia (PacificLink), more than 10 years after he founded the company. The company had experienced periods of growth and decline since its founding and was facing a period of uncertain growth given the turmoil in world markets in 2009, following several years of strong growth and expansion. The director anticipated that the company could continue to grow into new geographic or product markets, or perhaps become fundamentally altered in its governance structure and financial resource base, through an initial public offering. The case involves analysis of these alternatives for growth. It can be used to teach about sources of competitive advantage and evaluations of growth alternatives. See also the first and third cases in the three-part series, 9B00M024 and 9B16M202.

MAN B&W Diesel (MBD), a subsidiary of MAN AG, had become very successful by having its large two-stroke diesel engines produced under licence in Asia. The success had led it to the position of world leader in ship engines, with world market shares between 70 and 80 per cent. The relationship between MBD and the licensees was characterized by both parties leveraging each other’s competencies. It was critical for MBD to access new knowledge in order to optimize products from the producing licensees. Similarly, the licensees leveraged access to the design specifications of the engines as well as expert knowledge and service offerings from MBD. Despite MBD’s success with the licence business model during recent years, new developments had triggered some concerns over the model’s long-term sustainability and feasibility, particularly with regard to competitors and intellectual property rights in China. Hence, the main challenge facing MBD was how to future-proof and perhaps adjust its business model to secure more control of critical knowledge and the licensees without jeopardizing the productive and lucrative licensee relationships.

The international affairs manager was responsible for developing and implementing an alliance strategy for System@tic Paris Region, a pôle de compétitivé (industry cluster) based in the Paris Region, France. The critical point was that, although inter-clusteral alliances had become essential to the success of a cluster - and the firms within them, many of the world's most prestigious clusters were highly sought after and, as a result, increasingly unavailable as alliance partners. Given limited time and resources, the result appeared to be an emerging race for partners in which clusters competed with each other to establish a productive and viable inter-clusteral alliance network. Within the next two weeks, the manager's goal was to establish the outline of a plan to develop an inter-clusteral alliance network that was both achievable and productive for his cluster member firms.

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.

In December 2006, Alcan was the second largest producer of aluminum in the world, but the industry was consolidating. The case traces the development of the aluminum industry since World War II to the recent emergence of China as an economic power and the accompanying rise in commodity prices. Alcan had to decide between two offers: to be acquired or to go it alone. The first offer was from Alcoa and the other from Rio Tinto. Alcoa was the world leader in the production of aluminum and, like Alcan, was engaged in significant technological research and development. Meanwhile, Rio Tinto was one of the largest mining companies in the world, but had minor aluminum operations and, in general, few downstream processing plants or technologies. Students are asked to identify Alcan's key resources and consider which strategy would make best use of them.