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Cases
Strategies for Sustainable Development—Module 7
by Andrew Hoffman
Product Type: Module  Publication Date: 06/2012  Product ID#: 1-429-267  Length: 82pages
This is the seventh module of the Strategies for Sustainable Development Course. In this last of seven modules, students explore sustainability from the view of the all-important venture capital field. Investors are focused on “green” technology in the hopes of finding the next breakthrough that will alter markets, particularly in the energy field. Students will analyze the market...
Social Entrepreneurship Module
by Paul Godfrey
Product Type: Module  Publication Date: 05/2013  Product ID#: 1-429-341  Length: 82pages
This module uses a series of six cases surrounding three examples of social entrepreneurship in very different organizations: Fundación Paraguaya (FP), Kinder, Lyndenberg, and Domini (KLD), and Community Enterprise Solutions (CE Solutions). The cases consider both the organizations and the entrepreneurs who run them. Students can examine the organizational challenges of making it work, donor demands for accountability and measurement, and the personal views and philosophies of the founding entrepreneur.
CCI: Last Mile Distribution Challenge
by Dr. Guda Sridhar, Vaibhav Chawla, Deep Singh
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 04/2013  Product ID#: 1-429-325  Length: 24pages
In 2007, Akhilesh Gupta and Naren Shah reconfigured Candy and Chocolate India with a vision to build an effective and efficient Route to Market (RTM). The objectives of the reconfiguration were to increase the availability of CCI brands and improve customer service. The company’s future growth opportunities depended on its penetration of rural markets. Approximately 69% of India’s population lived in rural areas. However, CCI had low representation in rural markets with populations of 10,000 or less.
BTPN: Banking for the Bottom of the Pyramid in Indonesia
by R. Ryan Nelson, Carl P. Zeithaml, Gardner Bell
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 04/2013  Product ID#: 1-429-330  Length: 20pages
BTPN is a mid-size bank in Indonesia with a successful business model that also creates positive social change (following its mission to “Do Good and Do Well”). The Bank’s president, Jerry Ng, is faced with the dilemma of how to grow the business; i.e.., whether or not BTPN should expand its micro-lending to include the productive poor in the Bottom of the Pyramid (BoP). The decision should be based on a comprehensive understanding of BTPN’s environment, business model, strategy, and systems; while consider
Community Enterprise Solutions
by Paul Godfrey
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 04/2013  Product ID#: 1-429-331  Length: 16pages
The “Community Enterprise Solutions: Replicating the Microconsignment Model” case describes the founding and growth of Community Enterprise Solutions (CE Solutions), an NGO working at the Base of the Pyramid (BoP) in Guatemala. The case opens with background information and some history on the founder, Greg Van Kirk. Van Kirk’s experiences as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guatemala allowed him to identify several opportunities for entrepreneurial businesses designed to employ local workers, attract more touri
Hydraid: Safe Water for the Base of the Pyramid
by Paul Mudde
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 04/2013  Product ID#: 1-429-332  Length: 24pages
Triple Quest, a joint venture between a manufacturer and a private investment company, is experimenting with different business models to distribute its proprietary Hydraid water filtration system. This case discusses the worldwide water crisis and the organizations involved in addressing it.
Sproxil: Saving Lives
by Dr. Prashant Yadav
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 03/2013  Product ID#: 1-429-324  Length: 16pages
As he read the media reports on Sproxil’s successful completion of the first phase of the company’s work in Nigeria, Ashifi Gogo wondered if such successes would be one of very many for Sproxil or if it was one of a kind. Sproxil now had a proven technology in place and Gogo had identified the regions he would like to enter with his technology. But he was still reviewing data on national markets to determine which markets to enter, as well as the right business model to use: a pure for-profit model or a so
Small Parts, Big Problems: Fastener Management at American Turbochargers, Inc.
by Dr. Gunter Dufey, Dr. Albert Shih
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 03/2013  Product ID#: 1-429-290  Length: 16pages
In an extremely competitive market, ATI had to keep costs as low as possible to remain a global leader. The ATI facility was the largest in the world by production volume, and the cost of the material and parts that went into production accounted for 75% of the total manufacturing cost on average; but for some, it was close to 95%. It was up to Brad Rogeman, Director of Procurement at American Turbochargers, Inc.’s (ATI) production facility in Cincinnati, Ohio, to keep that margin as high as possible.
A123 Systems Powering a Sustainable Future
by Andrew Hoffman
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 02/2013  Product ID#: 1-429-302  Length: 24pages
A123 successfully went to market with new technologies that could revolutionize the energy storage and electric battery industries. It drew critical acclaim from the US President and Secretary of Energy, the automotive industry, environmental and scientific communities, and Wall Street. After opening the largest hybrid vehicle battery manufacturing facility in North America, CEO David Vieau needs to evaluate the road forward.
Blueprint for Ford's Future
by Andrew Hoffman
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 02/2013  Product ID#: 1-429-303  Length: 16pages
Ford’s Social Sustainability Manager, David Berdish, faces the challenge of positioning Ford on the forefront of the global transportation industry while leveraging Ford’s leadership in the automotive industry. This case takes a holistic look at the global transportation industry with emphasis on emerging markets and their increasingly congested transportation systems. Students must decide how to balance market positioning and long-term vision with near-term strategy to better serve the next generation.
REI Rentals
by Damian Beil, Wallace Hopp
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 01/2013  Product ID#: 1-429-292  Length: 20pages
Kirk Myers, REI’s Manager of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), twirled his pen around his thumb and forefinger. Staring out the window toward misty Mt. Rainier, Myers thought hard, recalling a conference call with his boss, CSR Director Kevin Hagen, and Retail Operations Manager Teresa Mueller several weeks before. At the end of the conversation, Myers was tasked with an assignment outside his usual realm of responsibility—find a way to optimize the rental program across REI retail locations to maximiz
Business Model Innovation at TutorVista
by C.K. Prahalad, M.S. Krishnan
Product Type: Profile  Publication Date: 12/2012  Product ID#: 1-428-916  Length: 24pages
Krishnan Ganesh tries to find the right business model to connect students in the US to remote tutors in India. A former BOP company owner, Ganesh finds ways to overcome language barriers as well as many of the preconceived notions US consumers have about outsourcing.
American Express: A Relationship, Not a Transaction
by M.S. Krishnan
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 12/2012  Product ID#: 1-429-100  Length: 20pages
Jim Bush he began to worry that the company was focusing too much on cost reduction. Customer service quality was eroding as the company strove to stay competitive during hard economic times.
Note on How to Write a Teaching Note
by GlobaLens
Product Type: Conceptual Note  Publication Date: 05/2012  Product ID#: 1-429-016  Length: 8pages
This note is available FREE of CHARGE; simply click the product preview pdf and access the complete document. This note is intended to give you a basic overview on how to write a teaching note. In general, there are seven major sections of a teaching note: 1. Case Overview 2. Teaching Objectives 3. Pedagogy 4. Case Analysis 5. Assignment Questions 6. Teaching Plan 7. Conclusion Aft...
CEMEX's Patrimonio Hoy: At the Tipping Point?
by Ted London
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 04/2012  Product ID#: 1-428-606  Length: 25pages
This case sets the stage for the 2012 case study "Constructing a Base-of-the-Pyramid Business in a Multinational Corporation: CEMEX’s Patrimonio Hoy Looks to Grow." This case study explores Patrimonio Hoy in 2006, the sales, distribution, and savings program that serves Mexico’s self-construction housing market. Since then, Patrimonio Hoy has gone from a small, centrally-funded project to a US$25 million in revenue. This case explores the initiative's opportunities for growth and expansion into new markets.
Base-of-the-Pyramid Module
by Ted London
Product Type: Module  Publication Date: 03/2012  Product ID#: 1-429-223  Length: 124pages
The Base-of-the-Pyramid (BoP) refers to the billions of people who live on less than $3,000 per year in the informal economy of the developing world. This poverty creates an urgent societal need and presents a vast potential opportunity for business growth. Intelligent, informed management can address both aspects successfully. This module delivers effective teaching of management...
Bharti Airtel (B)
by C.K. Prahalad, M.S. Krishnan, Sheel Mohnot
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 12/2011  Product ID#: 1-428-864  Length: 12pages
This is the second of two cases. Case B presents students with the various strategies that Airtel has pursued to become one of the most profitable wireless telecommunication companies in India.
CEMEX's Patrimonio Hoy (VIDEO)
by Ted London
Product Type: Audio/Video  Publication Date: 09/2011  Product ID#: 1-429-205  Length: 0minutes
This video is a companion to the case study Patrimonio Hoy , which explores the sales, distribution, and savings program of CEMEX intended to serve Mexico’s large self-construction housing market. CEMEX is currently the world's third largest cement producer. Over the years, Patrimonio Hoy has gone from a small, centrally-funded project to a US$25 million revenue generator for CEMEX...
Business Thought & Action, Module 2: Creating, Running, and Sustaining Successful Businesses
by Robert J. Dolan, Robert E. Kennedy, Scott A. Moore
Product Type: Module  Publication Date: 08/2011  Product ID#: 1-429-188  Length: 90pages
Module 2 of the Business Thought & Action™ course is entrepreneurial-themed, analyzing the essentials of starting and running a business. Companies are examined in-depth to illustrate that the same business principles apply to all companies, whether startups or multinational corporations. Students learn to apply analytical thinking to product innovation as a creative force, use pro...
Business Thought & Action, Module 5: Business and Society
by Robert J. Dolan, Robert E. Kennedy, Scott A. Moore
Product Type: Module  Publication Date: 08/2011  Product ID#: 1-429-191  Length: 22pages
This fifth module Business Thought & Action™ course challenges students to think to the way that business can be used to create a positive social environmental impact. Since students in this course are typically early undergraduate business students, this module is powerful in its ability to influence students’ decisions to pursue campus involvement, internships, and job opportunit...
Equilibrium Capital Group
by Tom Lyon
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 07/2011  Product ID#: 1-429-106  Length: 48pages
Venture capitalists Bill Campbell and Kipp Baratoff have a decision to make. They can either invest their hard-earned capital in one of two existing energy efficiency (EE) companies or create their own company that tackles EE market barriers in a novel way. Bill and Kipp must understand how EE companies operate and discover the nuances of the EE market to make their joint decision.
Bharti Airtel (A)
by C.K. Prahalad, M.S. Krishnan, Sheel Mohnot
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 05/2011  Product ID#: 1-428-834  Length: 16pages
Bharti Airtel (Airtel) examines many of the tenets set forth in the book The New Age of Innovation by CK Prahalad and MS Krishnan. Divided into two segments, Case (A) asks students to analyze the Indian environment and Airtel'ss capabilities to determine strategies for growth.
ITC e-Choupal 3.0
by C.K. Prahalad, M.S. Krishnan
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 05/2011  Product ID#: 1-428-915  Length: 24pages
This case study is an in-depth analysis of ITC’s initiative to develop third-generation e-Choupals, or internet-enabled computer stations based in villages. The first e-Choupals provided information on weather, best practices, crop details, market prices, and important local news to farmers in 1999. The third generation e-Choupals are envisioned to mitigate a lack of information ab...
Madras Cement, Ltd.
by C.K. Prahalad, M.S. Krishnan
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 05/2011  Product ID#: 1-428-925  Length: 23pages
Madras Cement is a leading cement producer in southern India. This case illustrates the process of championing ERP implementation in a complex diversified conglomerate.
Seed-Stage Financing Exercise
by Tom Porter
Product Type: Exercise  Publication Date: 03/2011  Product ID#: 1-429-165  Length: 8pages
The founders of start-up biotech company Chiral Intermediates have an important decision to make. How much money to raise? When? And from what kinds of funding sources? This exercise walks through the market for chiral intermediates (a material that reduces harmful drug side effects), this new company's business model, and its quest for seed-stage financing.
Zipcar, Inc.
by Robert J. Dolan
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 12/2010  Product ID#: 1-429-159  Length: 9pages
Though Zipcar's cost-effect approach to car ownership is known for being a great “best new idea” story, this cases asks how CEO Scott Griffin can turn Zipcar from “best” and “new” into “profitable”? This case is included in Module 2 of the course Business Thought & Action.
Sensing Opportunities
by Robert J. Dolan
Product Type: Conceptual Note  Publication Date: 12/2010  Product ID#: 1-429-008  Length: 4pages
The majority of new product ideas never make it to market. This note is a concise description of what separates the winners from the losers. In other words, what are the characteristics of good opportunities for successful new products or services? This note is an ideal tool for introducing research and insights about product success rates. This case can be taught in conjunction wi...
Value Proposition and Business Models
by Robert J. Dolan
Product Type: Conceptual Note  Publication Date: 12/2010  Product ID#: 1-429-009  Length: 7pages
This note introduces students to what a Value Proposition is. It walks students through identifying a company's "VPC story" (Value to the customer, Price the product is sold at, Cost to provide the product) which, in essence, is developing a business model. It also introduces the Johnson, Christensen, and Kagerman model for articulating a business plan, and provides students with a...
Enron: The Rise and Fall
by Scott A. Moore
Product Type: Profile  Publication Date: 12/2010  Product ID#: 1-429-058  Length: 20pages
In 1999, Enron was the #1 company in innovation and quality of management. Less than two years later, it filed for bankruptcy in one of the most portent fraud cases of the decade. The story of Enron’s rise and fall tells a lot about manipulation of accounting and regulatory standards and about the disregard of ethics and law in pursuit of money and excellence. Against the backdrop...
Ford Motor Company in the 1920s
by Robert E. Kennedy
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 12/2010  Product ID#: 1-429-003  Length: 4pages
This mini-case provides a concise description of Ford's early history, highlighting milestones like the debut of the Model T, the use of labor specialization, the first moving assembly line, the famous "$5 a day" plan for employee motivation, etc. The mini-case focuses on the challenges that Henry Ford faced (timing production activities, industrial shortages, price increases, etc.
SMART: Global Urban Mobility Solutions
by Nigel Melville
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 12/2010  Product ID#: 1-428-964  Length: 27pages
SMART works to develop more efficient, environmentally and socially sustainable transportation systems in cities around the world. Its key approach is the Integrated Hub Network - a network that accesses several transportation modes in one place, while utilizing real-time transportation updates and information kiosks. Students help director Sue Zielinski pitch the Los Angeles proje...
Jaipur Foot
by C.K. Prahalad
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 12/2010  Product ID#: 1-429-145  Length: 21pages
With five and a half million amputees, there is an almost overwhelming need for an inexpensive artificial foot/lower limb prosthesis in India. Any solution also has to meet the needs of the Indian lifestyle - walking barefooted, squatting, and sitting cross-legged. With innovative design and use of materials, Jaipur Foot (a non-profit organization) has created a low-cost prosthesis...
Casas Bahia
by C.K. Prahalad
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 12/2010  Product ID#: 1-429-148  Length: 24pages
In fifty years, Casas Bahia has grown from one man selling blankets and bed linens door-to-door to the largest retail chain in Brazil, offering electronics, appliances, and furniture. With its emphasis on serving the poor customer, its low prices, and credit determined by payment history rather than formal income (70% of CB customers have no formal or consistent income), Casas Bahi...
eChoupal - ITC, Ltd.
by C.K. Prahalad
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 12/2010  Product ID#: 1-429-150  Length: 33pages
In setting up rural farmer-entrepreneurs with Internet access, and using modern technology to accurately weigh farmers crops (and paying them promptly), ITC's eChoupal system is transforming India's agricultural supply chain, reducing systemic corruption and giving farmers both better prices for their crops and a sense of dignity and confidence in being connected to the rest of the...
eGovernance in Andhra Pradesh
by C.K. Prahalad
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 12/2010  Product ID#: 1-429-151  Length: 51pages
Partnering with business to deliver government services electronically is fundamentally altering the relationship between government and citizens in Andhra Pradesh, the fifth-largest state in India. Government processes are more transparent; bribes paid to officials to facilitate transactions through a bureaucratic, paper-based system are eliminated. Citizens find it easy to pay bi...
EID Parry
by C.K. Prahalad
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 12/2010  Product ID#: 1-429-152  Length: 9pages
EID Parry provides local entrepeneurs the technological backing to run Internet kiosks in rural villages. EID Parry has also created its own Internet portal to support farmers with access to fertilizers and tools, education and crop disease diagnosis, and a direct market for their crops of rice and sugarcane.
E+Co & Tecnosol
by C.K. Prahalad
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 12/2010  Product ID#: 1-429-153  Length: 37pages
By providing growth capital to local entrepreneurs, E+Co helps deliver alternative energy solutions to people around the world. In Nicaragua, where nearly fifty percent of the population is "off the grid," E+Co's investment in solar energy provider Tecnosol means people can have refrigeration, lights, running water, and jobs. The Nicaraguan government welcomes this effort, as scarc...
Annapurna Salt
by C.K. Prahalad
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 12/2010  Product ID#: 1-429-155  Length: 30pages
In India, Iodine Deficiency Disorder hinders the growth and intellectual development of 70 million people, with twenty percent of the population at risk. Yet up to fifty percent of the iodine in iodized salt can be lost during storage, transportation, and Indian cooking. Using world-class technology, Hindustan Lever Ltd. has developed a more stable iodine for salt that is effective...
Voxiva
by C.K. Prahalad
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 12/2010  Product ID#: 1-429-157  Length: 17pages
Peru's struggle in the early 1990s to control a cholera outbreak took years, cost thousands of lives, and meant over $770 million dollars in lost productivity, trade, and tourism for Peru's economy. Voxiva's product, Alerta, is one tool Peru is using to fight back against infectious disease outbreaks. It transforms the typical village telephone into a tool for effectively reporting...
Tata Consultancy Services
by C.K. Prahalad, M.S. Krishnan
Product Type: Profile  Publication Date: 09/2010  Product ID#: 1-428-835  Length: 26pages
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is a top Indian software services and consulting firm. This profile analyzes the company's strategic implementation of technology to enable Human Resources. TCS's technology-driven HR model, known as the Replenishment Model (RPM), allows the company to leverage knowledge around the world, constantly recruit thousands of new employees, coordinate team...
Honest Tea
by Andrew Hoffman
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 09/2010  Product ID#: 1-428-947  Length: 22pages
Are “wide-scale distribution” and “sustainability” mutually exclusive? This case explores this question through the examples of Honest Tea, one of the fast growing companies in the Ready-To-Drink market, and Coca-Cola. Honest Tea faces a challenging decision: whether or not to sell part of its business to Coca-Cola. Honest Tea desires to stay committed to CSR goals and maintain its...
Inventory Gremlins
by Greg Miller
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 09/2010  Product ID#: 1-429-105  Length: 6pages
Can you practice basic accounting principles through an interesting story? This case presents a budding entrepreneur, Amanda Gojko, who has started her own small business and needs to take physical inventory of her stock. Using LIFO and FIFO calculations, accounting students will learn about basic accounting principles as well as when and how to do compete write-downs.
International Development Enterprise
by Syed Abdul Samad
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 07/2010  Product ID#: 1-429-092  Length: 18pages
This case is featured as part of the Next Billion/WDI 2010 Case Writing Competition. It centers around International Development Enterprise India (IDEI) and its efforts to provide low-cost irrigation techniques to farmers at the Base of the Pyramid. First, the case gives some background about farming and landholding in India. It then discusses IDEI’s growth and the success of its p...
New Technologies and Financial Communications
by Greg Miller
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 07/2010  Product ID#: 1-429-088  Length: 16pages
A slew of information technologies have emerged in recent years with the progression of online communications. These technologies are fundamentally changing the interaction between companies and their investors. This case is about the new challenges confronted by investor relations (IR) when using novel communication channels to disseminate financial information to constituents (in...
Zingerman's Community of Businesses (VIDEO)
by Wayne Baker, CPOS, Ryan Smerek
Product Type: Audio/Video  Publication Date: 07/2010  Product ID#: 1-429-104  Length: 0minutes
The Zingerman's Community of Businesses video is not to me missed. It complements the Zingerman's Community of Businesses case and features Zingerman's co-founder Ari Weinzweig discussing four key components of Zingerman's success. Over the years, Zingerman’s Community of Businesses (ZCoB) has regularly won accolades and awards – including being named “the coolest small company in...
International Marketing Mini-Cases Collection
by John Branch
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 07/2010  Product ID#: 1-429-089  Length: 22pages
This 'bundle of case' include: "Irbit Motorcycle Factory" "Sussex Chainless Bicycles" "Inline Fibreglass" "Katie’s Kakes" "VOSTOK Watches" "StrongFiber Company Limited" "Maru Industries" "Jim Thompson Thai Silk Company" A collection of eight 1-2 page mini-cases, available...
Open Book Finance
by Ryan Smerek, Wayne Baker
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 07/2010  Product ID#: 1-429-091  Length: 22pages
This case outlines the origins of Open Book Finance, its core elements, and its implementation at Zingerman’s Community of Businesses in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Open Book Finance is a philosophy of management developed by Jack Stack, CEO of Springfield Remanufacturing Corporation in Springfield, Missouri. Open Book Finance is based on the premise that business is essentially a game—one that almost anyone can learn to play.
In Search of Proof
by Elayid Raed
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 06/2010  Product ID#: 1-429-069  Length: 8pages
The case is about Anup Noori's efforts to expand on the Microfinance model into one that targets structural poverty (i.e. asset poverty, illiteracy, lack of access to medication and water). In doing so, he travels to Sri Lanka, where he hears about Hatton National Bank (HNB), a traditional commercial bank that has poverty alleviation as part of its operations. HNB helps the communi...
Sherwin - Williams: VOCs in Full Color
by Andrew Hoffman
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 05/2010  Product ID#: 1-428-993  Length: 16pages
In late 1996, Sherwin-Williams CEO John Breen sat at his desk, preparing for another meeting with his board of directors. The room was dark except for a small stream of light that escaped the curtains hung heavily over the windows. Outside, rain was falling onto the company’s corporate headquarters and on the streets of Cleveland. Breen stared at the portraits of company founders H...
Molten Metal Techonology (A)
by Andrew Hoffman
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 04/2010  Product ID#: 1-429-049  Length: 24pages
This case describes Molten Metal Technology's beginnings and its new technologies, the impact of regulation on its business, environmental implications, the waste cleanup and disposal industry, and Molten Metal Technology's possibilities for future expansion amidst competition.
Molten Metal Techonology (B)
by Andrew Hoffman
Product Type: Mini-Case  Publication Date: 04/2010  Product ID#: 1-429-051  Length: 8pages
This case, the second in a series, describes Molten Metal Technology's problems that culminated in the company filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, including interactions between government, environmental concerns, and business.
Six Flags
by Robert J. Dolan
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 04/2010  Product ID#: 1-429-076  Length: 12pages
This case is about Six Flags, a national theme park chain, as its CEO, Mark Shapiro (former Executive VP at ESPN), strives to turn around the company's fortune. Attendance was dropping in the late 2000s as the US economy struggled, causing Six Flags to file for bankruptcy in June 2009. This case describes Six Flags' founding, its niche, its top competitors, its acquisition-focused...
Kodak
by Scott A. Moore
Product Type: Profile  Publication Date: 03/2010  Product ID#: 1-429-054  Length: 15pages
Kodak has been a leader in convenient and cutting edge products for many decades. However, the company has not adapted well to the market's shift toward digital technology. Now, the CEO must decide how to handle the decline of earnings and stock prices, which began in the last decade. This case is included in Module 3 of the course Business Thought & Action.
Women Entrepreneurs in Rwanda (English): Banana Wine
by Etienne Musonera
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 03/2010  Product ID#: 1-429-070  Length: 12pages
This case was written for a class in the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Initiative, which aims to bring high-quality business and management education to 10,000 underserved women around the world. It was taught in classes consisting of about 30 women entrepreneurs each in Kigali, Rwanda, and it described the banana wine business of Christine Murebwayire, an alumnus of the program. See...
Decline of the "Big Three" U.S. Auto Producers
by Robert E. Kennedy
Product Type: Conceptual Note  Publication Date: 02/2010  Product ID#: 1-429-048  Length: 12pages
GM, Ford, and Chrysler, the “Big Three” of the U.S. automotive industry, dominated automobile output in the 1950s. Domestically, the Big Three had no competitors. Sixty years later, foreign nameplates had more than half the sales in the U.S. market. This note explores the Big Three’s decline over the last half a century and possible causes for their decline.
Digitization and its effects
by Scott A. Moore
Product Type: Conceptual Note  Publication Date: 02/2010  Product ID#: 1-429-031  Length: 12pages
The purpose of this note is to provide some insight about the change from analog to digital, the increasing penetration of digital technologies in our lives, the increasing performance of that technology, and the effects of this digitization. It begins with an examination of the analog world and is followed by an analysis of digitization. This includes discussion of the move to dig...
Technological Advances and the Movie Experience
by Scott A. Moore
Product Type: Conceptual Note  Publication Date: 02/2010  Product ID#: 1-429-028  Length: 12pages
This note chronicles the technological advances in the American movie industry through the decades that have created a more personalized and convenient viewer experience, including the advent of movies, television, cable TV, VCRs, DVD players, digital movie reels, and online movie access. This case is included in Module 2 of the course Business Thought & Action.
Note on Prahalad & Krishnan's New Innovation
by Scott A. Moore
Product Type: Conceptual Note  Publication Date: 02/2010  Product ID#: 1-429-032  Length: 4pages
In The New Age of Innovation, C.K. Prahalad and M.S. Krishnan, professors at the Ross School of Business, describe both how the creation of value by businesses is going to change, and how information technology (IT) is the tool that will allow them to make that change. This note summarizes, at a very high level, some of this book’s main concepts, focusing on the overview presented...
NIKEiD: Profile
by Scott A. Moore
Product Type: Profile  Publication Date: 02/2010  Product ID#: 1-429-035  Length: 5pages
This is a concise profile of NIKEiD, Nike's customized product line. It is meant to highlight how advancements in IT have allowed the consumer product industry to offer customers personalized products. It includes a brief history of Nike and NIKEiD as well as a description of the NIKEiD website and its features. It prompts discussion on the business implications of selling customi...
Innocentive
by Scott A. Moore
Product Type: Profile  Publication Date: 02/2010  Product ID#: 1-429-036  Length: 6pages
This is a concise profile of InnoCentive—the company that created the first online marketplace for corporate research and development (R&D). It can be used to highlight how advancements in IT have spurred changes in the ways that companies perform R&D. This profile reviews the basic structure of InnoCentive’s “Open Innovation Marketplace”, who the players are in the marketplace, an...
Bell Labs
by Scott A. Moore
Product Type: Profile  Publication Date: 02/2010  Product ID#: 1-429-026  Length: 5pages
This is a concise profile of Bell Labs. It describes the company's history, its roles as a fundamental research organization as well as an innovation engine for Alcatel-Lucent, and its unique in-house R&D culture. This profile is intended to be taught in conjunction with the InnoCentive profile in order to compare two distinct models of corporate R&D.
Left Shoe Company
by Scott A. Moore
Product Type: Profile  Publication Date: 02/2010  Product ID#: 1-429-034  Length: 5pages
This is a concise profile of Left foot Company, the customized shoe business of Finland’s leading casual footwear manufacturer, Pomarfin Ltd. It includes a brief history of Pomarfin and Left foot Company as well as a description of the The left Process of ordering customized shoes—which includes scanning of customers’ feet, transferring of data on a Content Management System, and...
China Mobile and Climate Change
by Jacob Park, Rick Bunch
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 02/2010  Product ID#: 1-428-876  Length: 36pages
In September 2009, Chinese President Hu declared that China would reduce the amount of carbon dioxide it emits by a notable margin by 2020 and work to develop a green economy. At the same time, the Chairman of the largest telecom company in China (China Mobile) was awaiting the release of his company’s third CSR report, as well as the conclusion of the Green Action Plan, a comprehe...
LivingHomes (A) (VIDEO)
by Andrew Hoffman, Rebecca Henn
Product Type: Audio/Video  Publication Date: 02/2010  Product ID#: 1-429-027  Length: 0minutes
This video accompanies the case "LivingHomes." It depicts a site installation. (This is the first part of a 2-part video series). There is no audio on this video. The case study is about Steve Glenn, a successful Internet start-up entrepreneur, who returns to his love of architecture and commitment to sustainability by creating a company that would provide signature green, prefabri...
LivingHomes (B) (VIDEO)
by Andrew Hoffman
Product Type: Audio/Video  Publication Date: 02/2010  Product ID#: 1-429-042  Length: 1minutes
This video accompanies the case, LivingHomes. It is an interview with the CEO and architects. (This is part 2 of a 2-part video series) The case study is about Steve Glenn, a successful internet start-up entrepreneur, who returns to his love of architecture and commitment to sustainability by creating a company that would provide signature, green, prefabricated homes to the “cultur...
24/7 Customer: Beyond Call Center Ops
by C.K. Prahalad, M.S. Krishnan
Product Type: Profile  Publication Date: 01/2010  Product ID#: 1-428-833  Length: 12pages
This case study is an in-depth analysis of 24/7 Customer, a business process outsourcing company that exemplifies many of the tenets that can be found in the book The New Age of Innovation, by professors CK Prahalad and MS Krishnan. 24/7 Customer has managed to harness the power of predictive analytics to provide value for its clients and those clients' customers. Students will lea...
The Secrets of Entrepreneurial Success
by James D. Price
Product Type: Conceptual Note  Publication Date: 01/2010  Product ID#: 1-428-969  Length: 11pages
Entrepreneurship is an increasingly popular career path – for young adults just starting out, for mid-career professionals, for baby boomers who may have taken early retirement or been downsized from their careers in large organizations, and as well as for parents who may be reentering the workforce. In all of these cases, individuals contemplating an entrepreneurial career path te...
Applying Design Thinking
by Moses Lee
Product Type: Conceptual Note  Publication Date: 12/2009  Product ID#: 1-428-831  Length: 7pages
Today, most innovative and high-impact social ventures operating at the base of the economic pyramid (BoP) are applying the principles of design thinking to better develop and deliver their solutions. The concept of design thinking involves immersing oneself into communities to better understand the habits and lifestyles of the people and iterating on ideas and solutions to get the...
Note on Google AdWords
by Scott A. Moore
Product Type: Profile  Publication Date: 12/2009  Product ID#: 1-428-996  Length: 5pages
This profile describes Google AdWords, which offers advertisers placements on search results pages and affiliated web sites. AdWords is a major driver of Google's revenue.
Making a Market: eBay, StubHub, and Swaptree
by Robert J. Dolan
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 12/2009  Product ID#: 1-428-994  Length: 8pages
This case is comprised of three concise vignettes describing three different online commerce sites: eBay, StubHub, and Swaptree. All three have become viable companies very quickly. From their experiences, lessons can be learned about making a market. This case can be used for students to compare and contrast the three different systems as well as analyze who the beneficiaries are...
Remanufacturing at Cummins, Inc.
by Brian Talbot, Xiuli Chao
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 11/2009  Product ID#: 1-428-798  Length: 18pages
Cummins is one of the world’s largest manufacturers and remanufacturers of diesel engines. This case focuses on their largest remanufacturing business, which is based in the U.S. and Mexico. The competitive landscape for this industry is described along with a fairly detailed look at Cummins’ forward and reverse supply chains and their remanufacturing operations.
Creative Calligraphy Invitations
by Izak Duenyas
Product Type: Exercise  Publication Date: 11/2009  Product ID#: 1-428-837  Length: 4pages
You and your roommate are launching a calligraphy business out of your two-bedroom apartment. Will this business be profitable? That is the question students evaluate with “Creative Calligraphy Invitations (CCI).” CCI creates one-of-a-kind handwritten invitations, which are in high demand for weddings, holidays, parties, and corporate functions. Calligraphy requires special talent,...
Handy Lab, Lab-on-a-Chip
by Thomas C. Kinnear
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 11/2009  Product ID#: 1-428-929  Length: 24pages
...
Jaipur Rugs
by C.K. Prahalad
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 11/2009  Product ID#: 1-428-849  Length: 22pages
The Jaipur Rugs case explores how a company can benefit the poor by connecting them with global markets. Jaipur Rugs makes this connection by building and orchestrating a global supply chain on a massive scale—one focused on developing human capability and skills at the grassroots level, providing steady incomes for rural men and women in the most depressed parts of India, and conn...
Technoserve: Cashing in on Cashews
by Aneel Karnani
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 10/2009  Product ID#: 1-428-817  Length: 16pages
In the mid-1970s, Mozambique was the world’s leading cashew nut producer. But by the late 1990s, the post-independence civil war, a slowing economy, and poor policy decisions had destroyed the sector. Instead of a vibrant value-added domestic industry serving the growing global market, Mozambique’s raw cashew nuts were shipped to India for processing, effectively resulting in the e...
World of Warcraft
by Christie L. Nordhielm
Product Type: Simulation  Publication Date: 10/2009  Product ID#: 1-428-933  Length: 6pages
Since its debut 2004, Blizzard Entertainment’s blockbuster game World of Warcraft (WOW) has been the hottest online role-playing game in the industry. Within 4 months, it surpassed 1.5 million subscribers, an impressive number given the game's moderate expectations. The WOW division was riding high, and Anne Slash, Product Manager for WOW, wanted more depth for her gamers’ enjoyment and an easier user interface to use to encourage new memberships.
Zingerman's Community of Businesses
by Wayne Baker
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 09/2009  Product ID#: 1-428-861  Length: 30pages
Over the years, Zingerman’s Community of Businesses (ZCoB) has regularly won accolades and awards – including being named “the coolest small company in America” by Inc. in 2003 - for its food, service, mail order catalog, training, and overall success. This case shows how Zingerman’s went from a single delicatessen in 1982 to eight unique but complementary companies with combined r...
Acumen Fund
by Kelly Janiga Ramirez
Product Type: Profile  Publication Date: 09/2009  Product ID#: 1-428-890  Length: 4pages
This profile highlights the work of the Acumen Fund, a nonprofit social venture fund that uses entrepreneurial approaches to solve the problem of global poverty.
Targeting Malaria (VIDEO)
by Ted London
Product Type: Audio/Video  Publication Date: 07/2009  Product ID#: 1-428-842  Length: 1minutes
This video accompanies the case "Targeting Malaria: Comparing Charity and Social Marketing-based Approaches". In this video, Jacqueline Novogratz addresses the Net Impact student club at the University of Michigan. Founder and CEO of Acumen Fund, Novogratz, discusses the A to Z investment, and she challenges the development community to spend more time asking the right questions in the fight against poverty, rather than focusing on which approach is right or wrong.
The Venture Presentation
by James D. Price
Product Type: Conceptual Note  Publication Date: 07/2009  Product ID#: 1-428-832  Length: 12pages
As an entrepreneur or start-up CEO, once you get your foot in the door with a prospective investor or investor group, the purpose of the investor presentation is to provide talking points for your first formal, face-to-face meeting. The role of your slide deck, simply put, is to help you sell. This note clarifies the audience and purpose of the venture presentation, and provides an...
Writing a Winning Business Plan
by James D. Price
Product Type: Conceptual Note  Publication Date: 07/2009  Product ID#: 1-428-847  Length: 7pages
While for most people, the business plan conjures images of entrepreneurs, fast-paced startups, and venture capital investors, business plans have become just as critical a tool in the corporate world, as established enterprises seek revenue and profit growth through the launch of new product lines, innovating around new business models, or entering brand new markets. This article...
EIA at S.C. Johnson
by Stuart Hart
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 05/2009  Product ID#: 1-428-778  Length: 16pages
SC Johnson, a leading consumer products goods company, developed a patented process, Greenlist, to assess the environmental impact of its raw materials. The case study takes the reader through SC Johnson's history and the development and improvement of the Greenlist process. It asks students what options the company has to license, share, or consult other organizations in implement...
Lean Process Improvements at Cleveland Clinic
by Izak Duenyas
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 05/2009  Product ID#: 1-428-795  Length: 18pages
This case study teaches students about lean process improvement projects at the Cleveland Clinic, one of the world's leading hospital systems. The majority of the case focuses on one lean improvement project and leads the student step-by-step through the Kaizen events, and the tools, approaches and outcomes of the project. The case study ends with two short mini-cases on additional...
TerraCycle: Turning Trash into Cash
by Stuart Hart
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 04/2009  Product ID#: 1-429-176  Length: 16pages
TerraCycle was founded in 2002 by Tom Szaky, a 20-year-old Princeton University dropout. The company’s flagship product, TerraCycle Plant Food, is liquefied worm poop made from worm-processed organic waste and packaged in reused soda bottles, many of which are collected in fund raising efforts by school children and non-profit groups.
Quicken Loans: An Enduring Entrepreneurial Spirit
by Lynn Wooten
Product Type: Mini-Case  Publication Date: 04/2009  Product ID#: 1-428-760  Length: 6pages
This short case is one of eight in a series of cases written for the Next Great Companies in Michigan project, which profiles great places to work in Michigan. Rock Financial (now part of Quicken Loans) was founded by Dan Gilbert when he was only twenty-three years old. Although the firm has grown to over 4,000 employees and has become part of a world-class lending organization, it...
Managing Investor Due Diligence
by James D. Price
Product Type: Conceptual Note  Publication Date: 03/2009  Product ID#: 1-428-791  Length: 9pages
This note provides two items that entrepreneurs and start-up teams will find useful as they pursue investment capital: an outline for a due diligence notebook and a sample investor’s due diligence checklist.
Y in Google, The: Attracting and Retaining the Millennials
by Lynn Wooten
Product Type: Mini-Case  Publication Date: 03/2009  Product ID#: 1-428-756  Length: 8pages
This short case is one of eight in a series of cases written for the Next Great Companies in Michigan project, which profiles great places to work in Michigan. The case profiles Google, in particular Google's Ann Arbor, Michigan office, and its ability to attract and retain Generation Y workers. The Ann Arbor office was founded in 2006 to support Google's revenue-generating AdWords...
P&G's use of Branded Entertainment
by Rajeev Batra
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 03/2009  Product ID#: 1-428-774  Length: 20pages
This case presents the novel approach Procter & Gamble (P&G) has taken to weave advertising into entertainment. As media channels have become more fragmented, P&G has developed branded entertainment campaigns to reach a more targeted set of consumers. P&G has employed these principles to reach what it terms the “branded entertainment sweetspot”. The case describes P&G’s branded ent...
Business Model Innovation
by James D. Price
Product Type: Conceptual Note  Publication Date: 02/2009  Product ID#: 1-428-784  Length: 7pages
Surprisingly, the dominant competitor that eventually surfaces in many industries does not garner its sustainable competitive advantage through the expected paths of either technological or product innovation, on the one hand, or dominant spending to buy market share, on the other. Rather, the winners in surprising number of large markets establish dominance by creatively innovatin...
Startup Skills
by James D. Price
Product Type: Conceptual Note  Publication Date: 02/2009  Product ID#: 1-428-790  Length: 6pages
It’s fair to say that many large, established organizations tend not to think or act in a very entrepreneurial way. However, entrepreneurial thinking can be successfully adopted and applied by leaders in large organizations. This note offers guidance as to how executives can work better and more effectively by following the “Seven Principles of Entrepreneurship.”...
What's your VQ?
by James D. Price
Product Type: Conceptual Note  Publication Date: 02/2009  Product ID#: 1-428-792  Length: 9pages
Building a brand new business from scratch is fraught with peril. Yet ironically, (and contrary to popular belief), the most successful entrepreneurs and venture investors are remarkably risk-averse people who are simply very good at managing and mitigating risk. This note provides a straightforward methodology for understanding and effectively managing the risks inherent in any ne...
The Venture Value Chain
by James D. Price
Product Type: Conceptual Note  Publication Date: 02/2009  Product ID#: 1-428-793  Length: 16pages
This note introduces the Value Venture Chain (VVC) model, which applies the paradigm of the value chain, well-accepted in other industries, to the process of conceptualizing, funding and building new businesses. The VVC provides startup executives, corporate new-business-development professionals, service providers, venture investors and aspiring entrepreneurs with a conceptual fra...
Subsidies in BoP Ventures
by Ted London
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 01/2009  Product ID#: 1-428-767  Length: 8pages
Though there is limited literature on the role of subsidies in venture development targeting the poor in the developing world, there are many examples of ventures incorporating subsidies in their business models and working alongside subsidy providers such as governments and foundations. This case highlights three ventures within Acumen Fund's portfolio of investees and the varying...
Hindustan Lever (VIDEO)
by Ted London
Product Type: Audio/Video  Publication Date: 01/2009  Product ID#: 1-428-765  Length: 0minutes
This video accompanies the case "Hindustan Lever at the Base of the Pyramid: Growth for the 21st Century." It is an interview with Vijay Sharma, the head of HLL’s Shakti program, and is conducted by Professor Ted London of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan. The interview is divided into two segments that cover the following topics: 1. Economic goals Part...
Hindustan Lever at the BoP
by Ted London
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 11/2008  Product ID#: 1-428-604  Length: 20pages
Hindustan Lever Limited, principally owned by Unilever, operates Shakti, a program which aims to extend the reach of HLL’s products to the 742 million rural consumers in 637,000 villages in India. Critical questions the program faces: Will Shakti and the BoP markets it targets deliver to HLL much-needed long term growth and become a key source of a future sustainable competitive a...
Deja Shoe (A)
by Stuart Hart
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 09/2008  Product ID#: 1-428-670  Length: 14pages
Long-time environment and recycling supporter Julie Lewis thought that she had struck green gold when she partnered with Nike and Avia executives to create Deja Shoe, an environmental footwear company. Lewis and her executive team successfully raised startup funding and used it to build an environmentally-sound and appealing product. However, as their product is about to launch th...
Deja Shoe (B)
by Stuart Hart
Product Type: Mini-Case  Publication Date: 09/2008  Product ID#: 1-428-671  Length: 5pages
Deja Shoe (B) provides a follow-up to the scenario presented in Deja Shoe (A). Part B follows Lewis and her team through Deja Shoe's product launch across mainstream and green retailers nationwide. It discusses initial quality and sourcing issues, which present the team with lackluster sales and financing challenges.
Life-Cycle Analysis
by Stuart Hart
Product Type: Conceptual Note  Publication Date: 09/2008  Product ID#: 1-428-675  Length: 12pages
This note gives a general overview of Life-cycle analysis (LCA). As corporations seek to improve their environmental performance, they require new methods and tools. LCA is one such tool that can help companies to understand the environmental impacts associated with their products, processes, and activities. LCA is controversial and still evolving as a methodology. However, the pri...
Wessex Power Technology Ltd.
by Veronica Velo
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 07/2008  Product ID#: 1-428-684  Length: 6pages
Wessex Power Technology Ltd. offers sales and marketing services to overseas companies who have developed highly innovative technological products and wish to introduce and promote them in the UK. The key elements to the success of the company are their capacity to assess sophisticated, newly developed items and to assist potential customers in their use and functionality in existing production processes.
Natural8 Ltd. Lipstick
by Veronica Velo
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 06/2008  Product ID#: 1-428-681  Length: 22pages
This case discusses the story of a new beauty product, Natural8, a lipstick that plumps the lips by using a natural toxin generated by the human body when stung by a bee. The product was created by a couple of scientists based at Coventry University without experience in the business world. It is an example of public/private partnership between a newly created company and a Univers...
LivingHomes
by Andrew Hoffman, Rebecca Henn
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 01/2008  Product ID#: 1-428-714  Length: 38pages
Awarded 3rd prize in the 2008 oikos Casewriting Competition Steve Glenn, a successful Internet start-up entrepreneur, returned to his love of architecture and commitment to sustainability by creating a company that would provide signature green, prefabricated homes to the “cultural creative” market. The case outlines the state of both the housing industry and the green building ind...
CEMEX
by C.K. Prahalad
Product Type: Case  Publication Date: 12/2003  Product ID#: 1-429-149  Length: 18pages
The third largest cement manufacturer in the world, CEMEX decided it needed to move from selling materials to selling solutions. With low fixed prices, materials on credit, pre-costed housing designs, and even supervised construction services for Mexicans working abroad, CEMEX makes housing affordable and possible for the poor in Mexico.
 
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