Case studies

Management, strategy, entrepreneurship.

MBA, executive education.

The case deals with the challenges of fundraising and location decision making for a high technology start up company based in the United Arab Emirates. Tan Rasab is a Chief Executive and co-founder of Sensehere, a high technology start up company involved in the design and development of semiconductors for wireless sensors. The company has developed a unique technology that allows sensors to dramatically reduce energy consumption and thereby improve battery life of sensors.The company is currently based in the UAE, where it finds the environment highly supportive overall but challenging from the point of view of fund raising. On the other hand in China the company is meeting significant investor interest and several partnerships have been concluded. Despite the advantages offered by the UAE environment, the company is considering moving some or all of its operations to China.

• Familiarise students with the challenges of fundraising for new ventures.

• Understand the implications of technological breakthroughs in different application areas.

• Develop an understanding for the different considerations to be made when choosing a location for business functions.

Familiarise students with the challenges of fundraising for new ventures.

Understand the implications of technological breakthroughs in different application areas.

Develop an understanding for the different considerations to be made when choosing a location for business functions.

Teaching notes.

The case describes the launch of Twiga Hosting Ltd, a company providing information and communication technology (ICT) services to the underserved small and medium enterprise (SME) sector in Tanzania and in a many countries in Africa.

This case targets a range of audience from undergraduate students taking both Bachelor of Commerce and those taking Bachelor of Business Administration; and Postgraduate students taking business-related courses. Nonetheless, the case may be used by all other learners of advanced studies in entrepreneurship and innovation management.

The case addresses a number of issues including:

• Issues to be considered when starting an ICT enterprise.

• Strategic management.

• Business revenue models.

Issues to be considered when starting an ICT enterprise.

Strategic management.

Business revenue models.

To impart/inculcate entrepreneurial insights in ICT and related areas.

To make learners aware of the business growth opportunities in ICT ventures.

The success factors for fruitful ICT ventures.

To enable learners to identify challenges facing entrepreneurs in ICT ventures and the ways to overcome them.

Teaching notes.

Entrepreneurship, Corporate sustainability, CSR, Supply chain.

Master's courses: Entrepreneurship, Strategic management.

In 2002, potential risks deriving from emerging normative demands in the CSR debate prompted Axel Springer (AS) to rethink their supply chain strategy for Russian wood. Being one of the first movers in CSR in the publishing business, AS realized that current practices could spark future public discussion that might put pressure on AS, a key player in these supply chains. In early 2002, AS and one of their main suppliers, Stora Enso, started a joint initiative to redesign the supply chain processes in two of the major Russian logging regions to improve their social and ecological performance. Sometime later, other major players in the publishing sector as well as critical reviewers from several non-governmental organizations (NGOs) were invited to participate in the design of the new voluntary sustainability initiative called “Tikhvin Chalna project”, the second phase of which was accomplished by the end of 2006.

Learn that organizations (specifically high-brand owners) are responsible for practices within their entire supply chains (social as well as environmental performance).

Explore proactive corporate sustainability, CSR strategies are market but also institutional driven; Strategizing involves forming and transforming the rules, norms and standard models of customers as well as institutions such as NGOs or governmental bodies. Whether the initiator of such strategy is successful in increasing or manipulating demands is dependent on its resources and capabilities as well as on its network position. The case supports students in understanding resources being used to successfully transform or create institutional arrangements.

Discover that the value of a business' relationships and its network position.

Teaching note, Video files

Finance, accountancy, auditing.

Supports information systems audit (ISA), auditing practises and controls, corporate governance and internal controls and financial management modules, business administration and MBA programmes.

The case study focuses on the implementation of ISA and information technology in the highly responsible task of executing financial audits The case emphasises on the fact that the advantages of ISA can only be reaped when they are amalgamated with an auditor's scrutiny, sharp eye, extensive knowledge of auditing systems and accounting principles and a rich experience of the auditing function. The suggested synergy also facilitates a reduction of around 60 per cent, in the cost of executing the audits and the man-hours required to complete the audit, as in the case of Jain Chowdhary & Company.

The case helps students to comprehend the relevance of audit trail. It emphasises on the importance of identifying the source of information and tracking raw data backward. It familiarises the students with the complexities involved in a real audit and emphasises on the role of logic, intelligence, diligence, patience and farsightedness while performing the auditing function. It is important for them to understand how White collar crimes take place in real business economy. This case, hence exposes students to these nuances and can make a student, from a non-commerce background, understand the key elements of efficient auditing. (Elaborate teaching objectives are appended in the teaching note.)

Teaching note.

This case involves the issues within an organization of growth, expansion, change, and a possible shift of focus from hobby to profit. The case also deals with important factors, which could potentially impact any company's operation. The owners are seeking to address two key issues. The first is a valuation issue prompted by one of the shareholders wishing to sell her interest in the railcar LLC. The second issue is one of expansion. A potential investment ($60,000-$135,000) would permit the company to lease the railcar to other operators who could run the railcar on Amtrak certified tracks nationwide but would remove the shareholders from the day to day operations of the train. The critical decision is whether the owners should invest more money in the business or maintain their current business model and operational structure.

This case describes the journey of Karson as he transitions from female to male. Throughout his life, Karson experiences a great deal of anxiety trying to reconcile his identity with the expectations of society. The anxiety inherent in this situation is described in order to get the reader to more fully empathize with the issues faced by transgender individuals. The case then focuses on issues specific to the workplace as Karson begins his career with a counseling agency and experiences several instances of discriminatory behavior.

Doug Scovanner, CFO of Target Corporation, was about to present his proposal at the November 2008 Board meeting. He was prepared to discuss immediate strategic actions which would provide support for working capital for the discount retailer. The retail community was about to suffer their worst fourth quarter in recent memory. Consumer spending had contracted, unemployment was rising and the deflated housing market had driven the economy into a recession. Although discount retailers had fared better than other industries during the second and third quarters, they were not immune to the overall economic downturn which had become a global crisis. To further complicate matters, Target's largest competitor, Wal-Mart, just posted third quarter growth even though Target was bracing for a busy holiday season. Scovanner anticipated further strain on working capital before year-end as cash flow tightened and the capital markets remained at a virtual stand-still.

For 28 years Alaska, like the vast majority of the nation, has struggled with growing prison populations and shrinking budgets. In 1995, the Alaska Department of Corrections, faced with sanctions unless they ameliorated their crowded prison conditions, looked to the popular practice of contracting out its correctional operations by sending 650 prisoners to a private out-of-state prison. But, as the costs of prisoner litigation and transportation mounted, the state began to consider building its own private prison, a decision which many state lawmakers and business entrepreneurs argued would allow the state to stretch scarce dollars by providing cheaper and better quality prisons, return millions of dollars to the state economy, and create permanent jobs. In this decision case, students are required to put themselves in the role of the Alaska Legislature to determine whether they should permit the building and operation of a private prison in one of Alaska's remote communities. The students must analyze and juggle the complex and often competing set of objectives, values, and political tensions intrinsic to all privatization decisions.

This is the sixth in a series of articles about case research, writing, teaching, and reviewing. In this article, the protagonist, Prof. Moore, consults experienced case reviewers and learns several different approaches to reviewing cases for journal publication. The article is written as if it were a case; it is fictitious.

This case is about Kija Kim, a Korean born founder and CEO of Harvard Design and Mapping Inc. (HDM). Founded in 1988, HDM is a cutting-edge GIS firm with $5 million in revenue and 35 employees in their Cambridge, MA and Washington D.C. offices. Through Kija Kim's leadership, HDM has become a significant niche player in homeland security and disaster relief. The case ends in fall 2005 just after HDM provided Hurricane Katrina mapping support, and Kija is nominated for the SBA Small Business Person of the Year. This case explores the intersection between cultural heritage, leadership effectiveness and organizational behavior. It particularly notes Kija's ability to turn her immigrant female minority status into a business advantage. This strength coupled with her ethos of care and ability to network in all walks of her life contributes to her distinctive and integrated leadership style. Definitions of leadership success and implications for decision making are also highlighted.