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Upon completion of this case study analysis in class, students should be able to distinguish the different steps and actions involved in the entrepreneurial venture creation; evaluate the extent to which an entrepreneurial idea represents a commercial success or practical failure; apply relevant strategy frameworks to estimate the complexities associated with the management of a small startup; and debate about the pros and cons of different strategic options and offer viable advice for decision-making.

This case follows the entrepreneurial beginnings of a college student, Mohsen Shahin, whose early initiation into the world of business commenced from a serendipitous win of a small fortune in a raffle in London, UK. The case study illustrates the protagonist’s dilemma of whether to spend the winning on everyday pleasures of his life as a teenager or to venture in an entrepreneurial undertaking. Following his father’s advice, Mohsen ultimately decides to exchange his prize for money and use it for launching Speedways, a luxurious car servicing garage in London’s downtown. The case further elaborates on some initial struggles he faced as a young entrepreneur and continues with his decision to pursue higher education in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, which forced him to handle his managerial responsibilities from a country thousands of miles away from his garage. Eventually, Mohsen makes the hard decision to sell Speedways and realize his grown ambition of exploiting his prior business experience to embark on new adventures in his life. The case culminates with Mohsen having to choose between either opening his own company in the premium car care industry in Dubai or pursuing his post-graduate studies at a prestigious university in the USA – a critical decision he has to make promptly, as he is short on time.

Upper-level undergraduate courses.

Teaching Notes are available for educators only.

CSS: 11 Strategy.

I argue that the official story about the collapses of the Twin Towers and building 7 of the World Trade Center, according to which the collapses were caused by fire – combined, in the case of the Twin Towers, with the effects of the airplane impacts – cannot be true, for two major reasons. One reason is that fire has never, except allegedly three times on 9/11, caused the total collapse of steel-frame high-rise buildings. All (other) such collapses have been produced by the use of explosives in the procedure known as “controlled demolition.” The other major problem is that the collapses of all three buildings had at least 11 features that would be expected if, and only if, explosives had been used.

I also show the importance of the recently released of 9/11 Oral Histories recorded by the New York Fire Department. With regard to the Twin Towers, many of the firefighters and medical workers said they observed multiple explosions and other phenomena indicative of controlled demolition. With regard to building 7, many testimonies point to widespread foreknowledge that the building was going to collapse, and some of the testimonies contradict the official story that this anticipation of the building's collapse was based on objective indications. These testimonies further strengthen the already virtually conclusive case that all three buildings were brought down by explosives.

I conclude by calling on the New York Times, which got the 9/11 Oral Histories released, now to complete the task of revealing the truth about 9/11.

December 17, 1968 Trade dispute — Act in furtherance of — Procuring breach of contract — Inter‐union rivalry in hotel industry — Picketing hotel employing no members of union — Interference with oil contracts — Force majeure clause in oil contract — Whether in contemplation or furtherance of “trade dispute” — Whether torts by or on behalf of trade union restrainable by injunction — Trade Disputes Act, 1906 (6 Edw. VII, c. 47), ss. 3, 4(1), 5(3).

Case study research frequently includes collecting and interpreting stories individuals tell about their lives and event that they believe that they know about. Chapter 3 discusses storytelling theory and describes case study research in consumer behavior of stories that consumers tell about buying and using products and services. Storytelling is pervasive through life. Much information is stored, indexed, and retrieved in the form of stories. Although lectures tend to put people to sleep, stories move them to action. People relate to each other in terms of stories — and products and brands often play both central and peripheral roles in their stories. To aid storytelling research in consumer psychology, this chapter develops a narrative theory that describes how consumers use brands as props or anthropomorphic actors in stories they report about themselves and others. Such drama enactments enable these storytellers to experience powerful myths that reflect psychological archetypes. The chapter includes findings from case study research that probes propositions of the theory. Implications for consumer psychology and marketing practice follow the discussion of the findings.

Sponsors are the key to success in the corporate world. People jumped on the success train with tickets from their sponsors — their mentors. A mentor was defined as someone approximately ten to fifteen years older, successful, secure, mature, and thoroughly committed to the sponsorette's development; indeed, a cross between teacher, uncle, wet nurse, cousin, guru and sugar daddy. They are professionally paternalistic and serve in a “god‐parent” role. It is becoming clear that corporate romance occurs much more frequently than most people care to admit. Hunt and Michael explored the concept of new managers having a mentor and discovered four stages to the mentoring relationship. The first is the inititiation phase, where the more powerful and professionally recognised mentor recognised the apprentice as a protégé. The second is the protégé phase, where the apprentice's work is recognised not for its own merit but as a by‐product of the mentor's instruction, support, or advice. The third is the break‐up stage, where the protégé goes off on his or her own. If the mentor/protégé relationship has not been successful to this point, this will be the final stage. However, if it has been successful, both parties continue on to the lasting‐friendship stage. Here the mentor and the protégé have more of a peer‐like relationship. The protégé may well become a mentor but does not sever ties with the former mentor.

In many storybooks in the Philippines, the presence of a sibling is a commonplace in writing the child protagonist's world. More specifically, the kuya, which is the Filipino term for older brother, is a male character that can influence the child protagonists. In this chapter, my goal is to analyse the positionalities of the kuya as male characters in four storybooks from the Philippines that feature the bond between a younger child and the older brother/s. These storybooks are Salo-Salo Para Kay Kuya (A Feast for Big Brother), Sandosenang Kuya (A Dozen Big Brothers), Ang Kuya Kong Zombie (My Big Brother Zombie) and Ang Misteryo ng Patong-Patong na Damit ni Hulyan (The Mystery Behind Hulyan's Layered Clothes).

Through this chapter, I aim to theorise the roles that male characters play vis-à-vis their relationships with their younger siblings. The male characters' narrative journeys, character developments and roles in the context of the story are analysed through what Michael White calls ‘subordinate storylines’, which is character information that cannot be accessed by mere conversation among children. Thus, in the chapter, I investigate the values; intensions; knowledge and skills; and social, relational and cultural genesis of the male characters vis-à-vis the narratives and their interplay with the child protagonists in the story.

This paper seeks to examine the link between the academic debates on obligation contracting and its successful implementation as a mode of governance. The literature reports that firms are increasingly entering into long‐term, high dependency exchanges as a result of: increased demand for quality goods, demand for variability of goods, demand for constant innovation, severe price competition and increasing technology costs. These changes are forcing firms to enter into complex relationships with other firms in order to remain competitive. Examples of such relationships are: relational contracting, network organisations, strategic alliances and horizontal co‐operation. The increase in number and complexity of these exchanges in an environment characterised by uncertainty has led to the increased interest in the use of obligation contracting. Furthermore, this interest has been reinforced by the changing nature of products being exchanged. More knowledge‐based products and information‐based modes of production necessitate the sharing of strategically sensitive data. Hence the rise of importance of obligation contracting is not only due to the increased number of complex exchanges in uncertain environments, but also the very nature of the goods being exchanged.