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Little Short Stop: Creating Strategy for a Shifting Industry
Meredith Woodwark; Karin Schnarr; Gerry BesCase IVEY-9B20M076-EEntrepreneurship, StrategyIn early 2019, the general manager of Little Short Stop Stores, a chain of local, family-owned convenience stores in southwestern Ontario, Canada, was projecting a loss for that year. The loss was due in part to a provincial minimum wage increase to CA$14.00 that came into effect on January 1, 2018, increased from $11.60 in 2017 and $11.40 in 2016. Before this change, the store chain had been exceeding the average industry growth rate by 5 per ce...Starting at €8.20
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Princessa Beauty Products
Christopher A. RossCase IVEY-9B10A018-EMarketingCanada is becoming increasingly multi-ethnic and many members of these groups start small retail businesses. This case is an example of one such situation. Princessa sold beauty products to the English speaking black community in Montreal. In 2005 and 2006, sales were flat and, in 2007, sales fell by about 16 per cent. The owner was concerned and wondered what action, if any, he should take. While the issues were clearly marketing oriented, recom...Starting at €8.20
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State Fair of Virginia
W. Glenn Rowe; Karin SchnarrCase IVEY-9B12M050-EFinance, StrategyIn November 2011, the State Fair of Virginia, Inc. (SFVA), which had been operating since 1854, was facing a dire financial situation. SFVA was a privately held, not-for-profit organization that operated the state fair independent of the state government, and received no operating support from state or local governments. In 2003, the organization had borrowed $83 million against a $47 million investment portfolio in order to develop its new fairg...Starting at €8.20
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Lassonde Industries versus Olivia's Oasis Inc.
Christopher A. RossCase IVEY-9B13A029-EMarketingLa Presse, a French language newspaper in Montreal and the largest French language newspaper in North America, published an article summarizing the judgment of a trademark infringement case involving Lassonde Industries, a large Quebec conglomerate with sales of almost Cdn$760 million, and Olivia’s Oasis, a small Quebec manufacturer of health and beauty products with sales of Cdn$250,000. Initially, Olivia’s Oasis had successfully defended itself...Starting at €8.20
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L'Itineraire Community Group Inc.: Future Direction
Christopher A. RossCase IVEY-9B17A003-EMarketingL’Itinéraire Community Group was a not-for-profit organization located in Montréal, Quebec. It published a French-language magazine that was sold by homeless and socially marginalized people in the city. The group’s management committee was examining ways of raising additional funds because of the reduction in contributions from traditional sources such as government subsidies. Options included targeting the magazine to the Anglophone and immigra...Starting at €8.20
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Shriners Hospitals for Children
Karin Schnarr; Anne SnowdonCase IVEY-9B13M075-ELeadership and People Management, StrategyA large, international benevolent association operating 22 children’s hospitals and four research centres in three countries has been negatively impacted by a number of external factors. The effect of the 2008 global financial crisis on its endowment funds coupled with rising health care costs and flat donations, have resulted in the hospitals running at a loss. To ensure the long-term viability of their not-for-profit hospital system, management...Starting at €8.20
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City Furniture and Mattress
W. Glenn Rowe; Bobby Singh-Randhawa; Karin SchnarrCase IVEY-9B11M102-EEntrepreneurship, StrategyThe majority owner and general manager of City Furniture and Mattress (CFM) needed to make several decisions that would determine the company’s strategy. CFM had continued to grow in terms of sales, but the general manager and his father, also an owner and manager at CFM, were concerned with profitability and the increasing competition from local and big-box stores. The general manager looked at several options including capital investment, expan...Starting at €8.20
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Organizational Transformation at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Anne Snowdon; Karin Schnarr; Alexander KunschCase IVEY-9B14M083-EStrategyIn 1997, the Ontario Health Services Restructuring Committee mandated the merger of four facilities that treated patients with mental health and addiction issues to create what was later named the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. This new centre, to be situated in Toronto, would provide support and clinical care to those suffering from illnesses such as schizophrenia, anxiety and mood disorders, as well as substance addictions. In 1999, th...Starting at €8.20
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MacPhie & Company: The Growth Imperative
Karin Schnarr; David KunschCase IVEY-9B16M133-EStrategyIn March 2015, consulting firm MacPhie & Company was at a crossroads. Founded in 2004 in Toronto, Ontario, the company offered consulting services related to strategy development, marketing and communications, reputation management, and branding. MacPhie & Company maintained an entrepreneurial culture that fostered innovation and continual learning, while ensuring that all client projects followed the MacPhie Way.” Although MacPhie & Company had ...Starting at €8.20
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The Kitchener Rangers Hockey Club: Skating into the Future
Karin Schnarr; Mathew Krizmanich; Chelsea LeeCase IVEY-9B16M160-EStrategyIn 2015, the chief operating officer of the Kitchener Rangers Hockey Club had to consider short- and long-term options to maintain and increase the success of the organization. Given its strong community support, the Kitchener Rangers Hockey Club was in the enviable position of having an 800-person waiting list for season tickets; however, this scenario caused a perception that games were always sold out, which discouraged a new generation of fan...Starting at €8.20