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Helarctos Ventures: Investing in Seed-Stage Start-Ups
Matthew WongCase IVEY-9B19M112-EEntrepreneurship, StrategyIn early 2016, Canada’s venture capital (VC) investment environment was growing and, as a result, exciting new start-ups were fruitfully collaborating with a sophisticated selection of investors. Ajay Joshi, a partner at Helarctos Ventures (HV), a seed-stStarting at €8.20
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Innovate LLP: Legal Dilemmas in the Start-up World
Matthew Wong; Adrienne Ng; Darren MeisterCase IVEY-9B15M107-EEntrepreneurship, StrategyA burgeoning mobile application entrepreneur has developed an interesting potential product with her friends. However, when she encounters an investment opportunity, she decides to seek legal advice for the first time in her business life. As a result of her initial meeting with a lawyer, she realizes how unprepared she is and some of the tough questions that she will need to answer.Starting at €8.20
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Boots PLC: Japan Market Entry
Derek LehmbergCase IVEY-9B12M048-EStrategyIn 1998, Boots PLC was in the midst of planning to enter the Japanese retail drugstore market. Boots, a household name in the United Kingdom and a fixture in traditional English shopping areas known as High Street, had an impressive lineup of Boots-branded health and beauty products. Boots developed, manufactured, marketed, and sold these products through its chain of Boots The Chemists stores. Management was convinced that the markets for health...Starting at €8.20
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Sharp Corporation: Beyond Japan
Derek LehmbergCase IVEY-9B11M007-EStrategyFaced with major losses from operations, Sharp Corporation’s young and unconventional president questioned the company’s long-standing operating model. Sharp was a leader in the area of liquid crystal display (LCD) technology and manufacturing. It also held strong positions in several categories of consumer electronics in the Japanese market. Although Sharp had been increasing its involvement in overseas markets, it had yet to replicate its succe...Starting at €8.20
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Pioneer Corporation: The NEC Plasma Opportunity (A)
Derek LehmbergCase IVEY-9B11M093-EStrategyIn 2004, Kaneo Itoh, president of the consumer electronics firm Pioneer Corporation, was considering acquiring the plasma display operations of another Japanese firm, NEC. Pioneer had decided some years ago that plasma display panel (PDP) technology was a good strategic area in which to invest. Recently, Pioneer had been selling increasing numbers of plasma television sets using PDPs. While the company was building a new PDP production facility t...Starting at €8.20
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Pioneer Corporation: The NEC Plasma Opportunity (B)
Derek LehmbergCase IVEY-9B11M094-EStrategyThis case, a supplement to Pioneer Corporation: The NEC Plasma Opportunity (A), is set in 2009.Starting at €5.74
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Sawchyn Guitars: Can an Old Business Learn New Tricks
Meredith Woodwark; Matthew WongCase IVEY-9B13M084-EEntrepreneurship, StrategyAWARD WINNING CASE - Laurier School of Business and Economics Best Case Award 2013. The owner of Sawchyn Guitars makes fine handmade acoustic guitars and mandolins. After 40 years of operating from a two-storey backyard garage, he contemplates a shift from a solely custom-order business to a storefront location. Although his custom-order business is still strong, the owner sees the opportunity to realize his dream of providing a full-service musi...Starting at €8.20
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Mobilia Interiors Inc.: The Operations Decision
Eric Morse; Ken Mark; Matthew WongCase IVEY-9B10M047-EEntrepreneurship, StrategyIn May 2008, the president of Montreal-based retailer of designer furniture store, Mobilia, was reviewing her workload. Mobilia's growth had required she to spend increasing amounts of her time in operations, finance and human resources and significantly less time on sourcing and purchasing. With a doubling of her direct reports in recent years, and recognizing that external hires would soon be necessary to support Mobilia's growth, she wondered ...Starting at €8.20
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McDonald's Japan (A): The Shanghai Husi Debacle
Derek LehmbergCase IVEY-9B15M083-EStrategyIn July 2014, the expatriate CEO of McDonald’s Japan (MDJ) faced a crisis after a video was broadcast accusing one of the company’s China-based food suppliers of serious health and sanitation violations. Although MDJ was the biggest brand in Japan’s fast food industry, the company’s sales had been falling since 2008, and its profitability had deteriorated dramatically since 2012. The CEO, who had recently taken over at MDJ, urgently needed to tur...Starting at €8.20
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McDonald's Japan (B): A Crisis of Trust
Derek LehmbergCase IVEY-9B15M084-EStrategyThis case is a supplement to 9B15M083. In February 2015, the sales of McDonald’s Japan had continued to slide, despite the implementation of new pricing and the introduction of new food items. The company posted a loss for 2014, citing costs in dealing with the Shanghai Husi debacle and the impact it had on sales. However, numerous reports of foreign objects in McDonald’s food items had resulted in the loss of consumers’ trust. How should the exp...Starting at €5.74