Ivey Business School (Canada)
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iQmetrix: The Customer Is Always Right
Chris Street; Darren Meister; Tracy ThibodeauCase IVEY-9B16M028-EEntrepreneurship, StrategyIn 2015, iQmetrix, a company founded in 1999, developed and sold point-of-sale (POS) software using the software-as-a-service model. Two iQmetrix enterprise account managers were discussing strategies for closing a software subscription deal with a large customer who asked for significant customization to be completed before the deal could be signed. The customization appeared to be critical for the customer, and the account managers thought the ...Starting at €8.20
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Challenges and Opportunities at the Protospace Makerspace
Chris Street; J. Robert MitchellCase IVEY-9B17M087-EEntrepreneurship, StrategyIn early 2017, the directors at Protospace, a makerspace in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, faced some challenges. The nine-year-old member-run organization operated as a “do-ocracy,” with a minimum of official oversight. However, the directors and some of the membership wondered whether Protospace could and should scale its growth by recruiting and accepting new members. Would a larger membership help or hinder the membership-driven makerspace? Should...Starting at €8.20
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Organizational Design at iQmetrix: The Holacracy Decision
Chris Street; Ann C. Frost; Clayton CaswellCase IVEY-9B17C045-EEntrepreneurship, Leadership and People ManagementSoftware development company iQmetrix Software Development Corporation (iQmetrix), headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, had enjoyed success and growth for over two decades. In July 2017, iQmetrix was confronted with the challenge of managing this growth while maintaining its organizational culture as a non-hierarchical, innovative, and open place to work—a place where the best ideas could come from anywhere and where people shared ideas openly and...Starting at €8.20
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ClickDishes: Serving New Cities
William Wei; Lei Jin; Etayankara MuralidharanCase IVEY-9B18A018-EEntrepreneurship, MarketingIt was early November 2017, and the chief executive officer of ClickDishes Inc. (ClickDishes), an Alberta-based food service application company, needed to consider the strategic direction of his start-up. ClickDishes had a unique value proposition and very few competitors worldwide. Its chief executive officer wanted to enter a number of new markets very quickly in order to capitalize on his company's first-mover advantage and establish the Clic...Starting at €8.20
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TEC Edmonton and TusStar Joint Innovation: An Entrepreneurial Match
Haibo Hu; Chunbing Mao; Phillp Swallow; William Wei; Bruce Thomson; Meiju FeiCase IVEY-9B20M082-EEntrepreneurship, StrategyIn 2017, the successful Canadian innovation center TEC Edmonton initiated a joint venture with TusStar, an important Chinese accelerator, and found itself in the middle of a debate about the challenges and opportunities of Chinese investment in Canada’s technology sector. Both organizations were unique collaborations among industry, academia, and government. This joint initiative had added significance because of the implications for these stakeh...Starting at €8.20
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Feihe Dairy: Investing in Canada
William Wei; Vicky Nie; Rongrong Zhang; Xuewei LiuCase IVEY-9B19M032-EStrategyIn 2016, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Feihe International Inc. (Feihe), the manufacturer of a leading infant formula brand in China, was considering whether his company should enter Canada. Although the company would be challenged by the Canadian dairy industry’s unique supply management system, Canada was eager to attract foreign investment and the CEO needed to overcome the intense domestic competition in China’s infant formula market. ...Starting at €8.20
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iQmetrix and Straker Translations: Evaluating First Contact
Ann C. Frost; Chris Street; Maurice ThibodeauCase IVEY-9B18A069-EEntrepreneurship, MarketingUsing raw, uncut footage, this video case asks students to evaluate the effectiveness of the first contact that took place in November 2016 between representatives from two technology companies—iQmetrix and Straker Translations. The two firms are contemplating a business partnership in which Straker will provide iQmetrix with translation services. First contact calls generally precede every business partnership and are normally completed only aft...Starting at €8.20
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Banishing Performance Ratings at iQmetrix
Justin Feeney; Ann C. Frost; Chris StreetCase IVEY-9B20C006-ELeadership and People ManagementIn 2018, Software development corporation iQmetrix Software Development Corp. (iQmetrix), headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, had experienced exponential growth and success over the past two decades. The company’s head of People and Culture, was interested in the debate over the ideal performance appraisal process. After reading a few articles in the Harvard Business Review, she was considering dropping traditional performance appraisals and repl...Starting at €8.20
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PBG BioPharma: Cannabis Consumer Health Market Entry Preparation
Claire Deng; Xiaojia Wang; William WeiCase IVEY-W33767-EMarketing, Service and Operations ManagementThe cannabis industry in Canada has experienced unprecedented growth since the Cannabis Act came into effect in 2018. It is widely expected that cannabidiol (CBD) will be classified as a food and natural health ingredient in Canada, the European Union, and other jurisdictions in the near future, which will open up a significant market. In 2023, Dr. Jacqueline Shan, the CEO of PBG BioPharma, made a long-term strategic decision to enter the cannabi...Starting at €8.20
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Selling at ServiceBox (A): Jon Clifford's Perspective
Chris Street; J. Robert MitchellCase IVEY-9B16M015-EEntrepreneurship, StrategyIn 2012, an entrepreneur and his business partner have created ServiceBox, a web-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) work order management system for use in plumbing and heating businesses. The product was developed in response to a request from a friend, who owns a plumbing business. The entrepreneur is now ready to sell this product, relying on a subscription-based SaaS business model for revenue. He has scheduled a meeting with a heating contra...Starting at €8.20