Ivey Business School (Canada)
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Bio-Vert: Green to What Limit
Raymond L. Paquin; Catherine Bedard; Genevieve GraingerCase IVEY-9B12A035-EMarketing, StrategyBio-Vert is a leading Canadian brand of eco-cleaning products manufactured by Quebec-based Savons Prolav. Run by a brother and sister team, Savons Prolav bases its products on their vision, which includes eco-friendliness, affordability and effectiveness. Demand for Bio-Vert’s phosphate-free detergents has increased dramatically since the 2007 blue-green algae bloom outbreaks in Quebec’s waterways and subsequent legislation restricting phosphate ...Starting at €8.20
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Healing Through Humour: Mixing Mental Health, Comedy and Business
Michael Taylor; Tatiana LevitCase IVEY-9B13A033-EEntrepreneurship, MarketingIn June 2013, the founder of Healing Through Humour, a comedy school for people with mental illness, considered his options to overcome the barriers to growth for his not-for-profit organization. The school, located in donated space in the offices of the Schizophrenia Society of Saskatchewan in Regina, was designed to build self-esteem and life skills for people suffering from mental illness, to raise public awareness about mental health issues a...Starting at €8.20
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Canadian Western Agribition: Beefing up the Growth Strategy
Tatiana Levit; Michael TaylorCase IVEY-9B15A002-EMarketing, StrategyIn early June 2014, the chief executive officer of Canadian Western Agribition, a not-for-profit organization, is reviewing the results of its 2013 agricultural show, a fair that takes place every November in Regina, Saskatchewan. The week-long event includes the largest livestock show in Canada, an extensive agribusiness tradeshow, a large marketplace of home products, a rodeo competition, and entertainment and educational programs that have a f...Starting at €8.20
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Entomo Farms: Are Canadians Ready to Eat Insects?
Raymond L. Paquin; Iryna Sushko; Shannon LloydCase IVEY-W26996-EMarketing, StrategyIn January 2021, Entomo Farms (Entomo), a family-owned Ontario-based Canadian cricket producer, received additional funding to support its growth and prepare for the entry into Canada of what would be its biggest competitor. As Canada’s largest and only organic cricket supplier, Entomo generated most of its revenue as a supplier of crickets as raw material to food manufacturers; however, due to anticipated industry changes, Entomo was increasing ...Starting at €8.20
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Alvéole: Growing the New Urban Beekeeping Market
Cheryl Gladu; Raymond L. PaquinCase IVEY-9B19M132-EEntrepreneurship, StrategyAlvéole was an urban beekeeping start-up in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 2012, Alvéole offered beekeeping services and products in support of its social mission of educational outreach surrounding issues related to the natural environment, food security,Starting at €8.20
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McGill St Laurent: Growing a Commodities Trading Firm
Jesse Prent; Gwyneth Edwards; Raymond L. PaquinCase IVEY-9B20M116-EEntrepreneurship, StrategyIn May 2018, Philippe Boisclair, business owner and president of McGill St Laurent (MSL), sought to grow the firm and increase annual profitability by CA$35 million by 2020. MSL was a medium-sized commodities trading firm with interests in wood, grain, and energy. Founded in 2009 by two business school graduates and veterans of the lumber industry, MSL had enjoyed significant growth. The company had not only expanded into grain and energy trading...Starting at €8.20
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Effet Boomerang: A Brand-Repositioning Dilemma
Raymond L. Paquin; Rania Bou Jaoude; Michel GreicheCase IVEY-W30025-EMarketing, StrategyOver two decades old, Effet Boomerang is an advertising agency based in Quebec, Canada. In recent years, it has found it harder to win client contracts, which has been partially due to changes in the industry. This has left its co-founder and president examining her options for repositioning the agency. This case provides an interesting opportunity to introduce students to internal and external analyses by having them examine how a small firm may...Starting at €8.20
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Kombi Sports Inc.: Staying Ahead of the Curve
Heather Calvert; Raymond L. Paquin; Rajshree PrakashCase IVEY-9B21M063-EMarketing, StrategyIn January 2020, Kombi Sports Inc. was at a strategic crossroads in a changing industry. The Montreal-based firm had evolved from a niche provider of alpine performance gloves to a premium Canadian winter apparel brand. Its success could be attributed, at least in part, to its strong collaborative stance and interesting partnerships. However, increasing competition in the industry, particularly among brick-and-mortar retailers, raised questions f...Starting at €8.20
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Blacbiblio: Hold Steady or Change Course
Raymond L. Paquin; Bharathram Sivasubramanian; Rajshree PrakashCase IVEY-9B20M050-EEntrepreneurship, StrategyBlacbiblio.com, Inc., an educational materials start-up in Montreal, Canada, launched its first and only product, the ABCs of Canadian Black History Kit, in 2016. The product received strong positive reviews at the time of its launch, but its initial price of CA$2,500 per kit left it out of reach for most of its intended customers. The company founder, a historian and educational content creator, shifted to a flexible pricing strategy, offering t...Starting at €8.20
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Westridge Cabinets: The Account Management Decision
Michael Taylor; Tatiana LevitCase IVEY-9B16A060-EMarketingIn November 2015, Westridge Cabinets (Westridge) was facing a sales decline of approximately 35 per cent. Westridge manufactured and sold kitchen cabinets for the new home market, the home renovation market, and both the low-rise and high-rise multi-unit markets. The company was based in Alberta, Canada, which had been hit hard by a 75 per cent drop in world oil prices in the last year. Westridge was re-evaluating its sales strategy and consideri...Starting at €8.20