Stanford Graduate School of Business (USA)
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KiOR: The Quest for Cellulosic Biofuels
Reichelstein, S; Rosenthal, S; Sahoo, ACase SGSB-E427-EEntrepreneurshipIn 2012, KiOR was in the process of starting biofuels production at its first plant in Columbus, Mississippi. This initial plant was to provide a commercial scale proof-of-concept of KiOR’s production technology, and the company expected to build another set of plants in Natchez, MS using “copy exact” principles. These latter plants would be three times the size of the Columbus plants, and KiOR anticipated a number of improvements in its produc...Starting at €8.20
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KiOR: The Quest for Cellulosic Biofuels - Teaching Note
Reichelstein, S; Rosenthal, S; Sahoo, ATeaching Note SGSB-E427TN-EEntrepreneurshipIn 2012, KiOR was in the process of starting biofuels production at its first plant in Columbus, Mississippi. This initial plant was to provide a commercial scale proof-of-concept of KiOR’s production technology, and the company expected to build another set of plants in Natchez, MS using “copy exact” principles. These latter plants would be three times the size of the Columbus plants, and KiOR anticipated a number of improvements in its produc...Starting at €0.00
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A Note on Getting the Most Out of Your Board Meetings
Dodson, D; Pohlmeyer, SCase SGSB-E631-EEntrepreneurshipIn your first year as chief executive officer (CEO), you will encounter a host of management challenges and opportunities—all of which can be navigated more skillfully if you can tap into the insights and perspectives of a handful of seasoned operators and investors. For this reason, your board can have a significant impact on the company’s performance. Unfortunately, CEOs often get far less value out of their boards in the first few years than...Starting at €8.20
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ENGIE: Strategic Transformation of an Energy Conglomerate
Reichelstein, S; Schifrin, DCase SGSB-SM256-EStrategyIn 2016, the €75 billion French multinational energy conglomerate ENGIE was massively transforming its strategic and operational imperatives toward renewable energy. The 200-year old company owned Europe’s biggest natural gas pipeline and was a major global producer and supplier of natural gas and other energy sources. ENGIE had announced the transformation in 2014—following a sharp drop in global fossil fuel prices—viewing it as the beginning of...Starting at €8.20
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Sustainable Investing at Generation Investment Management
Reichelstein, S; Bebb, DCase SGSB-SM257-EStrategyIn 2015, Generation Investment Management celebrated the successful 10-year track record of its flagship Global Equity Fund, which outperformed its benchmark index by over 500 basis points per year. A mainstream investment firm whose founders included former United States Vice President Al Gore and former head of Goldman Sachs Asset Management David Blood, Generation integrated qualitative sustainability factors such as environmental, social, an...Starting at €8.20
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Restructuring a Utility: RWE's Carve-out of innogy
Reichelstein, S; Comello, S; Bebb, DCase SGSB-SM278-EStrategyIn 2016, the German utility RWE undertook a carve-out in which substantial parts of the company’s assets and liabilities were offered to the general public as part of an IPO. The case describes the developments in the German energy landscape that led RWE to this unusual move. The case also examines how investors responded to this carve-out in terms of the valuations attached to RWE and the new subsidiary.Starting at €8.20
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Beneficial State Bank (B): Evaluating Financial and Social Returns for Investors - Teaching Note
Charles Ewald, Heidi Krauel, Jaclyn ForoughiTeaching Note SGSB-SI39BTN-EBusiness Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility, Innovation and ChangeIn the fall of 2015, Beneficial State Bank was set to mark its third successive year of normalized profitability while continuing to fulfill its mission to promote social justice and environmental sustainability. At the same time, husband and wife creators of the bank, Tom Steyer (MBA ’83) and Kat Taylor (JD/MBA ’86), found themselves at a crossroads. As the sole providers of capital to the bank during formation and, as a result of the bank’s u...Starting at €0.00
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Branch Metrics: "Failing" into the Idea
Mandelbaum, F; Pohlmeyer, SCase SGSB-E586-EEntrepreneurshipThis case explores the Branch Metrics’ cofounders’ early days as a team and their pursuit of a viable idea for their startup. The three original cofounders, who met in business school, transformed their business concept entirely several times before finding the idea for Branch Metrics. Starting with a fitness collar for dogs, then starting over with developing a mobile application for low-cost, high-quality photobooks, and ultimately developing a...Starting at €8.20
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2016 Search Fund Study: Selected Observations
Kelly, P; Dodson, D; Grousheck, IH; Pohlmeyer, S; Rosenthal, SCase SGSB-E605-EEntrepreneurshipSince 1996, the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies (CES) at the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) has conducted a series of studies on the performance of search funds. These studies endeavor to gather data and gain insight into all known search funds. The studies aggregate the characteristics of search funds, present their principals’ backgrounds, and evaluate the investment returns generated by first-time search funds to their origina...Starting at €8.20
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Beneficial State Bank (B): Evaluating Financial and Social Returns for Investors
Charles Ewald, Heidi Krauel, Jaclyn ForoughiCase SGSB-SI134B-EBusiness Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility, Innovation and ChangeIn the fall of 2015, Beneficial State Bank was set to mark its third successive year of normalized profitability while continuing to fulfill its mission to promote social justice and environmental sustainability. At the same time, husband and wife creators of the bank, Tom Steyer (MBA ’83) and Kat Taylor (JD/MBA ’86), found themselves at a crossroads. As the sole providers of capital to the bank during formation and, as a result of the bank’s u...Starting at €5.74