Stanford Graduate School of Business (USA)
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ZipDial: Reaching The Next 3 Billion Consumers
Sorensen, J; de, Clara, LCase SGSB-IDE07-EInnovation and ChangeIn June 2014, Anthony Pile, founder and chairman of Blue Skies, called a board meeting to discuss the company’s development plans. The economic crisis in Europe had made consumers more price sensitive, putting pressure on profit margins and spurring the search for new markets. Founded in 1998, Blue Skies was a fruit processing company headquartered in the U.K., with its main production site located in Ghana, Africa, where it cut and packaged frui...Starting at €8.20
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Invitrogen (A)
Burgelman, R; Siegel, R; Lee, RCase SGSB-SM209A-EStrategyFounded in 1987, Invitrogen was one of the largest catalog life science companies in the industry. Its customers came from academic research, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies and government laboratories. Scientists viewed Invitrogen as a one-stop shop for all major molecular biology, biochemistry and cell culture reagent products, with prices ranging from a hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars.Starting at €8.20
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Invitrogen/Life Technologies (B)
Burgelman, R; Siegel, R; Lee, RCase SGSB-SM209B-EStrategyOn June 12, 2008, Invitrogen and Applied Biosystems announced plans to merge. The combined company was to be renamed Life Technologies (NASDAQ: LIFE). Invitrogen offered to acquire Applied Biosystems for $6.7 billion in cash and stock. AB shareholders would receive $38 per share in cash and stock, representing a 17 percent premium over the share’s closing price on Wednesday, June 11, 2008.Starting at €5.74
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Mobius Motors: Building an African Car
Sorensen, J; Kennedy, M; Jorasch, GCase SGSB-IDE01-EInnovation and ChangeMobius Motors manufactures and sells low-cost cars in the Kenyan market. The company strives to make the cars such that they are affordable, yet still perform well on Africa’s generally poor road networks. The company has attracted a lot of attention from development and venture financiers, and has ambitious plans to expand throughout the African continent. However, Mobius’s fleet of vehicle is still currently very small, and the company faces...Starting at €8.20
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EcoPost: Financing a Green Start-up in Africa
Sorensen, J; Kennedy, M; Jorasch, GCase SGSB-IDE02-EInnovation and ChangeBased in Nairobi, Kenya, EcoPost manufactures construction posts out of the thousands of tons of plastic waste produced daily by the city. The posts, which are manufactured using second-hand industrial equipment, are frequently used to build fences, park benches, and other objects. Because lumber is very scarce in Kenya, and subject to theft and termite damage, the posts sell very well, and the company has trouble keeping up with demand. The comp...Starting at €8.20
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Invitrogen/Life Technologies (C): The "Best Owner" of the Asset
Burgelman, R; Siegel, R; Lee, RCase SGSB-SM209C-EStrategyThis short case discusses the process of Life Technologies’ acquisition by Thermo Fisher in 2013 and 2014. The case is a complement to SM-209A and SM-209B, which highlight the various growth and acquisition strategies the company undertook over the previous 10 years.Starting at €5.74