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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Innovation at Caterpillar: The D7E Tractor
Carroll, G; Hoyt, DCase SGSB-SM223-EStrategyIn 2009, Caterpillar shipped its first D7E tractor, an “electric drive” machine in which electric motors moved the tracks and blade, using electricity from a generator powered by a diesel engine. In an industry where new products provided performance gains of just a few percent, the D7E moved 10 percent more material per hour, using 10-30 percent less fuel that its predecessor. It was also easier to operate, had 40 percent fewer moving parts, a...Starting at €8.20
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Illuminate Ventures: Rising a Venture Fund
Bernstein, S; Korteweg, A; Rosenthal, SCase SGSB-E473-EEntrepreneurshipIt was the spring of 2010 and Cindy Padnos had just been named to Fast Company’s list of “The Most Influential Women in Technology in 2010.” Cindy had worked in the venture capital (VC) space for over a decade, launching her own firm, Illuminate Ventures, in 2009 with a focus on early-stage companies in the enterprise cloud computing space. Cindy’s portfolio of personal investments was performing well, and if she could perform as well for Illum...Starting at €8.20
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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