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The North West Company: Cross-enterprise Strategy
Stephen R. Foerster; Mary M. Crossan; James E. Hatch; Ken MarkCase IVEY-9B07M047-EEntrepreneurship, StrategyThe North West Company cases allow students to take a cross-enterprise leadership approach in looking at the dilemma facing the president and chief executive officer of The North West Company (North West), a food and general merchandise retailer operating primarily in Northern Canada. In early 2003, North West had negotiated a master franchisor agreement with Giant Tiger Stores Limited (Giant Tiger) with the objective of opening stores west of Wi...Starting at €8.20
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Zero, Brammo and the Electric Motorcycle Industry
Stewart Thornhill; Sophie Fei ZhuCase IVEY-9B11M092-EEntrepreneurship, StrategyElectric motorcycles’ features of zero emissions, light weight, high efficiency, low energy costs, and almost no pollution contribute to the increasing popularity of and substantial growth potential for the worldwide electric motorcycle industry. However, Zero was facing competition from Brammo, which, though positioning its products differently from Zero, adopted a similar international growth strategy. How could the chief executive officer of Z...Starting at €8.20
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SawStop (A)
Stewart Thornhill; Sylvia SquairCase IVEY-9B12M064-EEntrepreneurship, StrategyA patent lawyer and amateur woodworker with a doctorate in physics has invented a new technology to prevent table saw injuries - specifically, amputations. He has no desire to manufacture table saws, and instead protects his technology with patents and then seeks licensing arrangements with incumbent saw producers. In 2002, after two years of attempting to engage manufacturers, he accepts that they are unwilling to license his invention and he mu...Starting at €8.20
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Time Value of Money: The Buy Versus Rent Decision
Sean Cleary; Stephen R. FoersterCase IVEY-9B14N024-EFinanceA recent MBA graduate had been renting a condominium, and a similar unit next door had just been listed for sale. Now facing the classic buy-versus-rent decision, the young grad decided it was time for her to apply some of the analytical tools she had acquired in business school — including “time value of money” concepts — to her personal life.Starting at €8.20
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Buck Auto Care Products: Selling a Private Company
Stephen R. Foerster; Ken MarkCase IVEY-9B16N018-EEntrepreneurship, FinanceThe chief financial officer (CFO) of Buck Auto Care Products (Buck’s), a Toronto-based manufacturer and distributor of premium car care products, had to prepare for a meeting with the company’s vice-president (VP) of sales and the VP of manufacturing. The staff had heard rumours that the company was for sale, but no one had received any confirmation until now. The company was founded in 1975 as a chain of car-wash stands in Toronto and Mississaug...Starting at €8.20
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Aligning Culture and Strategy at A. P. Nichols
Jeffrey Gandz; Stewart Thornhill; Ken MarkCase IVEY-9B11C039-ELeadership and People Management, StrategyA.P. Nichols, a distributor of parts in the maintenance, overhaul, and repair industry, is facing the need to realign its strategy to cope with a competitive environment. A key component of this realignment involves changes to the culture and compensation of its sales force while simultaneously building sufficient sales capacity to take advantage of opportunities in key markets. The case focuses on the newly hired vice president (VP) of sales, wh...Starting at €8.20
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BCE Inc.: World's Largest LBO Deal in Jeopardy
Stephen R. FoersterCase IVEY-9B09N029-EFinanceIn November 2008, Bell Canada Enterprises Inc. (BCE) appeared to be on track to meet a December 2008 deadline to complete a $52-billion privatization deal. A consortium had previously submitted a winning leveraged buyout (LBO) bid that was estimated to add around $32 billion in debt to the company. Mere days before the deal’s termination date, BCE executives were stunned to hear that KPMG auditors advised that the deal was in jeopardy of collapse...Starting at €8.20
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BCE Inc.: In Play
Stephen R. Foerster; Heather TobinCase IVEY-9B09N018-EFinance, StrategyBCE Inc. (BCE), one of Canada's leading telecommunications companies, had struggled under its weak stock price performance and low valuation relative to its comparable peers, and faced increasing pressure from its largest shareholder, the powerful Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (Teachers'). On March 29, 2007, it was reported that private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis & Roberts (KKR) had held informal meetings with BCE executives in the hopes of lau...Starting at €8.20
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BCE Inc.: Bondholders Versus Shareholders Supreme Court Showdown
Stephen R. Foerster; David KunschCase IVEY-9B09N027-EFinance, StrategyIn May 2008, the board of directors of BCE Inc., one of Canada’s leading integrated communications companies, was dealing with the fallout of a Quebec Court of Appeal decision. The court had ruled to disallow a $50 billion privatization deal as, according to the court, the process was flawed and did not consider the debenture (bond) holders of Bell Canada (a wholly owned subsidiary of BCE). The court had ruled that the board had allowed a deal in...Starting at €8.20
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WH Group Limited: Initial Public Offering Road Show
Stephen R. FoersterCase IVEY-9B15N003-EFinance, StrategyAn equity research analyst is preparing to attend a road show presentation by WH Group Limited, the world’s largest pork company headquartered in Hong Kong, concerning its upcoming initial public offering. She is reviewing the preliminary prospectus as well as other publicly available background information on the company and its two core subsidiaries, Shuanghui International Holdings Inc. and Smithfield Foods Inc., whose recent acquisition was t...Starting at €8.20