Teaching note for product 9B03A004.

Two entrepreneurs have created a not-for-profit online back office system that can be used at no charge by any of Canada's 70,000 charities to reduce their operating costs. The cost of maintaining the system has been underwritten by major financial service firms. Just as the entrepreneurs are about to launch, a for-profit service announces a similar service that targets the same charities. The entrepreneurs are concerned about overlap, pre-emption .....more

Quack.com was in dire straits. An early entrant in the voice portal market, Quack was quickly running out of money. The company's management team had just returned from a road show for a second round of venture financing, but they had been unsuccessful. To exacerbate this issue, Quack's two major competitors had each received substantial funding. At the current burn rate, Quack could survive on its bridge financing for only three more months. .....more

This supplement to Strategic Direction At Quack.com (A), product 9B02A003 provides a summary of what happened to this company facing many major decisions relating to its voice portal technology and business, and the state of its finances.

Teaching note for product 9B01B009.

The Percy Group is a diversified real estate development company. The president must decide whether to invest $7.9 million to convert one of the company's apartment buildings into a retirement home. The company had not previously converted or operated a retirement home. He must evaluate industry trends and the expected cash flows necessary to determine whether the investment is expected to earn the company's cost of capital. He must also undertake .....more