Description
Informatics Entrepreneurship Autumn 2004
INFORMATICS ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Autumn 2004
CASE STUDY ANALYSIS QUESTIONS
CHOOSE TWO OF ANY OF THE FOLLOWING 7 CASES.
30% Each
First case write-up is due on October 27
th
.
Second case write-up is due on November 10
th
.
1. My SQL (Stanford GSB)
Choose three of the following five questions. Total of 500 – 1000 words maximum between the three
questions.
A. How Did the Founders of MySQL recognize and assess the market opportunity?
B. Why was My SQL successful, in your opinion?
C. Tell us about market research performed by MySQL. How did they do such? How did they test the
market?
D. What strategy should MySQL pursue now in order to grow? Explain why you think so?
E. The case mentions MySQL’s partnership with SAP. Evaluate this partnership from MySQL’s
perspective -- do you think that this is a good way for MySQL to reach new market territory and win
new customers? Why or why not?
2. Veritas (Stanford GSB)
Choose three of the following five questions. 500 words minimum to 1000 words maximum between the
three questions.
A. What criterion did Mark use to evaluate the potential opportunity landscape for Veritas? Evaluate
this criterion?
B. Visit Veritas website. What does the firm do now? What are its major product lines, and how do
you suppose the company got there?
C. Evaluate Mark’s decision to enter the code-testing business?
D. What were your main learning points from this case? What insights did you gain into the nature
of entrepreneurship, the game of business, and the opportunity landscape?
E. Why did Mark want to avoid raising more venture capital? Evaluate the strategies he used to avoid
raising more funds when he first entered the turnaround situation.
1
3. Good Technology (Stanford GSB)
Choose any three of the following five questions. 500 minimum – 1000 words maximum between the
three questions.
A. How did Good Technology evaluate the potential market opportunity?
B. Do you think the company will fail? Why or why not?
C. Sometimes, too much money is not a good thing? Do you think raising less money would have
been better for the company? Why or why not?
D. Why did the venture capitalists perceive the Good Technology opportunity to be so attractive? Do
you agree or disagree with them?
E. What were the challenges that Good Technology faced? How did they try to overcome them?
What would you have done differently?
4. Chrysalis (LBS)
Choose any two of the following four questions. 500 minimum – 1000 words maximum between the two
answers.
A. Which investment opportunity did you like the most and why?
B. Which investment opportunity did you feel most uncomfortable with from the paradigm as a
potential investor and why?
C. Pick any two investment opportunities from the case. Make a list of questions for each pertaining
to the potential market opportunity and the ventures potential success. These questions would cover what
you, as an investor, would want to know? Explain why you are asking each question as well.
D. What was your main takeaway (learning point) from this case? Why is this important to you?
5. Cochlear and Its Global Marketing Challenges (Stanford GSB)
Answer E below plus one other question (A, B or C). 500 words minimum to 1000 words maximum between
the two questions.
A. Explain the challenges that Cochlear faced in growing internationally? How did they model their
business in light of these challenges?
B. Describe and Evaluate their global marketing strategy and business model? What was good about
it? Poor about it? What would you have done differently?
C. If you were the CEO of Cochlear, how would you have modeled the business differently? Where
would you have focused the energy of the company?
2
E. Per the question at the end of the case:
Several executives outlined three possible incentives on which the company could focus attention
in its effort to capture the remaining 90% of the addressable market:
1. Increase Awareness
2. Improve reimbursement for recipients
3. Break down the capacity constraints on audiology resources.
Where all these initiatives key? What other initiatives should also be considered? And how should the
CEO and his team execute the chosen initiatives in different parts of the globe?
6. Entrepreneurship in a Harsh Business Climate: Reform-Era Vietnam (Stanford GSB)
Choose three of the following five questions to answer. 500 – 1000 words total between the three answers.
A. What did the managers of the three companies need to do in order to build on their initial success
and take their firms to the next level – expanding into sophisticated firms big enough to reap economies of
scale and efficient enough to compete in the global economy?
B. Describe and evaluate some of the creative strategies and tactics that these entrepreneurs, faced
with limited resources and loads of challenges, used to manage and grow their businesses?
C. Did their ability to grow further depend on the Vietnam government’s taking certain actions? Why
or why not?
D. What insights into the nature of entrepreneurship were provided to you by this case study?
E. What actions, if any, should the government of Vietnam take to foster entrepreneurship and firm
growth? Was there a danger that government policies toward private industry might be counterproductive?
7. Graham Weaver (Stanford GSB)
Choose any three of the following six questions. 500 – 1000 words maximum between the three answers.
A. In your own words, describe a typical day for Graham. What issues did he confront? What were
his problems centred around? How would you have dealt with things differently?
B. What potential legal risks and challenges faced Graham in any of his companies? Describe and
evaluate at least two.
C. How did Graham finance his acquisitions? Was this a risky strategy? Why or why not? What were
the benefits and drawbacks to Graham in financing his acquisitions using such methods?
D. What do you think about Graham’s policy of not offering stock options or equity participation
opportunities to employees unless they had occurred at the time of acquisition? What problems did this or
might this cause him?
E. How should Graham prepare for this very stressful conversation with Dave?
F. After reading this case, you should have some insight into the pros and cons of starting a new
business from scratch vs. buying an existing one. Describe these pros and cons. Which would you rather do
– start a new business from scratch or buy one currently in operation? Why?
3
doc_371605682.pdf
Informatics Entrepreneurship Autumn 2004
INFORMATICS ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Autumn 2004
CASE STUDY ANALYSIS QUESTIONS
CHOOSE TWO OF ANY OF THE FOLLOWING 7 CASES.
30% Each
First case write-up is due on October 27
th
.
Second case write-up is due on November 10
th
.
1. My SQL (Stanford GSB)
Choose three of the following five questions. Total of 500 – 1000 words maximum between the three
questions.
A. How Did the Founders of MySQL recognize and assess the market opportunity?
B. Why was My SQL successful, in your opinion?
C. Tell us about market research performed by MySQL. How did they do such? How did they test the
market?
D. What strategy should MySQL pursue now in order to grow? Explain why you think so?
E. The case mentions MySQL’s partnership with SAP. Evaluate this partnership from MySQL’s
perspective -- do you think that this is a good way for MySQL to reach new market territory and win
new customers? Why or why not?
2. Veritas (Stanford GSB)
Choose three of the following five questions. 500 words minimum to 1000 words maximum between the
three questions.
A. What criterion did Mark use to evaluate the potential opportunity landscape for Veritas? Evaluate
this criterion?
B. Visit Veritas website. What does the firm do now? What are its major product lines, and how do
you suppose the company got there?
C. Evaluate Mark’s decision to enter the code-testing business?
D. What were your main learning points from this case? What insights did you gain into the nature
of entrepreneurship, the game of business, and the opportunity landscape?
E. Why did Mark want to avoid raising more venture capital? Evaluate the strategies he used to avoid
raising more funds when he first entered the turnaround situation.
1
3. Good Technology (Stanford GSB)
Choose any three of the following five questions. 500 minimum – 1000 words maximum between the
three questions.
A. How did Good Technology evaluate the potential market opportunity?
B. Do you think the company will fail? Why or why not?
C. Sometimes, too much money is not a good thing? Do you think raising less money would have
been better for the company? Why or why not?
D. Why did the venture capitalists perceive the Good Technology opportunity to be so attractive? Do
you agree or disagree with them?
E. What were the challenges that Good Technology faced? How did they try to overcome them?
What would you have done differently?
4. Chrysalis (LBS)
Choose any two of the following four questions. 500 minimum – 1000 words maximum between the two
answers.
A. Which investment opportunity did you like the most and why?
B. Which investment opportunity did you feel most uncomfortable with from the paradigm as a
potential investor and why?
C. Pick any two investment opportunities from the case. Make a list of questions for each pertaining
to the potential market opportunity and the ventures potential success. These questions would cover what
you, as an investor, would want to know? Explain why you are asking each question as well.
D. What was your main takeaway (learning point) from this case? Why is this important to you?
5. Cochlear and Its Global Marketing Challenges (Stanford GSB)
Answer E below plus one other question (A, B or C). 500 words minimum to 1000 words maximum between
the two questions.
A. Explain the challenges that Cochlear faced in growing internationally? How did they model their
business in light of these challenges?
B. Describe and Evaluate their global marketing strategy and business model? What was good about
it? Poor about it? What would you have done differently?
C. If you were the CEO of Cochlear, how would you have modeled the business differently? Where
would you have focused the energy of the company?
2
E. Per the question at the end of the case:
Several executives outlined three possible incentives on which the company could focus attention
in its effort to capture the remaining 90% of the addressable market:
1. Increase Awareness
2. Improve reimbursement for recipients
3. Break down the capacity constraints on audiology resources.
Where all these initiatives key? What other initiatives should also be considered? And how should the
CEO and his team execute the chosen initiatives in different parts of the globe?
6. Entrepreneurship in a Harsh Business Climate: Reform-Era Vietnam (Stanford GSB)
Choose three of the following five questions to answer. 500 – 1000 words total between the three answers.
A. What did the managers of the three companies need to do in order to build on their initial success
and take their firms to the next level – expanding into sophisticated firms big enough to reap economies of
scale and efficient enough to compete in the global economy?
B. Describe and evaluate some of the creative strategies and tactics that these entrepreneurs, faced
with limited resources and loads of challenges, used to manage and grow their businesses?
C. Did their ability to grow further depend on the Vietnam government’s taking certain actions? Why
or why not?
D. What insights into the nature of entrepreneurship were provided to you by this case study?
E. What actions, if any, should the government of Vietnam take to foster entrepreneurship and firm
growth? Was there a danger that government policies toward private industry might be counterproductive?
7. Graham Weaver (Stanford GSB)
Choose any three of the following six questions. 500 – 1000 words maximum between the three answers.
A. In your own words, describe a typical day for Graham. What issues did he confront? What were
his problems centred around? How would you have dealt with things differently?
B. What potential legal risks and challenges faced Graham in any of his companies? Describe and
evaluate at least two.
C. How did Graham finance his acquisitions? Was this a risky strategy? Why or why not? What were
the benefits and drawbacks to Graham in financing his acquisitions using such methods?
D. What do you think about Graham’s policy of not offering stock options or equity participation
opportunities to employees unless they had occurred at the time of acquisition? What problems did this or
might this cause him?
E. How should Graham prepare for this very stressful conversation with Dave?
F. After reading this case, you should have some insight into the pros and cons of starting a new
business from scratch vs. buying an existing one. Describe these pros and cons. Which would you rather do
– start a new business from scratch or buy one currently in operation? Why?
3
doc_371605682.pdf