Case Studies

Case Studies are documented studies of specific real-life situations to spur discussion in an entrepreneurship classroom. They should provide a basis for classroom discussion or for students to write a solution memo. Their purpose is to challenge students to evaluate and rank alternatives, make decisions and defend those decisions.

Length: <4,000 words

# of Reviewers: 2


How Three Women Upheld Family Values and Thrived Despite Adversity

Family businesses are unique because the family values held by their founders shape the very fabric of the business. It goes without saying that finding ways to instill those values into the business Read More...

Category: Case Studies

Authors: Boyka Simeonova and Mat Hughes

How SitePro Innovated and Diversified in Times of Crisis

Entrepreneurial startups face a clear tension during times of turbulent change like the COVID-19 pandemic. On the plus side, startups are small, collaborative, creative and flexible, making them Read More...

Category: Case Studies

Authors: Theodore L. Waldron and James C Wetherbe

College Nannies & Tutors: Franchise Business Models

Joe Keeley, founder of College Nannies and Tutors (CNT), hung up the phone. Another insurance company had declined to underwrite the coverage he needed for CNT to expand; he had contacted over forty Read More...

Category: Case Studies

Author: Mark Spriggs

My Entrepreneurship Journey: Ireland to the Middle East and America

I grew up in Ireland, and my family hails from Ballyhaunis in County Mayo. Dad was a small business owner, who used his trusty cab to provide service to our neighbors. Dad provided my first exposure Read More...

Category: Case Studies

Authors: Kieran Folliard and Eapen Chacko

How Lowell Wakefield Made Crab King

While king crab fishing is among the most dangerous and lucrative activities in the world, it is only recent technology that makes it possible to extract this bounty from the sea, from global Read More...

Category: Case Studies

Author: Sharon Alvarez

When Kickstarter Campaigns Don’t Deliver: A Case Study of Phenom Fabrics

Introduction In October of 2014, Frances Courtepointe 1 started a Kickstarter campaign for her venture Phenom Fabrics 1 . She promised hand dyed fabric "fat-quarter" cuts -  a 18” x 22” Read More...

Category: Case Studies

Authors: Eden Blair and Tanya Marcum

FedEx: Obtaining Corporate Sponsored Research

Corporate funding helps make business/entrepreneurial research relevance and practicality by ensuring market value of the results (Eckhardt and Wetherbe). However, many university Read More...

Category: Case Studies

Author: James C Wetherbe

Versare, Inc. - The Accidental Fax

Versare, which makes portable walls, fold-down beds, and similar products for businesses and institutions, is an entrepreneurial venture in crisis. They have received a fax from a distributor that Read More...

Category: Case Studies

Author: David Deeds

Entrepreneurial Brinkmanship: Lessons Learned from Best Buy and FedEx

Entrepreneurial startups have the advantage of nimbleness that comes from being small and collaborative. They are a speedboat compared to the corporate barges they compete against in the early stages Read More...

Category: Case Studies

Author: James C Wetherbe