Fjord Trading Company (A) and (B)

Center for Entrepreneurial Studies,
Babson College © 1996

ISBN 0-324-00166-5

Case Teaching Package
A case teaching package, including the (B) case and written by Joel Shulman and Dan D'Heilly, is available for this case. It includes strategies for case presentation, key concepts, solutions to the assignment questions in the case, and suggestions for the most effective ways to work this case into your course.

Length
This case is 6 pages in length and its case teaching package is 10 pages.

Abstract

Fjord Trading is a case about a management buy-in (MBI). The founding entrepreneurs cornered the market on a species of fish caught in Norwegian waters, but their company quickly grew out of control. This case provides insight into team-building, working capital, and the nature of opportunity. When the case ends, the students are reading about the moment of decision: whether to sell half their company to older and wealthier partners.

This case is supported by supplemental material that can be handed out in class. In the B case, the new partners quickly grab control of the organization. Then as the conflict reaches a climax, new partners lock original partners out of the building and police are called to the scene.

• Location of the company: Seattle, Washington
• Years spanned by the case: 1992 through 1994
• Industry segment: Fish importing
• Stage of the company: Growth
• Age of the entrepreneurs: 20s