Case Teaching Package
A case teaching package, written by Bill Bygrave, 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
50 pages in length and its case teaching package is
8 pages.
Abstract
Streamline Business Systems is the second case in a series; the first case is John Roughneen, which deals with the following:
- The process of becoming an entrepreneur as a deliberate career choice.
- The entrepreneurial search process including idea generation, opportunity search and discovery, shaping an opportunity into a business, and the startup of a new venture.
The industry that John and his partner decided to enter is software for companies operating vending machines. After they have started their new venture, the founders decide they need a business plan. The Streamline Business Systems case is John Roughneen's business plan. The two cases can be used either independently or in conjunction.
- Location of the company: Massachusetts and Rhode Island
- Years spanned by the case: 1991 through 1993
- Industry segment: Software for companies operating vending machines
- Stage of the company: Pre-startup and startup
- Age of the entrepreneurs: 20s
Study Questions
- Based on the information in the business plan, do you think that John Roughneen and Glenn Butler should have given up promising corporate careers to become full-time entrepreneurs?
- Would you invest in Streamline Business Systems, Inc.? Why or why not?
- What are the benefits and risks of taking a new, untried product to a vendor trade show?
- How can the effort to work on the preparation of a business plan help someone in John's position?
- Is there any information that you would expect to see in the Streamline plan that isn't there?
- In what specific ways can a business plan be used to facilitate the growth of an entrepreneurial venture?
- What specific activities in marketing or product development might this business plan suggest?
Key Words
business plans, industry analysis, competitor analysis, positioning a product, vending industry, marketing, pricing, selling, promotion, trade shows, developing a software product, financial statements, directors, advisors, ownership, founder financing
The downloadable file for this case is in Microsoft® Word 7.0 for Windows®.
If you do not have Microsoft Word, you can download the free Microsoft® Word Viewer 97 right here: For Windows 3.x For Windows 95
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