International Business Paper

Case Study Information/Articles

Below are listed the articles and case studies you will use for your individual case studies.

1. Home Depot in China

Read this article in the Wall Street Journal Sept 15 – 16 2012:

Home Depot Learns Chinese Prefer 'Do-It-for-Me'

(pdf will be attached).

In this article you will read about Home Depot's failure to enter the Chinese market. In the case you

should pretend you are the CEO of Home Depot and that you are wrestling with how you are going to

crack the Chinese market as well as analyze past failures.

2. See's Candies

Fortune Sept 3 2012:

The Secret's of See's Candies

(pdf will be attached).

This case should have you think about how you would organize an international expansion of See's

Candies.

3. United Cereal

This is a Harvard Business case which I have added to the cases we are reviewing in class.

In this case, there are two important decisions that Brill has to make that has to do with a Eurobrand.

Please use your case analysis technique to analyze this case and come up with some possible actions, as

well of course your favored action plan.

4. Cinnabon

Wall Street Journal December 26 2012:

‘Cinnabon Finds Sweet Success in Russia, Mideast’

(pdf will be attached)

This is an interview with Ms. Kat Cole, President about international expansion. Here, you should

pretend you are Ms. Cole and that you are thinking of expanding in other areas of the world. Use the

standard case analysis to come up with some areas of expansion and what issues you may face, and

how you would overcome them.

++++ Sample Case – this is a case you can use to help you understand how to write up a case. Do not

write this one up but rather read the interview and then see the sample write up. This was done by a

student last year and received an ‘A’. It was very well done with only some minor comments.

Starbucks International Expansion

Wall Street Journal Dec 15 2003:

'It's a Grande-Latte World'

(pdf will be attached along with the sample write up also in pdf)

Here, you will pretend you are Mr. Smith; the case is how Starbucks should enter foreign markets and

the challenges it faces as well as the kinds of solutions you can propose and of course why and how.