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• Case | HBS Case Collection | 2012 (Revised from original 1997 version)

  Jim Sharpe: Extrusion Technology, Inc. (A)

  H. Kent Bowen and Barbara Feinberg

  Jim Sharpe, 11 years after receiving his MBA from Harvard and working for others, has finally become his own boss and 100% owner of manufacturer of aluminum extrusions. After 10 months of an unfunded search, he acquires the business in an LBO and prepares to face his employees on the first day.

  Keywords: crisis management; Acquisitions; Search Funds; entrepreneurial management; entrepreneurs; entrepreneurship; turnarounds; bank loan; leveraged buyouts; manufacturing; metals processing; entrepreneurial finance; Labor unions; Experience and Expertise; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Personal Development and Career;

  Citation:

  Bowen, H. Kent, and Barbara Feinberg. "Jim Sharpe: Extrusion Technology, Inc. (A)." Harvard Business School Case 697-078, December 2012. (Revised from original February 1997 version.)

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• Case | HBS Case Collection | 2012 (Revised from original 1997 version)

  Jim Sharpe: Extrusion Technology, Inc. (B)

  H. Kent Bowen and Barbara Feinberg

  Jim Sharpe, 11 years after receiving his MBA from Harvard and working for others, has finally become his own boss and 100% owner of manufacturer of aluminum extrusions. After 10 months of an unfunded search, he acquires the business in an LBO and prepares to face his employees on the first day.

  Keywords: Technology; Entrepreneurship; Business Ventures; Business or Company Management; Competency and Skills; Management Teams; Risk and Uncertainty; Manufacturing Industry; United States;

  Citation:

  Bowen, H. Kent, and Barbara Feinberg. "Jim Sharpe: Extrusion Technology, Inc. (B)." Harvard Business School Case 697-079, December 2012. (Revised from original February 1997 version.)

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• Case | HBS Case Collection | 2012

  New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc. (Abridged)

  H. Kent Bowen, Robert S. Huckman, Carin-Isabel Knoop and Matthew Preble

  Considers whether New Balance, one of the world's five largest manufacturers of athletic footwear, should respond to Adidas' planned acquisition of Reebok—a transaction that would join the second- and third-largest companies in the industry. Highlights the unique aspects of New Balance's strategy—focusing on fit and performance by offering long-lived shoes in a wide variety of widths and eschewing celebrity endorsement of its products—and discusses New Balance's operations decisions to support that strategy. These include significant use of domestic manufacturing at a time when nearly all other competitors sourced finished shoes from Asian suppliers and an emphasis on improving inventory management for its network of small and large retailers. Set just after the announcement of the Adidas-Reebok transaction in 2005, with New Balance having recently initiated a companywide effort to improve operational performance through the application of concepts from lean manufacturing and the Toyota Production System. Asks students to consider whether New Balance should change aspects of its operations strategy in light of the consolidation among its competitors or whether the Adidas-Reebok transaction represents an opportunity for New Balance to emphasize the importance of moving forward with its current approach.

  Keywords: Production; Competitive Strategy; Supply Chain; Brands and Branding; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Sports Industry; Retail Industry; Asia; United States;

  Citation:

  Bowen, H. Kent, Robert S. Huckman, Carin-Isabel Knoop, and Matthew Preble. "New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc. (Abridged)." Harvard Business School Case 613-006, November 2012.

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