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• Case | HBS Case Collection | July 2020 (Revised September 2020)

  Property Finder’s Strategy for Online Classifieds in the MENA Region

  Krishna G. Palepu, Gamze Yucaoglu and Fares Khrais

  The case opens in 2020 as Michael Lahyani, founder and CEO of Property Finder, Dubai’s leading online real estate classifieds portal, contemplates the company’s five-year growth strategy.
  Since its founding in 2005 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Property Finder had secured multiple rounds of investments and expanded into countries in the Middle East and North Africa. The business grew following a proven business model revolving around monthly flat subscription fees paid by real estate brokers for packages of listings, while remaining free for end-customers to browse. By 2020, Property Finder had reached profitability in the UAE, Bahrain, and Qatar, which it considered its core markets, and had done significant brand building in newer markets of Saudi Arabia (KSA), Egypt, Morocco, Lebanon, and Turkey.
  In 2020, Lahyani needed to decide on the company’s growth strategy to increase profitability. Property Finder could focus on its core markets and switch to segmented pricing, lure in more developers to post first hand property directly, and create new revenue channels. Alternatively or in parallel, the company could tailor its business model to suit the dynamics of each of its newer markets. All the while, Lahyani had just onboarded a new executive team that was busy adjusting the organizational structure and institutionalizing procedures and processes. As a result, company resources were spread thin and Lahyani found himself at a crossroads; should the company focus its efforts on bolstering its position in incumbent markets and thus forego growth abroad, or should it pursue new markets and risk tarnishing its reputation in its core markets in case of a failure?

  Keywords: General Business; real estate; Entrepreneurship; Strategy; Emerging Markets; Growth Management; Real Estate Industry; Technology Industry; United Arab Emirates; Saudi Arabia; Egypt; Turkey;

  Citation:

  Palepu, Krishna G., Gamze Yucaoglu, and Fares Khrais. "Property Finder’s Strategy for Online Classifieds in the MENA Region." Harvard Business School Case 321-009, July 2020. (Revised September 2020.)  View Details

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• Case | HBS Case Collection | March 2020 (Revised September 2020)

  Board Director Dilemmas—Digging into Detail

  David G. Fubini, Suraj Srinivasan and Amram Migdal

  This case explores a new board director who asks a detailed question about a footnote in the lengthy board packet distributed to directors by management. The case allows for discussion about the amount of information and level of detail provided by management, the level of preparation directors engage in prior to board meetings, and the appropriate strategic focus of the board. This case is part of a series of vignettes that capture different dilemmas faced by directors as they join boards of companies and understand the dynamics of the new boards that they join.

  Keywords: board of directors; Corporate Governance; Governing and Advisory Boards;

  Citation:

  Fubini, David G., Suraj Srinivasan, and Amram Migdal. "Board Director Dilemmas—Digging into Detail." Harvard Business School Case 120-100, March 2020. (Revised September 2020.)  View Details

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• Case | HBS Case Collection | March 2020 (Revised September 2020)

  Board Director Dilemmas—Pushing Senior Management

  David G. Fubini, Suraj Srinivasan and Amram Migdal

  This case explores a new board director who wants more detail from the management team than his fellow directors are willing to press for. New board director Sam Pesca is frustrated that CFO Alex Marotta provides only a minimal two-page financial summary at board meetings, despite Pesca’s requests for more comprehensive information. The other directors object to pressing Marotta for more detail, and young CEO R.J. Oscott asks Pesca to refrain from pressing the CFO. This case is part of a series of vignettes that capture different dilemmas faced by directors as they join boards of companies and understand the dynamics of the new boards that they join.

  Keywords: board of directors; Corporate Governance; Governing and Advisory Boards; Management Teams;

  Citation:

  Fubini, David G., Suraj Srinivasan, and Amram Migdal. "Board Director Dilemmas—Pushing Senior Management." Harvard Business School Case 120-084, March 2020. (Revised September 2020.)  View Details

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