Case Study Yorktown Technologies

They have a lack of consumer interest. The fish were not as bright as expected and with the lack of excitement by consumers, the attractiveness was not drastic enough to attract the attention of consumers while shopping. Fish lovers are “finicky” or flakey and they need a variety and differentiation of exciting products to support their interest and loyalty. Yorktown must carry-out a strategic marketing plan and figure out a way to only display their fish in optimal lighting so that the consumers passing by will still notice the exciting product.

When Knudstorp became the CEO, the company was with negative cash flow and the real risk o which would have even led to a breakup of the company.

It has set up its kiosks primarily in fast food restaurants, grocery stores and convenience stores as these locations are frequently visited by people, and the kiosk could create a direct impulse to the people who are passing by.

The ALPES S.A. case deals with Charles River Laboratories (CRL) and their consideration of a joint venture proposal with an animal vaccine company in Mexico. The senior V.P. is preparing to present the proposal of a $2 million investment for the firm. The CEO, Jim Foster, is concerned with the associated risks that CRL would be undertaking if they accept this venture.  Key issues of concern are; the partnership with a relatively small, family run business; having operations in Mexico, which could pose difficulties; maintaining CRL’s focus on U.S. expansion; and the proposed partner’s lack of funds to invest, which will leave CRL  to  bear the entire cost of the venture.

Yorktown Technologies is a fairly new company that is marketing and introducing GloFish into the market. In 2002 Yorktown raised $500,000 fro investors under the projection that it would have $4,000,000 in profits in 2004. Sadly the company only had $500,000 in revenues and had an outstanding $620,000 in expenses leaving the company $120,000 in the red (Roger A. Kerin, 2010). Alan Blake of Yorktown Technologies is searching for what to tell the board of directors in the next board meeting. Major changes are needed in order for Yorktown to turn around and become profitable.

Chapter 25 – 1976-1988 – This chapter details the history of patenting living organisms — 1980 Supreme Court ruling which declared that Ananda Mohan Chakrabarty could patent a bacterium genetically engineered to consume oil and to help clean up oil spills.

The company is looking into a two-step strategic move into the freshwater catfish market. The stages will call for the construction of catfish ponds and a processing plant of limited capacity to go along with the ponds. The next stage involves the development of a major facility. This larger facility will house several divisions, including the entire fresh-fish processing division,

(Tryon, C 2011)...families and individuals seeking inexpensive entertainment have been turning to kiosk services, of which Redbox is the most successful American example. Redbox kiosks are convenient to most shoppers, being placed in fast food locations, local grocery markets, and other shopping centers. The placement of the kiosk is key to consumer frequency. The convenience of having the

Coincidently, they succeed but could have easily failed. Even when they make a major pitch to the executive committee, it is unclear whether they will receive the green light. The personal relationship of the VP and the finance VP appears to have been the key for obtaining financial support and probably the approval of the executive committee.

Birdseye began a course of fish-freezing exercises in 1922 at the Clothel Refrigerating Company. Later, he was able to inaugurate his own company. He call it Birdseye Seafood Inc. At Birdseye company they would freeze the fish fillets using chilled air that could reach a temperature of -43 degrees Celsius. In 1924, Birdseye’s company registered bankruptcy because there was a scarcity of consumer enthusiasm in their product, however, this did not stop him. In 1924, Birdseye arose a new process. This process involved packing fish inside cartons then placing them between two refrigerated surfaces under pressure to free the

Yorktown Technologies has an exclusive product and market niche. The company has a substantial number of patents and patent pending applications for GloFish (GloFish, 2011). In addition, the production, market, and distribution of fluorescent fish are strictly prohibited without the approval of Yorktown Technologies (GloFish, 2011). This gives the company a monopoly on fluorescent fish and makes it impossible for other companies to produce, market, and distribute them.

On September 4, 2001, Steve Papa, CEO and founder of Endeca Technologies, could hear a construction worker nailing a “Commercial Real Estate Available” sign to a building across the street from his Cambridge, MA office. This had become routine, as hundreds of early stage technology companies failed to raise additional growth capital. The words of his Vice President of Marketing, Steve Sayre, warred with the sound of the construction. “I know the board is actively working on the C round,” Sayre said. “We’d better get this funding closed; I don’t think the NASDAQ is going to hold up.” Papa knew that his CFO shared Sayre’s concerns. To an even

Investors lost their money because of their lack of conscious and unwillingness to understand or realize that it is impossible to have such high returns in a legally managed

Unfortunately, the same issues that existed with the overall governance existed here. The company may have been acting as an exemplary corporate citizen, but with no overall strategy and minimal communication, there was no consistency or coordination, and the company was not getting the public relations benefits that they might have otherwise gained (Veleva, 2010).

The main entities in the case were Sky Air Inc. and Thyestean Ventures’ officials. The Chief Executive Officer of Sky Air Inc., Samuel Kaplan, and Thyestean Ventures’ managing partner, Stacy Simms, were the two main characters who drove the case. In this case, Kaplan had the task of promoting his company to ensure that it maximizes its profits. He was solely responsible for all the operations of the company as well as forming partnerships when a need arose. Mr. Kaplan was branded as a hard working entrepreneur, having grown a business from scratch. He knew that he would have to make this sound decision on his own. Stacy Simms had the responsibility to Thyestean Ventures to incur minimal expenses and maximize shareholders wealth.