Cases Written
I write many cases because I find few cases about people like my students and like me. Unlike Harvard Business School cases in which the protagonist is typically the CEO of a major corporation or on the fast track to climb to such a post, my cases are about regular people I meet who are trying to make a living while making a satisfying life -- often in creative, innovative ways -- and the challenges they face in doing so.
Vegetales Cortados, SA Startup Strategy (2004): (A) Differences in marketing and development strategy between a new enterprise and an established firm, and (B) The small firm as counter-puncher: What to do when a powerful new competitor enters your market niche (Selected as the Best Business Teaching Case for 2004, by The CASE Association)
Datatex (2001) with L.M. Garcia. Comparing startup experiences in the US and Nicaragua.
Jugos Tropicales (2001) The importance of market segmentation and focusing on under-served markets.
Comercializadora de Madera Costarricense (2000). Making a business vision in the tropics a reality (also an example of sustainable development).
Clean Pets (2000) with A. Bailey. Things go awry when the founders are not there. How to systemize and operationalize tacit founder knowledge and practice.
Teaching Notes written
Guide to Developing and Writing a Research Paper (2004)
How to Come up with Good Business Ideas: Ideas and the New Venture (2004): How to generate, select, and develop new business ideas
Entrepreneurship and venture initiation (2001). Introductory material outlining the steps in developing a business plan: (1) identifying an opportunity, (2) developing the concept, (3) determining the resources required, (4) determining how to acquire the required resources, and (5) evaluating risks and planning for contingencies.
How to Research a New Venture Opportunity (2001)
The 80-20 rule of entrepreneurship (2001). Large, established firms go after the mass markets; an entrepreneur must look for an underserved niche. For use with Jugos Tropicales.
The variety of new ventures (2000). For use with Vecosa.
Numerical presentation in a business plan (2000). Basics of numeracy, accounting, and presentation; how to prioritize; and how to clarify and improve estimates.
General Interest articles
Freeman, Steven F. (2001) “Cómo manejar la pérdida y el cambio” (How to manage loss and change). Revista INCAE.
Freeman, Steven F. (1988) Notes to a friend who is planning to start a business Problems marketing, financing, and managing a new venture. Has been widely used in entrepreneurship classes around the country.
Management Education Notes
A Rubric for Evaluating Research Papers (2004)
A Guide to Evaluating Class Discussion (2004)
A Proposal for Establishing an Entrepreneurship Curriculum in Small Business Schools (2002)
The Opportunity for Experimental Social Science Research in Latin America (2001)
If you would like to see any course materials, contact me. I am happy to share these materials with colleagues.
Steven F. Freeman