United Kingdom

February 2013

Eight19 (A): A Social Enterprise?

By Jeff Skinner, Tom Ryan

Eight19 is a technology-based start-up company based on Cambridge Science Park. The company is developing a new (and very low cost) solar-panel technology aimed primarily at domestic use in developing countries. The case describes the issues faced by eight19 as it develops a business model for the n...

November 2018

Patch: Financing the Entrepreneurial Business

By Gary Dushnitsky

Heading into Old Street Tube station in London on a chilly January day, Freddie’s mind was racing with ideas. He had just come out from another meeting with Forward Partners, a well-known, London-based venture capital firm, and it was clear the conversation had gone well. The team at Forward Partn...

April 2019

Clarasys: Born Agile by Taking Groups Seriously

By Randall Peterson

In March 2015, London-based management consultancy Clarasys found itself in crisis. Established in 2011, the company had experienced consistent growth since foundation and had expanded staffing levels to service new business accordingly. But it was still in start-up phase and a perfect storm of even...

April 2019

Yulife: Redefining Life Insurance

By Julian Birkinshaw, Ken Mark

Yulife is a digital-first life insurance and rewards company that is seeking to disrupt the centuries-old life insurance market. Its founders are a combination of insurance industry veterans and executives in finance, wealth management and gaming. The challenge the company faces is that it cannot go...

July 2010

Turnaround at UCLH: A hospital in intensive care case (D)

By Anita Devlin, Cheerag Shirodaria, Michael Jacobides, Renate Verheul

University College London Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) is a major London teaching hospital. It encountered serious financial problems as a result of the consolidation of two separate hospitals into one new hospital building, coupled with a change in the remuneration system for NHS hospitals....

January 2010

Turnaround at UCLH: A hospital in intensive care case (C)

By Anita Devlin, Cheerag Shirodaria, Michael Jacobides, Renate Verheul

University College London Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) is a major London teaching hospital. It encountered serious financial problems as a result of the consolidation of two separate hospitals into one new hospital building, coupled with a change in the remuneration system for NHS hospitals....

July 2010

Turnaround at UCLH: A hospital in intensive care case (A) and (B)

By Anita Devlin, Cheerag Shirodaria, Michael Jacobides, Renate Verheul

University College London Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) is a major London teaching hospital. It encountered serious financial problems as a result of the consolidation of two separate hospitals into one new hospital building, coupled with a change in the remuneration system for NHS hospitals....

August 2018

The UK Government Digital Service

By Julian Birkinshaw, Scott Duncan

The case describes how Mike Bracken, the newly appointed head of the UK Government Digital Service (GDS), took on the massive challenge of setting up, from scratch, a centralised team to deliver online public services efficiently online across all of the government’s digital channels. This involve...

January 2020

Sofar Sounds: Charting the next stage of growth

By Julian Birkinshaw, David Mather, Bryan Stroube, Aharon Cohen Mohliver

This case traces the development of a live entertainment company, Sofar Sounds, from a conversation among three friends about their frustrations with live music events, through early success and now to a point where the CEO, Rafe Offer, has to make important decisions about its future growth. Sofar ...

June 2017

Propay Ltd (B)

By Keith Willey

Rick Stein is faced with taking rapid action to both save his business and at the same time take advantage of a surprise exit opportunity. As usual there’s a cash squeeze but should the business take more money and if so where from and on what terms?...