PROGRAM AND PROCEEDINGS
WESTERN CASEWRITERS ASSOCIATION
CONFERENCE
The Sheraton Salt Lake City Hotel
Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
March 8, 2018
Edited by Deborah Walker
© Western Casewriters Association 2018
www.westerncasewriters.org
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
WCA 2018 SPONSORS ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………... 3
PRESIDENT’S WELCOME……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 4
WCA 2018 PROGRAM SCHEDULE ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 5
WCA 2018 TABLE ASSIGNMENTS …………………………………………………………………………………………………. 6
Tables 1-2 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 6
Tables 3-4 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 7
Table 5 ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 8
ABOUT THE WESTERN CASEWRITERS ASSOCIATION ………………………………………………………………………. 9
HISTORY ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 9
WCA FUTURE SITES ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 10
2017-2018 WCA OFFICERS ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 10
WCA 2018 REVIEWERS ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 11
WCA 2018 AWARDS PROCESS …………………………………………………………………………………………………… 11
HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF THE CASE DISCUSSION SESSIONS ……………………………………………….. 12
PUBLISHING YOUR CASE …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 14
WCA 2018 CASE SYNOPSES ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 16
ASHOKAN CENTER: FOSTERING DEEP CONNECTIONS ……………………………………………………………….. 16
PLEASANT RIDGE HABITAT FOR HUMANITY SECOND CHANCE HOME SUPPLY ……………………………… 17
A CASE STUDY OF FLEXIBLE HR LEADERSHIP ……………………………………………………………………………. 18
PEPSICO, CAN THE COMPANY THRIVE WITHOUT THE PEPSI SODA AND CREATE A NEW “AHA”? ……. 19
MOSTLY MENTAL SHUTTLES ………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 20
NEW LIFE COMMUNITY: SIMPLY CATERING OR NOT? ………………………………………………………………. 21
IRON ROAD BREWING: SMALL BUSINESS WITH A BIG PASSION…………………………………………………. 22
BREWERKZ: BREWING WHAT WORKS BEST …………………………………………………………………………….. 23
GREENING MARINES? CREATING AN ENERGY ETHOS IN THE US MARINE CORPS ………………………… 24
EXPANSION DECISION: HC SECURITIES AND INVESTMENT …………………………………………………………. 25
LOLA’S MARKET: CAPTURING A NEW GENERATION …………………………..…………………………………….. 26
THE CASE OF THE ADVENTURE INN ………………………………………………………………………………………… 27
RISING FROM THE ASHES ………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 28
23ANDME: FUTURE OF PERSONAL GENOMICS SERVICES BUSINESS? …………………………………………. 29
EXPANSION OF STUDENT SERVICES IN HIGHER EDUCATION ……………………………………………………… 30
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WCA 2018 SPONSORS
The Western Casewriters Association expresses its
gratitude to these generous sponsors:
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PRESIDENT’S WELCOME
Welcome everyone!
We are looking forward to meeting and discussing business case writing with you at
the 2018 Western Casewriters Association (WCA) conference in Salt Lake City.
The WCA was founded with the mission to help train, develop, and support
case writers. To help us achieve our goals, we have structured the day
with a roundtable format. We have found that this is the best way to provide practical,
detailed feedback on your case and instructor’s manual. Our hope is that many of you
become motived and inspired to continue your work and aim to publish your work in
peer-reviewed journals. Please consider submitting your polished cases to the Journal
of Case Research and Inquiry (JCRI), the peer-reviewed online publication of the
WCA. The JCRI is now listed in Cabell’s Directory of Publishing Opportunities.
The WCA strongly believes in creating a supportive environment that encourages
people to start, develop and write interesting business cases. We believe in a
mentoring culture where the more experienced members share their insights and
ideas with new case writers to continue the development of our field.
Andrew Fergus will start our morning session with a welcome and introduction. This
will be followed by a short roundtable etiquette presentation by Deborah Walker, 2018
Program Chair. We will then break into our roundtable discussion groups.
This year the keynote presentation is a joint session with the Western Academy of
Management conference and is being presented by Andrew Fergus and Jeffrey Shay
(Co-President of NACRA). This year’s keynote is a workshop entitled “Writing a
Business Case – how hard can it be?” or these are the many mistakes I have made so
you don’t have to.
We will conclude the conference with reflections on the day, as well a presentation of
the awards for best WCA case, and best WCA mentored case. The WCA Board
Meeting, chaired by Andrew Fergus, will take place following the presentation of the
awards.
We hope you find the conference fun, motivating and rewarding.
Andrew Fergus, Ph.D.
President, Western Casewriters Association
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WCA 2018 PROGRAM SCHEDULE
Time
Location
Agenda
7:00 am – 5:00 pm
Canyon’s Lobby
WAM and WCA Registration
7:00 to 8:00 am
Bryce Ballroom
WCA Breakfast
8:10 to 8:30 am
Snowbird
Welcome (Andrew Fergus, President of WCA)
Roundtable Etiquette & Feedback Process
(Deborah Walker, WCA Program Chair)
8:30 to 9:25 am
Snowbird
Roundtable Discussions of Cases (1)
9:25 to 9:40 am
Snowbird
Quick Bathroom/Stretch Break
9:40 to 10:30 am
Snowbird
Roundtable Discussions of Cases (2)
10:30 to 10:45 am
Sundance
Refreshment Break with WAM
10:45 am to 12:00 pm
Snowbird
Roundtable Discussions of Cases (3) and wrap-
up of case discussions (return to earlier
unfinished discussions if needed).
12:00 to 1:00 pm
Bryce Ballroom
WCA/WAM Lunch
1:00 to 2:15 pm
Snowbird
Business Case Writing Workshop: Andrew
Fergus (President of WCA) and Jeffrey Shay
(Co-President of NACRA).
2:15 to 2:30 pm
Sundance
Refreshment Break with WAM
2:30 to 3:15 pm
Snowbird
Award Presentations
– Best WCA Case and Best Mentored Case
Survey Feedback
Reviewer Invitation (WCA and JCRI)
Treasurer’s Report
Choose WCA Program Chair for 2020
Conference
3:15 to 4:00
Snowbird
WCA Board Meeting:
-Journal of Case Research and Inquiry
-Other New Business
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WCA 2018 TABLE ASSIGNMENTS
Tables 1-2
*Names bolded are presenters or participants, others are co-authors not presenting or participating.
Table
Lead
Authors
Case
1
Lorraine Taylor
Wayne Singular
Anthony Bell
Thompson Rivers Univ.
Mostly Mental Shuttles
John J. Lawrence
Michael McCollough
University of Idaho
Pleasant Ridge Habitat for Humanity Second
Chance Home Supply
Lorraine Taylor
Michael Valdez
(faculty mentors)
Keith Winchester
(student)
Fort Lewis College
Let’s Do This Honey, Go Get Us A Hotel!: The
Case of the Adventure Inn
2
Issam
Ghazzawi
Issam A. Ghazzawi
University of La Verne
Pepsico: Can the Company Thrive Without the
Pepsi Soda and Create a New “Aha”?
Kathryn Aten
Anita Salem
Daniel Whitt
Naval Postgraduate
School
Greening Marines? Creating an Energy Ethos in
the US Marine Corps
Anne Dietterich
Ali Choucri
Victoria Gillern
(students)
Julia Ivy
(faculty mentor)
Northeastern Univ.
Expansion Decision: HC Securities and
Investment
Tables 3-4
*Names bolded are presenters or participants, others are co-authors not presenting or participating.
Table
Lead
Authors
Case
3
Steve McGuire
George L. Whaley
San Jose State Univ.
Stephen McGuire
California State Univ. –
Los Angeles
23andMe: Future of Personal Genomics
Services Business?
Shreshthi Mehta
(student)
Julia Ivy
(faculty mentor)
Northeastern Univ.
Brewerkz: Brewing What Works Best
Tanisha Suzuki
Lora Litzanova
(students)
Andrew Fergus
Anthony Bell
(faculty mentors)
Thompson Rivers
New Life Community: Simply Catering or Not?
California State Univ. –
