Teaching Cases in Management - Caso WebBusiness: Vender ou n o Vender, eis a Quest o

The WebBusiness case, based on real facts, confronts students with the need to make a critical decision in the life of a small entrepreneur who is enjoying a successful venture: to sell or not to sell his business. The main character of the case, Moris Litvak, developed and operates an online platform that allows hotels to receive reservations over the web. To argue consistently for or against selling, the student has to evaluate the business situation, the entrepreneur′s competences and those of his team and the quality of the buying offer received. In doing so, he or she practices critical skills for the management of a new business. To allow for a well reasoned argument, the case offers extensive information about the entrepreneur life′s trajectory, the organization’s development and existing structure, its market, products, competitors and alliances, and also the present and projected financial results and details of the offer received. The data provided makes it possible for the student to calculate the value of the firm, based on the projected five years of results and to compare this value with the one being offered for it. The case also has data to support a discussion concerning the plausibility of the results projected by the entrepreneur and of other subjective aspects involved in the decision.