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Case Study

Scott USA (A): The entrepreneurial journey

By Joachim Schwass and Donna Everatt

14 pages

May 2005

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Reference: IMD-3-1459

The case tracks the professional and personal experiences the founder and Chairman, Tom Stendahl during almost two decades of the growth of Scott Sports Group into one of the world’s leading mountain bike, ski and sports accessories companies.Early decisions include how to build effective distributionchannels, marketing on a tight budget, manufacturing decisions, and merger and acquisition strategies. The case charts the changes in culture and Stendahl’s lessons in leadership during various stages of entrepreneurial life cycle of a fast-growing business. The case ends with Stendahl’s decision to exit the company he founded due to acrimonious relationships with new owners – a venture capital fund. As often in this situation, Stendahl feels that the new owners do not understand key dynamics of the industry or company. Further, significant conflict of interests arise over several key decisions regarding what’s best for the company and its employees.

Keywords

Manufacturing Strategy, Marketing Strategy, Merger and Acquisition Strategy, Entrepreneurial Finance, Venture Capital, Sports Equipment

Settings

Europe, Switzerland
Travel and Leisure, Sports
1996

Type

Field Research

Available Languages

English

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