Engineering Services Unlimited, Inc. (ESU)

Authors

  • Sylvanus Ogburia Alabama A & M University
  • Danielle Ramirez-Barnes Alabama A & M University

Keywords:

case study, small firm, business-level strategy, environmental analysis, diversify, competitive market

Abstract

The case describes strategic and operating decisions that face many young companies and small business persons. The case focuses on the growth strategy of ESU. The first page gives a personal vignette about the principal character, Jerry Brooks, President and CEO of ESU. This vignette can be used to discuss the differences between corporate managers and entrepreneurs. Of particular interest are the problems that a "fast-track" manager/entrepreneur may encounter as he or she tries to grow a company in a very competitive political government market arena. ESU found it nerve-breaking trying to penetrate a competitive market environment that is crowded with many intensive rivalries. The case provides the students an opportunity to perform in-depth, comprehensive external and internal environmental analysis. The primary purpose of this case is twofold, namely:

  • the development of a business-level strategy for a small firm, and
  • consideration of the business owner to diversify the company when the business owner concludes that the business no longer fits or is no longer an attractive investment

Downloads

Published

2022-01-26

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 2 (2006)

Section

Cases

License

Copyright (c) 2006 Author retains copyright

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
  2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).