Teaching Cases in Management - O Chocolate Importado

• Main Authors: Dusan Schreiber, Leonardo Flach, Cláudia Simone Antonello
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Associação Nacional de Pós-Graduação e Pesquisa em Administração (ANPAD) 2009-10-01
• Series: RAC: Revista de Administração Contemporânea
• Subjects: learning; strategic planning; international trade.
• Online Access: http://www.anpad.org.br/periodicos/arq_pdf/a_1004.pdf

International trade plays a special role in all countries due the influence exerted in the economic and social field. At the same time, subjects such as planning and implementing the operation of export and import becomes very important, with particular relevance among entrepreneurs and academics. When it comes to this issue, the aim of this teaching case is to provide discussions about the subjects of entrepreneurship, business planning and the learning of strategists. It describes the experience of company SK, started in July of 1997, which began its businesses through exporting and importing leather and its artifacts. Later, the enterprise redirected its focus and began importing chocolates for the Brazilian market. The entrepreneur found, during the process of the business construction, a series of challenges that obliged him to make decisions and make choices. Having an amount of capital and willingness to undertake, he had to decide which path to follow and how to decide. Were there right and wrong choices? How would he plan and operationalize a start-up business? How would he evaluate opportunities and estimate the risk of an enterprise? These are some of many questions that the reader will be challenged to answer after analyzing this case.