Case Name :      GROWING PAINS: Entrepreneurship in a State-Controlled Economy

Authors :           Yuliya V. Ivanova, Joan Winn

Source :             North American Case Research Association (NACRA)

Case ID :            NA0015

Discipline :        Business & Government Relations

Case Length :    16 pages

Solution sample availability : YES

Plagiarism : NO (100% Original work)

This case describes the process of launching and developing a U.S.-Belarus joint venture that produces wood pellets in Belarus for sale in countries in the European Union. The combination of high demand for biofuels in EU countries and the potential for producing a good product at a low price in Belarus, provides a compelling business opportunity for brothers Victor and Aleksey Kruglov. Victor, who lives in the U.S., had experience in business in the U.S., and has access to capital. Aleksey, who lives in Belarus, has experience in wood-products production in Belarus, and has access to qualified workers. Having a well organized operation and continuous demand for its products, the company grew quickly. However, growth put the company in jeopardy in state-controlled Belarus. Local institutions (city and regional governments) perceived successful firms as sources of revenue for solving city infrastructure problems. Central institutions viewed successful firms as potential parts of their system of the larger government-controlled economy. Government involvement would most likely require the firm to follow specific directives, implement specific procedures for export operations, and share revenue. To avoid the threat of government control, the partners saw three options. Staying its course, their company could continue to grow and accept the role of major donor for the city’s needs, and become a part of the larger government-managed wood-processing industry. Alternatively, it could control its growth by slowing down or splitting up into several smaller firms located in different regions and still stay considerably invisible. A third option was to relocate operations entirely, to a country that provides a friendlier environment for business operations, yet has similar cultural and economic advantages.