The Case of the Missing Cabinets Or: How I Learned to Love Risk and Become an Accounting Intrapreneur

Abstract

This teaching case uses storytelling to illustrate how a missing set of cabinets can be the innovative spark that causes an existing company to enter a new line of business. The story arc illustrates how opportunities can be found anywhere, even in a low-tech/old-school business like kitchen and bath cabinets. The case demonstrates how FACE (Fast/Accurate/Cheap/Easy) should be used as a prism for fostering innovation and how intrapreneurship is the preferred vehicle for managing entrepreneurship risk. The plot requires participants to demonstrate their understanding of how management accountants can use their critical thinking skills to assist in the preparation of a Proof of Concept. The teaching notes explain how the themes of (1) Proof of Concept, (2) Critical Thinking, (3) FACE, and (4) Governance v Innovation can be scaled to fit a wide array of participants ranging from undergraduate to graduate to corporate training classes. The notes also contain various instructional resources which the instructor can use to help the participants understand how to apply critical thinking skills to solve an unstructured assignment such as a Proof of Concept. However, answering whether the business model presented in the case is a good idea is left up to the instructor and participants. Life does not come with a solution manual.