What is an Entrepreneur?
The
small, three-story brick building was slowly being dwarfed by the new,
gleaming white, brick-and-glass office and apartment tower going up
around it. The upper offices of the new structure looked out over the
city, onto the great prairies and the North Saskatchewan but also down
on the old roof of the old building. The little store, housing a small
chemist’s shop with offices and apartments on the top two floors, had
occupied the corner of 104th and Main Street in downtown Edmonton for
over a century. Its long time owner, the seventy-year-old chemist, had
refused to deal with the devel¬oper, insisting that he would run his
business until he decided to retire, and not sell out to some "greedy,
grasping real estate type."
Across
the street, high on the 20th floor of the Great North Trust Bank
building, Bob Hanrahan, a youthful financial broker-sales representative
for British American Trust Investments, watched impatiently as the
tower reached his level and continued upwards four more stories.
Finally,
as the last snows of the season left the prairies and the skies turned a
deep blue filling his office window, Bob phoned the owner of the new
building. Jarman Construction was the island’s biggest real estate
developer and construction company. Mr. Ricardo Jarman had decided to
invest his money in a large mixed office and apartment complex in the
city that he was just completing.. He already had a waiting list of
signed tenants who were interested in long-term leases for over half the
building.
"Mr.
Jarman, it's Bob Hanrahan at British American," he smiled as pictured
the industrialist, a large well-built ex-fisherman from St, Kitts.
"Can we get together later today?"
"Hi,
Bob. How are things at B.A. How’s Billy Connors doing?” Jarman was
referring to B.A;s chairman, a golfing buddy. Jarman Construction did
most of their financing through the Trust, who Jarman regarded as ‘a
great, honest company.’
“What can I do for you?"
"It's
a little business proposition I have arranged. I think you have much to
gain from it. Can we get together today? What time should I come over?"
"Well, let me see here, now. Okay, how about five o’clock in the new offices."
Bob
was pleased with himself. A few months ago he had approached the old
chemist with a proposal to lease the space on his roof. Following a
lengthy negotiation he had obtained a locked-in, 20-year lease for the
roof space on the small building. An engineering report on his desk
in¬dicated he could place a 15-ton, neon-and-steel billboard sign on the
roof. It would beam down 104th street, and be seen by 10 000 people
daily. It would rise halfway up the face of the new tower, blocking out a
selective view of the main city street and the northern panorama in the
distance. Bob's plan was to sell the lease to Mr. Jarman for $100
000.US.
Questions
1. What kind of entrepreneurial activity is Hanrahan engaging in?
2. Is his valuation of $100 000 realistic?
3. What might be your observations regarding business ethics? Environmental concerns?
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