The Fresh Choice Company: Acquiring and Transferring Knowledge

Fresh Choice, a restaurant in the throes of recovering from substantial financial difficulties, had borrowed ideas on things ranging from restaurant design to recipes from a competitor. That competitor had itself been started as an imitator of the Fresh Choice salad-buffet concept, indicating that there was transfer of practices and knowledge when the firms were competitors. But once Fresh Choice acquired the other firm, in an effort to acquire its intellectual capital as well as some excellent locations, the transfer of knowledge inside the firm occurred with more difficulty. The questions facing Fresh Choice senior management at this point are as follows: What can they learn from the events that have transpired after the acquisition? What might have they done differently? Why did the problems arise? And, most importantly, what might they do differently in the future to realize more of the benefits of acquisitions and mergers?