In today's increasingly competitive business world, organizations are using ICT to advance their business strategies and increase their competitive advantage. One technological element that is growing in popularity is knowledge discovery in databases (KDD). In this paper, we propose an analytic framework which is applied to two cases concerning KDD. The first case presents an organization at the analysis stage of a KDD project. The second one shows how a multinational company leverages its databases by mining data to discover new knowledge.

The case asks you to prepare a report and presentation to the shareholders of Camelot Caves Incorporated (CCI), a privately held winery located in Niagara‐on‐the‐Lake, Ontario, Canada. CCI has approached your firm to assist them in setting a new direction for the company. The shareholders need to make critical decisions about the company's operations, but they cannot seem to agree. You must obtain an understanding of CCI's current vision and mission, strategic position, and financial situation before analyzing the strategic fit and quantitative and qualitative implications of the alternatives under consideration—including the addition of a new distribution channel, the opening of a restaurant, and the production of ice wine—and considering the impact of your recommendations on the value of the business and its cash position. The case will allow you to integrate a number of issues faced by a small business seeking growth through evaluating strategic and operational issues and providing recommendations.