Publications

September 2011 (Revised August 2013)
Case

The Pepsi Refresh Project: A Thirst for Change

By: Michael I. Norton and Jill Avery

In 2010, for the first time in 23 years, PepsiCo did not invest in Superbowl advertising for its iconic brand. Instead, the company diverted this $20 million to the social media-fueled Pepsi Refresh Project: PepsiCo's innovative cause-marketing program in which... View Details

Keywords: Risk Management; Marketing Strategy; Customer Focus and Relationships; Advertising Campaigns; Investment Return; Brands and Branding; Marketing Communications; Social Marketing; Cost vs Benefits; Food and Beverage Industry

22 Feb 2018
Blog Post

Five Steps to Jump Start Your MBA Recruiting at HBS

functional or industry experience? What skill sets would add value to your team? Our Resume Book Database can help you find candidates that fit this profile. Companies also often work with relevant career-related student clubs on campus... View Details

Keywords: All Industries

28 Nov 2018
News

Catching up with the Class of ’48

13 Feb 2012
News

Wynton Marsalis Connects the Dots between Artists and Entrepreneurs at the Harvard Innovation Lab

SoulCycle: The Road Ahead

Julie Rice and Elizabeth Cutler founded SoulCycle, an indoor cycling studio chain, in 2006 as more than a health club; they wanted it to become a lifestyle brand that would "empower riders in an immersive fitness experience." By early 2015, SoulCycle had grown to... View Details

July 2000
Case

Patent & License Exchange, The: Enabling a Global IP Marketplace

The Patent & License Exchange (pl-x) is a start-up company seeking to create a market for intellectual property over the Web. The company has targeted the United States as its initial market and has developed its services and processes for the United States. Now it is... View Details

Keywords: Patents; Globalized Markets and Industries; Service Industry; Japan; United States

Find at Harvard

April 2004
Case

Case Vignette: The Salesman Saga

By: G. Felda Hardymon, Josh Lerner and Ann Leamon

A venture capitalist faces a situation in which a struggling portfolio company has found a promising vice president of sales through a recruitment agency. The candidate would be an excellent fit for another one of the investor's companies--one that is doing much... View Details

Keywords: Salesforce Management; Corporate Governance; Venture Capital; Ethics; Recruitment

October 1997 (Revised April 1998)
Case

C-Car

By: V. Kasturi Rangan and Marie Bell

C-Car was the first automobile retailer in the United States to go public. Subsequently the owner, Mr. Gilliland, must decide how to invest the capital raised from the public ownership. This case describes in detail C-Car's highly profitable strategy of managing its... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Cost vs Benefits; Management Practices and Processes; Profit; Acquisition; Business Strategy; Public Ownership; Auto Industry; Retail Industry

07 May 2020
Video

Innovative Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies

04 Mar 2020

Innovative Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies

March 2022 (Revised November 2024)
Case

Aldrich Capital Partners

By: Jo Tango and Alys Ferragamo

By July 2016, the Aldrich Capital Partners team had spent over two years trying to raise their inaugural growth-equity fund. They had pitched to over 140 investors, but none had committed. Managing Partners Mirza Baig and Raz Zia each had extensive experience in the... View Details

Keywords: Growth Equity; Investment Evaluation; Entrepreneurship; Private Equity; Investment; Strategy; Decision Making; United States

June 2023
Exercise

Successful Governance for the Family Enterprise

By: Christina R. Wing

This exercise examines three different family enterprise scenarios to open a conversation on what makes them successful. We look at how there is no strategy that fits all for family businesses, but there are strategies that can influence both the business and the... View Details

Keywords: Family Business; Strategy; Success

25 Apr 2016
News

#AirbnbWhileBlack: How Hidden Bias Shapes The Sharing Economy

17 May 2021
News

Corporate Political Activity

02 Dec 2020
News

A New Case at Harvard Business School Highlights the Real-World Issues for Latinx Considering an MBA

July 2012 (Revised July 2014)
Case

Warby Parker: Vision of a 'Good' Fashion Brand

By: Christopher Marquis and Laura Velez Villa

In its third year of existence and poised to double its workforce, Warby Parker attributed its success to an innovative approach in the eyewear industry and to the company culture that supported it. With a mission combining social and business goals, the company had... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Innovation; Business And Society; Social Responsiblity; Organizational Behavior; Social Entrepreneurship; Growth Management; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Brands and Branding; Organizational Culture; Marketing Strategy; Innovation and Invention; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Health Industry; United States

May 1992 (Revised August 1996)
Supplement

NIKE in Transition (C): A Second COO

By: Christopher A. Bartlett

After two years of stunning financial results, Knight again appoints a new COO, Dick Donahue. Are Knight and Nike ready for a new COO? How does Donahue differ from Woodell? Will his personality, style, and agenda fit with the new Nike Knight has created? Also describes... View Details

Keywords: Policy; Growth and Development; Leadership Style; Management Succession; Managerial Roles; Organizational Structure; Strategy; Apparel and Accessories Industry

18 Sep 2019
Working Paper Summaries

Using Models to Persuade

Keywords: by Joshua Schwartzstein and Adi Sunderam

July 1996
Case

Craig Parks (A)

By: David A. Thomas and Lisa J. Chadderdon

Craig Parks is a 1992 HBS graduate who, without much deliberation, returns to work for his former employer, Taylor Burton on Wall Street. The choice proves to be a poor fit for Craig. The case documents his decision-making process, personal history, and the dilemma he... View Details

Keywords: Personal Development and Career; Decision Choices and Conditions; Problems and Challenges