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Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(9,276)
- People (18)
- News (1,855)
- Research (6,505)
- Events (9)
- Multimedia (41)
- Faculty Publications (4,428)
- July 2017
- Case
Magpie: Developing and Using Buyer Personas
By: Frank V. Cespedes
The founders of a start-up platform for publishers have developed preliminary personas of target customers and are evaluating the implications for initial target buyers, messaging, and marketing programs. The case is useful for discussing the process of developing... View Details
Keywords: Buying Process; Marketing; Sales; Distribution Channels; Segmentation; Entrepreneurship; Social Media; Consumer Products Industry; Fashion Industry; United States
Cespedes, Frank V. "Magpie: Developing and Using Buyer Personas." Harvard Business School Case 818-013, July 2017.
- November 2018 (Revised January 2022)
- Case
JUUL and the Vaping Revolution
By: Michael W. Toffel, John Masko and Sarah Mehta
In late 2019, San Francisco-based electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) maker JUUL Labs (pronounced “jewel”) faced intense pressure. Sales of JUUL products exceeded $1 billion in 2018, dominating the e-cigarette category. While JUUL Labs’ stated goal was to help current... View Details
Keywords: Electronic Cigarettes; E-Cigarettes; Vaping; Nicotine Replacement; JUUL; Juuling; Advertising; Digital Marketing; Customers; Innovation and Invention; Marketing; Ethics; Brands and Branding; Marketing Communications; Marketing Strategy; Product Marketing; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Social Issues; Information Technology; Technology Industry; San Francisco; California
Toffel, Michael W., John Masko, and Sarah Mehta. "JUUL and the Vaping Revolution." Harvard Business School Case 619-006, November 2018. (Revised January 2022.)
- November 2004 (Revised May 2010)
- Case
RightNow Technologies
By: William A. Sahlman and Dan Heath
The founder and CEO of a CRM software start-up must decide between an attractive acquisition offer and the opportunity to go public. Discusses the growth of the company--including a lengthy discussion of entrepreneurial bootstrapping--as well as an aborted IPO attempt... View Details
Keywords: Business Exit or Shutdown; Applications and Software; Going Public; Management Teams; Finance; Strategy; Value Creation; Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Acquisition; Computer Industry
Sahlman, William A., and Dan Heath. "RightNow Technologies." Harvard Business School Case 805-032, November 2004. (Revised May 2010.)
- Research Summary
Overview
Professor Brooks studies the psychology of conversation and emotion—topics at the intersection of how people think, feel, and interact. From pitching ideas to seeking advice, from asking questions to giving compliments, from talking about (or hiding) our feelings and... View Details
- June 2011 (Revised March 2013)
- Case
Wal-Mart Update, 2011
By: David B. Yoffie and Renee Kim
In 2011, Wal-Mart was the world's largest company with $420 billion in sales and operations in 14 countries. Yet it found itself searching for the right growth strategy moving forward. U.S. same-store sales had declined for eight consecutive quarters and Wal-Mart was... View Details
Keywords: Corporate Strategy; Business Growth and Maturation; Growth and Development Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Global Range; Business Strategy; Retail Industry
Yoffie, David B., and Renee Kim. "Wal-Mart Update, 2011." Harvard Business School Case 711-546, June 2011. (Revised March 2013.)
- September 2012 (Revised December 2013)
- Case
Roxbury Technology Corporation
By: Richard S. Ruback and Royce Yudkoff
Roxbury Technology is a Boston-based re-manufacturer of ink and toner cartridges. In early 2012 RTC was re-evaluating its approach to the company's two most important goals: reducing customer concentration and increasing profitability. RTC's largest customer accounted... View Details
- February 1994 (Revised September 1995)
- Case
Leland O'Brien Rubinstein Associates, Inc.: Portfolio Insurance
By: Peter Tufano
Leland O'Brien Rubinstein Associates, a small financial advisory firm founded in 1980, has created a successful business by selling a product commonly known as portfolio insurance. Portfolio insurance is a trading strategy that institutional investors use to establish... View Details
Tufano, Peter, and Barbara Kyrillos. "Leland O'Brien Rubinstein Associates, Inc.: Portfolio Insurance." Harvard Business School Case 294-061, February 1994. (Revised September 1995.)
Global Capitalism at Risk: What Are You Doing About It?
Market capitalism, a system that has proven to be a remarkable engine of wealth creation, is poised for a breakdown. That sounds dire, and it is. Increasing income inequality, migration, weaknesses in the global financial system, environmental degradation, and... View Details
- August 1998 (Revised August 2002)
- Case
MicroFridge: The Concept
By: John A. Deighton
Robert Bennett, who has a Master's degree in engineering, wants to exploit his idea to combine a refrigerator, freezer, and 500-watt microwave into an 87-pound, 4-foot-high appliance to sell to college students. Bennett must decide which markets to serve, which... View Details
Keywords: Marketing Strategy; Decision Choices and Conditions; Leadership Style; Sales; Product Development; Competitive Strategy; Partners and Partnerships; Demand and Consumers; Consumer Products Industry
Deighton, John A. "MicroFridge: The Concept." Harvard Business School Case 599-049, August 1998. (Revised August 2002.) (request a courtesy copy.)
- May 1983 (Revised December 1987)
- Case
Technical Data Corp.
Describes a decision confronting the president of a small company about selling some or all of the shares in his company to another firm. Technical Data Corp. provides analytical services to professional bond market traders over a system of computer terminals operated... View Details
Keywords: Stocks; Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Internet and the Web; Information Infrastructure; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Valuation; Negotiation Tactics; Mergers and Acquisitions; Corporate Strategy; Horizontal Integration; Information Industry; Service Industry
Sahlman, William A. "Technical Data Corp." Harvard Business School Case 283-072, May 1983. (Revised December 1987.)
- June 2016 (Revised March 2017)
- Technical Note
Disintermediation in Two-Sided Marketplaces
By: Benjamin Edelman and Philip Hu
Two-sided marketplaces often risk disintermediation: users may rely on the marketplace to find each other but then perform related future transactions—or even the current transaction—without the platform’s involvement and without paying any fees the platform may... View Details
Keywords: Disintermediation; Strategic Behavior; Circumvention; Undercutting; Uber; Airbnb; Handy; Upwork; Etsy; eBay; Monster.com; Google; Competitive Strategy; Multi-Sided Platforms; Marketplace Matching; Transportation Industry; Accommodations Industry; Service Industry; Advertising Industry
Edelman, Benjamin, and Philip Hu. "Disintermediation in Two-Sided Marketplaces." Harvard Business School Technical Note 917-004, June 2016. (Revised March 2017.) (request a courtesy copy.)
- Article
Divide and Conquer: Competing with Free Technology under Network Effects
By: Deishin Lee and Haim Mendelson
We study how a commercial firm competes with a free open source product. The market consists of two customer segments with different preferences and is characterized by positive network effects. The commercial firm makes product and pricing decisions to maximize its... View Details
Keywords: Profit; Product Launch; Network Effects; Open Source Distribution; Adoption; Competitive Strategy; Competitive Advantage
Lee, Deishin, and Haim Mendelson. "Divide and Conquer: Competing with Free Technology under Network Effects." Production and Operations Management 17, no. 1 (January–February 2008): 12–28.
Karim R. Lakhani
Karim R. Lakhani is the Dorothy & Michael Hintze Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School. He specializes in technology management, innovation, digital transformation and artificial... View Details
- October 2003 (Revised January 2005)
- Case
Microsoft: Launching the Smart Watch
By: John T. Gourville and Christina L. Darwall
Microsoft is on the verge of launching its Smart Watch technology, which will allow specially designed watches to receive up-to-date information on sports, business, traffic, news, etc. After several years of effort and millions of dollars spent, the questions now... View Details
Keywords: Customer Focus and Relationships; Information Management; Marketing Strategy; Product Launch; Product Positioning; Product Design; Product Development; Performance Effectiveness; Partners and Partnerships; Information Technology Industry
Gourville, John T., and Christina L. Darwall. "Microsoft: Launching the Smart Watch." Harvard Business School Case 504-004, October 2003. (Revised January 2005.)
- August 1977 (Revised April 1987)
- Case
Crown Cork & Seal Co., Inc.
By: Richard G. Hamermesh, Karen Gordon Mills and John P. Reed
Describes the technical, economic, and competitive trends in the metal container industry. The strategy of Crown Cork and Seal is then described in relation to these trends. Focuses on two immediate threats to Crown's strategy: the future of aerosol cans, given the... View Details
Keywords: Business Strategy; Industry Structures; Environmental Sustainability; Trends; Manufacturing Industry
Hamermesh, Richard G., Karen Gordon Mills, and John P. Reed. "Crown Cork & Seal Co., Inc." Harvard Business School Case 378-024, August 1977. (Revised April 1987.)
- May 2018 (Revised January 2019)
- Case
AirFox (A): Embracing the Blockchain and an ICO
By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang, Edward B. Berk and Nate Schwalb
In summer 2017, Victor Santos, CEO of AirFox, considered whether to pivot his startup towards a new product built with blockchain—a quickly growing technology at the time. AirFox was an early stage startup that sold Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) to small telecom... View Details
Keywords: Blockchain; Cryptocurrency; Initial Coin Offering; ICO; Business Startups; Finance; Currency; Strategy; Decision Making; United States
Bussgang, Jeffrey J., Edward B. Berk, and Nate Schwalb. "AirFox (A): Embracing the Blockchain and an ICO." Harvard Business School Case 818-097, May 2018. (Revised January 2019.)
- September 2003 (Revised May 2006)
- Case
Eyeblaster: Enabling the Next Generation of Online Advertising
By: Elie Ofek
Eyeblaster management has to decide on the best course of action to sustain its momentum from enabling online rich media advertising. Pressure from competitors is forcing the company to re-evaluate its previous marketing strategy that focused primarily on getting... View Details
Keywords: Business Model; Marketing Strategy; Market Entry and Exit; Performance Evaluation; Digital Marketing; Growth and Development Strategy
Ofek, Elie. "Eyeblaster: Enabling the Next Generation of Online Advertising." Harvard Business School Case 504-005, September 2003. (Revised May 2006.)
- 09 May 2017
- News
If You Were Lorde’s Manager What Would You Do?
- September 2020 (Revised December 2020)
- Case
Hot Wheels at Mattel: Reinventing the Wheel
By: Elie Ofek, Andres Terech and Nicole Tempest Keller
In 2017, Chris Down, Global Brand General Manager for Hot Wheels, and his team from the Advanced Play Group within Mattel, Inc., were considering which innovation path to pursue in order to "future proof" the Hot Wheels franchise going forward. Hot Wheels was the... View Details
Keywords: Toys; Industry Evolution; Innovation Strategy; Product Development; Growth and Development Strategy; Technological Innovation; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Decision Making; Digital Transformation
Ofek, Elie, Andres Terech, and Nicole Tempest Keller. "Hot Wheels at Mattel: Reinventing the Wheel." Harvard Business School Case 521-015, September 2020. (Revised December 2020.)