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Historical Data & Sources - Business History

Set in Excel Carrefour: Countries of Operation Carrefour Kingdom of Saudi Arabia “Carrefour Exits Japan and Mexico,” BBC News, 10 March 2005 “Retailer Carrefour to Sell Stake in Greek Joint Venture,” BBC News, 15 June 2012 “About... View Details

December 2022 (Revised January 2023)
Case

Cann: High Hopes for Cannabis Infused Beverages

By: Ayelet Israeli and Anne V. Wilson

Founded in 2018 by Jake Bullock and Luke Anderson, Cann sold “social tonics,” or cannabis-infused beverages. By 2022, the company had several notable celebrity investors and talent partners, had sold over 10 million beverages to consumers, was distributing in six... View Details

09 Dec 2019
News

Identify Great Customers from Their First Purchase

21 Jul 2020
News

Starbucks Commits to Raising Awareness of Racial Bias

2024
Working Paper

The Value of Open Source Software

By: Manuel Hoffmann, Frank Nagle and Yanuo Zhou

The value of a non-pecuniary (free) product is inherently difficult to assess. A pervasive example is open source software (OSS), a global public good that plays a vital role in the economy and is foundational for most technology we use today. However, it is... View Details

Keywords: Valuation; Open Source Distribution; Applications and Software

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25 Jun 2018
Research & Ideas

In America, Immigrants Really Do Get the Job Done

ferrantraite The Muslim ban. The Wall. Children separated from their parents at the Mexican border. The past two years have seen an aggressive push by the Trump administration against both legal and illegal immigration. But it’s not just the United States seeing a... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Agriculture & Agribusiness; Technology; Service

19 Jan 2015
Research & Ideas

Is Wikipedia More Biased Than Encyclopædia Britannica?

Zhu, an assistant professor in the Technology and Operations Management unit at Harvard Business School, who details the rise and fall of the information giant in a new working paper. "There has been lots of research on the accuracy of... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Publishing

Article

Products to Platforms: Making the Leap

By: Feng Zhu and Nathan Furr

Following the path of companies such as Apple and Amazon, more and more firms are trying to become not just product purveyors but also platform providers, facilitating direct connections between customers and other groups. Although launching a platform can generate new... View Details

Keywords: Product; Digital Platforms; Expansion

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November 2024
Case

Group AMANA: Built to Last

By: Hise Gibson and Fares Khrais

The case chronicles the Bsaibes brothers’ journey in founding and operating Group AMANA; a contracting business founded in 1993, based in the United Arab Emirates with operations across the Middle East. Over the years, the business found itself grappling with major... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Family Business; Transformation; Growth and Development Strategy; Management Succession; Business Strategy; Construction Industry; Middle East; Saudi Arabia; United Arab Emirates

Blog

The Chao Center: The Heart of HBS Executive Education

student center for the MBA program. The hours of operation are Monday through Friday, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The large COOP in Harvard Square at 1400 Massachusetts Avenue also should not be missed. Can I pick up a COVID test at the Chao... View Details

July 2022 (Revised August 2022)
Case

Athletic Brewing Company: Crafting the U.S. Non-Alcoholic Beer Category

By: Ayelet Israeli and Anne V. Wilson

Athletic Brewing Company (“Athletic,” for short) was founded by Bill Shufelt and John Walker in 2017. In creating Athletic, Shufelt and Walker opened the first U.S. brewery and taproom fully devoted to the production of non-alcoholic (NA) craft beer. By 2021, Athletic... View Details

Keywords: Advertising; Brands and Branding; Product Development; Product Marketing; Product Positioning; Product Launch; Product Design; Product; Competition; Marketing; Entrepreneurship; Growth Management; Cultural Entrepreneurship; Culture; Food and Beverage Industry; United States

21 Oct 2014
First Look

First Look: October 21

2009, the cofounders of Rent the Runway (RTR), a website that rented designer dresses, are debating whether to grow their startup at a measured pace and focus on improving operational effectiveness or raise a new round of venture capital... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

August 2013 (Revised November 2013)
Case

Ford vs. GM: The Evolution of Mass Production (A)

By: Willy Shih

This case explores the very different paths taken by the Ford Motor Company and the General Motors Corporation in the first three decades of the twentieth century. Henry Ford's Model T was a car for the masses. After considerable experimentation, Ford Motor... View Details

Keywords: Innovation; Exploration; Dominant Design; Business Growth and Maturation; Business History; Innovation and Management; Innovation Strategy; Technological Innovation; Leading Change; Growth and Development Strategy; Product Positioning; Product Design; Product Development; Business Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Vertical Integration; Auto Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Michigan