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April 2007
Case

The Boeing Company: Moonshine Shop

By: Robert D. Austin, Richard L. Nolan and Shannon O'Donnell

Describes how the "Moonshine Shop," a group of plant-savvy creative generalists, is helping a great industrial company become more innovative. Chronicles the history of the Moonshine Shop, its successes and failures, and describes innovations they've helped put in... View Details

Keywords: History; Business Model; Saving; Programs; Creativity; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Research and Development; Collaborative Innovation and Invention; Business Processes; Aerospace Industry

March 2010 (Revised August 2012)
Supplement

WellSpace Treatment Centers for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (B) - The Marino Center

By: Regina E. Herzlinger

The Marino Center provides complementary traditional and alternative health care services. It wants to grow, but how and where? View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Decision Choices and Conditions; Growth and Development; Health Care and Treatment; Medical Specialties; Growth and Development Strategy; Health Industry

March 2002 (Revised August 2002)
Case

Microsoft.NET

By: Alan D. MacCormack and Kerry Herman

Set in the summer of 2000, following the unveiling of Microsoft's .NET initiative to the public. Three of the key figures in .NET's development are considering the next steps they would have to take to keep the initiative moving forward. Specifically, the challenges... View Details

Keywords: Applications and Software; Growth and Development Strategy; Change Management; Talent and Talent Management; Policy; Business Model; Computer Industry; Web Services Industry

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October 2016 (Revised November 2016)
Case

Innovating Beyond Ochsner

By: Richard G. Hamermesh and Olivia Hull

The Ochsner Health System has developed a proprietary software tool designed to treat hypertension. Built into the system’s electronic medical records, the Hypertension Digital Medicine program allows patients to record their blood pressure at home and share readings... View Details

May 2008 (Revised March 2010)
Supplement

Palm (C): 2005

By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell, Kevin Boudreau and Jordan Mitchell

This case series looks at three important inflection points in Palm's history that relate to decisions about its platform: when the company was debating whether to open its operating system (OS) for licensing to third-party hardware manufacturers; 2001, when the... View Details

Keywords: History; Decisions; Business Model; Technological Innovation; Value Creation; Digital Platforms; Rights; Competition

01 Sep 2015
News

Data-Driven Diligence

that sold them on Casper—it was the numbers. The company had tested well in a revolutionary predictive model built by the venture firm. The idea to vet possible investments in such a way hit Coats about a decade ago: Maybe, he figured, he... View Details

Keywords: Francis Storrs

August 2015
Case

Yabbly (A)

By: Shikhar Ghosh and Christopher Payton

In November 2013, with less than 10 months of cash on hand, Tom Leung, the founder and CEO of Yabbly, must decide where to focus his resources. His startup, a question-and-answer application for shopping decisions, had benefited from a strong showing at the SXSW... View Details

Keywords: Startup; Mobile; Online Product Reviews; Consumer Products; Business Model; Business Plan; Business Startups; Entrepreneurship; Innovation Strategy; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Internet and the Web; North America; United States; Washington (state, US); Seattle

October 1998 (Revised April 2001)
Case

Preview Travel (B)

By: William A. Sahlman and Nicole Tempest

Supplements the (A) case. View Details

Keywords: Risk and Uncertainty; Business Model; Initial Public Offering; Internet and the Web; Business Plan; Capital; Financial Strategy; Travel Industry; United States

15 Nov 2020
News

Exploring China’s Belt & Road Initiative

preparation with the unique perspective that comes from on-the-ground observations and interactions. The students spent two weeks in China, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka in January. Led by Meg Rithmire, the F. Warren McFarlan Associate Professor of View Details

August 2021
Case

Wymsee

By: Julia Austin, Sarah Mehta and Tom Quinn

Wymsee was a company that aimed to develop a mobile application (app) that would allow television audience members to identify and purchase clothing or accessories worn by characters in the program they were watching, with the Wymsee founders taking a percentage of... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Business Plan; Business Startups; Film Entertainment; Television Entertainment; Technological Innovation; Knowledge Acquisition; Product Positioning; Opportunities; Adaptation; Mobile Technology; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Motion Pictures and Video Industry; Technology Industry; United States; New York (city, NY)

01 Dec 2019
News

What’s Behind the Explosive Growth of Sustainable Investing?

financial returns and impact in the business model of investee companies. Quite a few of the large, global PE firms have launched impact funds over the last year. On the public side, I think ESG will become... View Details

Keywords: Jen McFarland Flint

01 Jun 2015
News

Lessons from a Megacity

Lima toll road in Peru. In Buenos Aires, despite Argentina’s economic difficulties, the team found a model transit system—including a new bus rapid transit system to alleviate congestion—that residents have embraced for its convenience... View Details

Keywords: April White; Transit and Ground Passenger Transportation; Transportation

16 Dec 2013
HBS Case

D’O: Making a Michelin-Starred Restaurant Affordable

cost/quality tradeoff for a Michelin-starred restaurant," said Gary P. Pisano, the Harry E. Figgie, Jr. Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and the lead author of the HBS... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel & Joanie Tobin; Food & Beverage

01 Jun 2011
News

The Best-Laid Plans

focuses on creating social value through a nonprofit, for-profit, or hybrid model business plan. In 2000, when Benjamin Fenton (MBA 2000) and Monique Burns (MBA 1993) entered the contest with New Leaders for... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna; contests; Health, Social Assistance; Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services; Professional Services; Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services; Professional Services

06 Nov 2014
News

Building a Startup Community Beyond Commencement

As director of the Harvard Innovation Lab (i-lab), Jodi Goldstein (MBA 1996) has watched a number of innovative student businesses thrive at the space in its three years of operation. But watching those students lose their access to this... View Details

February 2019 (Revised June 2019)
Case

Where to Grow Next at Online Marketplace OLX

By: Thales Teixeira, Leandro A. Guissoni and Samy Dana

The CEO of OLX Brazil, an online classifieds platform business, is debating among multiple paths to grow sustainably (i.e., profitably) without the need for investor money. The options under consideration are (1) penetration growth by focusing on the core, (2) new... View Details

Keywords: Online Marketplace; Growth; Customer Acquisition; Facebook; Two-sided Network; E-commerce; Classifieds; Naspers; Schibsted; Innovation; Startup; Digital Platforms; Internet and the Web; Growth and Development Strategy; Business Model; Innovation and Invention; Business Startups; Decision Choices and Conditions; Brazil