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December 2007 (Revised June 2009)
Background Note

Identifying and Exploiting the Right Entrepreneurial Opportunity...For You

By: Howard H. Stevenson and Shirley Spence

This note provides an analytical framework for assessing potential opportunities in the context of an entrepreneur's life. The framework has two parts -- a business analysis and a personal analysis -- each comprised of a set of yes/no questions for critical assessment... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Opportunities

12 Apr 2022
Research & Ideas

Swiping Right: How Data Helped This Online Dating Site Make More Matches

them with a premium “who likes you” feature. The control group couldn’t see their potential paramours, only their number of swipes. However, the test group would enjoy a reveal after one month, unblurring the photo of each user who... View Details

Keywords: by Kara Baskin

12 Oct 2011
Research & Ideas

Creating Online Ads We Want to Watch

video we really want to see. But assuming a captive audience on these video sites may not make online marketers more effective at reaching consumers. Harvard Business School Assistant Professor Thales S. Teixeira notes that it's just as... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Consumer Products

24 Oct 2016
Research & Ideas

Bernie Madoff Explains Himself

recent events in the news. But that evening Soltes led the conversation with a specific question: How would you explain your actions and misconduct to a group of students? Audio File Interviewed in prison, Bernie Madoff reflects on his... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Financial Services

December 2018 (Revised March 2019)
Case

iyzico: Fundraising in Emerging Markets (A)

By: Marco Di Maggio and Gamze Yucaoglu

The case opens in 2016 as Barbaros Ozbugutu, co-founder and CEO of the Istanbul-based payment technology start-up iyzico, contemplates the offers the company received for its Series C round. The case then describes iyzico’s origins and provides a detailed overview of... View Details

Keywords: Iyzico; Fundraising; Business Startups; Venture Capital; Emerging Markets; Private Sector; For-Profit Firms; Management; Information Technology; Growth Management; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Negotiation Offer; Decision Making; Turkey

January 2022 (Revised August 2022)
Case

Geely SEA: New Electric Vehicle Platforms

By: Willy C. Shih and Shu Lin

Kent Bovellan, the Chief Engineer and Head of the Vehicle Architecture Center for Geely Holding, the Hangzhou, China headquartered global automotive group, was debating the platform choice for an upcoming "D" segment midsized battery electric vehicle (BEV). He had led... View Details

Keywords: Product Innovation; Product Architecture; Product Engineering; Platform Design; Platform Strategy; Information Infrastructure; Digital Platforms; Information Technology; Product Design; Product Development; Cost Management; Decision Making; Competitive Strategy; Industry Structures; Auto Industry; China; Sweden

15 Oct 2007
Research & Ideas

Businesses Beware: The World Is Not Flat

view of such differences, to figure out the ones that matter the most in your industry, and to look at them not just as difficulties to be overcome but also as potential sources of value creation. Q: You say... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

8 AM – 8 PM EDT, 26 Apr 2025
Industry Events

Real Estate Symposium at Harvard 2025

The Real Estate Club, a student club at Harvard Business School, and the Harvard GSD Real Estate Club are excited to announce the Real Estate Symposium at Harvard 2025. Join our diverse audience of over 500 attendees, including industry professionals, alumni,... View Details

April 2019 (Revised June 2019)
Case

Western Governors University: 10x Vision

By: William R. Kerr and Susie L. Ma

Western Governors University (WGU) was a nonprofit institution of higher education whose online learning model served more than 100,000 students in 2019 and was scaling rapidly. President Scott Pulsipher wanted to expand WGU’s reach to millions more with a plan called... View Details

Keywords: Online Education; Enrollment; Scaling; Higher Education; Internet and the Web; Business Model; Expansion; Growth and Development Strategy; Education Industry; United States

March 2022
Case

In Data We Trust: Be Mobile Africa and Furthering Financial Inclusion Across the African Continent

By: Lauren Cohen, Grace Headinger and Pierre Marchesseault

To Cédric Jeannot, leveraging technology to promote financial inclusion was personal. After no established financial institution would accept his technology platform to lower transaction costs for free, Jeannot launched FinTech company Be Mobile Africa in May 2020.... View Details

Keywords: Finance; Fintech; Emerging Market; Fundraising; Financial Inclusion; Strategy; Expansion; Management; Entrepreneurship; Personal Finance; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Growth and Development Strategy; Financial Services Industry; Banking Industry; Africa; Togo; Nigeria; Ghana

18 Nov 2010
Research & Ideas

GM’s IPO: Back to the Future

On a journey that began 17 months ago, General Motors entered and emerged from bankruptcy to become a private company with Uncle Sam as its largest shareholder. The company reaches another milestone today by offering an initial public... View Details

Keywords: by Staff; Auto

02 May 2025
Blog Post

How to Work with Search Firms

one that engages and pays the firm to fill a specific position, and all the firm’s efforts are focused on meeting that client’s needs. As a candidate, you are considered a potential match for the client’s needs. The closer View Details

10 Dec 2021
Research & Ideas

Truth Be Told: Unpacking the Risks of Whistleblowing

enough to encourage an employee to report it. At the same time, we know that thousands of workers still die or get injured due to workplace safety violations. But in securities fraud or tax fraud, where the penalties can be in the millions, it makes more sense. White:... View Details

Keywords: by April White

Blog

The Chao Center: The Heart of HBS Executive Education

created to inspire connection, conversation, and new ideas. The HBS Guest Services team, which staffs the Chao Center front desk, will greet you on arrival, answer any questions, and provide concierge services throughout your stay on... View Details

20 Feb 2020
Op-Ed

Love in the Office Is Wonderful. Except for CEOs.

other complaints about the company’s culture. "It's clear McDonald's culture is rotten from top to bottom,” she said. Perhaps the height of lack of disclosure was reached by a nonprofit CEO in Massachusetts, who boasted of his... View Details

Keywords: by Regina Herzlinger

August 2023
Case

Kariyer.net: Recruiting AI

By: Shunyuan Zhang, Fares Khrais and Namrata Arora

In 2017, Fatih Uysal (AMP 2021) became CEO of Kariyer.net. By then, the business was already the industry leading online job board in Turkey. However, faced with stalling growth, a turbulent macroenvironment, and growing competition from international players, Uysal... View Details

March 2022
Case

The Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program: 2009-2021

By: Leonard A. Schlesinger and Julia Kelley

In December 2021, more than a decade after its founding, Goldman Sachs’s 10,000 Small Businesses program was still going strong — and the firm now needed to evaluate potential program modifications to reach a wider group of small business owners. Launched in the... View Details