Publications

October 1997 (Revised July 1999)
Case

Best Buy

By: V. Kasturi Rangan and Balaji Chakravarthy

Documents the evolution of Best Buy, an electronics retailer, from its founding in 1966 to its very successful "Concept 2" strategy in 1996, boosting its sales ($7.2 billion) past industry #1 Circuit City. Its CEO Richard Schulze offers a new vision (Concept 3) to... View Details

Keywords: History; Business Model; Competitive Strategy; Adaptation; Customer Focus and Relationships; Customization and Personalization; Retail Industry

January 2004 (Revised June 2004)
Case

Citigroup 2003: Testing the Limits of Convergence (A)

By: Lynda M. Applegate

Examines Citigroup's strategic transition and highlights issues that its newly announced CEO Charles Prince will face as he assumes leadership of this global financial corporation upon the retirement of its charismatic CEO, Sandy Weill. View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Globalized Firms and Management; Management Succession; Transformation; Banks and Banking; Banking Industry; Financial Services Industry

Keywords: Roger Thompson; Margie Kelley; Business Schools & Computer & Management Training; Business Schools & Computer & Management Training; Business Schools & Computer & Management Training; Business Schools & Computer & Management Training

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01 Jun 2007
News

Mission Possible

world-class advice and our partners getting the opportunity to develop their staff through exciting work with high-growth businesses in emerging markets.” Endeavor has created a new model for how nonprofits... View Details

February 2018
Case

Rosslyn Resource: Monetization and Sales Strategy

By: Robert J. Dolan and Sunru Yong

Rosslyn Resource identifies exploration targets (potential mineral deposits) in the mining industry and advances them until the project can be monetized, usually through sale to a larger mining company, in return for an upfront fee and a royalty on future revenues.... View Details

Keywords: Strategy; Decision Choices and Conditions; Business Model; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Mining Industry

01 Mar 2004
News

Ron Shaich’s Café Society

not reach its full potential unless it had all the financial and human capital our company could muster. I suggested to our board that we sell all our other businesses and “double down” on Panera Bread. It wasn’t a popular decision but... View Details

Keywords: Susan Young; Food Services and Drinking Places; Hospitality

October 2024
Supplement

NOW PT (B)

By: George A Riedel, Allison J. Wigen and Dave Habeeb

Pre-Abstract: Instructors should consider the timing of making videos available to students, as they may reveal key case details.

Abstract: In fall 2021, a team of students from the HBS Impact Investing Fund considered Neurologic Optimal Wellness Physical... View Details

Keywords: Health Care and Treatment; Medical Specialties; Business Model; Investment; Health Industry; United States

January 2024
Case

Flashfood: The Magic of Commitment

By: Reza Satchu and Patrick Sanguineti

Josh Domingues had accomplished what countless young entrepreneurs long to achieve: founding a promising company that aspires to make the world a tangibly better place. Shocked to learn that international food waste cumulatively amounted to the world’s third largest... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneur; Founder; Startup; Business Model; Business Startups; Food; Applications and Software; Mission and Purpose; Environmental Sustainability; Canada

01 Jun 2002
News

Steven Murch: Philanthropist-in-Training

from his post as a vice president at Internet travel giant Expedia to become a philanthropist-in-training. His “teacher” has been Seattle's chapter of Habitat for Humanity, where he has been busy helping to build interest-free, at-cost... View Details

Keywords: Margie Kelley; Construction of Buildings; Construction; Health, Social Assistance

March 2011
Teaching Note

PrimedicProviding Primary Care in Mexico (TN)

By: Richard G. Hamermesh

Teaching Note for 811040. View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Health Care and Treatment; Venture Capital; Financing and Loans; Business Model; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry; Mexico

15 Dec 2015
News

The Year in Ideas 2015

business: Investing in employees keeps churn rates down and distinguishes Hello Alfred in a moment when quantity of transactions often wins out over quality of service. “If we serve our employees well, then the users will be happy,” Sapone says. “We built a View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna, Christine Lejeune, Dan Morrell, and April White

01 Apr 2001
News

Beyond the Rim: New Paths to Success in Asia

infrastructure in the world. What are the implications for their ability to leapfrog content and technical developments in this sector in the United States? Internet development in China. Online marketing and consumer behavior in South Korea. View Details

Keywords: Alejandro Reyes and Deborah Blagg; David Lane; Educational Services

September–October 2020
Article

When It's Time to Pivot, What's Your Story?: How to Sell Stakeholders on a New Strategy

By: Rory McDonald and Robert Bremner

To succeed, a new company must rally investors, staff, customers, and the media around a good story. But often that narrative turns out to be wrong, and entrepreneurs realize they need to change direction. How that shift is communicated can have a huge impact on a... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Business Model; Strategy; Change Management; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Communication Strategy; Business and Stakeholder Relations

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01 Jun 2017
News

Drawing on the Crowd for Innovative Problem-Solving

of business and society is changing not only how we work and live, but also how we tackle the toughest issues. Lakhani oversees the Crowd Innovation Lab, a Harvard University initiative focused on crowdsourcing. He conducts field... View Details

February 2000 (Revised March 2004)
Case

Venture Law Group (A)

By: Thomas J. DeLong, Ashish Nanda and Scott D Landry

Craig Johnson, Venture Law Group's (VLG) chairman, founded VLG in 1993 with a goal of "zero voluntary turnover." In late 1998, Johnson faces the departure of three important partners, prompting himself to ask what VLG can do in the midst of an "economic hurricane" that... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Customer Relationship Management; Partners and Partnerships; Retention; Legal Services Industry

May 2008 (Revised March 2010)
Case

Palm (A): The Debate on Licensing Palm's OS (1997)

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: Business Model; Debates; Decisions; Innovation and Invention; Product Launch; Production; Competition; Value Creation; Information Technology Industry

February 1999 (Revised March 2001)
Case

Egghead to Egghead.com (A)

By: V. Kasturi Rangan and Marie Bell

Over the course of 12 months in 1997 and 1998, Egghead senior management decided to shut down its 180 brick-and-mortar retail stores and move to an electronic store. The case describes the evolution of that process, and the role of its CEO George Orban, and poses... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Internet and the Web; Transformation; Decisions; Corporate Strategy; Marketing Strategy; Market Transactions; Buildings and Facilities; Retail Industry