Publications

September 2022
Case

AllSpice: GitHub for Hardware Engineers

By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang and Mel Martin

AllSpice, a software-as-a-service company that built a GitHub-like revision control tool for hardware engineers, was in the midst of preparing for rapid scale when the 2022 market downturn left them with big decisions to make. Cofounder and CEO Valentina Ratner had to... View Details

Keywords: Scaling; SaaS; Strategy; Marketing; Growth and Development Strategy; Resource Allocation; Customer Focus and Relationships; Technology Industry; Technology Industry; United States

30 Nov 2011
Research & Ideas

Only Capitalists Can Save Capitalism

growth in the future? What aspects of the system at the level of firms, industries, nations, or multilateral institutions might cause serious difficulties?" The principal response is summed in the book: "Market capitalism has proven to be... View Details

Keywords: by Maggie Starvish

30 Apr 2024
Blog Post

IFC India: Urban Adaptation in a Changing World

leaders trying to answer the question: “What will it take for India to achieve a net-zero build?” Magnifying the importance of decarbonizing India’s growth pathway is its exposure to climate change related shocks. Increased ambient... View Details

10 Jan 2005
Research & Ideas

Motivation and the Cross-Sector Alliance

government blames the industrial sector, thus holding manufacturers responsible. The upcoming period of legislative meetings will tackle the new law on containers and packages. There are several proposals, and the last version I have... View Details

Keywords: by James Austin, Ezequiel Reficco & SEKN research team

16 Dec 2014
First Look

First Look: December 16

after the team scaffolds were implemented and showed a 40% improvement in patient throughput time. Working Papers Transition to Clean Technology By: Acemoglu, Daron, Ufuk Akcigit, Douglas Hanley, and William R. Kerr Abstract—We develop a microeconomic model of... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

17 Mar 2015
Research & Ideas

Where Did My Shopping Mall Go?

other place where you are seeing malls thrive is at the high end. The luxury malls, what the industry calls A-class malls, are doing very, very well. It's the B- and C-class malls that are in trouble. These malls are targeting the... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Retail

03 Oct 2017
First Look

First Look at Research and Ideas, October 3, 2017

change in organizational culture and structure, committing to 100% renewables while placing an emphasis on growth in middle-income countries and capturing and new revenue sources from energy management services. At the same time, Starace... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

July 2021
Case

A Close Shave at Squire

By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang, Zoë B. Cullen, William R. Kerr, Benjamin N. Roth and Michael Norris

In 2020, just after closing a $34 million Series B financing round, Dave Salvant and Songe LaRon consider how to adjust their business, Squire Technologies, to the new realities posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Their barbershop technology, including tools to run a shop... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Entrepreneurship; Venture Capital; Private Equity; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Applications and Software; Growth and Development Strategy; Health Pandemics; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; New York (city, NY); San Francisco

December 1998 (Revised May 2003)
Case

Vivendi (A): Revitalizing a French Conglomerate

By: Cynthia A. Montgomery and John M. Turner

Examines corporate strategy for a diversified firm in the French business context. Issues include corporate governance, vision, and the management of unrelated diversification. After the company's first loss ever, the Vivendi board elected a new chairman who completed... View Details

Keywords: Business Conglomerates; Technological Innovation; Business or Company Management; Goals and Objectives; Growth and Development Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Diversification; Media and Broadcasting Industry; Media and Broadcasting Industry; France

01 Mar 2023
News

Clearing the Air

who can really afford credits [to offset emissions] are funds like Frontier and the Microsofts of the world—organizations that want to encourage growth and development. But costs will naturally come down over time, the way most View Details

Keywords: April White and Dan Morrell; Illustrations by Richard Borge

April 1990 (Revised November 1992)
Case

Population Services International: The Social Marketing Project in Bangladesh (Abridged)

By: James E. Austin

Population Services International (PSI) was a not-for-profit agency founded to disseminate family planning information and to market birth control products, primarily in less developed countries seeking to curb their population explosions. In 1976, PSI concluded an... View Details

Keywords: Conferences; Developing Countries and Economies; Information Publishing; Growth and Development Strategy; Marketing Strategy; Social Marketing; Agreements and Arrangements; Product; Nonprofit Organizations; Pharmaceutical Industry; Bangladesh; Washington (state, US)

29 Apr 2014
First Look

First Look: April 29

such a way that talent is developed along with the business. Publisher's link: http://www.palgraveconnect.com/esm/doifinder/10.1057/9781137294678.0085 August 2013 International Journal of Industrial Organization Information and Two-Sided... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

09 Oct 2017
Research & Ideas

Fearing Fox News, Democratic-leaning Companies Delayed Negative Announcements

and politicians on its most popular shows. Fox News Channel had spread rapidly by the 2000 presidential election, its expansion fueled by the wealth accrued by Murdoch and his wildly successful media empire. The speed and breadth of this View Details

Keywords: by Jen Deaderick; Media & Broadcasting

09 Sep 2013
Lessons from the Classroom

Teaching Climate Change to Skeptics

four decades. "There are many people who believe the government is doing too much, and that the government interferes with economic growth if it enacts and implements policies around climate change; therefore, they choose not to believe... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

September 2024
Case

Open Door Legal: Universal Legal Access

By: Brian Trelstad, Taylor Greenthal and Sarah Mehta

This case is about Open Door Legal (ODL), a San Francisco-based civil legal aid nonprofit. CEO Adrian Tirtanadi founded the organization in 2012 with a mission to achieve universal access to legal representation for all city residents. By 2024, ODL had opened four... View Details

Keywords: Social Entrepreneurship; Law; Growth Management; Nonprofit Organizations; Civil Society or Community; Business Model; Expansion; Legal Services Industry; United States; California; Los Angeles; San Francisco

August 26, 2009
Comment

Where Cash for Clunkers Ran Off the Road

By: John A. Quelch

Today, let us celebrate the end of an unjustifiable drain on the U.S. taxpayer: the Cash for Clunkers (C4C) program.

True, C4C greatly boosted the number of consumers visiting car dealers. Doubtless, some new cars were sold to consumers who thought they... View Details

Keywords: Government Programs; Environmental Impact; Government Waste; Customer Behavior; Economic Growth; Economy; Financial Crisis; Government and Politics; Leadership; Marketing; Programs; Value; Auto Industry; Auto Industry; Auto Industry; United States