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Publications
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(3,948)
- Faculty Publications (482)
- May 2024
- Supplement
gWorks (A)
By: Richard S. Ruback and Royce Yudkoff
In January of 2019, Joe Heieck, CEO of gWorks, was deciding whether to proceed with his acquisition of Data Tech, that was a business roughly the same size as gWorks. gWorks, which provided geospatial software to small city and rural county governments, was acquired by... View Details
Keywords: Acquisition; Small Business; Cost vs Benefits; Decisions; Business Education; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Leadership Style; Leading Change; Business or Company Management; Problems and Challenges; Talent and Talent Management; Customer Relationship Management; Technology Adoption; Information Infrastructure; Digital Platforms; Growth Management; Applications and Software; Risk and Uncertainty; Technology Industry; United States
- May 2024
- Supplement
gWorks (B)
By: Richard S. Ruback and Royce Yudkoff
In January of 2019, Joe Heieck, CEO of gWorks, was deciding whether to proceed with his acquisition of Data Tech, that was a business roughly the same size as gWorks. gWorks, which provided geospatial software to small city and rural county governments, was acquired by... View Details
Keywords: Acquisition; Small Business; Cost vs Benefits; Decisions; Business Education; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Leadership Style; Leading Change; Business or Company Management; Problems and Challenges; Talent and Talent Management; Customer Relationship Management; Technology Adoption; Information Infrastructure; Digital Platforms; Growth Management; Applications and Software; Risk and Uncertainty; Technology Industry; United States
- May 2024
- Case
Naked Wines: The Profit vs. Growth Decision
By: Benjamin C. Esty and Edward A. Meyer
Nick Devlin faced a difficult strategic decision in October 2022. As the CEO of a UK-based subscription business connecting wine drinkers in the US, UK, and Australia with winemakers from around the world (which one journalist called the “Netflix of Wine”), he had to... View Details
Keywords: Profit Vs. Growth; Platform Business; Economies Of Scale; Subscription Business; Wine; Scaling; Racing; Value Creation; Network Effects; Business Startups; Small Business; Financial Management; Financial Strategy; Growth Management; Business Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Expansion; Profit; E-commerce; Growth and Development Strategy; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; United States; Australia; United Kingdom
- May 2024
- Teaching Note
Vineyard Wind Starts Spinning (A): Overcoming Onshore Challenges to Offshore Wind
By: Rosabeth Moss Kanter and Jacob A. Small
Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 324-113. To activate the first wind turbines in the ocean off Martha’s Vineyard eventually supplying clean energy to 400,000 households, Vineyard Wind’s leaders had to navigate the permitting process, numerous delays, and objections from... View Details
- May 2024 (Revised February 2025)
- Case
Choosing the Course of Passion: Brooke Boyarsky Pratt at knownwell
By: Jon M. Jachimowicz and Alexis Lefort
Brooke Boyarsky Pratt (HBS ’13) enjoyed considerable success in her early career, quickly climbing the ranks to associate partner at McKinsey, and later becoming an executive vice president at Berkadia, a Berkshire Hathaway portfolio company. Throughout these years,... View Details
- May 2024
- Case
Mission Veterinary Partners
By: Boris Groysberg, Zeeshan Ali and Annelena Lobb
After five successful years, Mission Veterinary Partners (MVP) had to decide on the best way to scale. MVP owned 300 animal hospitals and competed with other consolidators to buy more small veterinary practices. MVP had to distinguish itself as the buyer of choice but... View Details
- May 2024
- Supplement
Forest Park Capital (A)
By: Richard S. Ruback and Royce Yudkoff
During the Covid-19 Pandemic in 2020, Betsy Harbison formed the search fund Forest Park Capital with the intention of purchasing a small business. The case conveys the details of Betsy’s final decision at the terminus of her search, between a software company... View Details
Keywords: Search Fund; Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition; Acquisition; Small Business; Cost vs Benefits; Decisions; Business Education; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Leadership Style; Business or Company Management; Problems and Challenges; Tourism Industry; Web Services Industry; North America; Missouri
- May 2024
- Supplement
Forest Park Capital (B)
By: Richard S. Ruback and Royce Yudkoff
During the Covid-19 Pandemic in 2020, Betsy Harbison formed the search fund Forest Park Capital with the intention of purchasing a small business. The case conveys the details of Betsy’s final decision at the terminus of her search, between a software company... View Details
Keywords: Search Fund; Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition; Acquisition; Small Business; Cost vs Benefits; Decisions; Business Education; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Leadership Style; Leading Change; Business or Company Management; Problems and Challenges; Tourism Industry; Web Services Industry; North America; Missouri
- April 2024
- Teaching Note
'The Wheels on the Bus' Go Electric: Highland Electric Fleets and Partners
By: Rosabeth Moss Kanter and Jacob A. Small
Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 324-107. Founder Duncan McIntyre developed an innovative service-based business to electrify transportation fleets for school districts and scale through public-private partnerships while contributing to climate change solutions. The case... View Details
- March 2024 (Revised September 2024)
- Case
Supercell 2.0: Clash of Plans
By: Jeffrey F. Rayport and George Gonzalez
Founded in 2010, Supercell was a Helsinki, Finland-based mobile gaming company that had developed and launched five global hit mobile games: Clash of Clans, Clash Royale, Hay Day, Brawl Stars, and Boom Beach. The company’s early philosophy was that it could produce... View Details
- March 2024 (Revised September 2024)
- Case
Vineyard Wind Starts Spinning (A): Overcoming Onshore Challenges to Offshore Wind
By: Rosabeth Moss Kanter and Jacob A. Small
To activate the first wind turbines in the ocean off Martha’s Vineyard eventually supplying clean energy to 400,000 households, Vineyard Wind’s leaders had to navigate the permitting process, numerous delays, and objections from stakeholders in three communities:... View Details
- March 2024 (Revised April 2024)
- Case
'The Wheels on the Bus' Go Electric: Highland Electric Fleets and Partners
By: Rosabeth M. Kanter and Jacob A. Small
Founder Duncan McIntyre developed an innovative service-based business to electrify transportation fleets for school districts and scale through public-private partnerships while contributing to climate change solutions. The case covers the rationale for electric... View Details
- February 2024 (Revised January 2025)
- Case
AGENTS.inc: Pathways to Growth at an AI Startup
By: Frank Nagle, Manuel Hoffmann, Karoline Ströhlein and Susan Pinckney
The case describes the history of AGENTS.inc. Despite being a small startup, with only four employees, that had never had a funding round, the company boasted an impressive client portfolio including multiple Fortune 500 companies. While AGENTS.inc had been an early... View Details
Keywords: Business Growth and Maturation; Business Model; Business Startups; Small Business; Transformation; Customer Focus and Relationships; Decisions; Entrepreneurship; Venture Capital; Financial Strategy; AI and Machine Learning; Digital Platforms; Technological Innovation; Copyright; Management; Growth and Development; Market Timing; Ownership; Risk and Uncertainty; Competition; Open Source Distribution; Entrepreneurial Finance; Computer Industry; Europe; Germany
- 2024
- Working Paper
Open Devices and Slices: Evidence from Wi-Fi Equipment
By: Do Yoon Kim, Roberto Fontana and Shane Greenstein
Prior studies suggest that openness shapes the introduction of new products. This study
collects novel data on all routers and subcomponents introduced between 2000 and 2018. We
characterize each firm's position in a supply chain as upstream component providers... View Details
- February 2024
- Case
FIGS: Scrubbing the Status Quo
By: Jeffrey F. Rayport and Nicole Tempest Keller
In October 2023, FIGS had revolutionized the medical scrubs industry with its fashionable and functional designs, but the venture was at a critical juncture. The digitally native vertical brand (DNVB) had gone public in a successful IPO in 2021 and reached $500 million... View Details
- January 2024
- Case
Frank Cornelissen: The Great Sulfite Debate (A)
By: Tiona Zuzul and Susan Pinckney
In 2018, artisanal Italian vineyard Frank Cornelissen was one of the world’s leading natural wine vineyards. Its founder, Frank Cornelissen, faced weather related conditions that forced him to have to decide between staying true to the tenets of the natural wine... View Details
Keywords: Budgets and Budgeting; Business Earnings; Plant-Based Agribusiness; Family Business; For-Profit Firms; Small Business; Change Management; Transition; Communication Strategy; Cost vs Benefits; Financial Management; Financial Strategy; Profit; Revenue; Spending; Global Strategy; Goods and Commodities; Innovation Strategy; Crisis Management; Goals and Objectives; Growth Management; Success; Strategic Planning; Problems and Challenges; Risk and Uncertainty; Cognition and Thinking; Reputation; Adaptation; Expansion; Weather; Mission and Purpose; Values and Beliefs; Food and Beverage Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Europe; Italy
- January 2024
- Teaching Note
Frank Cornelissen: The Great Sulfite Debate (A) & (B)
By: Tiona Zuzul
Teaching Note for HBS Case Nos. 724-391 and 724-398. In 2018, artisanal Italian vineyard Frank Cornelissen was one of the world’s leading natural wine vineyards. Its founder, Frank Cornelissen, faced weather related conditions that forced him to have to decide between... View Details
Keywords: Budgets and Budgeting; Business Earnings; Agribusiness; Plant-Based Agribusiness; Family Business; For-Profit Firms; Small Business; Change Management; Transition; Communication Strategy; Decision Making; Cost vs Benefits; Financial Management; Financial Strategy; Profit; Revenue; Spending; Globalization; Global Strategy; Goods and Commodities; Innovation Strategy; Crisis Management; Goals and Objectives; Growth Management; Success; Strategic Planning; Problems and Challenges; Risk and Uncertainty; Cognition and Thinking; Reputation; Strategy; Adaptation; Expansion; Mission and Purpose; Values and Beliefs; Food and Beverage Industry; Europe; Italy
- January 2024
- Supplement
Frank Cornelissen: The Great Sulfite Debate (B)
By: Tiona Zuzul and Susan Pinckney
In 2018, artisanal Italian vineyard Frank Cornelissen was one of the world’s leading natural wine vineyards. Its founder, Frank Cornelissen, faced weather related conditions that forced him to have to decide between staying true to the tenets of the natural wine... View Details
Keywords: Budgets and Budgeting; Business Earnings; Plant-Based Agribusiness; Business Startups; Family Business; For-Profit Firms; Small Business; Change Management; Transition; Communication; Cost vs Benefits; Decisions; Entrepreneurship; Environmental Sustainability; Values and Beliefs; Financial Management; Financial Strategy; Profit; Revenue; Spending; Global Strategy; Goods and Commodities; Innovation Strategy; Crisis Management; Goals and Objectives; Growth Management; Success; Strategic Planning; Problems and Challenges; Risk and Uncertainty; Cognition and Thinking; Reputation; Adoption; Expansion; Weather; Mission and Purpose; Food and Beverage Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Europe; Italy
- January 2024 (Revised May 2024)
- Case
Runa
By: Paul Gompers and Carla Larangeira
In early 2022, Courtney McColgan, founder and CEO of Runa, a human resources and payroll Software-as-a-Service platform, faced an unexpected tech market downturn. Founded in 2018, Runa catered to small and medium-sized businesses in Mexico, offering an affordable and... View Details
- December 2023 (Revised February 2024)
- Case
21Seeds: Taking Shots at Breakout Growth
21Seeds, a female-founded flavor-infused tequila startup launched in 2019, had made inroads into the alcoholic beverage industry by focusing on an underserved consumer segment in spirits—women, primarily in their 30s and 40s, many of whom were moms—and by following a... View Details