Publications

September 2013
Exercise

An Exercise in Designing a Travel Coffee Mug

By: Elie Ofek and Michael Norris

In recent years design has emerged as a critical factor in the success of many new products. This case exercise provides a hands-on way to experience the design process and offers a structured approach for incorporating key considerations that can aid in effective... View Details

Keywords: New Product Development; Innovation; Market Research; Competitive Positioning; Design; Product Development; Consumer Products Industry

23 Jun 2021
Video

From Travel and Hospitality to HBS

April 1985 (Revised November 1987)
Case

American Express Travel Related Services Co.

Describes the company's new focus on entrepreneurship during the era of Lou Gerstner, chairman and CEO since 1982. View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Financial Services Industry; Financial Services Industry

Find at Harvard

2010
Other Unpublished Work

Modeling Passenger Travel and Delays in the National Air Transportation System

Many of the existing methods for evaluating an airline's on-time performance are based on flight-centric measures of delay. However, recent research has demonstrated that passenger delays depend on many factors in addition to flight delays. For instance,... View Details

Keywords: Mathematical Methods; Performance Evaluation; Air Transportation Industry; United States

November 2020
Case

Wilderness Safaris: Responses to the COVID-19 Crisis

By: James E. Austin, Megan Epler Wood and Herman B. "Dutch" Leonard

This case is an epilogue to “Wilderness Safaris: Impact Investing and Ecotourism Conservation in Africa” (2-321-020), which ends with the emergence of the pandemic in March 2020. The final discussion area for that case can be “What should Wilderness Safari CEO Keith... View Details

Keywords: Communities; COVID-19; Ecotourism; Travel; Travel Industry; Conservation Planning; Reopening; Investor Relations; Project Strategy; Governance; Decision Making; Cash; Health Pandemics; Business and Shareholder Relations; Tourism Industry; Africa

September 2017 (Revised November 2018)
Case

Marriott International: The Next 90 Years

By: Chiara Farronato and Gary Pisano

The case examines how Marriott should respond to the potential threats from new home-sharing platforms and the rise of online travel agencies. In 2017 Marriott was the largest hotel chain, with more than one million rooms and 7% of worldwide room supply. In the... View Details

22 Oct 2007
Research & Ideas

Bringing ‘Lean’ Principles to Service Industries

Thanks to the pioneering success of Toyota, the concept of a "lean" operating system has been implemented in countless manufacturing companies and even adapted for industries as diverse as insurance and healthcare. With its... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Computer

2013
Case

Travelers Insurance: Focusing on Climate Change and Natural Catastrophe Risk

By: Andrew J. Hoffman

The dilemma Evan Blue faces stems from a report by sustainability advocacy group Ceres that calls on companies to take climate change into consideration in their risk models and develop response strategies. The fictional vice president of Traveler's Insurance is tasked... View Details

Keywords: Climate Change; Business Strategy; Risk and Uncertainty; Insurance Industry

February 2014
Technical Note

Mobile Broadband and the Telecommunications Industry in 2011

By: Lynda M. Applegate, Kerry Herman and Christine Snively

Mobile broadband carriers provide network access to the Internet for a range of devices (typically portable or mobile), including consumer devices such as smartphones, tablets and E-Readers, but also a host of new emerging devices. Mobile broadband networks enable data... View Details

Keywords: Telecommunications; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Applications and Software; Information Infrastructure; Digital Platforms; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Telecommunications Industry; Telecommunications Industry; Telecommunications Industry; Telecommunications Industry

December 2014 (Revised August 2024)
Case

HomeAway: Organizing the Vacation Rental Industry

By: Rory McDonald, Feng Zhu and Cheng Gao

In less than 10 years, cofounders Brian Sharples and Carl Shepherd had transformed HomeAway from just another Internet startup into the world's leading vacation-rental marketplace—a global online platform that links customers seeking vacation-home rentals to the... View Details

Keywords: Strategy; Innovation; Technology; Acquisitions; Operations Management; Digital Platforms; Acquisition; Entrepreneurship; Business Model; Disruptive Innovation; Disruption; Accommodations Industry

Web

Industry Information - Alumni

recruitment and job seeking opportunities for professionals in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. + – Hospitality Hospitality - General SmartBriefs – Travel Newsletter digest of hospitality View Details

Research Summary

Career Histories and the Biotechnology Industry

Professor Higgins' other major project focuses on the consequences of individuals' career experiences for firms and industries. This second research stream centers on the careers of executives in the biotechnology industry.

Professor Higgins has written... View Details

October 2018
Case

Booking.com

By: Stefan Thomke and Daniela Beyersdorfer

The case reveals how Booking.com has become the world's leading travel accommodation platform. The company has put online experimentation at the heart of how it designs digital experiences for its customers and partners. To unlock the potential of large-scale testing,... View Details

Keywords: Travel; Product Innovation; Experimentation; A/B Testing; User Experience Design; Product Development; Product Design; Innovation and Management; Transformation; Information Technology; Digital Transformation; Travel Industry

01 Jun 2005
News

The Best of Costa Rica

life. From ages 7 to 70, our merry group of 26 HBS travelers became enthralled with Costa Rican life during our recent weeklong visit, led by Global Adrenaline president Nancy Collins (MBA ’99). We plunged into our trip with an... View Details

Keywords: Wendy Baker; travel; tourism; Global Adrenaline; Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries; Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries; Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries; Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries

May 2016 (Revised August 2022)
Case

RegionFly: Cutting Costs in the Airline Industry

By: Susanna Gallani and Eva Labro

RegionFly is a small, private airline specializing in ultra-premium services. Founded shortly after the "Golden Age of airline travel," RegionFly's financial performance had been strong for several decades. More recently, however, the results have taken a downward... View Details

Keywords: Recession; Downsizing; Profitability; Cost Management; Profit; Luxury; Competitive Strategy; Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Divisions; Logistics; Decision Making; Strategic Planning; Air Transportation Industry