Publications

October 2008 (Revised October 2009)
Case

Shaklee Corporation: Corporate Social Responsibility

By: Christopher Marquis, V. Kasturi Rangan and Alison Comings

Having bought Shaklee Corporation from Yamanouchi, Roger Barnett, its owner and CEO, wrestled with the question of how to grow the company and its reputation for environmental sustainability. In addition to preserving the "network marketing" nature of its sales channel... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Growth and Development Strategy; Marketing Channels; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Environmental Sustainability; Reputation

01 Aug 2022
News

A New Private Moon Race Kicks Off Soon

March 2020 (Revised October 2020)
Case

Jeffrey Deitch: Art Entrepreneur

By: Henry McGee, Rohit Deshpandé and Sarah Gulick

Jeffrey Deitch is an influential gallery owner and art entrepreneur. An HBS alumnus generally credited with developing the field of bank art advisory and financing services, Deitch has had a storied career in both the commercial and non-profit art world. Wrestling with... View Details

Keywords: Cultural Entrepreneurship; Arts; Personal Development and Career; Fine Arts Industry; New York (city, NY); Los Angeles

December 2004 (Revised April 2006)
Case

Nestle and Alcon--The Value of a Listing

By: Mihir A. Desai, Vincent Dessain and Anders Sjoman

In response to a perceived undervaluation by the capital markets, Nestle is considering divesting a part of its ophthalmology subsidiary, Alcon, and must decide on a listing location. In the process, students are challenged to wrestle with the valuation of a... View Details

Keywords: Business Conglomerates; International Finance; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Markets; Taxation; Business Subsidiaries; Valuation; Food and Beverage Industry; Health Industry; Europe; United States

10 Sep 2020
News

Using Systems Thinking to Stay on Goal

05 Apr 2012
News

Clayton Christensen And The Innovators' Smackdown

February 2023 (Revised March 2023)
Case

The LPGA’s Long Drive Toward Gender Equity

By: Boris Groysberg and Alexis Lefort

This case provides a history of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) and examines the reasons for the gender pay gap in professional sports. The case protagonist, the commissioner of the LPGA, wrestles with the opportunities and challenges the LPGA currently... View Details

Keywords: Decision Making; Gender; Growth and Development Strategy; Mission and Purpose; Sports Industry; United States

October 1988 (Revised July 2000)
Case

Matt Compton's Job Search

By: Shoshana Zuboff and Dave DeLong

Matt Compton wrestles with the problems of a post-MBA job search and finds himself captivated by the aggressive recruiting tactics of the large management consulting firms. The case raises issues of how a passive job search that relies on options presented by... View Details

Keywords: Recruitment; Job Search; Problems and Challenges

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17 May 2013
News

Live With Former Goldman Sachs Vice Chairman Robert S. Kaplan

2017
Book

Democracy: A Case Study

By: David Moss

Democracy: A Case Study invites readers to experience American history anew and come away with a deeper understanding of the greatest strengths and vulnerabilities of the nation’s democracy as well as its resilience over time. The book adapts the case method to... View Details

Keywords: Democracy; Political Economy; Constitution; Productive Tension; Culture Of Democracy; E Pluribus Unum; United States; History; Government and Politics; Governance; Economic Systems; United States

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April 2006 (Revised March 2007)
Case

Black Duck Software

By: Constance E. Bagley and David Lane

Black Duck Software involves a venture-backed start-up that converted software developers' concerns about violating copyright licensing agreements or open source protocols into an opportunity to help firms use technology to better manage their compliance efforts.... View Details

Keywords: Value Creation; Law; Open Source Distribution; Applications and Software; Business Startups; Copyright

16 Jul 2021
News

What Ever Happened to IBM’s Watson?

The Implications of Working Without an Office

In early 2020, the world began what is undoubtedly the largest work-from-home experiment in history. Now, organizations continue to wrestle with whether and how to have workers return to their offices. Business leaders need to be able to answer a number of questions... View Details

Article

The Implications of Working Without an Office

By: Ethan Bernstein, Hayley Blunden, Andrew Brodsky, Wonbin Sohn and Ben Waber

In early 2020, the world began what is undoubtedly the largest work-from-home experiment in history. Now, as countries reopen but COVID-19 remains a major threat, organizations are wrestling with whether and how to have workers return to their offices. Business leaders... View Details

Keywords: Remote Work; Work From Home (WFH); Employees; Working Conditions; Health Pandemics; Performance Productivity; Creativity

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October 2018
Case

BreezoMeter: Making Air Pollution Data Actionable

By: Frank V. Cespedes, Allison M. Ciechanover and Margot Eiran

The case focuses on an Israeli startup that provides actionable air pollution data and forecasts. The company has over 50 enterprise customers and its tool reached a million people daily in 67 countries. The co-founders wrestle with which markets and customers to focus... View Details

Keywords: Startups; Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Pollutants; Analytics and Data Science; Sales; Marketing; Decision Choices and Conditions; Technology Industry; Israel; United States

March 2019 (Revised March 2023)
Case

Accion's Fintech Strategy

By: V. Kasturi Rangan, Michael Chu and Tricia Gregg

Accion, an NGO, had been a pioneer in microfinance since its entry into that sector in the early 1970s. Its investments in Banco Compartamos paid off, when the microfinance bank went IPO in 2007, leaving an influx of $138 million for Accion. Under a new CEO, Michael... View Details

Keywords: Fintech; Impact Investing; Financial Inclusion; Technological Innovation; Strategy; Strategic Planning; Performance Effectiveness; Non-Governmental Organizations; Microfinance; Financial Institutions; Business Growth and Maturation; Customer Focus and Relationships; Industry Growth

March 1994 (Revised April 1994)
Case

Eli Lilly and Co.: The Flexible Facility Decision--1993

By: Gary P. Pisano

In 1993, Eli Lilly is preparing to build manufacturing capacity for three new pharmaceutical products that it expects to launch in 1996. Management wrestles with a decision of whether to add specialized manufacturing capacity or flexible capacity. This question touches... View Details

Keywords: Debates; Cost vs Benefits; Decisions; Investment; Goals and Objectives; Product Launch; Production; Corporate Strategy; Pharmaceutical Industry

December 2004 (Revised February 2006)
Case

Executive Decision Making at General Motors

By: David A. Garvin and Lynne Levesque

Describes the evolution of General Motors' strategy, organizational structure, and management processes from its founding to the present day. Focuses on the role of GM's management committee—the senior-decision-making body at the company, now called the Automotive... View Details

Keywords: Globalized Firms and Management; Management Practices and Processes; Organizational Structure; Competitive Strategy; Decision Making; Management Teams; Auto Industry