Publications

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03 Mar 2022
Video

Ela Bhatt

Ela Bhatt, the founder of the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) in India, discusses the importance of women's economic participation in society despite the lack of laws protecting their labor. View Details

August 2011 (Revised November 2015)
Case

CFW Clinics in Kenya: To Profit or Not for Profit

By: V. Kasturi Rangan and Katharine Lee

Ten years after having launched a chain of non-profit health clinics, its founder is now debating the merits of scaling the operation by converting to a for-profit enterprise. View Details

Keywords: Decision Choices and Conditions; Business Model; Social Enterprise; Nonprofit Organizations; Transformation; For-Profit Firms; Health Industry; Kenya

04 Feb 2020
Video

Sir Fazle Hasan Abed

Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, founder of Bangladesh-based BRAC, the world's largest NGO, discusses innovation in health enabled by measurements and being able to prove results to the community.

View Details

01 Nov 2019
Video

Jaithirth Rao

Jerry Rao, serial entrepreneur and founder of the India-based Value and Budget Housing Corporation, describes his company's innovative strategies for building affordable housing and competing in India's real estate market. View Details

19 Jun 2015
News

Lagarde Gifted, Capable, Tough-Minded but Fair

October 2002 (Revised January 2003)
Case

McDonald's Russia: Managing a Crisis

By: Youngme E. Moon and Kerry Herman

In August 1998, George Cohon, founder and senior chairman of McDonald's Russia, is facing an economic state of emergency. Russia is in the midst of a severe currency crisis--the ruble has plummeted in value, creating massive inflation and widespread economic disarray.... View Details

Keywords: Currency; Crisis Management; Brands and Branding; Retail Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Russia

15 Feb 2017
News

Vanguard, Trian And The Problem With 'Passive' Index Funds

Video

Adrian Gore

Adrian Gore, founder and Group Chief Executive of Discovery Limited, outlines a commitment to improving the health of their customers, which has allowed the company to continue building public trust. View Details

15 Sep 2021
Video

Okechukwu "Okey" Enelamah

Okey Enelamah, the former Nigerian Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment (2015-2019) and Founder of African Capital Alliance, explains the foundations of his religious values and the importance of family. View Details

Video

Pedro Tarak

Pedro Tarak, a founder of Latin America’s Sistema B, describes how the movement was formed in 2012, including the direct inspiration from the B Corporation movement in the United... View Details

January 2023
Case

Kavnia Coffee

By: Lindsay N. Hyde, Thomas R. Eisenmann, Kumba Sennaar, Sarah Mehta and Jiyoon Han

Case on a coffee hardware startup where a series of experiments and pivots led founder to conclude that the venture was no longer viable. View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Operations; Business Startups; Failure; Business Exit or Shutdown; Consumer Products Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; United States

21 Jan 2021
Video

Sunil Bharti Mittal

Sunil Bharti Mittal, Founder and Chairman of Bharti Enterprises, explains the capital necessary to create a mobile service business and the power of modularity. View Details

Video

Dr. Ahmed Heikal

Dr. Ahmed Heikal, Chairman and Founder of Qalaa Holdings, describes how the initial capital raised to start the firm was applied to profitable investments in cement and construction companies. View Details

November 2008 (Revised May 2011)
Case

David Neeleman: Flight Path of a Servant Leader (A)

By: William W. George and Matthew D. Breitfelder

David Neeleman, founder of JetBlue, is forced to confront a crisis in customer confidence following operational difficulties on February 14, 2007. This becomes a vital test of his leadership. View Details

Keywords: Customer Satisfaction; Leadership; Crisis Management; Trust; Air Transportation Industry

February 2024
Case

Horizon Quantum Computing

By: Paul A. Gompers and Billy Chan

In 2023, the Singapore-based startup company Horizon Quantum Computing was on the cusp of fast expansion and the founder faced the challenge to decide where to open the second office outside Singapore. To make a choice from the list of 10 countries, the founder had to... View Details

Keywords: Business Plan; Entrepreneurship; Entrepreneurial Finance; Disruptive Innovation; Business Offices; Business Startups; Talent and Talent Management; Decision Choices and Conditions; Partners and Partnerships; Expansion; Information Technology Industry; Telecommunications Industry; Singapore; Asia

2020
Working Paper

Building the Professional Firm: McKinsey & Co.: 1939-1968

By: Amar Bhidé

This case history analyzes how the founders of McKinsey & Co. built one of the world's leading management consulting firms by developing a “system” of professional norms, approach to serving clients, personnel policies, organization, governance, and ownership. The... View Details

Keywords: McKinsey ＆ Co.; Company History; Professional Norms; Vision; Organizations; Business History; Business Model; Strategy; Consulting Industry

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March 2020 (Revised May 2020)
Case

Generation Investment Management

By: Vikram S. Gandhi and Sarah Mehta

By January 2020, sustainable investment firm Generation Investment Management (Generation), founded in London in 2004, had grown from a shared vision among seven founders to a 90-person firm managing $27 billion in public and private equity. Throughout its history,... View Details