Publications

01 Sep 2013
News

The First Scrum

Edited by Linda Kush Fifty years ago, two Scotsmen started an HBS rugby team to help relieve the stress of studies. A look back at one of the School's most storied traditions. Photo courtesy of Mike Rush (MBA 1972) When the game of rugby first came to Harvard Business... View Details

Keywords: rugby; Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries; Arts, Entertainment; Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services

17 Feb 2010
News

Harrah's CFO Plans a Recovery

Keywords: Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries; Arts, Entertainment

March 2021
Case

Astralis Group: Determining a Brand Strategy

By: Benjamin C. Esty, Mette Fuglsang Hjortshoej and Emilie Billaud

After launching a Danish esports company in July 2019, and going public in December 2019 with multiple brands associated with different games, the Astralis leadership team was contemplating a shift to a single, corporate brand. While the original arguments for... View Details

January 2009 (Revised March 2009)
Case

A Chinese Start-up's Midlife Crisis: 99Sushe.com

By: William C. Kirby, F. Warren McFarlan and Tracy Manty

Now into their third year at the helm of an Internet start-up in China, Ken Pao and Bill Li were managing a totally different company (with a new name) from the one they first founded in 2006. Having changed their business model from a social networking site to an... View Details

Keywords: Business Growth and Maturation; Business Model; Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Entrepreneurship; Venture Capital; Investment Funds; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; China

25 Aug 2011
News

An Opportunity to Learn Something New

Keywords: Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services; Professional Services; Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services; Professional Services; Retail Trade

02 Oct 2013
What Do You Think?

Is Leadership an Increasingly Difficult Balancing Act?

McDonald of Procter & Gamble and the company's shift to more emphasis on digital media as an example, commented that "it is possible to allow experimentation trial and error without the CEO looking foolish because he or she does... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

28 Oct 2013
Research & Ideas

Responsible Leadership in an Unforgiving World

making leadership both more difficult and more rewarding than it was a generation ago. If critical decisions in the last century were typified by an all-or-nothing gamble on a new big new factory or business arm, then decisions in this... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

09 Jul 2013
Research & Ideas

Catching Up With Boards--Jay Lorsch

problems—be it a Hewlett-Packard or more recently Procter & Gamble and JC Penney—is the only alternative firing the CEO and starting over? A: You don't have to fire the CEO. A lot depends on establishing the right kind of working... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Aisner

13 Feb 2006
Research & Ideas

Turning High Potential into Real Reward

into outdoor gear. He builds up a worldwide supply chain by recruiting people who want to gamble that there is a customer need not being met by polyester. NB: For prospective entrepreneurs, what are the key lessons to be learned here?... View Details

Keywords: Re: Joseph B. Lassiter; Consumer Products

January 2011 (Revised November 2014)
Case

Mochi Media

By: Thomas R. Eisenmann and Amit Jain

In late 2009, the management of Mochi Media, a venture-backed startup, must decide how to invest scarce resources to achieve continued growth. Mochi has developed a three-sided platform, connecting Flash game developers, sites that aggregate these games, and... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Business Startups; Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Entrepreneurship; Growth and Development Strategy; Network Effects; Multi-Sided Platforms; Partners and Partnerships; Competition

January 2004 (Revised October 2006)
Case

Electronic Arts in Online Gaming

By: Thomas R. Eisenmann and Justin Wong

Electronic Arts (EA), the world's largest independent video-game publisher, must decide whether to support Microsoft's initiatives in online gaming. Historically, EA has been platform-agnostic, releasing versions of its titles for all major console platforms. However,... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Strategy; Digital Platforms; Network Effects; Policy; Customer Focus and Relationships; Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Revenue; Segmentation; Sales; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Electronics Industry

26 Feb 2001
Research & Ideas

Evolving for Success [Part One]

to use the technology; but it's an elaborate and complex relationship, because these companies themselves also work much more closely together. It is more than Wal-Mart working with Procter & Gamble as a supplier. It's joint planning;... View Details

Keywords: by Staff

10 Apr 2018
First Look

First Look at New Research, April 10, 2018

Harvard Business School Case 518-041 The ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament Should the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament gamble most of its player budget on superstar player Rafael Nadal, even after the event’s previous two editions saw... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

01 Oct 2000
News

Books

his creation of multidivisional structures present a fascinating portrait of one of the century's most impressive business minds. Neil McElroy and D. Paul ("Doc") Smelser of Procter & Gamble introduced soap operas to radio and television... View Details

2005
Chapter

Beyond 'Fun and Games': Outdoor Activities for Meaningful Leadership Development

Many managers and academics today view outdoor exercises as simply "fun and games." However, framed correctly, outdoor leadership activities provide a uniquely effective method for leadership development. They allow participants to access and explore the deeper... View Details

Keywords: Learning; Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Leadership Development; Personal Development and Career; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Groups and Teams; Behavior; Emotions; Personal Characteristics; Alignment