Publications

December 2017 (Revised January 2018)
Teaching Note

Bega Cheese: Bidding to Bring Vegemite Back Home

By: Benjamin C. Esty, Lauren G. Pickle and Greg Saldutte

In January 2017, the leadership team of Bega Cheese—the Australian dairy company—was considering a bid for Mondelēz International’s Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) grocery business which included several leading consumer brands such as Vegemite, the iconic Australian... View Details

2010
Working Paper

From Bench to Board: Gender Differences in University Scientists' Participation in Commercial Science

This paper examines gender differences in the participation of university life science faculty in commercial science. Based on theory and field interviews, we develop hypotheses regarding how scientists' productivity, co-authorship networks, and institutional... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; For-Profit Firms; Gender Characteristics; Higher Education; Entrepreneurship; Governing and Advisory Boards; Science-Based Business; Nonprofit Organizations; Biotechnology Industry

Read Now

March 2006 (Revised May 2009)
Case

Entrepreneurial Insights

By: Joseph L. Bower and Sonya Hout

Presents a matrix of 42 video clips of interviews with seven entrepreneurial managers answering the same six questions about their experiences building their companies. The individual entrepreneurs (Vittorio Merloni, Merloni Elettrodomestici; Alex d'Arbeloff, Teradyne,... View Details

Keywords: Business Growth and Maturation; Business Startups; Entrepreneurship; Leadership; Business or Company Management; Managerial Roles; Personal Characteristics

March 2000 (Revised April 2004)
Case

VacationSpot.com & Rent-A-Holiday: Negotiating a Trans-Atlantic Merger of Start-Ups

Describes a potential trans-Atlantic merger between two young companies in the Internet space. VacationSpot.com, based in Seattle, and Rent-A-Holiday, based in Brussels, both offer online listings and reservations for independent leisure lodging (i.e., villas,... View Details

Keywords: Negotiation; Valuation; Internet and the Web; Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Startups; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Travel Industry; United States; Brussels

August 1996
Case

ThermoLase

By: William A. Sahlman and Andrew S. Janower

John Hansen, CEO of ThermoLase, must develop a plan of action to exploit the company's new development-stage revolutionary hair removal technology with negligible revenues and a $500 million market capitalization. This nascent public Thermo Electron spin out company... View Details

Keywords: Business or Company Management; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Venture Capital; Business Strategy; Growth and Development Strategy; Business Plan; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry

Profile

Kelly Carson

'What could I possibly bring to a room of private bankers and venture investors?' Then I learned that management experience is valuable wherever it comes from." "I'm really attracted to the case method," Kelly adds.... View Details

Profile

Bei Guo

R&D, and venture capital." With her colleagues, Bei visited businesses that ranged in size from a startup "that began in a hotel room with a couple of laptops" to a large manufacturer that was developing a new, much... View Details

04 Mar 2022
Blog Post

Celebrating Black History Month at HBS

Black Tech Masters Series alongside the third annual Black New Venture Competition on Friday, followed by the conference on Saturday. We asked AASU’s conference co-chairs, April Weathers (MBA 2022) and Cyril Straughn-Turner (MBA 2022),... View Details

Web

Session Types | Information Technology

Summer Fellows program, leveraging the HBS Live Online Classroom to stay connected while working on entrepreneurial ventures around the world. Through interactive discussions, peer learning, and workshops, participants build a vibrant... View Details

01 Jun 2012
News

Inspiration Is Not Enough

According to venture capitalist Jeffrey Harris (MBA 1981), there are entrepreneurs, and then there are transformative entrepreneurs. The former group includes Richard Branson, who has created many great products and services but not one... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne; Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services; Professional Services

01 Apr 1998
News

Deals For Sale

stint at Procter & Gamble, he became president of Yahoo! Marketplace, a joint venture between Yahoo! and Visa. As head of that Santa Clara, California, firm, he conceived its strategy for an Internet guide to consumer shopping. His... View Details

Keywords: Judith A. Ross

June 1985 (Revised April 1989)
Case

Benetton (B)

By: James L. Heskett

The managing director of Benetton is faced with several issues concerning the adequacy of the company's organization to capitalize on the early success it has achieved in an important foreign market, the United States. Specifically, the case raises questions about... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Structure; Global Strategy; Transition; Growth and Development Strategy; Success; Business Headquarters; Business Subsidiaries; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Business Growth and Maturation; United States; Italy

March 2016
Case

IC Group A/S

By: John R. Wells and Gabriel Ellsworth

IC Group owned several of Scandinavia's leading premium fashion brands. How should it respond to the decline of its primary wholesale distribution channels (independent fashion boutiques and department stores)? Should it open more physical stores or focus on... View Details