Publications

08 May 2025
HBS Seminar

Ramesh Johari, Stanford

March 2020
Case

Thingtesting: Launching a Brand Discovery and Testing Digital Community

By: Ayelet Israeli and Jill Avery

Thingtesting, a brand discovery and testing digital community devoted to uncovering and exploring direct-to-consumer brands, had just received seed funding and was contemplating a second year of growth. The new year brought many challenges, as founder Jenny Gyllander... View Details

November 2017
Case

Poppy: A Modern Village for Childcare

By: Thomas Eisenmann and Jeff Huizinga

In 2017, management at Poppy, which matched families that required occasional childcare with thoroughly vetted caregivers, was formulating plans for the Seattle-based seed-stage startup’s next phase of expansion. One option was to grow using the same business model... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Market Design; Multi-Sided Platforms; Marketplace Matching; Expansion; United States

August 2019
Case

The Allstate Corporation, 2019

By: John R. Wells and Benjamin Weinstock

In July 2019, Allstate, the United States’ number-three property and casualty (P/C) insurer, released its second-quarter earnings, which reported first-half revenues of $22.1 billion, up 11.4% year-over-year. Shareholders cheered the top-line growth, but P/C premiums... View Details

Keywords: Insurance Companies; Strategic Analysis; Strategic Change; Insurance; Strategy; Strategic Planning; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Competitive Strategy; Insurance Industry; North America

October 2011 (Revised January 2012)
Case

LinkedIn Corporation

By: Francois Brochet and James Weber

The case is set at the end of the first public trading day of LinkedIn, an online professional network company. It provides information on the company's business model, financial statements, competitive landscape, and IPO terms, to help the reader critically assess the... View Details

Keywords: Initial Public Offering; Growth and Development; Earnings Management; Risk Management; Valuation; SWOT Analysis; Emerging Markets; Business Model; Information Technology; Competitive Strategy; Web Services Industry

Program

Behavioral Economics—Virtual

Summary What if you could predict how customers will respond to a product? Or how employees will decide to implement a new initiative? In Behavioral Economics—Virtual, you'll acquire a dynamic framework for interpreting, analyzing, and leveraging behavioral economic... View Details

April 2019 (Revised April 2021)
Case

Wayfair

By: Jeffrey F. Rayport, Susie L. Ma and Matthew G. Preble

In 2016 Niraj Shah and Steve Conine, founders of online home goods retailer Wayfair, are faced with a decision about how to improve user experience on their e-commerce sites. A key driver of consumer interest and conversion to purchase in the home category is visual... View Details

Keywords: Visual Assets; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Decision Making; Business or Company Management; Growth Management; Innovation and Invention; Operations; Strategy; Technology; Service Industry; Service Industry; United States; Massachusetts

Program

Real Estate Management Program

managers and advisors Real estate industry service providers, such as financial analysts, lawyers, architects, and urban planners While the program is designed primarily for executives with significant real estate industry experience, it... View Details

Keywords: Real Estate; Real Estate

September 2018 (Revised November 2018)
Case

An Innovative Anti-bribery Commitment?

By: Eugene Soltes

Reebonz, an online luxury goods platform based in Singapore that operates across the Asia-Pacific region, offers its investors the opportunity to redeem shares if either the firm or its founder are investigated by the U.S. or U.K governments with regard to complying... View Details

Keywords: Foreign Corrupt Practices Act; United Kingdom Bribery Act; Law; Leadership; Moral Sensibility; Financial Services Industry; Financial Services Industry; United States; United Kingdom; Asia

23 Jan 2024
Book

More Than Memes: NFTs Could Be the Next Gen Deed for a Digital World

encourage them to invest in growing, sharing, and enhancing the brand everywhere, both online and IRL. While writing this book, we tried to think of a title that properly encompassed what an NFT actually can “do.” We worked off the... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Financial Services; Financial Services; Financial Services

Program

Private Equity and Venture Capital

responsible for a firm's investment portfolio Entrepreneurs in the process of receiving and/or structuring capital funds May also be appropriate for: Professionals who provide banking, accounting, legal, or other advisory services to the... View Details

Keywords: Finance; Finance

February 2006 (Revised December 2009)
Case

Pixamo-Inc., AG, or OOO?

Andrew Prihodko is forming a new venture, Pixamo, the next generation of online photo management and sharing sites. Pixamo's alpha site has generated over 1,000 users and a lot of information about registration and usage patterns. Prihodko must address a number of... View Details

Keywords: Geographic Location; Globalized Firms and Management; Internet and the Web; Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Web Services Industry; Delaware; Switzerland; Ukraine

Find at Harvard

Program

Managing Health Care Delivery

live online sessions, and self-paced lessons, this health care management program emphasizes opportunities for innovation and prepares you to improve medical and economic outcomes at a time when patient needs are becoming more complex,... View Details

Keywords: Health Care; Health Care

Program

Preparing to Be a Corporate Director

Summary What does it take to succeed as a corporate director? For senior executives interested in joining a corporate board, preparation is key, as board service presents unique responsibilities, dynamics, risks, and opportunities. It... View Details

December 1999
Case

Sendwine.com

By: Thomas R. Eisenmann, Charmaine C Ess and Ann A. O'Hara

Sendwine.com, an online retailer of premium gifts of wine by the bottle, faced decisions about its growth strategy in mid-1999. Mike Lannon, president and founder, had established his company as a prominent player in an increasingly crowded field. But with success came... View Details

Keywords: Decision Choices and Conditions; Venture Capital; Financial Strategy; Problems and Challenges; Luxury; Diversification; Internet; Web Services Industry