Publications

June 2021
Supplement

Reversing Course on a Reverse E-Auction (B)

By: Kym Lew Nelson, James K. Sebenius and Alex Green

Global consumer products powerhouse LSP has found enormous savings in a trial run of a new competitive bidding tool for their procurement organization known as a reverse e-auction. But when Jen Baldwin is asked to achieve the same savings from her suppliers for a... View Details

Keywords: Reverse E-auctions; Bids and Bidding; Auctions; Complexity; Cost vs Benefits

27 Oct 2009
First Look

First Look: October 27

venture-backed life sciences firm. In reviewing her proposal, Cristy Barnes considers the company's characteristics and how they differ from a typical investment. At the same time, the CEO and the venture capitalist are exploring the true View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

November 2007 (Revised February 2011)
Case

The Ice King

By: Tom Nicholas and Sandra Nicholas

Provides an opportunity to examine the risk-reward tradeoff and the travails of entrepreneurial venturing in the nascent U.S. economy. Traces the origins and development of Frederic Tudor's Ice Company, a business which developed during the 19th century to hack chunks... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Cost vs Benefits; Entrepreneurship; Globalization; Business History; Operations; Risk and Uncertainty; United States

04 Mar 2014
First Look

First Look: March 4

This case explores the opportunity to purchase the condominium management business of a distressed real estate developer by Advantage Partners, a leading Japanese private equity firm. The case explores... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

10 Sep 2013
First Look

First Look: September 10

Publications 2006 Regional Studies Spatial Determinants of Entrepreneurship in India By: Ghani, Ejaz, William R. Kerr, and Stephen O'Connell Abstract—We analyze the spatial determinants of entrepreneurship... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

15 Jan 2008
First Look

First Look: January 15, 2008

in diffusion of care delivery innovation; and cost transparency and quality measurement. Purchase this case: http://www.hbsp.harvard.edu/b01/en/common/item_detail.jhtml?id=708424 TH!NK: The Norwegian... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

Profile

Lauren Burrows

Why was earning your MBA at HBS important to you? I sought my MBA at HBS at a key moment of transition in my career, both in terms of industry focus and position. I was committed to pursuing a career in the... View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital / Private Equity; Venture Capital / Private Equity; Venture Capital / Private Equity; Venture Capital / Private Equity

May 2010 (Revised May 2010)
Case

Data.gov

By: Karim R. Lakhani, Robert D. Austin and Yumi Yi

This case presents the logic and execution underlying the launch of Data.gov, an instantiation of President Obama's initiative for transparency and open government. The process used by Vivek Kundra, the federal CIO, and his team to rapidly develop the website and to... View Details

Keywords: Safety; Rights; Analytics and Data Science; Internet and the Web; Ethics; Cost vs Benefits; Innovation and Management; Information Management; Public Administration Industry; Information Industry; United States

November 1999 (Revised February 2000)
Case

Granny's Goodies, Inc.

By: Das Narayandas and Katherine B. Korman

The young entrepreneurs of Granny's Goodies, Inc., a corporate gift package specialist, face the challenge of finding ways to create consistent revenue streams and reduce sales costs. Outside of a few long-term contracts, the two founders have had to work very hard for... View Details

Keywords: Budgets and Budgeting; Customer Relationship Management; Entrepreneurship; Cost Management; Marketing Strategy; Product Design; Problems and Challenges; Sales; Segmentation; Service Industry

01 Jun 2017
News

The Exchange: Venture Forth

introduction of Amazon Web Services in early 2006. This was the defining moment when the cost of starting consumer internet businesses really plummeted. That fact was very... View Details

Keywords: April White

08 Jun 2020
Blog Post

Getting Laid Off: An Opportunity for Reinvention

their job. Tran had been on the opposite side of the table any number of times in his career, working on post-merger integrations and reducing redundancies. In those moments, “I kept telling myself it’s... View Details

15 Nov 2010
Lessons from the Classroom

Connecting Goals and Go-To-Market Initiatives

indicates that while production efficiencies have enabled an average S&P 500 company to reduce the cost of goods sold by about 250 basis points over the past decade, SG&A (selling, general and... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Retail

25 Aug 2014
Blog Post

Working in Tech 4Dev

and NGO budgets are squeezed. The City of Los Angeles, for example, used our platform to crowdsource broken sidewalk locations for repair, saving the city a costly location survey estimated at millions. Ushahidid’s platform provides ease... View Details

Keywords: Technology

February 1991 (Revised October 1991)
Case

Fenchel Lampshade Co.

By: William A. Sahlman

Describes the proposed purchase of a lampshade manufacturer by Steven and Michele Rogers, recent graduates of the Harvard Business School. Focuses on their plans to raise the capital necessary to buy the company. Among the issues raised are how to structure the deal... View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Financing and Loans; Negotiation Deal; Business or Company Management; Cost vs Benefits; Manufacturing Industry