Publications

February 2024
Case

Can Cities Beat the Heat? (A): A Comparative Analysis of Climate Actions and Change Enablers in 14 U.S. Cities

By: Rosabeth Moss Kanter and Jacob A. Small

Throughout the early 2000's, emphasis was placed on initiatives to adapt to and mitigate climate action in cities. This series presents overviews (snapshots) of 14 U.S. metropolitan regions to help identify similarities, differences, and opportunities for developing... View Details

November 25, 2019
Article

The Battle of Seattle, 20 Years Later

By: Rosabeth Moss Kanter

Keywords: Seattle

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November 2016 (Revised December 2016)
Case

Anthology: Pivoting the Business Model

By: Shikhar Ghosh and Christopher Payton

In July 2014, after 18 months and eight unsuccessful product launches, the CEO of Yabbly has agreed to sell his company to a larger, well-funded startup, providing a return of capital for his investors and a home for his team. Two weeks prior to the scheduled closing,... View Details

Keywords: Mergers ＆ Acquisitions; Business Model; Business Plan; Business Startups; Entrepreneurship; Innovation Strategy; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Internet and the Web; Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Exit or Shutdown; Fairness; Valuation; Technology Industry; Consumer Products Industry; North America; United States; Seattle

28 Apr 2014
Research & Ideas

Football Stars Debate ‘The Social Capital of the Savvy Athlete’

Nobody understands the power of Twitter better than Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman. In a now-infamous television interview in January after a National Football League playoff game, Sherman briefly ranted against rival Michael... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Sports

10 Jun 2013
Research & Ideas

How Numbers Talk to People

immediately rose substantially. Executives felt that they had enough evidence to discontinue the fees, and the rest of the industry followed suit. Across town in Seattle lies Zillow, a company that distributes information about... View Details

30 Apr 2001
Research & Ideas

Entering the Age of Alliances

donor and grateful recipient, toward deeper, strategic alliances. These changes are already under way, and the changing alliance landscape is rich in variety, with businesses and nonprofits from Boston to Seattle finding new ways to work... View Details

Keywords: by James Austin

14 Mar 2011
Research & Ideas

Water, Electricity, and Transportation: Preparing for the Population Boom

weak." A conference attendee from Seattle noted that bus fares in his city are higher during rush hour than at any other time—which, he said, only discourages him from taking the bus to work. Another panelist noted that while public... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

May 2016 (Revised January 2018)
Case

Improving Repurchase Rates at zulily

By: Thales Teixeira and Sarah McAra

In February 2015, zulily cofounder and CEO Darrell Cavens faced a major challenge in his business, a Seattle-based daily deals site that catered to moms. The more he spent to acquire new customers, the less he retained them in the form of repeat purchases. This was an... View Details

Keywords: Zulily; Repurchase; E-commerce; Online Shopping; Fashion; Customer Relationship Management; Internet and the Web; Digital Marketing; Customer Satisfaction; Fashion Industry; Retail Industry; Seattle

August 2014 (Revised August 2015)
Supplement

Opening the Valve: From Software to Hardware (B)

By: Ethan Bernstein, Francesca Gino and Bradley Staats

Valve, one of the world's top video game software companies, has also become an iconic example of an organization with virtually no hierarchy. A 400-person organization, Valve's unique organizational form (described in detail in the case and accompanying employee... View Details

July 2024
Case

Wizards of the Coast and Magic: The Rebounding

By: Boris Groysberg and Tom Quinn

This case traces the history and growth of the Magic: The Gathering trading card game. From its development in 1993 by tiny studio Wizards of the Coast, to Wizards’ acquisition by toy giant Hasbro in 1999, to its evolution into a billion-dollar brand in 2023,... View Details

17 Jun 2019
Research & Ideas

What Hospitals Must Learn to Compete

through consolidation than to excel on your own merits. Sadun: That may be true. I’m also starting to think that there might be some intentionality. Virginia Mason Hospital in Seattle is famous for having done a lean transformation that... View Details

Keywords: by Alumni Bulletin Staff; Health

24 May 2010
Research & Ideas

Stimulus Surprise: Companies Retrench When Government Spends

project will be to ask a similar question of the private sector: Does private-sector economic activity create or crowd out additional private-sector opportunities? Put differently, did Bill Gates's decision to relocate Microsoft to the View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

August 2015
Case

Yabbly (A)

By: Shikhar Ghosh and Christopher Payton

In November 2013, with less than 10 months of cash on hand, Tom Leung, the founder and CEO of Yabbly, must decide where to focus his resources. His startup, a question-and-answer application for shopping decisions, had benefited from a strong showing at the SXSW... View Details

Keywords: Startup; Mobile; Online Product Reviews; Consumer Products; Business Model; Business Plan; Business Startups; Entrepreneurship; Innovation Strategy; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Internet and the Web; North America; United States; Washington (state, US); Seattle