Publications

April 2021
Case

Codecademy: Where to Next?

By: Jeffrey F. Rayport, Max Mailman and Sarah Ascherman

In March 2020, Zach Sims, co-founder and CEO of online education platform Codecademy, prepared for a meeting with his Chief of Staff Kunal Ahuja to discuss the company’s goals. Codecademy billed itself as the largest online resource for computer science literacy and... View Details

Keywords: Monetization Strategy; Business Model; Change Management; Venture Capital; Leading Change; Growth and Development Strategy; Growth Management; Management Teams; Marketing Channels; Product Marketing; Network Effects; Product Development; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Strategic Planning; Internet and the Web; Digital Platforms; United States

Career Coach

Layla A. Ramirez

leaders get unstuck. Layla takes pride in helping her clients define success on their own terms and then helping them stay accountable to achieving that success. Presently, Layla is a DEIB practitioner at Justworks, a company on a mission... View Details

Keywords: Education; Entrepreneurship; Financial Services (All); Social Enterprise; Technology

Program

Rising Generation in the Family Enterprise

responsibility to society? This program focuses specifically on the choices facing the rising generation in the context of a successful family enterprise. Some members of the new generation will decide to pursue leadership roles in... View Details

24 Oct 2023
HBS Case

From P.T. Barnum to Mary Kay: Lessons From 5 Leaders Who Changed the World

Would Jack Welch’s Leadership Style Fare in Today’s World? Do Leaders Learn More From Success or Failure? Steve Jobs and the Rise of the Celebrity CEO Feedback or ideas to share? Email the Working Knowledge... View Details

Keywords: by Avery Forman

December 2018
Case

The Nature Conservancy in 2018

By: Jose B. Alvarez, Forest Reinhardt and Natalie Kindred

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a U.S.-based environmental NGO with $7 billion in assets and a presence in 72 countries in 2018. TNC originated in 1951 as a land trust, acquiring land in order to conserve it. Over the last 20 years, it developed a pragmatic... View Details

Keywords: Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Food and Beverage Industry

20 Dec 2022
Blog Post

Thinking About an MBA? Think About Your Purpose

Why get an MBA? Many of my students are excited to acquire the tools that will help them solve the complex challenges that await them in the business world. That is admirable, but I have found that my most successful students are also... View Details

12 Aug 2008
First Look

First Look: August 12, 2008

Coty. When Beetz was hired as chief executive, it was still a fragmented collection of recently acquired brands. The case describes how Beetz re-ignited the dormant celebrity fragrance business with the successful launch of a new Jennifer... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

12 Oct 1999
Research & Ideas

Where Main Street Meets Wall Street

over time turn even blue-collar workers into capitalists, and Americans-historically passbook savers-into a nation of investors. "For the general public," notes John J. Brennan (MBA '80), chairman and CEO of the Vanguard Group,... View Details

Keywords: by Garry Emmons; Financial Services

Profile

Jason A. Kilar

Jason Kilar, the founding CEO of Hulu and CEO and co-founder of his newest venture Vessel, likes to point out that serendipity and luck have played a big role in his success. Take his introduction to the... View Details

30 Apr 2013
First Look

First Look: April 30

a road map that will enable you to defy conventional wisdom, resist peer pressure, and carve out a path that fits your unique skills and passions? Harvard Business School's Robert Steven Kaplan, leadership expert and author of the highly View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

29 Jul 2014
First Look

First Look: July 29

Numerous survivors were reported to be awaiting rescue, and within a week, an international rescue party gathered at the scene, which had seemingly possessed all that was needed for a successful rescue. Yet they failed to save anybody.... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

April 1994 (Revised October 2002)
Case

Frito-Lay, Inc.: A Strategic Transition 1980-1986

By: Lynda M. Applegate

Describes the environmental, organizational, and information technology context in the late 1970s that led to the development of the initial vision for change and the actions taken to implement that vision. The case ends with the abrupt departure of the CEO as profits... View Details

Keywords: Transition; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Information Technology; Management Succession; Management Teams; Business Strategy; Food and Beverage Industry

February 2021
Case

Enterprise Agility at Komerční Banka

By: Euvin Naidoo, Suraj Srinivasan and Sarah Gulick

In 2017, Jan Juchelka, the new CEO of Komerční Banka, identified the need for the bank to start an enterprise wide agile transformation. He started by working to create a sense of urgency to kick-start a process to enable the level of service delivery to customers he... View Details

Keywords: Agile; Agility; Transformation; Organizational Structure; Business Headquarters; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Management Systems; Banking Industry; Czech Republic

September 2013
Case

Advanced Leadership Pathways: Laurent Adamowicz and Bon'App

By: Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Juliane Calingo Schwetz and Patricia Bissett Higgins

After a successful career as Chairman and CEO of Paris-based luxury food company Fauchon, Laurent Adamowicz sought to reduce obesity and improve health outcomes. Adamowicz created a mobile application to provide consumers with more accessible and interpretable... View Details

September 2023 (Revised January 2024)
Case

AB InBev: Brewing Up Forecasts during COVID-19

By: Mark Egan, C. Fritz Foley, Esel Cekin and Emilie Billaud

In July 2021, the CEO of AB InBev's European operations and his team strategized to position the company for success post-pandemic. As the world's largest beer company, boasting over 500 brands, revenue of $46 billion, and a workforce of 160,000 in 2020, AB InBev... View Details

2013
Case

Advanced Leadership Pathways: Laurent Adamowicz and Bon'App

By: Rosabeth M. Kanter, Juliane Calingo Schwetz and Patricia Bissett Higgins

After a successful career as Chairman and CEO of Paris-based luxury food company, Fauchon, Laurent Adamowicz, sought to reduce obesity and improve health outcomes. Adamowicz created a mobile application to provide consumers with more accessible and interpretable... View Details

Keywords: Nutritional Information; Obesity; Weight Loss; App Development; Business Startups; Nutrition; Health; Information; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Entrepreneurship; Social Enterprise; Information Technology Industry; Health Industry