Publications

September 2023 (Revised December 2023)
Case

TetraScience: Noise and Signal

By: Thomas R. Eisenmann and Tom Quinn

In 2019, TetraScience CEO “Spin” Wang needed advice. Five years earlier, he had cofounded a startup that saw early success with a hardware product designed to help laboratory scientists in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical spaces more easily collect data from... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Organization; Restructuring; Forecasting and Prediction; Digital Platforms; Analytics and Data Science; AI and Machine Learning; Organizational Structure; Network Effects; Competitive Strategy; Biotechnology Industry; Pharmaceutical Industry; United States; Boston

28 Jul 2014
Research & Ideas

Eyes Shut: The Consequences of Not Noticing

Harvard Business School. "Marla, my spouse, would see all kinds of things going on that I would simply miss. Why? Perhaps this was due to my tendency to focusing, and in... View Details

Keywords: by Max H. Bazerman; Retail

February 2025
Teaching Note

Influencer-Led Brand Building: Hairitage and the McKnights

By: William R. Kerr and James Palano

Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 825-066. Mindy McKnight started in 2009 as an early influencer on social media whose videos of creative hairstyles for girls launched her family on an entrepreneurship journey. The McKnights transitioned from YouTube ad revenue to brand... View Details

Keywords: Family Business; Social Media; Entrepreneurship; Brands and Branding; Product Launch; Power and Influence; Expansion; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry

07 Jan 2025
Blog Post

Revolutionizing Wellness: Kate Twist (MBA 2008) Shapes the Future of Consumer Health Brands

consumer research around the world to understand what people hoped their skincare products could do,” Twist explained. “I was also fortunate to learn from and be developed by several HBS alums (every leader... View Details

September 1999 (Revised October 2000)
Case

Eggrock Partners, LLC (A)

By: Thomas J. DeLong, Myra M. Hart and Sharon Peyus

Explores the challenges of choosing how to grow a professional services firm (PSF). Before developing a growth strategy, the partners need to agree on what business(es) the company should be in. Each of the three partners has differing views of what the company should... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Business or Company Management; Growth and Development Strategy; Business Model; Expansion; Business Processes; Industry Structures; Customer Focus and Relationships; Employees; Partners and Partnerships; Service Industry

01 Oct 2018
Blog Post

Josh Latson and his Fellowship: “It’s like a pie eating contest.”

Leadership Fellows builds a bridge Josh’s initial explorations were a “rough go.” When he looked for internship opportunities, he found that “no one understood why a finance guy would want to go into health... View Details

Keywords: Health Care

January 1995 (Revised October 1995)
Case

Schweizerische Maschinenfabrik Zug, A.G.

Schweizerische Maschinenfabrik Zug (SMZ), a 110-year old Swiss machinery firm, faces several issues at the end of 1992. It's not clear whether the company will be able to maintain its traditional price premium in the face of foreign competition. The firm must chart a... View Details

Keywords: Competition; Machinery and Machining; Globalized Markets and Industries; Manufacturing Industry; Switzerland

25 Jun 2018
Blog Post

The Internship Search: “Is this just a personal interest, or is there a real professional opportunity here?”

end of January, he had secured an offer from Barry’s to serve as a business analysis consultant. “It’s a cross-functional role working with the head of customer insights,” says Aaron. “I’ll be working on strategy, analyzing ways View Details

Keywords: Consumer Products / Retail

December 1998
Case

NHL 1998: "The Coolest Game in Nagano"

By: Stephen A. Greyser and Kirk A. Goldman

Explores the National Hockey League's participation in the 1998 Winter Olympics, for which a "winter break" was taken from the regular schedule. The benefits and risks associated with the NHL's Olympic participation are one specific focus. In addition, the case address... View Details

Keywords: Risk Management; Brands and Branding; Marketing Communications; Opportunities; Competitive Strategy; Expansion

22 Sep 2003
Research & Ideas

When Protestors Knock at Your Door

attack is about, and what business the firm is engaged in. We discuss these different strategies in the article. In general, though, it's risky for the firm to ignore the activists' protests entirely. At a... View Details

Keywords: by Cynthia Churchwell

26 Jul 2017
Blog Post

“Uncertainty Makes It More Interesting.”

with his friend to define his role and establish an objective for his summer, ten-week term. In addition to participating in the overall marketing plan for the Mexican Tim... View Details

Keywords: Consumer Products / Retail

September 2017 (Revised April 2022)
Case

Tempur Sealy International (A)

By: Benjamin C. Esty and Lauren G. Pickle

This case explores the long-term relationship between Tempur Sealy (TPX, a mattress manufacturer) and Mattress Firm (MFRM, a bedding retailer and TPX's largest customer). For almost 20 years, the firms enjoyed a mutually beneficial and commercially prosperous... View Details

26 Sep 2024
HBS Case

If a Car Can Drive Itself, Can It Make Life-or-Death Decisions?

as saying: “At the point [at] which you believe that adding autonomy reduces injury and death, I think you have a moral obligation to deploy it even though you’re going to get... View Details

Keywords: by Tom Quinn; Auto; Technology

March 2018 (Revised July 2018)
Case

Cadre

By: Thomas R. Eisenmann, Scott Duke Kominers and David Lane

Late in 2017, CEO Ryan Williams and his team debated whether Cadre should become not only a technology-enabled investment manager, but also an online trading exchange providing high levels of liquidity for investors in commercial real estate (CRE) equity. Cadre was a... View Details

Keywords: ＂Cadre,＂; Entrepreneurship; Market Design; Digital Platforms; Strategy; Internet and the Web; Private Equity; Financial Services Industry; Real Estate Industry; United States

April 2021
Case

The Incentive for Legacy: Tsinghua University Education Foundation

By: Lauren Cohen, Hao Gao and Spencer C.N. Hagist

Vivian Yuan seeks to bolster the Tsinghua University Education Foundation's fundraising efforts and investment goals in a new era of Chinese higher education. Competing with elite members of China's C9 League of top universities, she must develop a set of incentives... View Details

Keywords: Finance; Marketing; Strategy; Negotiation; Organizations; Markets; Higher Education; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Motivation and Incentives; China

2010
Chapter

Business Groups in Historical Perspectives

By: Geoffrey Jones and Asli M. Colpan

Business groups-collections of legally independent firms interconnected by multiple economic and social linkages that exhibit widely diversified product portfolios-are viewed as the prototypical large-enterprise form in contemporary emerging economies. By exploring the... View Details

Keywords: Business History; Management Skills; Emerging Markets; Alliances; Groups and Teams; Competitive Advantage; Great Britain