Publications

September 1994
Supplement

Otis Elevator Company: China Joint Venture (E-2)

By: Michael Y. Yoshino

Describes what happened and presents the perspectives of the three executives who played key roles in the process. A rewritten version of an earlier case. View Details

Keywords: Joint Ventures; Globalization; Global Strategy; Market Entry and Exit; China

01 Sep 2015
News

Case Studies for Your Commute

practice of management? These are a few of the questions that will be answered in the new HBS podcast Cold Call, available this month via iTunes. “We want this podcast to reflect what is unique and distinctive about HBS,” says Brian Kenny, the School’s chief View Details

Keywords: Dan Morrell

August 2012 (Revised November 2012)
Case

Viterra

By: Ray A. Goldberg and Matthew Preble

As Mayo Schmidt's tenure as CEO of the Canadian-based agribusiness Viterra wound down before its sale to the Swiss-based commodity company Glencore, he reflected on his tenure, which had seen the firm grow from a Canadian-focused agricultural cooperative to an... View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Vision; Strategy And Execution; Growth Strategy; Organizational Change And Transformation; International Business; Farm Cooperatives; Agribusiness; Leading Change; Growth and Development Strategy; Market Entry and Exit; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Canada; Australia; Asia; North America; Europe

January 2010 (Revised April 2010)
Case

Google in China (A)

By: John A. Quelch

In January 2010, Google threatened in a public statement to stop censoring its search results on its google.cn website, as required by Chinese authorities. Should Google exit China? Or attempt a compromise with the Chinese government? View Details

Keywords: Crisis Management; Market Entry and Exit; Business and Government Relations; Internet and the Web; Information Technology Industry; China

April 1993 (Revised June 1993)
Case

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW)

By: Robert J. Dolan

In 1992, BMW attempts to revive its position in the United States market. In 1991, unit sales had fallen to 53,000 from 88,000 in 1987. The new CEO of North America considers a multifaceted plan to turn around the situation. View Details

Keywords: Product Positioning; Marketing Strategy; Multinational Firms and Management; Market Entry and Exit; Sales; Manufacturing Industry; Auto Industry; Germany; North America

August 2010 (Revised July 2012)
Case

Cork'd: Building a Social Network for Wine Lovers

Lindsay Ronga and Gary Vaynerchuk are launching Cork'd, an online social network for wine lovers. Despite Gary's status as a celebrity wine connoisseur, the team faces a significant challenge: several other wine social networks are well established and already have... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Product Launch; Network Effects; Market Entry and Exit; Social and Collaborative Networks; Competitive Strategy; Food and Beverage Industry

2016
Working Paper

The Reference Wars: Encyclopedia Britannica's Decline and Encarta's Emergence

By: Shane Greenstein

The experience of Encyclopædia Britannica provides the canonical example of the decline of an established firm at the outset of the digital age. Competition from Microsoft's Encarta in 1993 led to sharp declines in the sales of books, which led to the distressed sale... View Details

Keywords: Market Entry and Exit; Service Operations; Emerging Markets; Applications and Software; Books; Information Technology Industry; Information Industry

Read Now

May 2019 (Revised March 2022)
Module Note

Nascent Platform Strategy: Overcoming the Chicken-or-Egg Problem

By: Andy Wu, David R. Clough and Sasha Kaletsky

This note provides a framework for addressing the classic chicken-or-egg dilemma facing entrepreneurs launching nascent multi-sided platforms. There are several conditions that lead to a difficult chicken-or-egg problem: strong network effects, high multi-homing costs,... View Details

Keywords: Multi-Sided Platforms; Strategy; Entrepreneurship; Market Entry and Exit; Problems and Challenges; Competitive Advantage

Web

Peek into Business | MBA

definition of "business" and consider how understanding it can be valuable—from a strawberry farmer managing supply chains to a food scientist meeting market demands, or a software engineer designing solutions to a content creator... View Details

March 2018 (Revised January 2020)
Supplement

STRIVR (B): Moving into the Enterprise

By: Rajiv Lal and Scott Johnson

STRIVR, a company focused on virtual reality training, has decided to shift focus from sports to enterprise customers. The change in strategy requires the CEO to solve a number of issues. The company initally offered training for hard skills, but clients have been... View Details

Keywords: Strivr; Virtual Reality; Soft Skills; Hard Skills; VR; Applications and Software; Market Entry and Exit; Business Strategy; Training; Sports; Technology Industry; Education Industry; United States

28 Jul 2015
First Look

First Look: July 28, 2015

experienced executive from LVMH, developed a new vision for the brand and made the entry into the Chinese market one of his top priorities. The case describes how Jimmy Choo's leadership team analyzed the... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

November 2023 (Revised March 2024)
Case

Infarm: Betting the (Indoor) Farm on Food Security

By: Elie Ofek

In the summer of 2023, the co-founders of Infarm, a controlled environment agriculture (CEA) company, were contemplating a major pivot going forward. While Infarm had successfully shown it could grow over 75 products—mainly herbs, leafy greens and mushrooms—in modular... View Details

Keywords: Plant-Based Agribusiness; Business Model; Market Entry and Exit; Science-Based Business; Business Strategy; Transition; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Europe; North America; Toronto; Northeastern United States

May 2004 (Revised April 2005)
Case

Prudential Securities

By: Boris Groysberg, Paul M. Healy and Amanda Cowen

Prudential Insurance Co. attempted to diversify into financial services by building an investment banking franchise. Prudential's initial foray into the industry was its acquisition of The Bache Group in 1982. In 2000, the company decided to exit investment banking.... View Details

Keywords: Investment Banking; Corporate Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Market Entry and Exit; Diversification; Mergers and Acquisitions; Financial Services Industry; Insurance Industry

May 1994 (Revised November 2001)
Case

Concord Center

By: William J. Poorvu and John H. Vogel Jr.

A major shopping center developer and an insurance company form a joint venture to develop a 900,000 square foot super-regional shopping center. Describes the nine-year struggle to deal with market, regulatory, and financial issues to get the project ready for... View Details

Keywords: Buildings and Facilities; Design; Joint Ventures; Construction; Partners and Partnerships; Governance Controls; Market Entry and Exit; Projects; Equity; Corporate Finance; Retail Industry

15 Oct 2001
Research & Ideas

Four Questions for David Garvin and Michael Roberto

alliance, a restructuring, or entry into a new market or product category) arise relatively infrequently. Q: Is there a place for the advocacy (or "contest") approach in real time and in some... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

Fast Answer

Transforming Education Through Social Entrepreneurship

Education Statistics (NCES) - Primary federal entity in the U.S. for collecting and analyzing data related to education; produced by the U.S. Department of Education. IBISWorld - market research reports on a wide range of industries... View Details

Web

Buy Now, Pay Later: Credit and Charity

HBS Quick Links MBA Executive Education Doctoral Programs Faculty and Research Alumni HBS Publishing Site Index HBS Home Contact Us Map/Directions Introduction Credit in Pre-Industrial Society Imagining Pre-Industrial Credit Credit and Charity Pre-Industrial Credit in... View Details

October 2008
Case

Diagnostic Genomics

By: Regina E. Herzlinger and Mark P. Allyn

Should this gene detection firm enter the business of providing tests for the detection of genetic diseases? If so, how should it prioritize the tests it could develop? View Details

Keywords: Health Testing and Trials; Market Entry and Exit; Product Development; Genetics; Strategy; Health Industry; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry

November 1997
Case

Microsoft Goes Online: MSN 1996

By: David B. Yoffie

Explores Microsoft's decision to enter the online services industry in the light of its competition and the growing importance of the Internet. Significant issues include the cost and availability of content, telecomm/Internet access costs, competition with the World... View Details

Keywords: Cost Management; Growth and Development; Market Entry and Exit; Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Web; Information Technology Industry