Publications

June 2020
Case

In-housing Digital Marketing at Sprint Corp.

By: David E. Bell, Rajiv Lal and Olivia Hull

In the fall of 2019, Sprint’s Chief Digital Officer Rob Roy reflected on the telecom’s efforts to improve the effectiveness of its digital marketing campaigns. Digital media buying had long been handled by an outside agency, but in 2017, Sprint brought those functions... View Details

Keywords: Advertising; Digital Marketing; Transformation; Talent and Talent Management; Marketing Strategy; Social Marketing; Telecommunications Industry; Telecommunications Industry; Telecommunications Industry; United States

October 2017
Supplement

Snap Inc. Goes Public (B)

By: Lynn Sharp Paine and Will Hurwitz

Supplements the (A) case.

Snap Inc.’s chairman must decide how to address investor concerns about the company’s unprecedented plans to issue only non-voting shares in its upcoming IPO. View Details

Keywords: Ethics; Capital Structure; Corporate Accountability; Governing and Advisory Boards; Corporate Governance; Going Public; Business and Shareholder Relations; Leadership; Management; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Venture Capital; Telecommunications Industry; Telecommunications Industry; Telecommunications Industry; United States; California

July 2018
Teaching Note

Verizon 2018

By: Rosabeth Moss Kanter and Jonathan Cohen

Teaching Note for HBS No. 318-114. In 2018, CEO Lowell McAdam led efforts to transform Verizon through digital innovation, media acquisitions and integration, and changes to the company culture. He sought to manage change at the company as growth in traditional areas... View Details

Keywords: Change; Change Leadership; Change Management; Innovation; Digital; Management; Leading Change; Innovation and Management; Acquisition; Integration; Organizational Culture; Telecommunications Industry; Telecommunications Industry; United States

October 2012 (Revised August 2013)
Case

Global Unichip Corporation (A)

By: Willy Shih and Chen-Fu Chien

Global Unichip Corporation (GUC) is a design services company that acts as a front-end to TSMC, the world's largest semiconductor foundry. In so doing, it masked the complexity of the latest process technologies, and reduced the entry barriers for small firms to... View Details

June 2004 (Revised September 2005)
Case

Cox Communications, Inc.

By: Thomas R. Eisenmann and Jonathan Gibbons

Cox Communications, the third largest U.S. cable television system operator, is confronting strategy decisions in mid-2004. Cox managers must decide whether to speed its deployment of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), which offers capital and operating costs savings... View Details

Keywords: Customers; Information Technology; Competition; Product Development; Telecommunications Industry; Telecommunications Industry; United States

October 2002 (Revised May 2003)
Case

Vivendi (B): Revitalizing a French Conglomerate

By: Cynthia A. Montgomery and Rhonda Kaufman

Supplements the (A) case. View Details

Keywords: Telecommunications Industry; Telecommunications Industry; France

March 2000 (Revised May 2001)
Case

Jill Greenthal at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette (A): The TCI/AT&T Deal

By: Ashish Nanda, Thomas J. DeLong and Sarah S. Khetani

Jill Greenthal, managing director at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, is leading her team of investment bankers to negotiate on behalf of Tele-Communications, Inc. (TCI) on a potential landmark deal with AT&T. Representing TCI in the negotiations is the culmination of... View Details

Keywords: Leadership; Negotiation Process; Service Delivery; Groups and Teams; Entrepreneurship; Negotiation Deal; Gender; Telecommunications Industry; Telecommunications Industry; Telecommunications Industry

Find at Harvard

December 1998 (Revised May 2003)
Case

Vivendi (A): Revitalizing a French Conglomerate

By: Cynthia A. Montgomery and John M. Turner

Examines corporate strategy for a diversified firm in the French business context. Issues include corporate governance, vision, and the management of unrelated diversification. After the company's first loss ever, the Vivendi board elected a new chairman who completed... View Details

Keywords: Business Conglomerates; Technological Innovation; Business or Company Management; Goals and Objectives; Growth and Development Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Diversification; Telecommunications Industry; Telecommunications Industry; France

January 1989 (Revised February 1993)
Supplement

Warner Cable (B)

Describes the view of corporate officers regarding the changes made by General Manager Bruce McKinnon. View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Telecommunications Industry; Telecommunications Industry

October 1988
Case

Digital Communications, Inc.: Encoder Device Division

Explores the issues surrounding the determination of the product cost of a subassembly in a firm that has never had to determine subassembly costs. Asks students to change the cost system by adding allocation bases and developing a step-down allocation process. View Details

Keywords: Cost Accounting; Resource Allocation; Telecommunications Industry; Telecommunications Industry; Telecommunications Industry

April 2001
Teaching Note

CNBC.com (A): NBC Incubates E-business TN

By: Rosabeth M. Kanter and Brooke Bartletta

Teaching Note for (9-300-090). View Details

Keywords: Telecommunications Industry; Telecommunications Industry

March 2001 (Revised August 2001)
Case

Time Warner Inc. vs. The Walt Disney Company (A): Pulling the Plug

Describes negotiation impasse between Time Warner, Inc. and The Walt Disney Co. over the retransmission of the ABC Network over Time Warner's cable systems. More broadly, the case depicts the shifting balance of power between content creators and distributors in the... View Details

Keywords: Negotiation Process; Internet and the Web; Television Entertainment; Telecommunications Industry; Telecommunications Industry

May 1996 (Revised June 1996)
Case

Dennis Hightower: New Horizons

By: Ashish Nanda

Named president of Disney TV and Telecommunications, Dennis Hightower has to yet again come in as an outsider and take charge. The magnitude of challenge is much larger than in 1987, and the situation facing him is subtly different. View Details

Keywords: Leadership; Personal Development and Career; Telecommunications Industry; Telecommunications Industry

Find at Harvard

October 2018
Supplement

Zenefits Board of Directors (B)

By: Lynn S. Paine and Will Hurwitz

Supplements the (A) case. View Details

Keywords: Ethics; Business Model; Corporate Accountability; Governing and Advisory Boards; Corporate Governance; Crisis Management; Entrepreneurship; Human Resources; Leadership; Risk Management; Venture Capital; Telecommunications Industry; Telecommunications Industry; Telecommunications Industry; United States; California

June 2013
Background Note

Mobilizing an Online Business

By: Peter Coles and Benjamin Edelman

Entrepreneurs starting online businesses often need to mobilize multiple sets of users or customers, each of whom hesitates to participate unless others join also. This case presents several challenges with similar structure. View Details

Keywords: Mobilization Strategy; Network Effects; Platforms; Internet; Entrepreneurship; Strategy; Two-Sided Platforms; Technology Adoption; Innovation Strategy; Telecommunications Industry; Telecommunications Industry; Telecommunications Industry

Web

A Message from Dean Srikant Datar | About

programs, connecting with many, many, many more learners than we have before. A third would be around what’s happening in the world today with digitization and technology going at a very fast pace. Artificial intelligence, internet of things, the cloud, 5G View Details

01 Dec 2012
News

50 Years & Counting

administrative decision-making as academic dean of the Kennedy School, says that firms from the financial services, pharmaceuticals, and telecommunications industries have expressed interest as well. Adds Bazerman, a prolific scholar,... View Details

Keywords: Deborah Blagg; Business Schools & Computer & Management Training; Educational Services

March 2000 (Revised April 2001)
Case

Jill Greenthal at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette (B): The TCI/AT&T Deal

By: Ashish Nanda, Thomas J. DeLong and Sarah S. Khetani

Documents the hectic and grueling work done by Jill Greenthal's team at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette in an attempt to execute a landmark deal on behalf of a key client. View Details

Keywords: Leadership; Negotiation Process; Service Delivery; Groups and Teams; Entrepreneurship; Negotiation Deal; Gender; Telecommunications Industry; Telecommunications Industry; Telecommunications Industry