Publications

November 1994 (Revised May 1996)
Case

Walt Disney's Dennis Hightower-- Taking Charge

By: Ashish Nanda

In 1987, Dennis Hightower, was recruited from outside for a newly created position as head of Disney Consumer Products European operations. Hightower has to win initial acceptance of entrenched country managers, integrate the company's diverse subsidiaries closer... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Leadership; Change Management; Corporate Strategy; Personal Development and Career; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Europe

26 Sep 2006
First Look

First Look: September 26, 2006

Ventures, Kleiner-Perkins, and others. Purchase this case: http://www.hbsp.harvard.edu/b01/en/common/item_detail.jhtml?id=806198 DVD War Harvard Business School Case 706-504 In 2006, the DVD was the most popular storage medium in the View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

02 Sep 2016
Op-Ed

The Twitter Election

time interacting with traditional media.Second, voters who may have enjoyed being entertained and provoked during the primary by Trump's tweets are likely to become more serious as they approach the general election. Given the tough... View Details

Keywords: by John Quelch and Thales Teixeira

14 Apr 2020
Cold Call Podcast

'Fortnite' Was a Blockbuster for Epic Games. What’s the Encore?

Keywords: Re: Andy Wu; Entertainment & Recreation; Entertainment & Recreation

26 Jul 2016
Research & Ideas

Where will Pokémon Go with Your Personal Information?

Instead of taking big screens across the country by storm, this summer’s blockbuster has people glued to much smaller ones. Launched at the beginning of July by San Francisco-based software development company Niantic, Inc., Pokémon Go has quickly become one of the... View Details

Keywords: Re: Willy C. Shih; Entertainment & Recreation; Entertainment & Recreation

30 Jan 2006
HBS Case

The Case of the Mystery Writer’s Brand

As a longtime authority on marketing communications, HBS professor John Deighton has analyzed the consumer-product relationship from every angle. But when he heard the best-selling author James Patterson address a meeting of the Direct Marketing Association, Deighton... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Entertainment & Recreation; Entertainment & Recreation; Entertainment & Recreation

October 2011 (Revised February 2012)
Case

One Game to Rule Them All: Lord of the Rings Online and the MMO Market

Keywords: Competition; Strategy; Business Model; Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Video Game Industry

March 2024 (Revised September 2024)
Case

Supercell 2.0: Clash of Plans

By: Jeffrey F. Rayport and George Gonzalez

Founded in 2010, Supercell was a Helsinki, Finland-based mobile gaming company that had developed and launched five global hit mobile games: Clash of Clans, Clash Royale, Hay Day, Brawl Stars, and Boom Beach. The company’s early philosophy was that it could produce... View Details

Keywords: Business Growth and Maturation; Restructuring; Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Organizational Structure; Corporate Strategy; Video Game Industry; Finland

17 Jun 2013
Research & Ideas

Advertising Symbiosis: The Key to Viral Videos

personality.” So how do firms increase the likelihood that their ads will go viral? For starters, they need to prioritize entertainment over facts and figures. To paraphrase an old campaign, these are not your father's Oldsmobile ads.... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Advertising

20 Dec 2016
Research & Ideas

The 10 Most Popular 'Cold Call' Podcasts

entertainment player, but it changed the viewing habits of millions of watchers. In this Cold Call Podcast, Anita Elberse discusses her case study on the impact of this pioneering series and the small production company behind it. ... View Details

Keywords: Re: Multiple Faculty

03 Aug 2016
Research & Ideas

Ominous Background Music Is Bad for Sharks

“While it may be tempting to include ominous soundtracks for entertainment value for instance, our research shows there is a potential cost to doing so.” And while this study focuses on sharks, the findings provide a general lesson about... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Media & Broadcasting

06 Mar 2018
First Look

First Look at Research and Ideas, March 6, 2018

Carter are celebrating James’ third NBA championship. The duo will soon have to decide on a strategy for their media businesses—their film and television production company SpringHill Entertainment as well as their digital sports platform... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

November 2006
Background Note

Technical Game Theory Note #6: Multiple-Round Games and Reputations

By: Dennis A. Yao

Provides a game theory-based interpretation of reputations and reputation building. View Details

Keywords: Game Theory; Mathematical Methods; Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Reputation; Debates; Strategy; Performance Consistency; Performance Improvement; Strategic Planning; Education Industry

10 Nov 2008
Research Event

Social Media Leads the Future of Technology

buying?" Tv And The Internet Pressure has been building for a merging of television and the Internet, said Intel's Eric Kim. Consumers now expect Internet service everywhere, with implications for entertainment and advertising. For... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

26 Oct 2010
Working Paper Summaries

When Does a Platform Create Value by Limiting Choice?

Keywords: by Ramon Casadesus-Masanell & Hanna W. Halaburda; Entertainment & Recreation; Entertainment & Recreation

13 Dec 2022
Cold Call Podcast

Metaverse Seoul: How One City Used Citizen Input to Pilot a Government-Run Metaverse

Keywords: Re: Mitchell B. Weiss; Entertainment & Recreation; Entertainment & Recreation

April 1959
Case

Acoustic Research, Inc. (C)

By: Bruce R. Scott

Keywords: Entertainment and Recreation Industry

Find at Harvard

March 1988 (Revised July 1990)
Case

Walt Disney Productions: Greenmail

Considers a firm whose investment strategies have essentially run out. Walt Disney's original visions and goals have all been fulfilled and after his death no new ones are forthcoming. Disney faces repeated takeover attacks and is forced to either set new corporate... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Strategy; Crisis Management; Acquisition; Financial Strategy; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; United States

November 2015 (Revised February 2020)
Teaching Note

IDEO: Human-Centered Service Design

By: Ryan W. Buell

The case describes IDEO, one of the world's leading design firms, and its human-centered innovation culture and processes. It is an example of what managers can do to make their own organizations more innovative. In reaction to a rapidly changing competitive landscape,... View Details

Keywords: Design Thinking; Innovation; Service Management; Service; Design; Service Delivery; Innovation and Management; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Peru