Publications

05 Apr 2010
Research & Ideas

HBS Cases: iPads, Kindles, and the Close of a Chapter in Book Publishing

Two days ago, the first buyers of Apple's iPad began putting it through its paces, playing games, navigating the Internet, and downloading electronic books. That groan you heard was from dozens of book publishers across the United States, reeling from yet another... View Details

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

17 Apr 2006
Research & Ideas

Resisting the Seductions of Success

In his novel I Come as a Thief, Louis Auchincloss introduces us to Tony Lowder, a lawyer in his early forties. Tony and his wife have two children. He works for the New York office of the Securities and Exchange Commission, but his job is just a resting spot. Tony has... View Details

Keywords: by Joseph L. Badaracco Jr.; Entertainment & Recreation; Entertainment & Recreation; Entertainment & Recreation

03 Mar 2008
Research & Ideas

Marketing Your Way Through a Recession

furnishings and home entertainment will hold up well, as uncertainty prompts us to stay at home but also stay connected with family and friends. Now may be the time to drop your weaker distributors and upgrade your sales force. 3.... View Details

Keywords: by John Quelch

September 2022 (Revised November 2023)
Case

Wordle

By: Karen G. Mills, Christina Wallace, Ebehi Iyoha, Gabriella Elanbeck and Morgane Herculano

After sourdough bread, countertop chive gardens, and vaccine selfies came a pandemic-era trend that everyone seemed to be in on: one daily chance to guess a five-letter word and crow about your success on social media via little green and yellow squares. From a... View Details

Keywords: Games; Innovation; General Management; Mergers and Acquisitions; Trends; Entrepreneurship; Bids and Bidding; Consumer Behavior; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry

July 2011 (Revised November 2012)
Case

Ultimate Fighting Championship: License to Operate (A)

By: George Serafeim and Kyle Welch

The case describes the challenges that Ultimate Fighting Championship faced as a result of regulatory opposition and loss of the license to operate. The genesis of the business idea, the subsequent growth, and the fall of the UFC are described. The case concludes with... View Details

Keywords: Governance Compliance; Ethics; Judgments; Investment; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry

November 2004 (Revised November 2004)
Supplement

Martha Stewart (C)

By: Lynn S. Paine and Christopher Bruner

Supplements the (A) case. View Details

Keywords: Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry

December 2003 (Revised October 2005)
Case

High-Definition TV: The Grand Alliance

By: Thomas R. Eisenmann

Describes political and economic forces that influenced the development of an all-digital, high-definition television (HDTV) standard in the United States between 1986 and 1996. Outlines the stakes for various government and industry participants in the... View Details

Keywords: Decision Choices and Conditions; Investment; Policy; Management Practices and Processes; Emerging Markets; Standards; Business and Government Relations; Networks; Research and Development; Technology Adoption; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Japan; Europe; United States

December 2000
Teaching Note

BET.com TN

By: Thomas R. Eisenmann and Pauline M Fischer

Teaching Note for (9-800-283). View Details

Keywords: Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Africa; United States

May 1992
Case

Sunday River Ski Resort

By: Leonard A. Schlesinger and Martha Epstein

Sunday River is a ski area in Bethel, ME which has been run by entrepreneur Les Otten since 1980. The year before Otten purchased the area, it posted a loss of $235,000 on revenues of $541,000. Under Otten's leadership, however, Sunday River posted year after year of... View Details

Keywords: Service Delivery; Competitive Advantage; Entrepreneurship; Success; Transformation; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Maine

Find at Harvard

September 1976 (Revised October 1980)
Teaching Note

Sea Pines Racquet Club, Teaching Note

By: W. Earl Sasser

Teaching Note for (9-674-011). View Details

Keywords: Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry

November 1986 (Revised October 1995)
Case

Suzanne de Passe at Motown Productions (A)

By: Linda A. Hill

Illustrates: 1) the impact of a manager's leadership style on corporate culture, direction, and performance; 2) the concept of fit between leadership style and the requirements of situations in which managers find themselves; and 3) the need for managers to adapt their... View Details

Keywords: Management Style; Race; Organizational Culture; Leadership Style; Gender; Management Teams; Change Management; Situation or Environment; Creativity; Relationships; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry

Find at Harvard

18 Feb 2002
Research & Ideas

Wrap-up: Software, Telecom, and Recovery

with ROI-based, smaller implementations. Ed Kania If most tech needs are being met through large application packages, why entertain the idea of having smaller software companies pitch? If you believe that the Web is the next new wave of... View Details

Keywords: by Wendy Guild & Martha Lagace; Financial Services; Technology; Communications; Telecommunications

2004
Case

Hasbro Interactive

By: Vijay Govindarajan and Chris Trimble

In the mid 1990s, Hasbro created Hasbro Interactive, a new business unit chartered to develop video games for PCs and other gaming systems based on Hasbro's many toy and game brands. After a few successful years, ambitions for Hasbro Interactive escalated dramatically.... View Details

Keywords: Expansion; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry

January 2008 (Revised March 2013)
Teaching Note

Friendster (TN) (A) and (B)

By: Mikolaj Jan Piskorski

Teaching Note for [707409] and [707410]. View Details

Keywords: Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry

November 2000
Teaching Note

Geocast Network Systems, Inc.

By: Thomas R. Eisenmann and Christina L. Darwall

Teaching Note for (9-801-211). View Details

Keywords: Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry

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