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Nothing to See Here: Richard Tedlow Explains Why So Many CEOs Refuse to Confront the Truth

By: Richard S. Tedlow

The article presents an interview with business historian Richard Tedlow on the topic of why chief executive officers (CEOs) sometimes refuse to acknowledge data or information that indicate they need to shift their strategy. He notes that denial is a typical response... View Details

Keywords: Management

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April 2006 (Revised May 2007)
Case

Apple Computer, 2006

By: David B. Yoffie and Michael Slind

Apple has reaped the benefits of its innovative music player, the iPod. However, its PC and server business continue to hold small market share relative to the worldwide computer over the past few years. Will the iPod lure new users to the Mac? Will Apple be able to... View Details

Keywords: Technological Innovation; Product Positioning; Performance Evaluation; Information Infrastructure; Music Entertainment; Time Management; Information Technology Industry

01 Jun 2022
News

The Exchange: Same Great Price, Now with Fewer Chips

John Gourville and Alex MacKay (Image by John Ritter) Rising inflation and pandemic-related supply-chain challenges are driving up prices at the grocery store. While some manufacturers, like Procter & Gamble, have come forward to announce price hikes across their View Details

Keywords: Miscellaneous Store Retailers; Retail Trade

11 Mar 2001
Research & Ideas

Digital Designs on the Inner City

An increasing number of inner city residents own computers and have online access, but government agencies and private companies need to do more to bridge the digital divide that still exists among income groups, according to View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

August 1998 (Revised June 2000)
Case

FairMarket, Inc.: Where Buyers and Sellers Connect

By: Lynda M. Applegate, Jack Wieland and Chad M. M Raube

On February 20, 1997, FairMarket, an Internet-based business-to-business auction site, was launched. CEO, founder Scott Randall, drew on his experience building Internet businesses at NECX Direct, Yahoo, and Internet Shopping Network to build his business. This case,... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Debates; Entrepreneurship; Growth and Development; Growth Management; Management Style; Product Launch; Multi-Sided Platforms; Problems and Challenges; Information Technology; Information Technology Industry; Web Services Industry

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18 Sep 2013
Research & Ideas

Unspoken Cues: Encouraging Morals Without Mandates

environment where moral behavior is instilled as proper behavior rather than imposed. How moral orders are built and sustained in organizations is of particular fascination to Harvard Business School... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Education

November 2009
Case

Dawn Stokes: The View from the Driver's Seat

By: Boris Groysberg and Lindsay Tanne

Dawn Stokes founded and was successful as CEO of Texas Driving Experience, a company that provided driving lessons, both safety-based for teens, and high-performance racecar driving for individual thrill seekers and corporate events. Although the company had done well,... View Details

Keywords: Economic Slowdown and Stagnation; Training; Entrepreneurship; Growth and Development Strategy; Expansion; Auto Industry; Service Industry; Texas

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01 Oct 2021
Blog Post

Alumni Spotlight: Career Advice from Alums Working in Climate

This year the theme of Climate Week is highlighting what businesses and governments can do to meet their climate targets. In that spirit, we have reached out to recent alums working in the climate space and... View Details

June 2013 (Revised August 2013)
Case

AVA.ph: Growing a Filipino E-Commerce Company

By: William R. Kerr and Henry Motte-Munoz

AVA is a three-year old e-commerce company in the Philippines. From its early start mimicking the Gilt Groupe concept of online flash sales, the company has grown into a broader e-commerce platform for local fashion commerce. Oliver Segovia needs to evaluate where AVA... View Details

Keywords: Digital Platforms; Business Growth and Maturation; Internet and the Web; Entrepreneurship; Growth and Development Strategy; Fashion Industry; Retail Industry; Philippines

December 1999 (Revised April 2001)
Case

Avon Products China (A)

By: Lynn S. Paine and Jennifer Gui

In April 1998, when the Chinese central government bans all forms of direct selling in China in April 1998, executives at Avon China must decide how to respond. The first direct sales company to enter China after its opening to outsiders, Avon sparked widespread... View Details

Keywords: Crisis Management; Sales; Trade; Business and Government Relations; Government and Politics; Market Participation; China

16 Jun 2020
Research & Ideas

Your Customers Have Changed. Here's How to Engage Them Again.

management and digital marketing tools for entertainment venues and sports teams (largely unused during the pandemic), switched to targeting small- and medium-sized traditional businesses struggling to... View Details

Keywords: by Rohit Deshpandé, Ofer Mintz, and Imran S. Currim; Retail; Service

01 Aug 2019
What Do You Think?

Has the Twitter Age Left the Case Method Behind?

experience this way: “I took away the self-confidence to approach complex problems that did not lend themselves to 240 characters worth of analysis or 2 minutes worth of attention. In other words, the types... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Education

Judges - Alumni

maximize feedback Lara O'Connor Hodgson CEO, Roxwrite, Rule 1 Ventures Lara O'Connor Hodgson CEO, Roxwrite, Rule 1 Ventures Bio: Lara recently joined Rule 1 Ventures as CEO of portfolio company, Roxwrite, a... View Details

February 2021 (Revised April 2021)
Case

Board Director Dilemmas—Back the SPAC?

By: Suraj Srinivasan, David G. Fubini and Amram Migdal

This case focuses on a board director of a diversified holding company. The firm’s longtime CEO had always exhibited a cautious, methodical approach to growth. Now, the CEO is raising the idea of joining with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) to spin off... View Details

Keywords: Board Director; Strategy; Change Management; Decision Making