Publications

01 Dec 2017
News

3-Minute Briefing: Wei Zhang (MBA 1999)

Above: Zhang and the popular “Tao Doll” figurines that represent Alibaba’s e-commerce platform. (photo by Christina Gandolfo) I joined Alibaba in 2008 as part of its strategic investments team. I never thought that one day we would have... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna

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; Music Industry; Music Industry

Find at Harvard

Beginning his career as a lawyer, Redstone joined the entertainment industry in the 1960’s with the formation of National Amusements. As Chairman of Viacom, he guided the company’s successful post-theatrical... View Details

Keywords: Entertainment & Broadcast Media

September 2003 (Revised September 2004)
Case

Grafica, Inc.: Winning the New Jersey Lottery (A)

Debra Taeschler, CEO of Grafica, is considering how to structure her agency's bid for the New Jersey Lottery account. The Lottery is facing declining sales in all major categories and plans to slash its 1999 marketing budget by 32%. Taeschler is debating whether to... View Details

Keywords: Marketing Strategy; Decision Making; Public Administration Industry; Public Administration Industry; New Jersey

November 1994 (Revised June 1996)
Case

Dennis Hightower: Walt Disney's Transnational Manager

By: Ashish Nanda

Describes the actions taken by Dennis Hightower as president of Disney Consumer Products in Europe and the Middle East from 1988 to 1994. Focuses on how he has established a regional office and knit local operations closer together, the benefits that the process has... View Details

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

30 Sep 2022
Blog Post

Latina Women in Leadership: Jacqueline Burgos (MBA 2014)

Entertainment to better represent and target US Latinos. The data was powerful – Latinos were the fastest growing ethnic group in the United States and not well represented in... View Details

March 2010 (Revised November 2010)
Case

Pandora Radio: Fire Unprofitable Customers?

By: Willy C. Shih and Halle Alicia Tecco

Pandora Radio is at a crossroads. Founder Tim Westergren has just been told by a well known VC to get rid of his unprofitable customers in order to get his costs down, but Westergren is not sure that such actions are consistent with his company's business model.... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Customer Satisfaction; Music Entertainment; Venture Capital; Profit; Growth and Development Strategy; Consumer Behavior; Internet; Media and Broadcasting Industry

11 Oct 2018
Cold Call Podcast

Baseball’s Billy Beane Shows Companies the Power of Data

Keywords: Re: Srikant M. Datar; Entertainment & Recreation

10 May 2018
Cold Call Podcast

'Candy Crush' Was a Blockbuster; Can King Digital Capitalize?

Keywords: Re: Jeffrey F. Rayport; Entertainment & Recreation; Entertainment & Recreation

November 2003 (Revised July 2006)
Case

STAR 2003

By: Thomas R. Piper

A shift in strategy from broadcasting standardized programs throughout its footprint to localized programming necessitates a review of STAR's organizational structure. Growing complexity and a need for local responsiveness point toward adoption of a country-based... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Strategy; Organizational Structure; Management Teams; Decision Choices and Conditions; Organizational Design; Complexity; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry

26 May 2016
News

Alan F. Horn, MBA 1971

creator of All in the Family. “I had no experience in the entertainment business, I had never been to Hollywood, and I didn’t know anyone there,” says Horn. “He said, ‘You’re perfect,’ View Details

Keywords: Susan Young

March 2005
Background Note

Home Video Games: Generation Seven

By: Elie Ofek

Discusses the issues facing firms in the seventh generation of home video game platforms. In particular, Sony and Microsoft plan to launch new game consoles in the 2005 to 2006 time frame. Each firm seems to be following a different strategy. Microsoft wants to launch... View Details

Keywords: Marketing Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Technological Innovation; Information Infrastructure; Applications and Software; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry

10 Aug 2010
First Look

First Look: August 10

recreates itself in response to new technologies and consumer needs, this major player is considering focusing on its principal business of concert booking and related revenue... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

01 Sep 2004
News

American Dream

Standing in a swirl of tourists that includes a gaggle of teenage girls, clusters of road-weary families, and a nun in full habit, Ted Hustead (OPM 30, 2001) appraises a mechanized Tyrannosaurus rex as it raises its enormous head, roars,... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna; Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries; Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries; Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries; Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries

01 Dec 2016
News

Inside the Bestseller List with James Andrew Miller

the curtains.” Miller’s new book fits that successful mold—but comes with a marketing challenge. Powerhouse is about Creative Artists Agency, a powerful force in the entertainment industry but a lesser-known... View Details

September 2017
Supplement

Actera Group: Investing in Mars Cinema Group (B)

By: Victoria Ivashina and Eren Kuzucu

In summer of 2010, Murat Çavuşoğlu (HBS MBA 1994) led private equity firm Actera Group’s investment in Mars Cinema Group (Mars), the leading movie exhibitor in Turkey. Immediately after acquiring Mars and merging it with the second larger player in the market, AFM,... View Details

Keywords: Private Equity; Value Creation; Transformation; Valuation; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Turkey

March 2004 (Revised September 2005)
Case

RealNetworks Rhapsody

By: Thomas R. Eisenmann and Steven Carpenter

Examines RealNetwork's (Real's) strategy for the rapidly emerging online music market. In contrast to rivals who sell individual copies of songs, Real offers online music on a subscription basis. For a $10 monthly fee, subscribers to Real's Rhapsody service have... View Details

Keywords: Internet and the Web; Competitive Advantage; Distribution Channels; Music Entertainment; Ownership; Service Industry; Service Industry; Service Industry