Publications

March 2019
Case

Wattpad

By: John Deighton and Leora Kornfeld

How to run a platform to match four million writers of stories to 75 million readers? Use data science. Make money by doing deals with television and filmmakers and book publishers. The case describes the challenges of matching readers to stories and of helping writers... View Details

January 2011 (Revised December 2014)
Teaching Note

Aspen Skiing Company (A), (B), (C), and (D)

By: Michael W. Toffel and Stephanie van Sice

Teaching Note for 611002, 611003, 611018, and 611019. Associated with Video Supplement 615704 and PowerPoint Supplement 615042. View Details

Keywords: Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Tourism Industry

September 1990
Case

Outdoors, Inc.

By: David E. Bell

Keywords: Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry

Find at Harvard

January 2005 (Revised August 2005)
Case

Apple Computer, 2005

By: David B. Yoffie and Barbara Mack

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 market over the past few years. Will the iPod lure new users to the Mac? Will Apple be... View Details

Keywords: Technological Innovation; Innovation Strategy; Information Infrastructure; Brands and Branding; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry

April 2002
Teaching Note

Boston Lyric Opera TN

By: Robert S. Kaplan

Teaching Note for (9-101-111). View Details

Keywords: Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; North and Central America

August 2000
Case

Alison Brown of Compass Records

By: Teresa M. Amabile and Amy Blitz

Highly acclaimed recording artist, banjo player, and jazz/blue grass composer Alison Brown has used her artistic experience and MBA-based business savvy to found a successful independent record company with bassist/husband Garry West. Representing a stellar roster of... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Technological Innovation; Growth and Development Strategy; Growth Management; Industry Structures; Service Delivery; Business Strategy; Expansion; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry

August 1999 (Revised October 1999)
Case

RCA Records: The Digital Revolution

By: Jeffrey F. Rayport, Carin-Isabel Knoop and Cate Reavis

In 1995, Bertelsmann-owned RCA Records was considered a "tired and old" record label. By 1999, the company represented a number of the "hottest" acts in the music industry. Nevertheless, the company's position (as well as that of the entire music industry) was under... View Details

Keywords: Brands and Branding; Business Model; Competition; Corporate Strategy; Internet and the Web; Change Management; Marketing Strategy; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; United States

Find at Harvard

March 1998 (Revised October 1998)
Case

Paint-Pen, Inc.

Presents the background and some details on a possible acquisition opportunity--a manufacturer of ballpoint paint pens for the hobby and crafts industry. Forces students to peel the layers of this initially unattractive opportunity to find potential sources of value. A... View Details

Keywords: Valuation; Entrepreneurship; Acquisition; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry

October 1990 (Revised February 1991)
Case

Sony Corp.: Globalization

By: Michael Y. Yoshino

Keywords: Globalization; Globalized Firms and Management; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry

Find at Harvard

10 May 2018
Cold Call Podcast

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

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

June 2018
Supplement

Valuing Snap After the IPO Quiet Period (B)

By: Marco Di Maggio and Benjamin C. Esty

Analyzes Snap’s value and analyst recommendations following the events described in the (A) case. View Details

June 2018 (Revised April 2021)
Case

Valuing Snap After the IPO Quiet Period (A)

By: Marco Di Maggio, Benjamin C. Esty and Gregory Saldutte

Snap, the disappearing message app, went public at $17 per share on March 2, 2017, making its two 20-something founders the youngest self-made billionaires in the country. Over the next three weeks, 14 analysts made investment recommendations on Snap: two with buy... 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

19 Apr 2004
Research & Ideas

Ground-Floor Opportunities for Retail in India

to the monsoon season that makes shopping indoors an attractive prospect. There's also an entertainment factor, he added—more and more Indians are beginning to see shopping as an enjoyable pastime. Ground Level Opportunity The forecast... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Consumer Products; Retail

06 Apr 2016
Research & Ideas

Should Entrepreneurs Pitch Products or Ideas for Products?

In trying to secure financial backing for a new product, independent innovators generally face the question of how much to invest in development before showing it around. Should they create, say, a working prototype (and maybe even generate sales) or pitch the idea for... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Entertainment & Recreation; Entertainment & Recreation; Entertainment & Recreation

16 Feb 2004
Research & Ideas

Marketing Wine to the World

There's more in that glass than meets the eye—or the palate. According to Michael Roberto, important strategic differences have bubbled up between winemakers in Europe and those in the "New World"—the U.S., Australia, South Africa, Chile, and other countries.... View Details

Keywords: by Manda Salls; Entertainment & Recreation; Entertainment & Recreation; Entertainment & Recreation

April 1986
Supplement

Lyric Dinner Theatre: Deborah Denenberg, General Manager, Video

By: Richard G. Hamermesh

Presents Deborah Denenberg, general manager, answering questions about her successful turnaround of an ailing dinner theatre. View Details

Keywords: Managerial Roles; Restructuring; Business Ventures; Arts; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry

June 2025
Case

Vail Resorts: Responding to Activist Pressure (A)

By: Benjamin C. Esty and Edward A. Meyer

On January 27, 2025, the head of a relatively small hedge fund named Late Apex Partners sent a highly critical letter to the board of directors of Vail Resorts, the world’s largest ski resort operator. In his letter, and the 88-slide presentation that accompanied his... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Finance; Capital Budgeting; Corporate Governance; Competitive Advantage; Competitive Strategy; Leading Change; Valuation; Investment Activism; Climate Change; Management Succession; Financial Management; Risk Management; Business and Shareholder Relations; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; United States; Australia; Canada