Publications

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May 2024 (Revised February 2025)
Case

Choosing the Course of Passion: Brooke Boyarsky Pratt at knownwell

By: Jon M. Jachimowicz and Alexis Lefort

Brooke Boyarsky Pratt (HBS ’13) enjoyed considerable success in her early career, quickly climbing the ranks to associate partner at McKinsey, and later becoming an executive vice president at Berkadia, a Berkshire Hathaway portfolio company. Throughout these years,... View Details

Keywords: Passion; Career; Career Planning; Purpose; Personal Development and Career; Mission and Purpose; Identity; Business Startups; Health Care and Treatment; Health Disorders; Growth and Development Strategy; Market Entry and Exit; Health Industry; United States

25 Apr 2018
Research & Ideas

We May Have Taken Too Much Credit for Easing Workplace Segregation

can’t just look at one workplace over time,” Koning says. “You have to look at the entrance and exit of workplaces, and, when you do that, you find a much more segregated workforce.” Koning believes the findings will come as a surprise to... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

02 Jul 2015
Op-Ed

The Future of the Greek Economy

measures. But he is wrong in his assumption that the approach he has followed for the past six months will help the Greek people. Greece is now closer than ever to an exit from the European Union. As of today, capital controls limit the... View Details

Keywords: by Laura Alfaro, Dante Roscini & George Serafeim; Banking

25 Oct 2004
Research & Ideas

Planning for Surprises

the private sector has responded rationally, by exiting the business. Of the twenty-five companies that made vaccines in the U.S. thirty years ago, only five remain today. The Federal Government has, regrettably, permitted this to happen... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

09 Feb 2004
Research & Ideas

Got a New Strategy? Now Make it Happen

originally adopted a functional organization structure. This enabled them to exit many marginal, local businesses and focus on the opportunities that were most promising from a global perspective. It also allowed them to introduce more... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Beer & Russell A. Eisenstat

02 Jan 2001
Research & Ideas

Gurus in the Garage

advice. Can you create a good exit strategy for this person? Create a win-win situation? Maybe the customer will hire him." Learning by Observing Sanjeev Malaney, CEO of Media Tel (now MediaLinq) says that he "learned through... View Details

Keywords: by Dorothy Leonard & Walter Swap

April 2012
Case

People Express Airlines

By: Thomas R. Eisenmann and Lauren Barley

Recounts the history of People Express Airlines, which grew rapidly after its inception in 1980 then failed spectacularly in 1986. Profiles People's aggressive strategy and its distinctive approach to human resource management, which emphasized job rotation and minimal... View Details

Keywords: Strategy; Air Transportation; Business Exit or Shutdown; Business Growth and Maturation; Organizational Structure; Entrepreneurship; Failure; Human Resources; Business Startups; Air Transportation Industry

September 2008
Teaching Note

Chi Mei Optoelectronics (TN)

By: Willy C. Shih

Teaching Note for [608-123]. View Details

Keywords: Diversification; Information Technology; Market Entry and Exit; Standards; Industry Clusters; Supply Chain; Production; Experience and Expertise; Biotechnology Industry; Chemical Industry; Taiwan; Asia; Korean Peninsula; China

07 Feb 2011
Lessons from the Classroom

Creating the Founders’ Dilemmas Course

important to them and something that's really important to them," Wasserman says. "But at the end of the course we look at founders who were able to grow something valuable and also remain CEO of it—those rare ducks." Still, even long-term... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Education

11 Jul 2006
First Look

First Look: July 11, 2006

and, eventually, through its decision to execute a management buyout to exit the public market. Explored at the corporate level is the tension between Edison's effort to generate profits and achieve excellent educational outcomes. Brief... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

February 2009 (Revised February 2011)
Case

"Lather, Rinse, Repeat": FeedBurner's Serial Founding Team

By: Noam T. Wasserman and Eric Olson

"Is this the right time or is it still too early?" Dick Costolo wondered as he reflected on the latest acquisition offer. He had been building FeedBurner with his three co-founders for almost four years and was staring at the details of an acquisition offer from... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Exit or Shutdown; Decision Choices and Conditions; Entrepreneurship; Negotiation Offer; Groups and Teams

09 May 2005
Research & Ideas

Hold or Fold? Sizing Up Business Risk

exit the game. Once you've placed the bet, though, you always have to choose one of three broad options, which we'll call Option A, Option B, and Option C. Option A is to stay in the game as an active player until some later time or until... View Details

Keywords: by Eileen C. Shapiro & Howard H. Stevenson

September 2019 (Revised May 2020)
Supplement

Keroche (F): Future Growth Plans

By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and Pippa Tubman Armerding

This case describes Keroche co-founder Tabitha Karanja’s 2012 decision to invest in additional production capacity. In November 2012, with a loan from Barclay’s bank, Keroche began constructing a new state-of-the-art beer brewery using German technology. The new plant,... View Details

February 2020
Supplement

Theranos: Who Has Blood on Their Hands? (B)

By: Nien-he Hsieh, Christina R. Wing and John Masko

This supplemental case tracks the results of the Colman and Taubman-Dye class action suit against Theranos as well as Theranos’ other legal challenges and chronicles the final demise of the company in 2019. View Details

Keywords: Health Testing and Trials; Corporate Accountability; Organizational Culture; Misleading and Fraudulent Advertising; Crime and Corruption; Entrepreneurship; Lawsuits and Litigation; Business Exit or Shutdown; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry; California; United States

December 1996 (Revised July 1997)
Case

Studio Realty

By: Clayton M. Christensen and Bret J. Baird

Studio Realty created an "electronic open house" technology, by which home buyers sitting in a comfortable setting, could tour a home, viewing its rooms, its exterior, and surroundings, by clicking on digital images. Studio Realty attempted to sell or license its... View Details

Keywords: Technological Innovation; Internet and the Web; Sales; Demand and Consumers; Failure; Innovation and Management; Market Entry and Exit; Real Estate Industry

01 Jun 2018
News

The Long Run

on prescription drugs and heroin, it won’t take much to see significant ROI. Langford is driving again. The Camry has 96,000 miles on the odometer; despite his success in building and leading tech companies, Langford will admit that he did not time his investment View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna; photographed by Melissa Golden

June 2008
Teaching Note

Amanco: Developing the Sustainability Scorecard (TN)

By: Robert S. Kaplan

Teaching Note for [inse107038]. View Details

Keywords: Balanced Scorecard; Strategy; Performance; Groups and Teams; Management Systems; Market Entry and Exit; Competition; Social Enterprise; Motivation and Incentives; Goals and Objectives; Manufacturing Industry; Latin America; Brazil

January 2011
Case

Serious Materials

By: Thomas J. Steenburgh and Elizabeth A. Kind

Serious Materials is a start up who is moving into clean tech markets. The company's first product, QuietRock, originated the sound proofing drywall category and created a steady stream of revenue. It was now considering how to expand its product line to compete in the... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Entrepreneurship; Brands and Branding; Marketing Strategy; Product Launch; Product Positioning; Market Entry and Exit; Green Technology Industry