Publications

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01 Sep 2020
News

Alumni and Faculty Books for September 2020

Edited by Margie Kelley Alumni Books The Book of Esports: The Definitive Guide to Competitive Video Games by William Collis (MBA 2011) RosettaBooks Almost overnight, esports—or competitive video games—have exploded into the largest View Details

19 Sep 2006
First Look

First Look: September 19, 2006

punch of earlier generations: video sales generally decrease over time across all quantiles of the sales distribution, but this effect is most pronounced among best-selling titles. Our findings have important implications for View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

22 Oct 2018
News

Capital Murder

actually made me better at my “day job,” so to speak. Working in the entertainment industry, we’re interacting all the time with actors, writers, producers, and directors. I wouldn’t put myself in the same league, but having a small taste... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna

April 2016 (Revised February 2018)
Teaching Note

Riot Games: Can Culture Survive Growth?

By: Boris Groysberg and Michael Norris

This teaching note gives instructors a guide for a discussion of Riot Games, a fast growing videogames firm with a strong, player-centric culture. It also offers references to research on culture that will allow students to decide whether or not Riot Games’ culture... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Culture; Growth and Development Strategy; Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Video Game Industry

Profile

Creighton Taylor

2 experience in Accra, Ghana. There, Creighton’s team worked with the country’s largest entertainment company, Multimedia, to develop a mobile app for its media site. “I was both new to the industry and new to the continent,” Creighton... View Details

10 May 2023
News

Alumna Snags an Emmy

Smith Cochrane (right) accepts the Emmy with her colleague German Cheung Smith Cochrane (right) accepts the Emmy with her colleague German Cheung Kathryn Smith Cochrane’s (MBA 2016) recent Emmy award win didn’t have the anticipatory stress of the ones you see on TV.... View Details

Keywords: Arts, Entertainment; Arts, Entertainment; Arts, Entertainment

January 2020
Case

Ninja: Which Platform Wins Esports' Biggest Star?

By: Anita Elberse and Michal T. Leszczynski

It is July 2019, and the business of esports and gaming is booming. Tyler Blevins—better known as Ninja—has risen to stardom playing the immensely popular shooter game Fortnite. He has become the most followed streamer in the world and, helped by his management company... View Details

Keywords: Esports; Platforms; Superstar; Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Internet and the Web; Personal Development and Career; Decision Making; Digital Platforms; Video Game Industry; Technology Industry

July 2024
Case

Wizards of the Coast and Magic: The Rebounding

By: Boris Groysberg and Tom Quinn

This case traces the history and growth of the Magic: The Gathering trading card game. From its development in 1993 by tiny studio Wizards of the Coast, to Wizards’ acquisition by toy giant Hasbro in 1999, to its evolution into a billion-dollar brand in 2023,... View Details

Web

Leading Race Work in Business Schools - Race, Gender & Equity

LGBTQ community opportunities in the cable, media, and entertainment industries. His research suggests that managers' perceptions of their subordinates are affected by the composition of the work group of which they are a part and by... View Details

14 Dec 2017
News

Making Movies Is a Class Act

Beyda) Sally Wood (photo by Russ Campbell) Joe Abrams (photo by David Beyda) Sally Wood (photo by Russ Campbell) Abrams served in various executive capacities at CBS, Columbia, MGM, and ABC, before setting up his own consulting business in the media and View Details

Keywords: Jill Radsken

April 1999
Case

Steve Perlman and WebTV (B)

By: James K. Sebenius and Ron Fortgang

The dynamics of a linked series of internal and external negotiations involved in launching, growing, and selling a high-tech, Internet start-up are explored. Steve Perlman unfurled an impressive new technology, recruited a top technical and management team, secured... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Agreements and Arrangements; Negotiation Process; Value Creation; Alliances; Technological Innovation; Business Exit or Shutdown; Television Entertainment; Media and Broadcasting Industry

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

07 Dec 2016
Blog Post

Marketing Reimagined: A Recap of the 2016 Marketing Innovation Conference

On Sunday November 6, over 350 people flocked to the Harvard Business School campus to attend the Marketing Innovation Conference. This year’s theme, “Marketing Reimagined”, drew a wide range of attendees from top marketing professionals to students from 15+ MBA... View Details

Keywords: Entertainment / Media / Sports

Clubs

Business of Sports Club

Keywords: Entertainment / Media / Sports

16 Aug 2016
First Look

August 16, 2016

and firms outside of entertainment express interest. Marolda and Tull consider setting up Legendary Analytics as an independent consulting business. At that point Dalian Wanda, China's largest entertainment... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

June 2024 (Revised September 2024)
Case

Major League Baseball: Changing the Rules of America's Pastime

By: Stephen A. Greyser, Mac Levin and Brent Schwarz

This case describes the efforts of Major League Baseball (MLB) to make meaningful changes in the rules affecting the ways the game is played. These changes are intended to speed the pace of the game and make it more appealing to younger fans. The principal changes... View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Age; Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Leading Change; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Demand and Consumers; Sports Industry