Publications

Portrait Project

Sharyar Aziz

and emotional battle for me, including complex surgeries, my jaw wired shut, and an all-liquid diet. The sensational nature of the incident generated global media coverage. Headlines such as “Men’s Singing Group Beaten in Anti-Gay Attack”... View Details

09 Dec 2019
Research & Ideas

Identify Great Customers from Their First Purchase

on the first transaction, so they can extract even more information than what we are currently doing.” About the Author Kristen Senz is a writer and social media creator for Harvard Business School Working Knowledge. [Image: Julien Viry]... View Details

Keywords: by Kristen Senz; Retail; Service

20 Nov 2019
Research & Ideas

It's No Joke: AI Beats Humans at Making You Laugh

dislikes. It’s hard for computers to compete with that." Where did that computer recommendation come from? Besides, product recommendations that seem to pop up out of nowhere in a social media feed or email may come across as confusing... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

06 Nov 2008
Op-Ed

Selling Out The American Dream

first and citizens second. Credit card offers flood the mail. Media supported by advertising encourage consumers to aspire to celebrity lifestyles, to keep up with the Joneses by acquiring more stuff. Even President Bush, following the... View Details

Keywords: by John Quelch

March 2011
Case

Valuation of AirThread Connections

By: Erik Stafford and Joel L. Heilprin

This case can be used as a capstone valuation exercise for first-year MBA students in an introductory finance course. A senior associate in the business development group at American Cable Communications, one of the largest cable companies in the U.S., must prepare a... View Details

Keywords: Communication; Present Value; Tax Accounting; Capital Costs; Synergy; Telephony; Wireless Technologies; Communication Technology; Assets; Cost of Capital; Valuation; Cash Flow; Capital Structure; Accounting; Wireless Technology; Media and Broadcasting Industry; Media and Broadcasting Industry

March 2023 (Revised May 2025)
Case

On

By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell, Karolin Frankenberger and Sascha Mader

Founded in 2010, in just one decade, the Swiss company On had established itself as a main player in global sports footwear and apparel. Based on an unconventional strategy which one of the founders labeled as “obsessively distinct,” On grew its sales with a compound... View Details

16 Aug 2018
News

Working with a Giver’s Spirit

Philippine tech incubator behind a number of remarkable companies, including Ayannah, which uses social media and mobile platforms to provide digital commerce and payment services to the world’s unbanked; PawnHero, an online pawnshop that... View Details

Keywords: Constantine von Hoffman

18 May 2023
News

India's New Money Managers

became clear—through social media channels and focus groups—that women needed more support. So LXME 2.0 launched in 2021 with education at its core. This shift included community-sourced discussions, planning tools, investment products,... View Details

Keywords: Maureen Harmon

01 Sep 2003
News

Larry Murphy

a $1.5 billion operation — as chief strategic officer. Responsible for strategy, acquisitions, business development, and the Disney brand on a global basis, Murphy helped grow the firm to a $60 billion enterprise by the time he and the Mouse parted company in 1998.... View Details

Keywords: Garry Emmons; Accommodation; Hospitality

17 Jan 2019
Blog Post

MBA Curriculum Spotlight: Short Intensive Programs (SIPs)

Businesses This SIP is designed for students who are focused on the rapidly changing world of sports media and sports technology. It will be focused on topics of interest to students who are considering careers in entrepreneurial... View Details

04 Jun 2001
What Do You Think?

What’s the Future of the Subscription Model?

Original Article The subscription model has served as a wonderful revenue generator through the years for many companies in the media and communications industries. Organizations have built hard-to-beat revenue streams around it, enabling... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

March 2020
Case

Hotstar

By: Krishna G. Palepu and Kairavi Dey

Hotstar was an online video streaming platform owned by Star India Private Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Walt Disney Corporation. Since its launch in 2015, the platform had grown to offer over 100,000 hours of TV content, movies in nine Indian languages... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Entrepreneurship; Television Entertainment; Disruption; Business Strategy; Media and Broadcasting Industry; Media and Broadcasting Industry; India; Mumbai

01 May 2019
What Do You Think?

What Should the Leadership of YouTube Do?

not be any sort of attack on this very fundamental right. On the other hand social media platforms still have an obligation to the public that they serve YouTube needs to redouble its efforts and be totally relentless in its quest to... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Media & Broadcasting; Media & Broadcasting

25 Jan 2010
Research & Ideas

A Macroeconomic View of the Current Economy

this is a political decision, and it's above my pay grade. There may be some strategic assets that we (as Americans) don't want to sell to foreigners. Congress is going to have to decide which ones those are. It may be that we don't want to sell certain elements of our... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

April 2019 (Revised October 2019)
Case

Sanjeev Kapoor: The Recipe for Success

By: Boris Groysberg and Mahima Rao-Kachroo

India's most recognized celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor has been an integral part of the country's food industry since 1993. As a celebrity chef, Kapoor enjoyed a 17-year run of his hit TV cooking show “Khana Khazana,” published more than 100 cookbook titles in multiple... View Details

Keywords: Advertising; Business Ventures; Change; Decision Making; Entrepreneurship; Food; Leadership; Management; Markets; Media; Organizations; Ownership; Problems and Challenges; Quality; Relationships; Technology; Food and Beverage Industry; India; South Asia

05 Jun 2019
Blog Post

Exploring the Beauty Industry through an Independent Project

In seeking information on beauty products prior to purchase over the last year, 67% of respondents consulted social media influencers and 59% consulted third-party product reviews. However, company advertisements and public... View Details

January 2015 (Revised May 2018)
Case

$19B 4 txt app WhatsApp...omg!

By: David Collis, Ashley Hartman and Aakash Mehta

In February 2014, Facebook announced the acquisition of WhatsApp for $19 billion. WhatsApp, founded in 2009, was a relatively young company that employed only 50 people and earned merely $10 million in revenue in 2013. It was one of many mobile messaging services that... View Details