Publications

May 2020 (Revised March 2022)
Case

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic and the Global Economy (A)

By: Alberto Cavallo and Christian Godwin

In April 2020, the world struggled to contain the exponential escalation of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Dozens of countries had imposed restrictions on travel, work, and social gatherings. A large share of the global population was under lockdowns and... View Details

26 Mar 2019
First Look

New Research and Ideas, March 26, 2019

Reinvention of Kodak The Eastman Kodak Company (Kodak) was a name familiar to most Americans. The company had dominated the film and photography industry through most of the 20th Century View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

February 2001 (Revised June 2001)
Case

eSurg (B): Second Round Financing

By: Jay O. Light and Anthony Massaro

An embryonic online medical supplies firm must negotiate a second-round funding. View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Negotiation; Venture Capital; Financing and Loans; Internet; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry

February 2001 (Revised June 2001)
Case

eSurg (A): Negotiating the Start-Up

By: Jay O. Light and Anthony Massaro

The founders of an online medical supplies firm must negotiate with an established hospital distributor and a venture capital firm. View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Negotiation; Internet and the Web; Financing and Loans; Business Startups; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry

April 1993 (Revised October 1995)
Case

ALZA and Bio-Electro Systems (A): Technological and Financial Innovation

By: Josh Lerner and Peter Tufano

To develop the next generation of risky products, ALZA, a mature and profitable biotechnology firm specializing in drug delivery systems, must raise $40 million. Organizational constraints and competitive concerns demand that the work be done inside the firm. However,... View Details

Keywords: Risk and Uncertainty; Technological Innovation; Business Subsidiaries; Decision Choices and Conditions; Corporate Finance; Biotechnology Industry; Biotechnology Industry

December 1997 (Revised December 1998)
Case

ArthroCare

A young company in the medical devices area, ArthroCare, has been public for six months, and its stock--after initially performing very well--is now dropping. At the same time, the company is confronted with several tactical decisions that could impact near-term... View Details

Keywords: Public Ownership; Decisions; Equity; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry

May 2015 (Revised September 2015)
Case

Philips Healthcare: Marketing the HealthSuite Digital Platform

By: John A. Quelch and Margaret L. Rodriguez

In June 2014, leading healthcare and consumer technology company, Royal Philips ("Philips"), announced its HealthSuite Digital Platform to house healthcare data and enable applications used by physicians and patients. Philips had strong equity in the healthcare... View Details

Keywords: Health; Healthcare; Digital; Platform; Ecosystem; Health Care and Treatment; Technological Innovation; Information Technology; Product Development; Applications and Software; Digital Platforms; Health Industry; Health Industry; Netherlands; United States

2023
Article

Dynamic HTA for Digital Health Solutions: Opportunities and Challenges for Patient-Centered Evaluation

By: Jan B. Brönneke, Annika Herr, Simon Reif and Ariel D. Stern

Germany’s 2019 Digital Healthcare Act (Digitale-Versorgung-Gesetz, or DVG) created a number of opportunities for the digital transformation of the health care delivery system. Key among these was the creation of a reimbursement pathway for patient-centered digital... View Details

Keywords: Digital Transformation; Applications and Software; Product Development; Insurance; Policy; Health Industry; Germany

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November 2020 (Revised March 2023)
Case

Zipline: The World's Largest Drone Delivery Network

By: Tarun Khanna and George Gonzalez

Zipline established the world's largest logistics network in Rwanda and Ghana by delivering medical supplies to hospitals via automated drones. The company is now looking to expand in the U.S. and partnered with Walmart to expand into home delivery. Zipline must... View Details

Keywords: Drones; Business Startups; Expansion; Growth and Development Strategy; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry; United States; Africa

August 2010 (Revised August 2011)
Case

Richard Jenkins at SciMat

By: John J. Gabarro, Thomas J. DeLong and Jevan Soo

Written from the point of view of Richard Jenkins, the Executive Vice-President of Medical Devices at SciMat. Presents his reflections on the series of events leading to the firing of one of SciMat's general managers, Erik Peterson. A redisguised and updated version of... View Details

Keywords: Resignation and Termination; Managerial Roles; Situation or Environment; Perspective; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry

14 Jul 2020
Research & Ideas

Restarting Under Uncertainty: Managerial Experiences from Around the World

other countries outside China such as Germany and Sweden before local contagion even started, allowing precious time to acquire personal protective equipment before it became scarce. Second, since the company was able to foresee large... View Details

Keywords: by Raffaella Sadun, Andrea Bertoni, Alexia Delfino, Giovanni Fassio, and Mariapaola Testa

August 1983 (Revised June 1985)
Teaching Note

EMI and the CT Scanner (A) and (B), Teaching Note

By: Christopher A. Bartlett

Teaching Note for (9-383-194) and (9-383-195). View Details

Keywords: Medical Devices and Supplies Industry

10 Jul 2018
First Look

New Research and Ideas, July 10, 2018

Bangladesh, Africa, and Chile, benefiting the public as well as their own enterprises. He then describes how an Indian health care organization is tackling institutional voids as it expands into medical... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

December 2008 (Revised April 2010)
Case

Proteus Biomedical: Making Pigs Fly

By: Richard G. Hamermesh, Lauren Barley and Ginger Graham

Proteus is a healthcare start-up that has developed technology to embed electronics for computing and sensing in existing medical devices and drugs. The technology could potentially change the basis of competition in the pharmaceutical industry. The company is... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Entrepreneurship; Technological Innovation; Rights; Negotiation Deal; Business Strategy; Health Industry; Health Industry; Health Industry

April 2019
Case

Barber Cardiosystems

By: Ranjay Gulati and Paul S. Myers

Barber Cardiosystems, based in Melbourne, Australia, designs and manufactures therapeutic devices used for treatment of coronary conditions. Over four decades, it has grown to be among the top 200 medical device companies in the world. It competes against much larger... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Behavior; Strategic Alignment; Cost Management; Performance Productivity; Organizational Culture; Motivation and Incentives; Organizational Design; Strategy; Leadership; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry; Australia

12 Mar 2019
First Look

New Research and Ideas, March 12, 2019

Clinic’s warfarin anticoagulation clinic. The study measured the personnel and supplies costs to monitor and manage anticoagulation therapy for 5,526 patients. Results: The... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

12 Feb 2019
First Look

New Research and Ideas, February 12, 2019

Devices: Challenges and Opportunities for U.S. Regulators and Innovators By: Gordon, William J., and Ariel Dora Stern Abstract— Software has become an increasingly important... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

Web

Clusters - Institute For Strategy And Competitiveness

01 June 2006 HBS Case Collection MassMEDIC: The Massachusetts Medical Device Industry Council by Willis M. Emmons III, Michael E. Porter and... View Details

July 2022 (Revised February 2024)
Teaching Note

The DivaCup: Navigating Distribution and Growth

By: Ayelet Israeli

Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 519-055. When the mother-daughter founders of DivaCup set out with a mission to disrupt the menstrual care industry with an innovative product form, they initially struggled to gain legitimacy and convince retailers to carry their unique... View Details