Case Studies

Google's Project Oxygen: Do Managers Matter?

Google's Project Oxygen started with a fundamental question raised by executives in the early 2000s: do managers matter? The topic generated a multi-year research project that ultimately led to a comprehensive program, built around eight key management...

Big Hit Entertainment and Blockbuster Band BTS: K-Pop Goes Global

Bang Si-Hyuk ('Hitman Bang') is the founder and co-chief executive officer of Big Hit Entertainment, the company behind BTS, a 'K-pop' band that has found unparalleled success around the globe-a remarkable feat given that most of their songs are in...

Cirque du Soleil

Retaining talent is an issue for any company whose success relies on the creativity and excellence of its employees. This is especially true for Cirque du Soleil, the spectacularly successful "circus without animals," whose 2,100 employees include 500...

GE's Two-Decade Transformation: Jack Welch's Leadership

GE is faced with Jack Welch's impending retirement and whether anyone can sustain the blistering pace of change and growth characteristic of the Welch era. After briefly describing GE's heritage and Welch's transformation of the company's business...

Pinckney Street

Although inexperienced in real estate, Edward Alexander hopes in June 2013 that youthful enthusiasm and an $240,000 in savings and inheritance will help him enter the real estate business. His experience chronicles the process of finding, evaluating, and...

Army Crew Team

The coach of the varsity Army crew team at West Point assembled his top eight rowers into the first crew team and the second tier of rowers into the second team using objective data on individual performance. As the second boat continually beat the first...

Chase Sapphire: Creating a Millennial Cult Brand

The Inside the Case video that accompanies this case includes teaching tips and insight from the author (available to registered educators only). The launch of the Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card was enthusiastically received by Millennial consumers,...

Trader Joe's

The Inside the Case video that accompanies this case includes teaching tips and insight from the author (available to registered educators only). Based on a variety of metrics, Trader Joe's ranked as one of the most successful grocers in the United...

Amazon.com, 2021

In February 2021, Amazon announced 2020 operating profits of $22,899 million, up from $2,233 million in 2015, on sales of $386 billion, up from $107 billion five years earlier (see Exhibit 1). The shareholders expressed their satisfaction (see Exhibit...

Leadership in Crisis: Ernest Shackleton and the Epic Voyage of the Endurance

Provides an opportunity to examine leadership and entrepreneurship in the context of Ernest Shackleton's 1914 Antarctic expedition, a compelling story of crisis, survival, and triumph. Summarizes Shackleton's career as an officer in the British Merchant...

The Tulsa Massacre and the Call for Reparations

The Inside the Case video that accompanies this case includes teaching tips and insight from the author (available to registered educators only). How should historic social injustices be addressed? Survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Massacre and their...

Generation Investment Management: Sustainable Investing in a Warming World

In September 2021, the sustainable investment firm Generation Investment Management (Generation) considered whether to add Schneider Electric to the focus list of companies in which it was prepared to invest. Dedicated to promoting a sustainable world...

Alibaba's Innovation-Driven Approach to Intellectual Property Rights Governance

Set in March 2024, one year after Alibaba Group announced its largest-ever restructuring in history, this case traces the behemoth's journey in protecting Intellectual Property (IP) on its e-commerce platforms, primarily Taobao and Tmall, China's largest...

Foodology: Creating a Virtual Restaurant Group in Latin America

In April 2020, Daniela Izquierdo (HBS, 2019) and Juan Guillermo Azuero (HBS, 2019), awaited the results of Harvard Business School's Alumni New Venture Competition. Operating since September 2019, Foodology, a Colombian food-tech startup in the cloud...

New Belgium Brewing and Climate Change

In 2023, Colorado-based craft brewery New Belgium Brewing was considering how best to meet its emissions reduction targets. After decades of growth, the beermaker had grown to become one of the largest craft brewers in the U.S., and was purchased in 2019...

Discerene Group: Long-Term Public-Markets Investing

This case discusses active investing based on fundamental valuations and price distortions created by market events, and whether contractual terms between investment managers and their investors can help align incentives between long-term investors and...

Dabbawala's: Masters of Precision but enough to survive?

The case examines the century-old lunch delivery service of the Dabbawalas in Mumbai, India, which is known for its remarkable operational efficiency and precision. In operation since 1890, the Dabbawala system relies on meticulous coordination and...

Women's Premier League: Is This Just the Start?

The Women's Premier League (WPL) final was contested on March 25, 2023, the atmosphere at the crowded Brabourne Stadium mirrored the phrase for which the competition became famous: "Ye Toh Bas Shuruat Hai" (This is just the start). Fans filled stadiums...

Brief Note on How America Votes and U.S. Election Structural Issues (2024)

This note describes how American votes, and explores several structural issues to U.S. elections.

Navigating Digital Transformation at Carrefour

In 2023, Elodie Perthuisot, Carrefour's Executive Director for e-commerce and digital transformation, met with CEO Alexandre Bompard to discuss strategies for the company's digital initiatives. Carrefour, a global retail giant with over 14,300 stores...

Allbirds: Decarbonizing Fashion (B)

The Allbirds: Decarbonizing Fashion (B) case encourages students to assess Allbirds' product development and go-to-market strategies now that Allbirds is a publicly listed company. The (B) case provides a 2024 update on Allbirds including its initial...

Myeloma Investment Fund

This case explores a critical decision facing the Myeloma Investment Fund (MIF) as it evaluates two investment opportunities aimed at accelerating a cure for multiple myeloma. The MIF, a venture philanthropy fund, must choose between two distinct paths...

Cemex and Antidumping

Under the leadership of CEO Lorenzo Zambrano, Cementos Mexicanos, S.A. (Cemex) has become the largest cement producer in North America and the fourth largest in the world. As a component of its globalization strategy Cemex expanded into the United States...

Gordon Biersch

Reviews the start-up and growth of Gordon Biersch, a brewpub chain. As the case ends, the founders want to roll out the concept nationally and are considering the issues of organizational design and financing. They are also considering selling a majority...

The Fraud Triangle

Power Dynamics (B): Political Catalyst in Organizational Transformation

This is the follow-up (B) case to W37506.

Power Dynamics (A): Political Catalyst in Organizational Transformation

Following E-India Ltd.'s acquisition of THEPSU, a significant shift in organizational culture and dynamics ensued as E-India's chief human resources officer sought to harmonize the existing HR teams with new approaches while leveraging their diverse...

Indian Institute of Technology Bombay: Inclusivity in Premier Education

The Indian Institute of Technology started with two locations in 1958 and eventually grew into an educational network with over 23 institutions across India. Graduate and Ph.D. students were the torchbearers in the fields of science, technology,...

Pioneering Pain Management: CWC Alliance Combats the Opioid Epidemic

Set in March 2024, this case is about CWC Alliance (CWC), a nonprofit working to prevent opioid addiction in the U.S. Founder Cammie Wolf Rice launched CWC in 2018 after her son, Christopher Wolf, died of a heroin overdose. Wolf's dependence on opioids...

Michael Ross: Whether to Move From Private Equity to Pest Control

Knowledge Transfer: Toyota, NUMMI, and GM

New United Motors Manufacturing, Inc. (NUMMI) was a joint venture between Toyota and General Motors. It was an opportunity for GM to learn about the Toyota Production System, which was quite different from the mass production processes American...

Brief Note on U.S. Political Parties and the Presidential Nominating Process (2024)

This note gives a brief overview of the major U.S. political parties and how they nominate presidential candidates.

Politics Comes to ESG Investing

While the past decade has seen a dramatic increase in the incorporation of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) standards into investor practices, this momentum has shifted recently in the United States, as some politicians argued that ESG...

DO & CO: Crafting Luxury in the Fast Lane (B)

In July 2023, Attila Dogudan, the chairman of DO & CO, a renowned international catering firm, found himself in a deep conversation with his two sons about a potential new venture: catering for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, a significant step beyond their...

DO & CO: Crafting Luxury in the Fast Lane (A)

In July 2023, Attila Dogudan, the chairman of DO & CO, a renowned international catering firm, found himself in a deep conversation with his two sons about a potential new venture: catering for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, a significant step beyond their...

Eat App: Building and Monetizing an End-to-End Dining Experience Solution

Founded in 2015 in Bahrain, Eat App was an up-and-coming player in the global restaurant management software business. In early 2024, having shifted to a product-led growth strategy, the company's co-founders faced a host of decisions that could greatly...

River Remedy: Navigating Mississippi's Medical Marijuana Market

MBA student William Chism, the founder of fully integrated medical marijuana company based in Mississippi, must respond to a significant disruption in the fledgling industry. In late 2023, Rapid Analytics, one of two active licensed testing facilities,...

3i Infotech Limited: Digital-First Strategy

This case explores the transition of 3i Infotech Limited becoming a digital ecosystem orchestrator in the international market from a software services provider based out of India. As a new CEO took over the company in 2021, the company has been forced...

Aminia: Online Delivery Platforms, Menu Structuring and Sustainability

The demand for home deliveries in India soared with the rise of online food delivery (OFD) platforms such as Swiggy and Zomato. On one hand, the OFDs provided the restaurants, much needed visibility, and on the other hand, it empowered the consumers to...

AirAsia Japan: The Re-entry Decision

The case describes a situation in early 2014 wherein Tony Fernandes, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the AirAsia Group, was contemplating whether AirAsia should re-enter the Japanese aviation sector. AirAsia had entered the low-cost aviation market in...

Net Protections (C)

Is Concentrated Ownership Good?

Net Protections (D)

Net Protections (B)

Net Protections (A)

ZEISS: Commercializing Science

Karl Lamprecht, President and CEO of the ZEISS AG Group, mused on how far ZEISS had come in 175 years of being a pioneer in optics, and how the course he had charted since taking the helm of the company could keep it on track. In his role, he oversaw the...

Negotiating Peace in Colombia

This case follows the protracted armed conflict between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), tracing it from its origins over 50 years ago, through the private and public negotiations that ultimately resulted in...

Note on CEO Succession in Family Enterprises

This note aims to offer guidance and insights into navigating CEO succession, whether involving family or non-family executives, and emphasizes the importance of providing clarity on the criteria for selection. By understanding the nuances and best...

Not Everyone's Cup of Coffee: Organizing the Café Industry

Scaling Seven Starling

Oculii

It was a bright June day in 2016. Steven Hong, co-founder and COO of Oculii had just signed a letter of intent agreeing to a 51% stake acquisition by Nexteer Automotive, a global steering and driveline supplier company that developed advanced driver...