Jennifer Aaker, Patricia Mason
2014
Avenues the World School, an international private school with around 20 campuses in cities around the world, was designed to be the “learning community of the future” that used technology to connect students, professionals, and curriculum. In just 18…
Robert Burgelman, Robert Siegel, Rosy Lee
2014
This short case discusses the process of Life Technologies’ acquisition by Thermo Fisher in 2013 and 2014. The case is a complement to SM-209A and SM-209B, which highlight the various growth and acquisition strategies the company undertook over the…
Robert Siegel, Yin Li
2014
This case focuses on the investment strategy employed by 500 Startups, an early-stage investment firm founded by Dave McClure. McClure, an outspoken personality in Silicon Valley, believes that the venture capital industry is not innovating quickly enough…
Robert Siegel, Yin Li
2014
The case follows Scott Painter and his executive team as they deal with a crisis that threatens the survival of TrueCar, a company founded by Painter to improve consumers’ car buying experiences. TrueCar’s automotive dealer network, from which the…
Hayagreeva Rao, Yin Li
2014
This case follows Julio Vasconcellos (MBA 2007) as he launches Peixe Urbano, a daily deals company in Brazil. Daily deals are coupons that offer savings at local merchants and are sold en masse to consumers by companies such as Peixe Urbano, Groupon, and…
Hayagreeva Rao, Yin Li
2014
This case follows Julio Vasconcellos (MBA 2007) as he launches Peixe Urbano, a daily deals company in Brazil. Daily deals are coupons that offer savings at local merchants and are sold en masse to consumers by companies such as Peixe Urbano, Groupon, and…
Robert Chess, Jason Luther
2014
International healthcare and reimbursement systems underwent a radical transformation in the 2000s, resulting from growing financial pressures incited by economic depression and a steady rise in healthcare spending. This phenomenon was most pronounced in…
Ilya A. Strebulaev, Jaclyn Foroughi, Theresia Gouw
2014
In mid-2011, as global markets corrected amid worldwide economic uncertainty, Drew Houston, co-founder and CEO of Dropbox, the fast-growing file synchronization and sharing company, found himself in a difficult, albeit enviable, situation. Houston, who…
Rebecca Hinds, Robert Sutton, Hayagreeva Rao
2014
In 2012, software company Adobe Systems transitioned from using annual performance reviews to a system of ongoing, flexible, “check-ins.” The check-ins involved setting and tracking expectations, ongoing feedback and coaching, and opportunities for…
Yin Li, Howard Rosen, Stephen Ciesinski
2014
Entrepreneurs seeking to start companies in developing economies face significant human resource challenges. Before embarking on their ventures, entrepreneurs should articulate a talent management strategy that describes how they will source, identify…
Maryanna Quigless, Jonathan Levav
2014
In March 2012 the founders of Qualtrics sat together in the Provo, Utah, office of advisor Duff Thompson. They stared down one of the toughest decisions in the ten-year history of the company. Thompson and Qualtrics’ CEO Ryan Smith had spent the last…
Robert Siegel, Robet Burgelman, Sylvia Kuyel
2014
Mariam Naficy (Minted CEO) and Melissa Kim (Minted COO) have grown the company to become a leader in the online printed cards, independent design and art market segments. As the business has continued to scale they wrestle with simultaneously growing…
Jonathan Levav, Joshua Rauh, Jason Luther
2014
“Raise money when times are good.” Kevin Hartz mulled over this expression as he examined the term sheet before him. The CEO had become somewhat of a masterful fundraiser. Since founding the online event and ticketing service Eventbrite in 2006, Kevin…
Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen, Sarah Murray
2014
On joining the Gap Foundation, Bobbi Silten saw an opportunity to tie Gap Inc.’s philanthropic strategy more closely to its business interests, expertise, people, and assets. When looking at the communities from which it sourced its products, Gap Inc. saw…
Robert Burgelman, Gang Zheng, Yajuan Wang
2014
This industry note provides an extensive overview of the wireless communications industry in China at the end of 2012. At the time China had over 1.1 billion mobile subscribers, and the country was predicted to have 500 million smartphones in use by the…
Robert A. Burgelman, Robert E. Siegel, Jason Luther
2014
In 2013, Mathias Döpfner, CEO of the publishing house Axel Springer SE, a premier source of content in Germany, with its popular newspapers and magazines such as Bild and Die Welt, was evaluating the progress of his company’s digital transformation. The…
George Foster, Norm O’Reilly, Ryan Lippert, Carlos Shimizu, Kyle Udseth
2014
Billy Beane and the Oakland A’s have ‘changed the game’ in terms of talent identification, analytics, and player investment in Major League Baseball (MLB). Cases A and B are designed to provide and inspire learning on these topics by recounting Billy…
George Foster, Norm O’Reilly, Ryan Lippert, Carlos Shimizu, Kyle Udseth
2014
Billy Beane and the Oakland A’s have ‘changed the game’ in terms of talent identification, analytics, and player investment in Major League Baseball (MLB). Cases A and B are designed to provide and inspire learning on these topics by recounting Billy…
Jonathan Levav, Yin Li
2014
This case follows Yaron Samid, founder of BillGuard, a personal finance web application that monitors users’ credit card transactions for fraudulent and unrecognizable charges. The case centers on Samid’s struggles to gain broad distribution. After…
Robert Chess, Yin Li
2014
The case follows Brad Griffith, the founder of Gametime, a mobile application for purchasing and redeeming event tickets. The case examines how Griffith assesses whether he has found an attractive business opportunity initially, and later whether he has…
Jennifer Aaker, Debra Schifrin
2014
Stories play an important role in business. They are a powerful tool for persuasion and useful in the context of understanding customers, building brands and leading teams. The case explores how stories can drive the growth of a company, focusing on Brit…
Jennifer Aaker, Debra Schifrin
2014
Stories play an important role in business. They are a powerful tool for persuasion and useful in the context of understanding customers, building brands and leading teams. Set in 2014, the case explores how stories can drive the growth of a company…
Jennifer Aaker, Debra Schifrin
2014
Stories play an important role in business. They are a powerful tool for persuasion and useful in the context of understanding customers, building brands, and leading teams. This case explores how stories can drive the growth of a company, focusing on…
Robert Siegel, Yin Li
2014
The case follows AngelList, an online platform connecting entrepreneurs with investors, as it searches for product/market fit and business models. Founded in 2010 by entrepreneurs Naval Ravikant and Babak Nivi, AngelList begins as a project to give back…