HR40
Hayagreeva Rao, Carter Bowen, Gib Lopez
2014
The SEALs are the elite special forces of the U.S. Navy. Their selection and training is exceptionally rigorous, with a heavy emphasis on physical condition, stamina, and mental toughness. However, the SEALs have a wide range of missions, many of which…
IDE07
Jesper B. Sørensen, Laurent De Clara
2014
In early 2014, Sanjay Swamy and Valerie Rozycki Wagoner, respectively chairman and CEO of ZipDial, were discussing the possibility of extending the company’s operations to Indonesia and the Philippines, two key markets in Southeast Asia. Having…
E524
Robert Burgelman, Robert Siegel, Sara Rosenthal
2014
The SurveyMonkey case portrays the evolution of the company from its founding in 1999 through to 2014. SurveyMonkey was launched by Ryan Finley, a young computer science graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, to address the dearth of easy-to…
SM209C
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…
E528
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…
E527
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…
E494B
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…
E494A
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…
HR38
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 growth…
SM227
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…
E522
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…
E520
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…
E526
Robert Sutton, Hayagreeva Rao, Rebecca Hinds
2014
After a delayed shipment of flooring materials impeded Jeff Booth’s ability to complete a construction project on schedule, he, along with cofounder Robert Banks, was determined to solve the inefficiency of the heavyweight building supply industry. They…
E511
H. Irving Grousbeck, Jason Luther
2014
It was March 2013 and one week after James Browder’s sixth board meeting as CEO of Aegis Systems Corp. (Aegis), a vendor management software provider based in Birmingham, Alabama. As Browder sat at his desk, pen and notepad before him, he reflected on…
SM223
Glenn R. Carroll, David Hoyt
2014
In 2009, Caterpillar shipped its first D7E tractor, an “electric drive” machine in which electric motors moved the tracks and blade, using electricity from a generator powered by a diesel engine. In an industry where new products provided performance…
SM219
Robert Burgelman, Debra Schifrin
2014
In 2013 Basware, the Finland-based e-invoice operator and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software vendor, was going through a large and critical transition: moving from selling and installing licensed software to selling Software as a Service (SaaS)…
OB88
Sarah A Soule, Davina Drabkin
2014
Melissa Stepanis, deal team leader for Silicon Valley Bank’s (SVB) New York tech lending group, had been on maternity leave. When she met with her manager to discuss her anticipated return to work, she was not ready to come back. Not wanting to make…
L22OS
Sheila Melvin, Larissa Z. Tiedens, Webb McKinney, Yifat Sharabi-Levine, John Cronkite, David Hoyt, Margot Sutherland, Felicia Williams Cosey, Collins Dobbs, Kim Latypov
2013
This is a role-play case, intended for use in a leadership development course for MBA students. The case has six roles, three each for students playing Headquarters- and Overseas-based managers. There are two versions of the case, one for students playing…
L22HQ
Sheila Melvin, Larissa Z. Tiedens, Webb McKinney, Yifat Sharabi-Levine, John Cronkite, David Hoyt, Margot Sutherland, Felicia Williams Cosey, Collins Dobbs, Kim Latypov
2013
This is a role-play case, intended for use in a leadership development course for MBA students. The case has six roles, three each for students playing Headquarters- and Overseas-based managers. There are two versions of the case, one for students playing…
SM176B
Robert A. Burgelman, Robert Eric Siegel, Ibrahim Elbouchikhi, Jonathan Karmel, Alan Chiu
2013
An update of Google’s Android operating system since 2009. The case discusses the incredible success and market growth of Android and its impact on the global mobile market. Google adeptly added features and functions to make the OS competitive with Apple…
E491
H. Irving Grousbeck, Sara Rosenthal
2013
The MobiChair case describes the story of Lucy Ahn and Josh McKinnon, graduates of Stanford’s Graduate School of Business who are also in a relationship, who take on the role of co-CEOs of a power wheelchair company after being offered the position by a…
E478B
Robert Siegel, Austin Kiessig
2013
The La Boulange: Exiting to a Large Strategic Buyer case follows the evolution of the La Boulange bakery and café chain and its eventual buyout by Starbucks Corporation. First, the case relates the founding story of La Boulange by its CEO Pascal Rigo….
E478A
Robert Siegel, Austin Kiessig
2013
The La Boulange: Exiting to a Large Strategic Buyer case follows the evolution of the La Boulange bakery and café chain and its eventual buyout by Starbucks Corporation. First, the case relates the founding story of La Boulange by its CEO Pascal Rigo…
SM192B
Jesper Sorensen, Debra Schifrin, Kevin Hettrich
2013
“Health Leads (B): Entering the ‘Proof Period’” presents the decisions the health care nonprofit made in 2009 - 2010 about its expansion options, and the success it had in raising millions of dollars in 2011-2012 to support that strategy. The (B) case…
