SI128
Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen, Sarah Murray
2014
In 2000, Charles Best, a social studies teacher working in a school in the Bronx, New York, scraped together $2,000 to pay an overseas web designer to build a rudimentary website he had designed using pencil and paper. On the website, teachers could post…
E519
Haim Mendelson
2014
Evernote is a suite of cloud-based software and services designed to augment the user’s brain by capturing pieces of information in multiple formats, organizing, indexing and storing them, and making them easily searchable. The company grew dramatically…
M352
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…
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…
SI123
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…
M348C
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…
M348B
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…
M348A
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…
M353
Jennifer Aaker, Sarah Joyce
2013
Circle Du Soleil was one of the most successful entertainment companies in the world, a cross between a vibrant acrobatic show and a compelling narrative musical framework that captivated audiences since 1984. However, building one of the world’s…
M346
Jennifer Aaker, Jake Poses, Debra Schifrin
2013
The case describes how five organizations (Salesforce.com, Indiegogo, Ferrari, Thumbtack’s Team Philippines, and the U.S. military) developed successful strategies to foster happiness within their organizations and align it with their business objectives…
SI80
Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen, Victoria Chang
2013
In 1998, Laura Arrillaga launched the Silicon Valley Social Venture Fund (“SV2”) with two objectives: 1) providing Silicon Valley donors with philanthropic experience and education that would empower their personal giving; and 2) awarding local nonprofits…
SI112
Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen, Victoria Chang
2013
John Goldman is a sixth generation San Franciscan and a descendant of Levi Strauss, the entrepreneur who started the apparel company that bore his name. For generations, philanthropy has been an important part of the Goldman family’s lives and for John…
SI113
Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen
2013
Following an employer’s liquidity event, Linda Shoemaker and her husband, Steve Brett, unexpectedly came into significant financial resources. As a result, they founded the Brett Family Foundation, which Shoemaker ran as president. Based on her experience…
M354
Jennifer Aaker, Maile Lesica, Barbara McCarthy, Tina Sharkey, Tamsin Smith
2012
Stories drive almost everything we do, whether it is the motivation for why we raise our children a certain way, or the backstory for choosing one product over another at the grocery store. In ways that logical arguments and data are not, stories are…
M345
Jennifer Aaker, Sara Gaviser Leslie, Debra Schifrin
2012
The Business Case for Happiness discusses why it is important for employees and customers to be happy, how happiness positively impacts the bottom line, and how an organization can design for happiness. Research shows that employee happiness leads to…
M343
Jennifer L Aaker, Debra Schifrin
2012
In 2012 the New York-based airline JetBlue served 70 cities with 650 daily flights. JetBlue prided itself on being a fun, low-cost airline with high-quality customer service and popular amenities not found on other airlines. But while it had loyal…
M341
Jennifer Aaker, Debra Schifrin
2012
In 2012 BabyCenter was the largest parenting platform and parenting media company in the world. It provided expert advice to pregnant women and new mothers while connecting these women to each other online and in person. The company had 110 employees…
E406
William Barnett, Arar Han
2011
The case proceeds through three eras in Facebook’s history. In the first era, we describe the initial rapid growth of Facebook as a social network application. In the second era, we detail the changes in scope made by Facebook as it moved beyond the…
E404B
Andrea Larson, Raymond Levitt, Erica Plambeck, Sara Rosenthal
2011
Part A of the ZETA Communities case provides the background on the history of the construction industry, the housing crisis and declining economic environment at the time the co-founders were launching the company, and the emergence of the green building…
E404A
Andrea Larson, Raymond Levitt, Erica Plambeck, Sara Rosenthal
2011
Part A of the ZETA Communities case provides the background on the history of the construction industry, the housing crisis and declining economic environment at the time the co-founders were launching the company, and the emergence of the green building…
M337
Jennifer Aaker, Sara Leslie
2010
This case describes how Bonobos, an internet apparel retailer, leveraged social media to connect with its customers and prospects. Through connecting directly with customers using social media, the company found that consumers were not only interested…
SI118
Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen, Victoria Chang
2010
Barbara Meyer, founder and president of the Bert and Mary Meyer Foundation was not always comfortable with the wealth she inherited from her father. Meyer was 24 when her father died in 1965, leaving her several thousand dollars in UPS stock. By 1984, the…
M330
Jennifer Aaker, Sara Leslie, Carole Robin
2010
The case is meant to provide an overview of research on happiness. It offers a definition for happiness and explains many of the determinants of happiness while dispelling some myths we hold about what makes us happy and how we can obtain happiness (ie…
M335
Jennifer Aaker, Sara Leslie, David Rogier
2010
Coca-Cola (“Coke”) is one of the best-known brands in the world and the world’s sixth-largest advertiser based on dollars spent needed a cost-effective way to build deeper connections with consumers, especially teens, and its flagship Coke product. The…
