SM235
Robert Burgelman, Robert Siegel, Cyril Labidi
2014
This industry note covers how new players in cloud file sharing and storage (such as Dropbox and Box) are reshaping the overall enterprise content management (ECM) software industry in 2014. The note presents the major incumbent firms in the ECM industry…
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…
M349
Harikesh Nair, David Hoyt
2014
In 2013 and 2014, eBay deployed several sets of large, interactive touch screens and related technologies in shopping malls and retail stores. These “connected technologies” were used in a variety of ways intended to benefit both shoppers and retailers…
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…
SM234
Stefan Reichelstein, Christos Makridis
2014
This case illustrates the tragedy of the commons through an interactive game to be played by students. At a United Nations world climate conference, students are divided into 10 regional blocs. With less than a day to go and no agreement among the…
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…
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…
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…
E489
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…
F309
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…
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…
E497
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…
SM224
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…
E530
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…
E510
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…
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…
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…
SPM53B
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…
SPM53A
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…
