個案總覽

In the first two decades of the 21st century, community organizers were increasingly enlisted by progressive foundations to help increase voter turnout among the "low propensity" voters in their communities, especially people of color and young people, groups largely "invisible" to the mainstream election industry. In many ways, the organizers-including those in the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, the group at the heart of this case-welcomed this opportunity, believing that it would support and reinforce their traditional organizing work. With greater voting strength, they reasoned, their constituents would gain leverage to advocate more effectively for their communities. But the OOC soon discovered that the goals and protocols of the election industry diverged sharply from those of community organizers. Organizing work was a long game aimed at creating collective power through trust- and relationship-building. Electoral campaigns were fast-paced and laser-focused on getting to "50 percent + 1." This case follows the Ohio Organizing Collaborative as it worked to find more effective ways to increase voter turnout in target communities and, at the same time, to better align its electoral work with the OOC's community-organizing values. Like other community organizers across the country, they tried to bring the strategies of "relational" organizing into their get-out-the-vote (GOTV) work. Their experiments yielded results that were mixed, interesting, and pointed the way to some new approaches in future. In addition to the written case, the case package includes a podcast supplement in which Prentiss Haney, one of the OOC codirectors featured in the case, describes his own stop-and-start path to community organizing-and how community organizers recruited and supported him, as a young adult, in a way that eventually persuaded him of the value of political activism.

The Engine, a venture capital firm founded by MIT to fill a gap in the technology funding landscape by commercializing breakthrough science and technology. Led by managing partner and CEO Katie Rae, the Engine's unique approach involved an unusually longer fund life, as well as founder training, lab space sharing, and "tough tech" ecosystem building activities centered at their brand-new headquarters in Cambridge. The firm raised $507 million over its first two funds which had yielded promising results, with many portfolio companies maturing faster than anticipated. As The Engine considered its next steps, it faced several strategic questions that tested its core beliefs in startup ecosystems and commercializing frontier science. Should the Engine's third fund expand geographically or into later-stage companies? And how much should they raise? The Engine team attempted to balance its desire to scale their impact with the need to maintain focus on supporting the most ambitious technical founders.

The case examines the transformation of Best Buy under CEO Hubert Joly's leadership from 2012. Facing significant business challenges, including competition from online and physical retailers, Joly implemented the "Renew Blue" turnaround strategy, which focused on improving price competitiveness, enhancing the customer experience both in-store and online, partnering with major tech companies, and investing in employee training and engagement. The case further explores the development and execution of the "Building the New Blue" strategy, aiming to enrich lives through technology by addressing key human needs and expanding services such as in-home advisors and entering the health care market. The case highlights the approach Joly calls "Unleashing Human Magic," which focuses on the importance of aligning company purpose with employee motivation and customer needs to drive business growth and transformation.

Malaria, a deadly disease transmitted by the bites of infected mosquitoes, had been effectively eliminated from the developed world since the end of the World Health Organization's Global Malaria Eradication Campaign in 1969. In Africa, however, the disease remained a scourge through the early 2000s, killing close to a million people each year, most of them children under five. As a result, the international community set an ambitious goal: reduce malaria deaths in Africa to zero by the end of 2015. Rising to the challenge required the mobilization of a vast network of local, regional, national, and global actors in the for-profit, nonprofit, and public spheres. Local community groups in tiny African villages, national malaria control programs in malaria-endemic countries, national and international non-governmental organizations, faith-based organizations, foundations, individual philanthropists, research institutes, and huge multilateral bureaucracies like the United Nations Children's Fund, the World Health Organization, and the World Bank would be required to work together with focus and vigor to meet the goal. This case describes the history of the global fight against malaria, and the role of the United Nation's Millennium Development Goals, the Global Fund, the President's Malaria Initiative, the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, and other actors in collectively shepherding the effort. The Harvard Kennedy School Case Program has published three cases on the Mosquito Network. This case is adapted from "The Mosquito Network: Collaborative Entrepreneurship in the Fight to Eliminate Malaria Deaths (A)," HKS Case No. 2071.0, and "The Mosquito Network: Collaborative Entrepreneurship in the Fight to Eliminate Malaria Deaths (B)," HKS Case No. 2072.0, written by Gaylen Williams Moore.

Atijeevan Foundation was founded in 2013 with a mission to rehabilitate and empower victims of acid attacks. The founder, who was a survivor of an acid attack herself, wanted to ensure that the past traumatic experiences of survivors did not impede their opportunity to make a place in society and lead a meaningful and dignified life. She learned about the challenges through interactions with the survivors she trained and helped find employment. Many of them reported incidents of harassment, bullying, discrimination, and insensitive behaviour from co-workers. The founder was contemplating how to help. Should she support and encourage survivors to independently manage their own workplace challenges at work, which would align with her philosophy of self-advocacy and resilience? Or should she ask the human resources department in each organization to support survivors? She was also contemplating how each organization's equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives could be expanded to integrate the unique challenges and needs of survivors of acid attacks to foster their empowerment in the workplace.

BoAt Lifestyle (boAt), a digital-first consumer products company founded in New Delhi, India, by Aman Gupta and Sameer Mehta in 2014, had launched its first products (wired earphones and headphones) two years after a thorough market study. Over time, the company had entered various high-growth consumer lifestyle-focused product categories, offering its products online at affordable prices. It then attempted to move into the offline market, adopting an omnichannel strategy to engage with a larger customer base and increase its profitability. Despite tough competition from similar brands, it managed to build a reputation among its customers. However, customers and investors were less than happy with its strategy to procure most of its products from China and questioned the high valuation in its initial public offering. To add to the company's woes, sales its own online and offline channels were not satisfactory. At the end of January 2022, the company was facing an important question: What should boAt do to maintain its growth momentum, appease investor's patriotic sentiments, and expand sales from its own channels? Which of these challenges should be its priority in the short-run?

Fastech Fashions Private Ltd. was founded in Rourkela, India in 2017 with the goal to elevate the livelihoods of traditional Odia weavers. By 2022 the company had experienced notable success, focusing on T-shirts, school uniforms, traditional handicraft products, professional attire, and athleisure. However, tension between the investors and one of the owners grew when the owner's commitment to reinvesting in weavers for broader societal impact interfered with the company's profits. Balancing profitability and philanthropy became a critical challenge. The emotional and logical complexities of decision-making had to be made while under constant pressure from investors. Strategic choices needed to be considered, as well as the delicate balance between business success and social impact.

The loss of the lease at their Michelin-starred Cyrus 1.0 in Sonoma County, California gives the partners an opportunity to shut down and rework a "broken" business model, one with labor intensive experiences six or seven nights a week, high burnout, high turnover-especially in the back of the house, low profits, and a lack of work-life balance. The case illustrates a novel planning process centered around (1) rethinking a gourmet dining experience using a model of how people entertain at home and (2) defining what people hate about something (in this case their jobs) and using that as a basis for describing an ideal solution before considering how to get there. The planning process still has to deal with the issues of work-life balance and how to achieve a three-day weekend for everyone and still reward investors.

Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk was owned by a charitable foundation, and since its founding in the 1920s had focused on producing insulin to treat diabetes. In 2017, however, it released Ozempic, a diabetes treatment with the revolutionary side effect of safe, effective weight loss. As demand in the U.S. reached a fever pitch, Novo faced opportunities and challenges. The case covers the markets in which Novo could expand, the manufacturing shortfalls it faced, the competition that was expected to arise, and the moral issues that came with selling a product that affected so many people worldwide.

Christina Stembel, the founder and CEO of Farmgirl Flowers Inc., has always emphasized quality, speed, and efficiency in her San Francisco-based online flower delivery company. Her teams have operated like assembly lines, shipping 10,000 bouquets daily during peak periods, which has ensured competitive pricing. Before the pandemic, Stembel expands Farmgirl Flowers Inc. to Ecuador, and when it is forced to close its San Francisco facility, she shifts all production to Ecuador.Valentine's Day 2023 poses a challenge, as shipping the flowers from South America takes three days, while South American prices are higher due to pandemic-related supply chain issues, ultimately resulting in customer dissatisfaction. Stembel aims to regain competitiveness by bringing operations back to North America. But the questions remain: how and where should this happen?

Soma Solutions was a small consulting firm based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Soma Solutions had provided face-to-face, on-site information and communications technology (ICT) training on SAP and ERP to state-owned enterprises. However, due to the nationwide lockdown and the need to curb the spread of the virus, the company could no longer conduct on-site training. The state-owned enterprises, its main clients, also had to close temporarily and shift to remote work. The economic upheaval left Soma Solutions facing uncertainty and instability. Despite having operated for only four years, it grappled with the decision to pivot or preserve its existing approach. The challenge was to remain relevant and competitive while navigating evolving norms and limited resources. How prepared was the company to transition to virtual training? What would pivoting look like for the company, and would it help sustain the business post-pandemic?

In 2021, General Motors (GM) announced an ambitious goal to sell only zero-emission cars and light trucks by 2035. This declaration was part of a broader initiative to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040 and was also a highly significant development in the electric vehicle (EV) transition, as no other major traditional automaker had set such a target. Over the next two years, GM invested billions of dollars in retooling, battery, charging, and other EV technologies, securing third place in the EV market as of 2023.This case delves into the strategic challenges facing GM in September 2023. In the time since it embarked on its aggressive EV transition, consumer demand for EVs had not escalated, competition had grown, and financial risks and technical uncertainties loomed.Students are challenged to answer this question: Should GM adhere to its EV goal timeline or modify its strategy?

In 1978, Jaipur Rugs was founded in a small village in Rajasthan, India. Over the next 40 years, Jaipur Rugs developed into a global business with strong social responsibility. Right from the start, the founder looked beyond profits to provide a source of livelihood and dignity of life to thousands of women in rural villages without formal education and no opportunities outside their homes. Over time, Jaipur Rugs grew into an empire that empowered 40,000 women weavers from some of the most economically disadvantaged areas of India. In 2022, Jaipur Rugs was planning to expand internationally, with high acclaim and demand for its products. However, traditional weavers and their families were losing their original motivation. Younger family members of veteran weavers were opting instead for more lucrative opportunities in India's urban centres. With an evolving socio-economic environment across India, how would Jaipur Rugs retain its weavers and attract new artisans?

This case explores the complexities and challenges that can arise when evaluating a job offer that involves a potential conflict between an individual's passions and their professional prospects and personal relationships. In January 2023, Stephanie MacLean, a recent business school graduate, faced a challenging career decision. She had received a job offer from Hockey Canada's Public Relations (PR) division for what she had initially regarded as her "dream job." However, after revelations in the news regarding the organization's history of sexual assault, she now had reservations about taking up the offer. While tempted by the opportunity to combine her passion for sports and her interest in PR, MacLean feared potentially alienating her social and professional networks, damaging her personal reputation, and limiting her career trajectory. It was Friday, and MacLean needed to make a decision over the weekend.

Beginning with an exploration of insurance player Ping An's evolution to contrast with HDFC ERGO's strategy adaptation to the Indian market, this case sheds light on HDFC ERGO's strategic shift towards a mindshare-centric ecosystem from its roots as a digitised insurance provider in India. The case starts with Ping An, which is perhaps the best-known successful example of an insurance-based multi-product (and multi-actor) ecosystem. It looks at Ping An's journey, emphasising its digital transformation, ecosystem expansions and technology integration. It then turns to HDFC ERGO, which aimed to create its own ecosystem, and considers the similarities and differences. Drawing parallels and contrasts with India's burgeoning startup ecosystem and the transformative India Stack, HDFC ERGO crafted unique strategic principles. It emphasised avoiding direct competition, offering tangential value, filling market voids and balancing mindshare with value. Utilising internal capabilities and market insights, HDFC ERGO focused on healthcare, leveraging data and digital infrastructure. The development of the 'Here' app exemplifies the company's strategic prowess, aligning healthcare solutions with customer preferences. The case illuminates HDFC ERGO's meticulous approach to tailoring an ecosystem strategy amid shifting market dynamics and technological landscapes, and shows how it built its multi-actor ecosystem in various verticals to support its multi-product ecosystem play. It showcases the company's adeptness in adapting strategies while embracing innovation, resonating with market needs to forge a unique path in the evolving digital insurance realm. This case study stands on its own, offering valuable lessons on strategic planning and execution in the rapidly evolving digital and consumer landscapes. However, when taught in conjunction with its sister case "HDFC ERGO: A product ecosystem built on mindshare" (LBS CS-24-009), students can gain a comprehensive understanding of both the macro-strategic vision and the micro-level steps that underpin HDFC ERGO's ecosystem approach. This complementary perspective enriches the learning experience, illustrating not just the 'why' and 'what' of HDFC ERGO's shift towards ecosystem building but also the 'how' of its implementation, which is what this case focuses on. This case sheds light on two sets of topics that are not covered in the previous case. First, it looks at the choices a firm needs to make as it builds an ecosystem: Which parts of it need to or should be built by itself?

Anuj Tyagi, Joint Managing Director of HDFC ERGO, is facing the challenge of transcending the traditional limitations of insurance interactions and establishing a significant presence in customers' minds beyond annual transactions. The case explores the context of the insurance industry in India before 2019, spans HDFC ERGO's history, exploring the impetus for digital transformation with an emphasis on "multi-product" ecosystems, the evolving regulatory landscape, market shifts, and the inception and strategies behind the Control N vertical - the spearhead of HDFC ERGO's digital innovation. The case delves into HDFC ERGO's pursuit of expanding its market presence beyond traditional insurance through an ecosystem play and illustrates one of the facets of industry convergence and the rise of digitally-enabled broad firms that span several sectors. The case focuses on Anuj, a key decision-maker in HDFC ERGO, as he is confronted with the need to enhance customer engagement (mindshare). The case then analyses HDFC ERGO's assessment of the healthcare and mobility sectors, examining opportunities for ecosystem expansion. This case can be taught independently or paired with its sister case, "From Ping An's inspiration to HDFC ERGO's journey: Building an insurance-based ecosystem" (CS-24-009) for a more in-depth analysis of the sequential steps HDFC ERGO took in this transformation. The present case focuses on the "what" and the linked case focuses on the "how".

This case study critically examines the evolution of the metaverse, interrogating its ascendancy, its perceived decline and the nascent indicators of its resurgence. Beginning with the concept's origins in science fiction, it tracks the metaverse's evolution through advancements in gaming and the growing interest of Big Tech, which saw potential in this convergence of virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR). The narrative captures the initial exuberance as investors and companies raced to stake their claim, buoyed by forecasts of a new era of digital interaction and economic activity. Looking at the nature of the sector and the ecosystems it fostered, the case considers what drove inflated expectations and subsequent market corrections. It explores the sobering challenges that faced the metaverse: technological limitations, user disillusionment and a harsh economic climate that eroded speculative investments. It discusses the strategic shifts by key players, from pursuit of domination to focused niches and smart partnerships, and the downsizing or redirection of metaverse initiatives in response to the market's reality checks. It also identifies emerging signs of vitality in the sector. It highlights how the integration of generative AI (GenAI) and targeted applications in gaming are rekindling interest, suggesting a potential pathway out of disillusionment. The case also provides the opportunity to track the emergence of multiple partly overlapping ecosystems and allows students to focus on the different roles and monetisation approaches that ecosystem participants take. It further allows us to see the upsides and downsides of more centralised ecosystems (like those driven by Big Tech) and more decentralised ecosystems (such as Web3) and consider how the ecosystem orchestrators try to leverage their strengths. The case can also be used to consider in what ways orchestrators benefit more broadly.

Five years after the debut of his Netflix series - and on the eve of the launch of its sequel - fashion designer Santiago Navarro finds himself and his brand, Artemis, at a critical juncture. Unless he develops a sustainable growth strategy for the business, Artemis is in danger of languishing as an Argentinian niche brand, lacking economies of scale and scope. The case outlines several potential paths for growth in terms of target audiences, price points and product mixes, with each strategic alternative requiring a different business model and all requiring the brand to be more clearly defined and codified.

The case describes the air-taxi industry at the end of 2023 as many companies vied to join the "eVTOL revolution": in January 2022 the Vertical Flight Society listed 600 designs from nearly 350 companies and innovators worldwide, although only about two dozen of the 600 concepts had made it to the flying-prototype stage. The industry was enabled by the convergence of technologies (including advances in electric propulsion, lightweight materials, AI, autonomous flight systems and batteries), propelled by unexpected social and geopolitical events that pushed the boundaries of drone and electric-proportion technologies. As a result of such advances, and fuelled by growing interest in the space on the part of the VC community, the global flying taxi market was valued by one analyst at around $3 billion in 2022 and was expected to be worth around $37 billion by 2032, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 28.9% from 2023 to 2032.