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• Case | HBS Case Collection | 2013 (Revised from original 2011 version)

  China Life: Micro Insurance for the Poor

  Shawn Cole and Lilei Xu

  China Life must decide whether to accept the government's "invitation" to develop a microinsurance product for the rural poor. Can it be done profitably?

  Keywords: Social Enterprise; Insurance; Insurance Industry; China;

  Citation:

  Cole, Shawn, and Lilei Xu. "China Life: Micro Insurance for the Poor." Harvard Business School Case 212-030, March 2013. (Revised from original November 2011 version.)

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• Case | HBS Case Collection | 2013 (Revised from original 2012 version)

  The New York Times Paywall

  Vineet Kumar, Bharat Anand, Sunil Gupta and Felix Oberholzer-Gee

  On March 28, 2011, The New York Times website became a restricted site where most of the content was protected behind a "paywall." Users who exceeded the limit of 20 free articles per month were required to pay for either a digital or print subscription. The newspaper industry had been suffering from revenue declines over the past decade, and the transition to digital media was difficult to navigate. Revenues from online advertising were not sufficient to replace the loss of print revenue, and many publishers had explored charging readers for content, with mixed success, where specialized sources like The Wall Street Journal were successfully using the model, but several other general news sites had failed. Newspapers and content creators in general were very interested in understanding whether transitioning to the paywall at the most popular news website would succeed, and whether it could become a blueprint for future success as a sustainable business model. There were several difficult issues to examine in determining the digital strategy for The Times. Would consumers remain as engaged with a site protected by a paywall? Would advertisers react positively to such a move that walled off readers? Would readers value both the print and digital versions of the content, or would it become necessary to create new content? The Times had several choices in designing the paywall, including determining the digital content, pricing, as well as how to interface with readers of secondary news websites like blogs that posted links to news articles. Should they design a "leaky" paywall where determined users could easily slip through, or a "bulletproof" paywall like the Financial Times had done, where users had to pay before they could access any content? What choices would provide the foundation for a successful business model?

  Keywords: Newspapers; Strategy; Journalism and News Industry; Publishing Industry;

  Citation:

  Kumar, Vineet, Bharat Anand, Sunil Gupta, and Felix Oberholzer-Gee. "The New York Times Paywall." Harvard Business School Case 512-077, January 2013. (Revised from original February 2012 version.)

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• Case | HBS Case Collection | 2013 (Revised from original 2011 version)

  Career at a Crossroad: Akhil Patel

  Noam Wasserman, Lisa Brem and Yael Braid

  Akhil Patel is passionate about his business idea: an innovative green technology fuel cell. He wants to dive in and commit to his startup, but his fiancée is much more risk averse, his parents don't approve of the startup, and Akhil has an enticing alternative offer from a prestigious consulting firm. Should Akhil follow his dream and become an entrepreneur? Or should he take the "safer" consulting job?

  Keywords: Decisions; Risk and Uncertainty; Opportunities; Entrepreneurship; Personal Development and Career; Green Technology Industry; Consulting Industry;

  Citation:

  Wasserman, Noam, Lisa Brem, and Yael Braid. "Career at a Crossroad: Akhil Patel." Harvard Business School Case 812-010, January 2013. (Revised from original August 2011 version.)

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