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• Editorial | Annals of Internal Medicine | April 2, 2013

  Getting the Most Out of Financial Incentives for Weight Loss

  Jason Riis

  Citation:

  Riis, Jason. "Getting the Most Out of Financial Incentives for Weight Loss." Annals of Internal Medicine 158, no. 7 (April 2, 2013): 560–561.

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

  H-E-B: Creating a Movement to Reduce Obesity in Texas

  Jose B. Alvarez, Jason Riis and Walter J. Salmon

  In January 2012, H-E-B Grocery Co., a private retail chain with stores located in Texas and Mexico, was introducing its Healthy at H-E-B program to its customers. The program, which started with the company's employees a few years earlier, was an effort to educate and inform customers on how to lead a healthier lifestyle. What CEO Craig Boyan had in mind was creating a state-wide healthy living movement in Texas, where obesity was high relative to other states in the U.S. But how far to go with its employees and customers was a question that President and COO Craig Boyan and his team struggled with. On one hand Boyan believed that H-E-B, long recognized for its community involvement, had a role to play in Texans' health and well-being. On the other hand, he recognized that H-E-B was first and foremost a retailer that had to compete against the likes of Walmart. He needed to make sure that H-E-B was serving its customers what they wanted while also trying to influence their buying behavior toward healthier foods. Some would say that H-E-B had no role in changing the lifestyle and food choices of its employees or customers. But Boyan and his team thought differently.

  Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Profit; Leading Change; Customer Focus and Relationships; Food and Beverage Industry; Retail Industry; Texas;

  Citation:

  Alvarez, Jose B., Jason Riis, and Walter J. Salmon. "H-E-B: Creating a Movement to Reduce Obesity in Texas." Harvard Business School Case 512-034, February 2013. (Revised from original April 2012 version.)

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• Case | HBS Case Collection | 2012 (Revised from original 2011 version)

  PatientsLikeMe: An Online Community of Patients

  Sunil Gupta and Jason Riis

  PatientsLikeMe (PLM) is an online community where patients share their personal experiences with a disease, find other patients like them, and learn from each other. The company was founded by Jamie and Ben Heywood when their 29-year-old brother was diagnosed with ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease. In less than five years, PLM has grown to 15 patient communities where over 80,000 patients discuss 19 diseases. In December 2010, PLM is discussing its planned launch of a General Platform that would expand the number of diseases covered from 19 to over 3,500. Is it the right move, and what does PLM need to do to make it a success?

  Keywords: Business Startups; Health Disorders; Knowledge Sharing; Growth and Development Strategy; Product Launch; Market Platforms; Social and Collaborative Networks; Health Industry;

  Citation:

  Gupta, Sunil, and Jason Riis. "PatientsLikeMe: An Online Community of Patients." Harvard Business School Case 511-093, November 2012. (Revised from original February 2011 version.)

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