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• Case | HBS Case Collection | 2013 (Revised from original 2009 version)

  Barack Obama: Organizing for America 2.0

  Mikolaj Jan Piskorski, Laura Winig and Aaron Smith

  Less than a week before Barack Obama was due to be sworn in as the 44th president of the United States, Obama for America (OFA), the president-elect's official campaign organization, announced the formation of a post-election organization, Organizing for America. The new organization would keep the campaign field team offices open after Obama took charge of the country for the express purpose of influencing supporters to back his administration's agenda. The case describes the activities of the Obama for America campaign and asks whether the new president should use social media tools to activate the grassroots, or whether he should abandon these unconventional tools in order not to upset politicians in Washington.

  Keywords: Advertising Campaigns; Political Elections; Marketing Communications; Power and Influence; Social and Collaborative Networks; Internet;

  Citation:

  Piskorski, Mikolaj Jan, Laura Winig, and Aaron Smith. "Barack Obama: Organizing for America 2.0." Harvard Business School Case 709-493, April 2013. (Revised from original April 2009 version.)

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

  CloudFlare, Inc.: Running Hot?

  Thomas R. Eisenmann and Alex Godden

  In July 2012, the cofounders of CloudFlare, a Silicon Valley startup that protects websites and accelerates their traffic, are considering the implications of five employees' resignations over the prior three months. Was this natural attrition for a high-tech venture with a staff of 35 experiencing explosive growth, or were the resignations symptomatic of bigger issues with CloudFlare's culture and management processes? After describing CloudFlare's early history, business model, organization structure, and human resources policies, the case presents first-person accounts from employees regarding their reasons for resigning, and then asks whether CloudFlare's cofounders should take any corrective actions.

  Keywords: Management Practices and Processes; Employee Relationship Management; Organizational Structure; Organizational Culture; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Growth Management; Web Sites; Entrepreneurship; Resignation and Termination; Business Startups; Information Technology Industry; Web Services Industry; California;

  Citation:

  Eisenmann, Thomas R., and Alex Godden. "CloudFlare, Inc.: Running Hot?" Harvard Business School Case 813-145, March 2013. (Revised from original January 2013 version.)

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

  MuMaté (B-2): Confidential for Cantor

  Thomas R. Eisenmann and Alex Godden

  MuMaté, a fictional cult beverage company, requires capital to fund national expansion. Its cofounders, who have bootstrapped to this point, are now negotiating with venture capital firms to raise a $3 million funding round. The case describes MuMaté's inception, early history, business model, and factors that have fueled its rapid recent growth. As the case ends, the cofounders are debating whether to raise funds from VCs, angels, or asset-based lenders. The cofounders share their concerns about valuation and whether investors will seek to change the company's strategy and organizational culture.

  Keywords: negotiation;

  Citation:

  Eisenmann, Thomas R., and Alex Godden. "MuMaté (B-2): Confidential for Cantor." Harvard Business School Supplement 813-150, March 2013. (Revised from original January 2013 version.)

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