More from the Author

• Exercise | October 2020

  FirstSense Technologies: Pricing to Win

  Elie Ofek, Eyal Biyalogorsky, Marco Bertini and Oded Koenigsberg

  This exercise serves to help students understand the proper role and use of costs in a firm’s pricing decisions. The exercise is designed such that the learning of students evolves across a classroom session, starting from understanding which costs are relevant when setting the price of a product, progressing to a discussion on the wisdom of the traditional “cost-plus” approach to pricing, and ending with a demonstration of how to leverage cost information to construct an iso-profit curve—which, in turn, serves as a useful benchmark to assess possible price changes. These topics emerge as the result of hands-on calculations, where students make recommendations based on the data provided in the exercise, and in-class discussion, where students defend their preferred course of action and reflect on the biases and heuristics that may lead managers to misuse costs in pricing decisions.

  Citation:

  Ofek, Elie, Eyal Biyalogorsky, Marco Bertini, and Oded Koenigsberg. "FirstSense Technologies: Pricing to Win." Harvard Business School Exercise 521-049, October 2020.  View Details

  CiteView Details

  Related

• Case | HBS Case Collection | October 2020

  Israelis, Palestinians and the Technology Bridge Between Them: A Work in Progress

  Elie Ofek and Lia Weiner

  In Israel of 2020 the demand for software engineers was endless. Meanwhile just miles away, Palestinian universities were graduating 3,000 engineers a year, and many of them could not find jobs in the still nascent Palestinian tech sector. Could these dots be connected? Dozens of Israeli startups and Multi National Corporations (MNCs) thought that they could, and were employing 700 Palestinian engineers, in part through outsourcing companies, and in part directly by opening local R&D centers. In conjunction, the Palestinian tech ecosystem was benefiting and developing a promising entrepreneurship sector. Both the joint work and the independent Palestinian ecosystem had important geopolitical implications, first by supporting the Palestinian economy, and second in the potential implications it could have on the relationship between Israelis and Palestinians, two peoples who have been in conflict for decades. While the opportunities were clear, various challenges facing an emergent tech sector, coupled with sensitivities surrounding cooperation between long-time ‘enemies’, created complications. Paradoxically, Palestinians realized that working with Israeli tech companies was highly promising, but the reality was that any relationship with Israel was politically sensitive for them and created a dilemma. The same applied for Israelis motivated but concerned about working with Palestinian engineers. Given the tremendous benefits, MNCs, governments, non-profits, and international organizations decided to promote co-operation between Israeli and Palestinian tech companies and to support the creation of a sustainable Palestinian tech sector; by mitigating the challenges both sides faced. Still, it remained to be determined whether these efforts would bear fruits, or whether tech cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians would remain anecdotal. Moreover, it was as yet unclear what big-picture implications such initiatives could have on the Palestinian economy and on the relationship between the two peoples. Recent developments, including the global pandemic and the peace agreement signed between Israel and the UAE provided their own sets of challenges and opportunities. Notable Israeli and Palestinian tech executives and entrepreneurs discuss the opportunities and challenges of collaboration, including the merits and drawbacks of various collaboration models, and the potential ripple effect that building a sustainable Palestinian tech sector could have on the region. Policymakers and advisors weigh in on the potential geopolitical implications of collaborations and an independent Palestinian tech ecosystem.

  Citation:

  Ofek, Elie, and Lia Weiner. "Israelis, Palestinians and the Technology Bridge Between Them: A Work in Progress." Harvard Business School Case 521-046, October 2020.  View Details

  CiteView DetailsEducators

  Related

• Case | HBS Case Collection | December 2018 (Revised October 2020)

  Shiseido: Reinvesting in Brand

  Jill Avery and Nobuo Sato

  Shiseido was in the midst of a six year corporate turnaround, trying to reverse the effects of decades of under-investment in R&D and marketing which had led to a cycle of declining customer support and brand value. Would the CEO’s VISION 2020 plan, centered on four strategies: 1.) increasing R&D spending from 1.8% to 3% of sales, 2.) investing an incremental ¥120 billion in brand-building marketing, 3.) moving to a “think global-act local” matrixed brand management structure, and 4.) rethinking brand portfolio strategy, be enough to achieve aggressive 8% per year sales goals while simultaneously increasing the company’s operating margin from 8% to 10% in the highly competitive and slow growing beauty industry?

  Keywords: brand management; Brand Value; turnaround; brand portfolio; brand communication; global brands; digital marketing; Return on investment; marketing ROI; internet marketing; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Brands and Branding; Value; Growth and Development Strategy; Investment Return; Consumer Behavior; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Consumer Products Industry; Japan; Asia;

  Citation:

  Avery, Jill, and Nobuo Sato. "Shiseido: Reinvesting in Brand." Harvard Business School Case 519-026, December 2018. (Revised October 2020.)  View Details

  CiteView DetailsEducatorsPurchase

  Related