More from these Authors

• Case | HBS Case Collection | August 2019

  Magrabi: Fulfilling the Vision for the Future

  John Beshears, Alpana Thapar and Boris Tsimerinov

  In 2018, Magrabi was the leading retailer of eyeglasses, sunglasses, and other optical products in the Middle East, and it was embarking on a major shift in strategy, transitioning from a brand focused on clinical expertise to a brand that combined technical excellence with a luxury retail experience for customers. This case provides an opportunity to discuss the company’s plans for executing its strategy, especially when it comes to recruiting the right people and setting them up for success.

  Citation:

  Beshears, John, Alpana Thapar, and Boris Tsimerinov. "Magrabi: Fulfilling the Vision for the Future." Harvard Business School Case 920-009, August 2019.  View Details

  CiteView DetailsEducators

  Related

• Case | HBS Case Collection | July 2019

  Instabeat - One More Lap?

  Shikhar Ghosh, Nicole Tempest Keller and Alpana Thapar

  This case follows Lebanese entrepreneur, Hind Hobeika, an engineer and competitive swimmer who spends seven years trying to launch a wearable heartrate monitor and motion sensor to help swimmers track their performance while swimming. While the Beirut-based entrepreneur gained initial traction soon after founding her company Instabeat in September 2011, winning $150,000 in prize money from business plan competitions and raising $100,000 from a local venture capital firm, Hobeika soon faced a series of set-backs in trying to manufacture the product. Given the complexity of the hardware product she was trying to build, Hobeika had invested a significant amount of capital in the manufacturing design and had faced continuous delays. In addition, the product was not proving to be economically viable. By early 2016, Hobeika was out of money and had to let her team go. The business issues had also taken a toll on her personal life. However, Hobeika saw a potential path forward. The VC who had originally backed her was closing a new round of funding and was willing to discuss another potential round. More importantly, while in London, she had recently met Alex Asseily, a prominent Lebanese-British entrepreneur who encouraged her to stay the course. He suggested that she relocate to San Francisco, where he would soon be based, and offered to help her. Would it be worthwhile to leave everything behind, relocate, and rebuild the business? Hobeika had to decide  should she continue or not? If so, under what circumstances? If not, what would she do next?

  Keywords: Startup; decision making; entrepreneurship; hardware; technology; manufacturing; prototyping; design; organizational culture; female protagonist; Decision Making; Entrepreneurship; Hardware; Technology; Design; Organizational Culture; United States; Lebanon;

  Citation:

  Ghosh, Shikhar, Nicole Tempest Keller, and Alpana Thapar. "Instabeat - One More Lap?" Harvard Business School Case 820-005, July 2019.  View Details

  CiteView DetailsEducators

  Related

• Article | American Economic Review | March 2019

  Beliefs about Gender

  Pedro Bordalo, Katherine Baldiga Coffman, Nicola Gennaioli and Andrei Shleifer

  We conduct laboratory experiments that explore how gender stereotypes shape beliefs about ability of oneself and others in different categories of knowledge. The data reveal two patterns. First, men’s and women’s beliefs about both oneself and others exceed observed ability on average, particularly in difficult tasks. Second, overestimation of ability by both men and women varies across categories. To understand these patterns, we develop a model that separates gender stereotypes from misestimation of ability related to the difficulty of the task. We find that stereotypes contribute to gender gaps in self-confidence, assessments of others, and behavior in a cooperative game.

  Keywords: Performance Evaluation; Perspective; Prejudice and Bias; Gender;

  Citation:

  Bordalo, Pedro, Katherine Baldiga Coffman, Nicola Gennaioli, and Andrei Shleifer. "Beliefs about Gender." American Economic Review 109, no. 3 (March 2019): 739–773.  View Details

  CiteView DetailsFind at Harvard Read Now

  Related