Go to main content
Harvard Business School
HBS Home
  • About
  • Academic Programs
  • Alumni
  • Faculty & Research
  • Baker Library
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Initiatives
  • News
  • Recruit
  • Map / Directions

Faculty & Research

  • HOME
  • FACULTY
  • RESEARCH
    • Global Research Centers
    • HBS Case Collection
    • HBS Case Development
    • Initiatives & Projects
    • Publications
    • Research Associate (RA) Positions
    • Research Services
    • Seminars & Conferences
    Close
  • FEATURED TOPICS
    • Business and Environment
    • Business History
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Finance
    • Globalization
    • Health Care
    • Human Behavior and Decision-Making
    • Leadership
    • Social Enterprise
    • Technology and Innovation
    Close
  • ACADEMIC UNITS
    • Accounting and Management
    • Business, Government and the International Economy
    • Entrepreneurial Management
    • Finance
    • General Management
    • Marketing
    • Negotiation, Organizations & Markets
    • Organizational Behavior
    • Strategy
    • Technology and Operations Management
    Close

Case | 2014

New York City Department of Parks and Recreation

by Y. Grushka-Cockayne

  • Print
  • Email
Language: English Format: Print Purchase

Citation:

Grushka-Cockayne, Y. "New York City Department of Parks and Recreation." University of Virginia, Darden School of Business Case UVA-QA-0815, 2014.

About the Author

Photo
Yael Grushka-Cockayne
Visiting Associate Professor of Business Administration
Technology and Operations Management

View Profile »
View Publications »

 

More from the Author

  • Case | HBS Case Collection | September 2019 (Revised September 2019)

    Vispera: Visual Intelligence for Retail

    Yael Grushka-Cockayne and Gamze Yucaoglu

    The case opens in 2019 as Aytul Ercil, co-founder and CEO of Vispera, computer vision technology provider for retail, is contemplating the company’s agenda trying to decide how to prioritize the impeding options. The case chronicles the founding of Vispera, the iterations of its technology and its business model, and lays the ground for the competitive outlook. The case provides a detailed overview of how Vispera’s technology and its automated visual analysis help retail and fast-moving consumer goods companies around the world to minimize stock-outs, increase sales, reduce personnel costs, and improve operational efficiency. In 2016, the debut of Amazon Go urges the retail players to up their game vis-à-vis technology. Demand for automation and computer vision in the retail surges. In a land-grab market, Vispera strives to grow globally, differentiate itself, keep its technology cutting edge, and raise capital. In 2019, taking a step back from all of the daily to-dos, Ercil needs to consider the big picture for making Vispera a leading global player. She needs to consider the following: Should the team focus on developing shelf availability and out-of-stock prediction capabilities or focus on dynamic pricing, customization, and real-time campaign management? Should Vispera pivot to provide insights beyond the shelf as was already being done by players entering the space? How should the team think about data ownership: could Vispera leverage the data to drive cross industry insights or market level perspective?

    Keywords: Technology Industry; Retail Industry; Turkey;

    Citation:

    Grushka-Cockayne, Yael, and Gamze Yucaoglu. "Vispera: Visual Intelligence for Retail." Harvard Business School Case 620-022, September 2019. (Revised September 2019.)  View Details
    CiteView DetailsEducators Related
  • Case | HBS Case Collection | September 2019

    2U: Higher Education Rewired

    Yael Grushka-Cockayne and Karim R. Lakhani

    In its 2019 Partner Symposium, 2U, an online program management provider (OPM), showcased its new vision: “Career. Curriculum. Continuum. A construct for lifelong learning in the 21st century”. 2U, founded in 2008, and went public in 2014, was looking to expand beyond their current degree offerings to include a wider range of programs, such as short courses, bootcamps, and professional certificates. Led by co-founder and CEO Chip Paucek, 2U believed that they were the strongest partner in the OPM market that could enable universities’ digital transformation, allowing them to offer a variety of courses to a changing student profile. The universities, on the other hand, recognized that times were changing and that the appeal of a residential experience might be dwindling. Pressures of offering a more flexible learning format were mounting. Some schools were engaging in partnerships such as with 2U to get themselves online while others saw digital and online as the next evolution of instruction and that it was their responsibility to learn how to master it and own it. The case considers Paucek’s challenge of leading a for-profit OPM. Was 2U growing in a way that risked alienating their most important stakeholders, the brand named universities themselves? Were the university leaders going to change their approach and start investing in the digital transformation themselves to avoid giving 2U a cut of their revenues?

    Keywords: Digital Innovation; digital transformation; architectural innovation; make v. buy; Learning; Higher Education; Online Technology; Innovation Strategy; Transformation;

    Citation:

    Grushka-Cockayne, Yael, and Karim R. Lakhani. "2U: Higher Education Rewired." Harvard Business School Case 620-044, September 2019.  View Details
    CiteView DetailsEducators Related
  • Working Paper | HBS Working Paper Series | 2018

    Averaging Probability Forecasts: Back to the Future

    Robert L. Winkler, Yael Grushka-Cockayne, Kenneth C. Lichtendahl Jr. and Victor Richmond R. Jose

    The use and aggregation of probability forecasts in practice is on the rise. In this position piece, we explore some recent, and not so recent, developments concerning the use of probability forecasts in decision-making. Despite these advances, challenges still exist. We expand on some important challenges such as miscalibration, dependence among forecasters, and selecting an appropriate evaluation measure, while connecting the processes of aggregating and evaluating forecasts to decision-making. Through three important applications from the domains of meteorology, economics, and political science, we illustrate state-of-the-art usage of probability forecasts: how they are aggregated, evaluated, and communicated to stakeholders. We expect to see greater use and aggregation of probability forecasts, especially given developments in statistical modeling, machine learning, and expert forecasting; the popularity of forecasting competitions; and the increased reporting of probabilities in the media. Our vision is that increased exposure to and improved visualizations of probability forecasts will enhance the public’s understanding of probabilities and how they can contribute to better decisions.

    Keywords: probability forecast; forecast combination; forecast evaluation; Decision Analysis; Forecasting and Prediction; Decision Making; Analysis;

    Citation:

    Winkler, Robert L., Yael Grushka-Cockayne, Kenneth C. Lichtendahl Jr., and Victor Richmond R. Jose. "Averaging Probability Forecasts: Back to the Future." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 19-039, October 2018. (Under Review.)  View Details
    CiteView DetailsSSRN Read Now Related
ǁ
Campus Map
Campus Map
Harvard Business School
Soldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163
→ Map & Directions
→ More Contact Information
→ More Contact Information
→ More Contact Information
→ More Contact Information
  • HBS Facebook
  • Alumni Facebook
  • Executive Education Facebook
  • Michael Porter Facebook
  • Working Knowledge Facebook
  • HBS Twitter
  • Executive Education Twitter
  • HBS Alumni Twitter
  • Michael Porter Twitter
  • Recruiting Twitter
  • Rock Center Twitter
  • Working Knowledge Twitter
  • Jobs Twitter
  • Social Enterprise Twitter
  • HBS Youtube
  • Michael Porter Youtube
  • Executive Education Youtube
  • HBS Linkedin
  • Alumni Linkedin
  • Executive Education Linkedin
  • MBA Linkedin
  • Linkedin
  • HBS Instagram
  • Alumni Instagram
  • Executive Education Instagram
  • Michael Porter Instagram
  • HBS iTunes
  • Executive Education iTunes
  • HBS Tumblr
  • Make a Gift
  • Site Map
  • Jobs
  • Harvard University
  • Trademarks
  • Policies
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Terms of Use
Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College