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• Case | HBS Case Collection | September 2019

  Earth Bank of Codes: Making Nature’s Biological Assets Visible and Valuable for the Benefit of All

  Tarun Khanna, Raffaella Sadun and Susie Ma

  In 2019, entrepreneur Juan Carlos Castilla-Rubio was developing a project he hoped could generate and share wealth from the natural resources of the Amazon without destroying those resources. His idea, called Earth Bank of Codes (EBC), would create a library of the genomic codes of all known species that could be tapped for discovery and innovation, from new medical interventions to more efficient manufacturing processes. He proposed to use blockchain technology to make the data both accessible and trackable so that its use could be monitored. Castilla-Rubio envisioned a time when a company in the U.S. could access a biological asset from the Peruvian Amazon, develop and commercialize a product based on the asset, and have a fraction of the resulting sales land directly in the bank account of various beneficiaries, including the Peruvian government and indigenous communities. Now he was facing major decisions about how to structure EBC to achieve his goals. Should he start at the top and build partnerships with national governments and inter-governmental organizations as the cornerstone of EBC? Or would it be better to forge ahead with a few stakeholders in an entrepreneurial project?

  Keywords: Decision Making; Development Economics; Entrepreneurship; Innovation and Invention; Intellectual Property; Emerging Markets; Market Design; Marketplace Matching; Science; Genetics; Natural Environment; Environmental Sustainability; Weather and Climate Change; Social Enterprise; Strategy; Strategic Planning; Technology; Ownership; Social Psychology; Trust; Society; Biotechnology Industry; South America; Amazon Basin;

  Citation:

  Khanna, Tarun, Raffaella Sadun, and Susie Ma. "Earth Bank of Codes: Making Nature’s Biological Assets Visible and Valuable for the Benefit of All." Harvard Business School Case 720-356, September 2019.  View Details

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• Case | HBS Case Collection | August 2016 (Revised July 2019)

  Alere

  Raffaella Sadun, Catherine Slater and Channing Spencer

  The Board of Alere, Inc., a leading medical diagnostic firm, is evaluating the offer made by Ron Zwanziger, the firm’s founder and former CEO, to acquire the company and take it private. The offer arrives at the end of a tumultuous year for the company, which saw Zwanziger fighting and ultimately losing a confrontation with activist investors Coppersmith Capital. How should the board evaluate this offer? Should they reject it, on the basis that Zwanziger’s decision to expand into integrated healthcare solutions was the main reason behind the company’s poor stock performance, as Coppersmith claimed? Or should they once more place their trust in Zwanziger’s leadership and in Alere’s ability to effectively implement his vision?

  Keywords: Corporate Governance; Corporate Strategy; Governing and Advisory Boards; Decision Making; United States;

  Citation:

  Sadun, Raffaella, Catherine Slater, and Channing Spencer. "Alere." Harvard Business School Case 717-402, August 2016. (Revised July 2019.)  View Details

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• Case | HBS Case Collection | April 2016 (Revised March 2019)

  Moleskine (A)

  Ryan Raffaelli, Raffaella Sadun and Kathy Qu

  Describes the founding and growth challenges facing Moleskine, an Italian-based consumer products company known for its oilcloth-covered notebooks once used by Ernest Hemingway and Vincent van Gogh. CEO Arrigo Berni and co-founder Maria Sebregondi aim to transform the company from a founder-led company to a professionally managed firm by expanding into new geographies, product categories, and distribution channels. They have also recently developed several strategic partnerships with Silicon Valley firms to expand into an array of digital products. However, after going public, stock prices continue to fluctuate below analysts' expectations, raising concerns about whether the company has grown too quickly. The leaders must now decide how to expand the firm's capabilities while continuing to preserve its organizational identity and creative culture.

  Keywords: Creative Industries; brand building; Digital Innovation; digital services and strategy; process improvement; culture; Identity Construction; innovation; Growth and Development Strategy; Leadership; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Innovation Strategy; Consumer Products Industry;

  Citation:

  Raffaelli, Ryan, Raffaella Sadun, and Kathy Qu. "Moleskine (A)." Harvard Business School Case 716-407, April 2016. (Revised March 2019.)  View Details

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