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• Case | HBS Case Collection | July 2020 (Revised September 2020)

  MobSquad

  Prithwiraj Choudhury, William R. Kerr and Susie L. Ma

  Irfhan Rawji (MBS 2004) launched MobSquad in October 2018 to help American tech start-ups retain hard-to-find talent, many of whom struggled with U.S. work visa issues, such as software engineers with experience in artificial intelligence, machine learning, or data science. MobSquad also helped companies fill open roles by tapping into its database of pre-vetted foreign tech workers. While there was growing demand for these specialists, the talent supply in the U.S. was relatively constrained and American companies often filled positions with foreign-born workers using a temporary visa called the H-1B. However, U.S. President Donald Trump temporarily suspended immigration in June 2020, including foreign workers on an H-1B visa during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rawji contemplated what kind of impact this would have on MobSquad and the tech industry in Canada. There was already evidence that a growing number of foreign tech workers were choosing Canada over the U.S. due to Trump’s immigration policies. Now Rawji suspected that Trump’s latest move would further accelerate this trend, and he wanted MobSquad to be ready to help companies and workers who had been counting on the H-1B.

  Keywords: Business Ventures; Business Startups; Labor; Human Capital; Human Resources; Crisis Management; Employment Industry; Canada; United States;

  Citation:

  Choudhury, Prithwiraj, William R. Kerr, and Susie L. Ma. "MobSquad." Harvard Business School Case 821-010, July 2020. (Revised September 2020.)  View Details

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• Case | HBS Case Collection | February 2020 (Revised August 2020)

  Catalant's Operating System for the Future of Work

  Christopher Stanton, William R. Kerr, James Palano and Kendall Smith

  This case touches on the topics of project-based work, agile methodology, and skill and talent management through Catalant's evolution as a company. Catalant’s journey to becoming a software platform and talent marketplace provides context for students to explore new models of work and ways companies are mobilizing talent internal and external to their organization. This case urges students to contemplate how these considerations might shape the critical decisions business leaders will need to make about how to manage their organizations and use their resources to capitalize on their own vision for the future. This case also provides valuable lessons for technology entrepreneurship, introduces students to important gig economy concepts, and asks students to consider the unique challenges facing companies like Catalant that are selling a gig platform as part of their product or service.

  Citation:

  Stanton, Christopher, William R. Kerr, James Palano, and Kendall Smith. "Catalant's Operating System for the Future of Work." Harvard Business School Case 820-093, February 2020. (Revised August 2020.)  View Details

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• Supplement | HBS Case Collection | August 2020

  Facelift at Olay (B)

  Sunil Gupta, Rajiv Lal and Olivia Hull

  This supplement to Facelift at Olay (A) explains the major steps Procter & Gamble’s skincare brand Olay took to reverse several years of declining sales.

  Keywords: Age; Brands and Branding; Marketing Channels; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry;

  Citation:

  Gupta, Sunil, Rajiv Lal, and Olivia Hull. "Facelift at Olay (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 521-002, August 2020.  View Details

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