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      • June 2024
      • Supplement

      Pal's Sudden Service (B)

      By: Gary P. Pisano, Francesca Gino and Ruth Page
      Pre-Abstract: Instructors should consider the timing of making videos available to students, as they may reveal key case details.

      Abstract: Pal's Sudden Service has developed a unique operating model and organizational culture in the quick service... View Details
      Keywords: Growth and Development Strategy; Organizational Culture; Motivation and Incentives; Service Operations; Food and Beverage Industry; Service Industry
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      Pisano, Gary P., Francesca Gino, and Ruth Page. "Pal's Sudden Service (B)." Harvard Business School Multimedia/Video Supplement 917-701, June 2024.
      • 18 Jul 2023
      • Interview

      Jeffrey Rayport on Product Market Fit, Profit Market Fit and Whiplash, and More

      By: Jeffrey F. Rayport and Doug Levin
      This episode of "Lessons from Startup Life" podcast features Jeffrey Rayport, Senior Lecturer of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School. Jeffrey specializes in teaching and researching growth-stage technology ventures and their scalability. Prior to... View Details
      Keywords: Scaling And Growth; Start-up; Diversity; Equity; Inclusion; Technology; Business Startups; Product Marketing; Business Growth and Maturation
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      "Jeffrey Rayport on Product Market Fit, Profit Market Fit and Whiplash, and More." Lessons from a Startup Life (podcast), July 18, 2023.
      • July 2022 (Revised February 2025)
      • Case

      A Soul and a Service: North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance

      By: Tom Nicholas and John Masko
      The North Carolina Mutual and Provident Association (the Mutual) was founded in 1898 as a for-profit entity selling life insurance catering to the Black community. The Mutual was entering a field crowded with established White-owned competitors that largely refused to... View Details
      Keywords: Black Entrepreneurs; Insurance; History; Race; Prejudice and Bias; Entrepreneurship; Decision Choices and Conditions; Growth and Development Strategy; Insurance Industry; United States
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      Nicholas, Tom, and John Masko. "A Soul and a Service: North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance." Harvard Business School Case 823-032, July 2022. (Revised February 2025.)
      • June 2021
      • Case

      Acelero Learning

      By: Mario Small, Kathleen L. McGinn, Amy Klopfenstein and Katherine Chen
      In November 2020, Henry Wilde, co-founder and CEO of Acelero, Inc., must decide whether to change his company’s program model for delivering early childhood education to low-income children. One of the only for-profit Head Start providers in the United States, Acelero... View Details
      Keywords: Early Childhood Education; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Growth and Development Strategy; Adoption; Customer Focus and Relationships; Operations; Education Industry; North and Central America; United States
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      Small, Mario, Kathleen L. McGinn, Amy Klopfenstein, and Katherine Chen. "Acelero Learning." Harvard Business School Case 921-029, June 2021.
      • April 2021
      • Case

      Zeynep Ton: The Good Jobs Strategy

      By: Francesca Gino and Frances X. Frei
      The link to this multimedia case should be provided to students in advance as preparation for classroom case discussion.

      In Zeynop Ton’s 2014 book The Good Jobs Strategy: How the Smartest Companies Invest in Employees to Lower Costs and Boost... View Details
      Keywords: Organizations; Selection and Staffing; Compensation and Benefits; Operations; Performance Effectiveness
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      Gino, Francesca, and Frances X. Frei. "Zeynep Ton: The Good Jobs Strategy." Harvard Business School Multimedia/Video Case 921-703, April 2021.
      • January 28, 2021
      • Other Article

      Lessons from the U.S.'s Rocky Vaccine Rollout

      By: Robert S. Huckman and Bradley R. Staats
      The rocky rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines is emblematic of many of the problems with the U.S. health care system. The United States is blessed with highly trained, excellent, and compassionate care providers and terrific research and development that has led to novel... View Details
      Keywords: Health Care; COVID-19; Vaccines; Operations Improvement; Health Pandemics; Health Care and Treatment; Service Delivery; Operations; Performance Improvement; Health; Health Industry; United States
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      Huckman, Robert S., and Bradley R. Staats. "Lessons from the U.S.'s Rocky Vaccine Rollout." Harvard Business Review Digital Articles (January 28, 2021).
      • March 2020 (Revised March 2022)
      • Case

      Wachtell Lipton: Focused Excellence

      By: Ashish Nanda and Margaret Cross
      For years, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz—a small, New York City law firm—has consistently boasted the highest profits per partner and one of the highest “prestige” ratings among U.S.-based law firms. The firm has remained loyal to a distinctive strategy ever since its... View Details
      Keywords: Strategy; Law; Mergers and Acquisitions; Legal Services Industry; New York (city, NY)
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      Nanda, Ashish, and Margaret Cross. "Wachtell Lipton: Focused Excellence." Harvard Business School Case 720-396, March 2020. (Revised March 2022.)
      • November 2019
      • Case

      Chief: Role for Carolyn Childers

      By: Katherine B. Coffman, Jeffrey J. Bussgang, Kathleen L. McGinn, Katherine Chen and Julia Kelley
      In 2018, Carolyn Childers is preparing to launch Chief, a New York-based peer network for women executives, and must decide whether to bring on a co-founder. After becoming the senior vice president of operations at her previous company, Childers was inspired to build... View Details
      Keywords: Networking; Founders; Entrepreneurship; Networks; Negotiation
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      Coffman, Katherine B., Jeffrey J. Bussgang, Kathleen L. McGinn, Katherine Chen, and Julia Kelley. "Chief: Role for Carolyn Childers." Harvard Business School Case 920-019, November 2019.
      • August 2019 (Revised August 2020)
      • Case

      Magrabi: Fulfilling the Vision for the Future

      By: 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... View Details
      Keywords: Brands and Branding; Transition; Luxury; Sales; Service Delivery; Strategy; Employees; Recruitment; Consumer Products Industry; Retail Industry; Middle East
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      Beshears, John, Alpana Thapar, and Boris Tsimerinov. "Magrabi: Fulfilling the Vision for the Future." Harvard Business School Case 920-009, August 2019. (Revised August 2020.)
      • January 15, 2019
      • Article

      Is Your Company's Strategy Aligned with Your Ownership Model?

      By: Josh Baron
      The legacy of Vanguard founder John Bogle has brought attention to the transformative influence of ownership structures within the business world. Bogle's revolutionary insight into the limitations of active fund management led to the widespread adoption of index... View Details
      Keywords: Ownership Type; Business Strategy; Organizational Structure; Strength and Weakness; Competitive Advantage
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      Baron, Josh. "Is Your Company's Strategy Aligned with Your Ownership Model?" Harvard Business Review (website) (January 15, 2019).
      • September 2017 (Revised June 2019)
      • Case

      Dianrong: Marketplace Lending, Blockchain, and 'The New Finance' in China

      By: Christopher J. Malloy, Lauren H. Cohen and Anthony K. Woo
      This case examines the strategic positioning of Dianrong, one of the largest online peer-to-peer (P2P) lending platforms in China, in its attempt to become a foundational player in the expansion of the FinTech sector in Asia. Dianrong had recently announced the... View Details
      Keywords: Financing and Loans; Internet and the Web; Supply Chain; Finance; Innovation and Invention; Competition; Product Positioning; Strategy; Financial Services Industry; China
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      Malloy, Christopher J., Lauren H. Cohen, and Anthony K. Woo. "Dianrong: Marketplace Lending, Blockchain, and 'The New Finance' in China." Harvard Business School Case 218-043, September 2017. (Revised June 2019.)
      • September–October 2017
      • Article

      Why Do We Undervalue Competent Management?: Neither Great Leadership Nor Brilliant Strategy Matters Without Operational Excellence

      By: Raffaella Sadun, Nicholas Bloom and John Van Reenen
      A recurring message in business education is that you can’t compete on the basis of management processes because they’re easily copied. Operational effectiveness is table stakes in the competitive universe, it is often assumed, and thus cannot serve as a sustainable... View Details
      Keywords: Management; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Management Practices and Processes; Performance Effectiveness
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      Sadun, Raffaella, Nicholas Bloom, and John Van Reenen. "Why Do We Undervalue Competent Management? Neither Great Leadership Nor Brilliant Strategy Matters Without Operational Excellence." Harvard Business Review 95, no. 5 (September–October 2017): 120–127. (Winner of 59th Annual HBR McKinsey Award.)
      • March 2017
      • Case

      A. Lange & Söhne

      By: Stefan Thomke and Daniela Beyersdorfer
      The case describes how A. Lange & Söhne became one of world's leading watch companies. Its obsession with quality and innovation were behind its initial rise in the 19th century and, after a 40-year involuntary hiatus under the East German regime, again at the end of... View Details
      Keywords: Watches; Operational Excellence; Brand & Product Management; Product Development; Leadership; Growth and Development Strategy; Marketing Strategy; Product Positioning; Brands and Branding; Management; Operations; Production; Innovation and Invention; Price; Business History; Germany
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      Thomke, Stefan, and Daniela Beyersdorfer. "A. Lange & Söhne." Harvard Business School Case 617-058, March 2017.
      • February 2017 (Revised September 2017)
      • Case

      Akshaya Patra: Impact at Scale

      By: V. Kasturi Rangan and Sarah Appleby
      Akshaya Patra, an Indian NGO, had set an ambitious goal of serving 5 million free meals daily to India's schoolchildren. Founded in 2000, Akshaya Patra had thus far opened 25 high-capacity kitchens in 10 different States to provide a midday meal to nearly 1.65 million... View Details
      Keywords: Scaling; Public-private Partnership; Operational Excellence; Nonprofit Scaling; Social Impact; Social Enterprise; Growth and Development Strategy; Business and Government Relations; Performance Effectiveness; Nonprofit Organizations; India
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      Rangan, V. Kasturi, and Sarah Appleby. "Akshaya Patra: Impact at Scale." Harvard Business School Case 517-028, February 2017. (Revised September 2017.)
      • January 2017
      • Case

      Flatiron School

      By: Thomas Eisenmann and Halah AlQahtani
      In late 2016, the founders of Flatiron School, a startup offering 12-week coding bootcamps, are formulating their growth strategy. Their new online-only program has matched the excellent job placement results for their in-person bootcamps. Should Flatiron shift... View Details
      Keywords: Scaling Start-ups; Growth Strategy; Entrepreneurship; Distribution Channels; Growth and Development Strategy; Internet and the Web; Business Startups; Diversification; Expansion; Education Industry; United States
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      Eisenmann, Thomas, and Halah AlQahtani. "Flatiron School." Harvard Business School Case 817-114, January 2017.
      • November 2016
      • Supplement

      Irregular Operations

      By: Ryan W. Buell, Willy C. Shih and Michael W. Toffel
      This video shows a dispatcher responding to an irregular operations situation caused by weather at an East Coast airport. View Details
      Keywords: Service; Service Excellence; Service Quality; Operating Systems; Operational Complexity; Operational Disruptions; Operational Efficiency; Operational Focus; Air Transportation; Service Operations; Service Delivery; Air Transportation Industry
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      Buell, Ryan W., Willy C. Shih, and Michael W. Toffel. "Irregular Operations." Harvard Business School Multimedia/Video Supplement 617-705, November 2016.
      • September 2016 (Revised July 2018)
      • Case

      United Airlines: More Out-and-Back Flying?

      By: Ryan W. Buell, Willy Shih and Mike Toffel
      This case looks at United Airlines when it is facing a decision on whether to shift its aircraft routing to more "out-and-back" routing in order to try to improve its on-time performance. As one of the world's largest airlines, United had a very large fleet and... View Details
      Keywords: Service Excellence; Service Management; Service Quality; Service Quality Competition; Services; Airline Industry; Airlines; Operational Complexity; Operational Disruptions; Operational Effectiveness; Operations Improvement; Operations Management; Operations Strategy; Air Transportation; Operations; Service Operations; Service Delivery; Performance Effectiveness; Performance Improvement; Complexity; Air Transportation Industry; United States
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      Buell, Ryan W., Willy Shih, and Mike Toffel. "United Airlines: More Out-and-Back Flying?" Harvard Business School Case 617-010, September 2016. (Revised July 2018.)
      • September 2016 (Revised August 2018)
      • Supplement

      United Airlines: More Out-and-Back Flying?: Case Supplement #1

      By: Ryan W. Buell, Willy C. Shih and Michael W. Toffel
      This spreadsheet supplement accompanies 617-010 United Airlines: More Out-and-Back Flying? and is intended to provide students with an opportunity to apply analysis concepts with real operational data. View Details
      Keywords: Service; Service Excellence; Service Management; Operating Systems; Operational Complexity; Operational Disruptions; Operational Efficiency; Operational Focus; Air Transportation; Operations; Service Operations; Service Delivery; Air Transportation Industry; United States
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      Buell, Ryan W., Willy C. Shih, and Michael W. Toffel. "United Airlines: More Out-and-Back Flying? Case Supplement #1." Harvard Business School Spreadsheet Supplement 617-701, September 2016. (Revised August 2018.)
      • May 2016 (Revised September 2017)
      • Case

      Pal's Sudden Service—Scaling an Organizational Model to Drive Growth

      By: Gary P. Pisano, Francesca Gino and Bradley R. Staats
      Pal's Sudden Service has developed a unique operating model and organizational culture in the quick service restaurant business. With a deep emphasis on process control and improvement, zero defects, extensive training, and a high level of employee engagement, Pal's... View Details
      Keywords: Growth Strategy; Corporate Culture; Operations Strategy; Motivation; Values; Motivation and Incentives; Strategy; Values and Beliefs; Service Operations; Organizational Culture; Growth and Development Strategy; Service Industry; Food and Beverage Industry
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      Pisano, Gary P., Francesca Gino, and Bradley R. Staats. "Pal's Sudden Service—Scaling an Organizational Model to Drive Growth." Harvard Business School Case 916-052, May 2016. (Revised September 2017.)
      • Article

      Defining the Value Framework for Prostate Brachytherapy Using Patient-Centered Outcome Metrics and Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing

      By: N.G. Thaker, T.J. Pugh, U. Mahmood, S. Choi, T.E. Spinks, N.E. Martin, T.T. Sio, R.J. Kudchadker, R. S. Kaplan, D.A. Kuban, D.A. Swanson, P.F. Orio, M.J. Zelefsky, B.W. Cox, L. Potters, T.A. Buchholz, T.W. Feeley and S.J. Frank
      PURPOSE: Value, defined as outcomes over costs, has been proposed as a measure to evaluate prostate cancer (PCa) treatments. We analyzed standardized outcomes and time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC) for prostate brachytherapy (PBT) to define a value... View Details
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      Thaker, N.G., T.J. Pugh, U. Mahmood, S. Choi, T.E. Spinks, N.E. Martin, T.T. Sio, R.J. Kudchadker, R. S. Kaplan, D.A. Kuban, D.A. Swanson, P.F. Orio, M.J. Zelefsky, B.W. Cox, L. Potters, T.A. Buchholz, T.W. Feeley, and S.J. Frank. "Defining the Value Framework for Prostate Brachytherapy Using Patient-Centered Outcome Metrics and Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing." Brachytherapy 15, no. 3 (May 2016): 274–282.
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