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Six Myths of Product Development
Thomke, Stefan; Reinertsen, DonaldArticle HBS-R1205E-EMany companies approach product development as if it were manufacturing, trying to control costs and improve quality by applying zero-defect, efficiency-focused techniques. While this tactic can boost the performance of factories, it generally backfires with product development. The process of designing products is profoundly different from the process of making them, and the failure of executives to appreciate the differences leads to several ...Starting at €8.20
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The Surprising Power of Online Experiments
Kohavi, Ron; Thomke, StefanArticle HBS-R1705E-EService and Operations ManagementIn the fast-moving digital world, even experts have a hard time assessing new ideas. Case in point: At Bing a small headline change an employee proposed was deemed a low priority and shelved for months until one engineer decided to do a quick online controlled experiment--an A/B test--to try it out. The test showed that the change increased revenue by an astonishing 12%. It ended up being the best revenue-generating idea Bing ever had, worth $100...Starting at €8.20
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Innovation Magic
Thomke, Stefan; Randal, JasonCase HBS-612099-EService and Operations ManagementWhy do certain product and service experiences seem like magic, making them all but destined for success, while other items languish on store shelves? For a better understanding of that, perhaps there's no better place to turn to than the world of magic. Consider that some professional magicians are constantly under pressure to come up with new "effects" that will wow the audience and ultimately result in a transformational customer experience. A...Starting at €8.20
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Sony
Thomke, Stefan; Osanai, Atsushi; Kanno, AkikoCase HBS-618045-EKnowledge and CommunicationSony used to be synonymous with "innovation" and "cool products". The case reveals how the company lost its edge and describes the leadership initiatives to restore its former glory. In 2012, Kazuo (Kaz) Hirai becomes CEO and successfully transforms Sony, including a relentless focus on differentiation through "wow" products instead of chasing scale. How should he organize and manage the company's response to digital opportunities, such as virtua...Starting at €8.20
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Afghanistan 2006: Building a Brand New State
Maurer, Noel; Spar, Debora L.; Trumbull, GunnarCase HBS-707033-EEconomicsIn 2006, Afghanistan remains a country in turmoil. It has a newly elected democratic government, a rebounding economy, and considerable economic potential. But the country is still torn by rival factions and dominated by the opium trade. Explores how Afghanistan has been rebuilt since the U.S. invasion of 2001, and what it means to create a modern state. Can state institutions be imposed from the outside? And what are the prospects for democracy ...Starting at €8.20
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Designing Transformational Customer Experiences
Thomke, StefanCase HBS-617051-EKnowledge and CommunicationAnyone who has recently travelled, gone shopping, or tried to have a problem solved may have little recollection of the experience. Worse yet, some are frustrated by the lack of responsiveness or empathy that they encountered. The reality is that most customer experiences are mediocre, forgettable and some are plain awful. But once in a blue moon, an experience is so great that it leaves positive memories for years. Why do some product or service...Starting at €8.20
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The Discipline of Business Experimentation
Thomke, Stefan; Manzi, JimArticle HBS-R1412D-EThe data you already have can't tell you how customers will react to innovations. To discover if a truly novel concept will succeed, you must subject it to a rigorous experiment. In most companies, tests do not adhere to scientific and statistical principles. As a result, managers often end up interpreting statistical noise as causation--and making bad decisions. To conduct experiments that are worth the expense and effort, companies need to ask ...Starting at €8.20
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Extend Fertility: Conceiving the Market for Egg Preservation (A)
Spar, Debora L.; Hull, OliviaCase HBS-719019-EStrategyThe case follows entrepreneur Christy Jones as she tries to imagine, and then build, a firm that will enable young women to preserve their eggs -- and thus extend their fertility. In April 2003, entrepreneur and MBA student Christy Jones was planning a new venture to help women preserve their fertility. Her company, Extend Fertility, would commercialize a technique known as egg freezing, in which a woman's eggs were extracted and stored at low te...Starting at €8.20
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Facebook Faces the Regulators
Spar, Debora L.Case HBS-720019-EEconomicsThe Inside the Case video that accompanies this case includes teaching tips and insight from the author (available to registered educators only). In the fall of 2019, Facebook and its CEO Mark Zuckerberg are facing increased scrutiny on multiple fronts. Regulators from around the globe are threatening the company with punitive measures. Users are organizing against it. But there is little consensus around what, precisely, Facebook has done wrong...Starting at €8.20
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Afrigen Biologics: Vaccines for the Global South
Spar, Debora L.; Comeau, JuliaCase HBS-323030-EEconomicsThe majority of vaccines used on the continent of Africa (99%) are produced offshore. This makes African nations reliant on the West for major health care needs, a problem which was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Afrigen Biologics (in partnership with the WHO) is seeking to lessen this disparity by putting vaccine production in the hands of South Africans and other low- and middle-income countries. Afrigen Biologics is the first in a plann...Starting at €8.20