All cases

February 2013

Eight19 (A): A Social Enterprise?

By Jeff Skinner, Tom Ryan

Eight19 is a technology-based start-up company based on Cambridge Science Park. The company is developing a new (and very low cost) solar-panel technology aimed primarily at domestic use in developing countries. The case describes the issues faced by eight19 as it develops a business model for the n...

October 2013

Nokia Siemens Networks: Branding a Global Merger from the Inside Out

By Simona Botti, Nader Tavassoli, Gudrun Herrmann

A handful of global players dominated the telecommunications infrastructure industry in 2007. The benefits to scale were significant: substantial funding requirements were necessary to sustain continuous innovation and development of networks, products and services; key customers themselves were glo...

November 2018

Patch: Financing the Entrepreneurial Business

By Gary Dushnitsky

Heading into Old Street Tube station in London on a chilly January day, Freddie’s mind was racing with ideas. He had just come out from another meeting with Forward Partners, a well-known, London-based venture capital firm, and it was clear the conversation had gone well. The team at Forward Partn...

May 2019

The Maestro Marin Alsop – Leading “Under a Huge Magnifying Glass”

By Randall Peterson, Vyla Rollins, Carrie J. Fletcher

This case study follows the career of world-renowned orchestra conductor Marin Alsop. As a gay woman in a blatantly male-dominated (and often sexist) field, Alsop faced significant challenges in her rise to the top of the profession. At virtually every turning point on her unconventional path, Alsop...

February 2019

Jack Ma at Alibaba: Building a Learning Organisation

By Herminia Ibarra, Jessica Spungin

In September 2018 Alibaba’s co-founder and executive chairman, Jack Ma, announced his plans to step down from the $420 billion Chinese internet company to pursue philanthropy in education. The case describes the evolution of Alibaba’s corporate strategy from Chinese e-commerce pioneer to a compl...