#case method

Celebrating General Shoe Company, the Inaugural HBS Case

It’s like a great detective story: What’s gone wrong at General Shoe Company, and how would you fix it? The School’s inaugural case presents learning still relevant today. 

In this case, examine the career of Ernesto Tornquist, a cosmopolitan financier considered to be the most significant entrepreneur in Argentina at the end of the 19th century. Cold Call examines why Argentina was such a successful economy at this time, and debates whether its very success laid the basis for the country's subsequent poor economic performance. 

Ride-hailing service Careem, the “Uber of the Middle East,” experienced expansion so dramatic that it monitored its growth target every 15 minutes. Was this a fabled startup unicorn? But doubling the size of the company every six months took its toll. Professor Shikhar Ghosh discusses how the founders approached a number of critical organizational and cultural issues to keep its 4 million customers satisfied. 

First year MBAs will read and discuss this entire stack of cases this semester. The spring semester includes Business, Government, and the International Economy; Strategy; The Entrepreneurial Manager; Finance 2; Leadership and Corporate Accountability; and FIELD Global Immersions.

Cold Call distills Harvard Business School's legendary case studies into podcast form. Hosted by Brian Kenny, the podcast airs every two weeks and features Harvard Business School faculty discussing cases they've written and the lessons they impart.