Custom Program Topics for Executive Education (English)

Custom Program Topics for Executive Education (English)

Kanetaka M. Maki, Ph.D.

As of October 14th, 2022

Experimentation & Prototyping – 90 minutes
Topics
  • Experimentation & Prototyping: “New Venture Simulation: The Food Truck Challenge”
Pre-Assignment
  • Simulation
    • Michael A. Roberto, “New Venture Simulation: The Food Truck Challenge”,  HBSP Product #: 7201-HTM-ENG
  • Preparation Questions
    1. Why did you make your initial choices in the simulation? What was your decision-making rationale?
    2. How did you assess market feedback and modify your choices as time progressed in the simulation?
    3. If you chose the pushcart option, why did you do so? What made it difficult to pursue this option?
    4. If you chose the research option, what motivated that decision? What were the challenges associated with conducting additional research?
    5. If you chose to operate the food truck rather than the pushcart, what was your rationale?
Post-Reading
  • None

 

Design Thinking Workshop (Mindset and Skill) – 3 hours
Topics
  •  Design Thinking Workshop (Mindset and Skill)
Pre-Assignment
  •  None
Post-Reading
  • Clayton M. Christensen, Taddy Hall, Karen Dillon, and David S. Duncan, “Know Your Customers “Jobs to Be Done””, Harvard Business Review, September 2016
  • Don Norman, “The Design of Everyday Things”, Basic Books, 2013 [Chap 6]

 

Innovation Process and Design Thinking – 90 minutes
Topics
  • Innovation Profess and Design Thinking: Case “IDEO and Product Development”
Pre-Assignments
  • Reading
    • Stefan Thomke and Ashok Nimgade, “IDEO Product Development”, HBS Case #600-143
  • Preparation Questions
    1. How would you characterize IDEO’s process, organization, culture, and management?
    2. Decision point: should IDEO accept the Visor project as is (on a dramatically reduced schedule)? Should they try to persuade Handspring’s management to change its aggressive launch schedule? Or should they simply decline the project? In your discussion, please consider the IDEO and Handspring perspectives.
Post-Reading
  • Tim Brown, “Design Thinking”, Harvard Business Review, June 2008
  • Stefan Thomke, “Enlightened Experimentation: The New Imperative for Innovation”, Harvard Business Review, February 2011

 

Product Development and Hypothesis-Driven Innovation – 90 minutes
Topics
  • Product Development and Hypothesis-Driven Innovation: Case “Team New Zealand (A)
Pre-Assignment
  • Reading
    • Marco Iansiti, “Team New Zealand (A)”, Harvard Business School Case, Oct 1996, 697040-PDF-ENG
  • Preparation Questions
    1. How would you evaluate Team New Zealand’s use of simulation in the design process? What are its advantages and disadvantages? How did their approach to simulation differ from that used by other syndicates?
    2. Which yacht construction strategy should Team New Zealand follow? Why? How much improvement would you expect from each?
    3. Please choose one option from the below. What would you advise Team New Zealand to do?
      • Two similar boats now;
      • Two different boats now;
      • One boat now, one boat later.
Post-Reading
  • Marco Iansiti, “Team New Zealand (B)”, Harvard Business School Case, Oct 1996, 697041-PDF-ENG
  • Marco Iansiti, “Team New Zealand (C)”, Harvard Business School Case, Oct 1996, 697042-PDF-ENG
  • Thomas R. Eisenmann, Eric Ries, Sarah Dillard, “Entrepreneurship Reading: Experimenting in the Entrepreneurial Venture”, HBSP Product #: 8077-PDF-ENG

 

Business Experiments – 90 minutes
 Topics
  • Business Experiments: Case “Booking.com”
 Pre-Assignment
  • Reading
    • Stefan Thomke; Daniela Beyersdorfer, “Booking.com”, Harvard Business School Case, Oct 2018, #619015-PDF-ENG
  • Preparation Questions
    1. How successful is Booking? How did the company achieve its success? (Hint: Estimate the company’s financial contribution to The Priceline Group.)
    2. Please analyze Booking’s operating and business models carefully (strategy, process, management, and culture). Which elements are the hardest to copy for competitors? Why?
    3. Decision: How should Gillian Tans (CEO) respond to the Blue Screen landing page experiment proposed by Frisby? Please explain your recommendation and be specific about any proposed change.
      1. Tans should not get involved.
      2. Tans should ask Frisby to make changes to the experiment.
 Post-Reading
  • Stefan Thomke, “Building a Culture of Experimentation”, Harvard Business Review, Mar 2020, #S20021-PDF-ENG

 

AI and Business Application – 90 minutes
Topics
  • AI and Business Application: Case “Zebra Medical Vistion”
Pre-Assignment
  • Reading
    • Shane Greenstein; Sarah Gulick, “Zebra Medical Vision”, Sep 2018, Harvard Business School Case, #619014-PDF-ENG
  • Preparation Questions
    1. What is the value proposition at Zebra Medical? What are the biggest risks to realizing that proposition in the near future?
    2. With seventy other firms in the ML space for imaging, what are Zebra’s competitive advantages and disadvantages?
    3. Where should Zebra orient its development over the next three to five years?
    4. With ample funding, what type of employees should Zebra try to hire next? Why?
Post-Reading
  • None

 

Open Innovation & Innovation Tournaments – 90 minutes
Topics
  • Open Innovation & Innovation Tournaments: Case “InnoCentive (A)”
Pre-Assignments
  • Reading
    • Karim R. Lakhani, “InnoCentive.com (A)”, Harvard Business School Case, October 2009 (HBS Case #9-608-170)
  • Preparation Questions
    1. Why would firms use InnoCentive’s service to solve scientific and technical problems?
    2. What is the motivation for Solvers to participate in InnoCentive?
    3. What kinds of problems are appropriate for Broadcast Search?
    4. What are the trade-offs between choosing a market or a community for problem-solving?
Post-Reading
  • Karim R. Lakhani, Eric Lonstein, “InnoCentive.com (B)”, Harvard Business School Case, August 2011 (HBS Case #612026-PDF-ENG)
  • Karim R. Lakhani, Eric Lonstein, “InnoCentive.com (B)”, Harvard Business School Case, August 2011 (HBS Case #612027-PDF-ENG)
  • Gary P. Pisano, Roberto Verganti, “Which Kind of Collaboration Is Right for You?”, Harvard Business Review, December 2008

 

Inclusive Innovation – 90 minutes
Topics
  • Inclusive Innovation: Case “Cipla”
Pre-Assignment
  • Reading
    • Rohit Deshpande and Laura Winig, “Cipla”, Harvard Business School Case, June 2003 (HBS Case #503085-PDF-ENGCiPLA)
  • Preparation Questions
    1. What is your assessment of how well the various parties are handling the global AIDS pandemic?
    2. How does Cipla’s business model differ from that of traditional pharmaceutical companies? What are the key drivers and challenges to Cipla’s success?
    3. In your view, do Cipla’s business practices constitute unfair competition?
    4. What should Dr. Hamied and his company do in response to the challenges they face?
    5. What, if anything, should the following parties do to combat the global AIDS crisis: (1) “Big Pharma,” (2) “rich country” governments, (3) non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and non-profits such as the Clinton Foundation?
Post-Reading
  •  None

 

Product Development & Bioinspiration – 90 minutes
Topics Product Development & Bioinspiration: Case “Bioinspiration”
Pre-Assignment
  • Reading/Watching
    • Karim R. Lakhani, Vish Krishnan and Ruth Page, ”Bioinspiration at the San Diego Zoo”, Harvard Business School Case, September 2014 (HBS Case #614-703)
  • Questions
    1. During the development of products and services, what are the typical steps for a problem-solving process? How is Bioinspiration different than other sources of innovation?
    2. Why would firms work with the San Diego Zoo for product innovation help?
    3. Is the current model of the Center for Bioinspiration the best model? What would you recommend should be its role within the zoo and/or its form interaction with clients?

 

University-Industry Collaboration &  Star Scientists – 90 minutes
Topics
  • University-Industry Collaboration & Star Scientists: Case “The Langer Lab: Commercializing Science”
Pre-Assignments
  • Reading
    • H. Kent Bowen, “The Langer Lab: Commercializing Science”, Harvard Business School Case, March 2005 (HBS Case #605-017)
  • Preparation Questions
    1. Is the Langer Lab successful? Why?
    2. What role does Langer himself play?
    3. What perpetuates continued innovation and productivity?
Post-Reading
  • Steven Prokesch, “The Edison of Medicine”, Harvard Business Review, March-April 2017
  • G. Zucker, Darby, M.R. 2007. Virtuous circles in science and commerce. Papers in Regional Science. 86(3) 445-470.
Reference
  • Gary Pisano, “Can Science Be a Business? Lessons from Biotech”, Harvard Business Review, October 2006