Published in Harvard Business Review (in France) and by the World Economic Forum

This paper proposes 3 strategies for luxury automakers to significantly raise profit margins while reducing resource utilization:

Strategy 1: Engage in more closed-loop recycling: establish vehicle collection programs, be more stringent in raw material selection

Strategy 2: ‘Rent instead of sell’ business model: providing vehicles as a service 

Strategy 3: Lengthen product usability: using recyclable materials, improving engine recyclability, leveraging 3D printing

This was a joint project between by the World Economic Forum and the Harvard University faculty aide program. 

In this report, we offer recommendations to the Japanese government on how the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympics can be designed to maximize sustainability while minimizing expenses. The recommendations are based on in-depth research and global best practices in event management.

The recommendations cover the following areas:

• construction and design of Olympic facilities
• event transportation
• energy, food, and waste management

A small but fast-growing business was facing numerous challenges, including a high percentage of unsatisfied customers as well as difficulties in cross-selling their services.

We conducted a comprehensive market research study for business, comprised of 101 in-depth customer surveys, 2 focus groups, and 4 one-hour customer interviews. 

As a result, we identified the key factors driving customer dissatisfaction, and devised more effective methods for reaching new customers and upselling old ones.

(All identifying information pertaining to this business have been removed/modified for this presentation.)

How do you effectively market your business on Facebook? What are some of the best practices in maximizing impact while minimizing advertising costs? In this presentation, we go through the 5 steps to effective marketing on Facebook.

How do you get fit without paying $70/hour for a personal trainer (U.S. urban average)?

We developed an idea for a mobile application that cuts fitness training costs by 40-70% while helping people improve their fitness levels. This can be a profitable business addressing unmet needs in a huge potential market.

How do you price a new cancer drug?

An American pharmaceutical company has developed a new cancer-treating drug (“AB-123”), especially effective at treating colorectal cancer. It is seeking to develop a pricing strategy for the first three years of this drug, with a projected launch date of 2025. Our team presented at the competition in July 2016. (Client and drug names have been changed.) 
This competition was sponsored by 11 consulting firms, including McKinsey, BCG, Bain, L.E.K., among others.

American wine company wants to build a new winery in Kenya and sell Kenyan wine in America. How should it proceed?

Our team represented Harvard University at the 2016 Princeton University Graduate Consulting Club Case Competition. This was an operations and marketing-focused case. The client's objective was to assess the feasibility and profitability of building a winery in Kenya. This competition was sponsored by McKinsey, Vicara Capital, and L.E.K.

Why did Yahoo gradually disappear into oblivion? Why did it try, but fail, to reinvent itself? 

We explore the underlying reasons for Yahoo's business failures. We also present some strategic recommendations for the firm going forward.

When deciding on a competitive strategy, can a firm only choose between Cost Leadership vs Differentiation? 

This presentation explains a new way to achieve market differentiation without incurring excessive costs. It is the strategy that successful firms like Apple have used time and time again to deliver new breakthroughs. Blue Ocean Strategy (Mauborgne and Kim, 2005) is about being different from the competition, in a way that truly targets customer needs that have traditionally been overlooked.

As a manager, how do you ensure that team members work with, and not against, each other? As an employee, how do you deal with your colleagues even though you feel like they are competitors? We analyze these issues, and recommend one experiment-tested strategy ("Contrite Tit for Tat") that tackles this issue. We take the analysis a step further by using quantitative methods and experiemental data to validate that this strategy does indeed deliver optimal results over the long run and across scenarios. The ideas were developed based on studies in Game Theory, especially the Prisoner's Dilemma game.

How can a manufacturing firm increase profits while helping to conserve the environment? Are these two missions mutually exclusive?

This presentation identifies various strategies that can help firms achieve both. It provides actionable recommendations for the luxury automotive industry, with a specific focus on Daimler.