How can business help solve society’s biggest challenges? Welcome to Take on Tomorrow, the award-winning podcast from PwC that examines the biggest problems facing society and the role business can—and should—play in solving them. Hosts Femi Oke and Lizzie O’Leary talk to industry innovators, tech trailblazers and visionary leaders from around the globe about timely topics: from the climate transition to AI and data; and from the future of food to how we build, move and power the world.
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Content provided by HBR Presents / Brian Kenny. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by HBR Presents / Brian Kenny or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://ppacc.player.fm/legal.
Similar to Cold Call
Welcome to the What’s Next! Podcast. I’ve met so many brilliant people as I traveled the globe and have had some fascinating conversations that I’ve wished had been recorded so I could share them with you - this podcast was a way for me to recreate those moments and let you in on some fantastic insights. My current conversations center around one objective: what's next for companies and individuals as they look to innovate and grow. I hope these conversations inspire you as much as they have ...
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Alessandro Bogliari, CEO and Co-Founder of The Influencer Marketing Factory, a global influencer marketing agency, talks with great guests about influencer marketing, social media, the creator economy, social commerce and much more.
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A top podcast for healthcare leaders, with over one million downloads, Radio Advisory is your weekly download on how to untangle the industry's most pressing challenges to help leaders like you make the best business decisions for your organization. From unpacking major trends in care delivery—like site-of-care shifts and the rise of high-cost drugs—to demystifying stakeholder dynamics, to shining a spotlight on priorities that may get overlooked, we're here to help. Our hosts and seasoned r ...
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Some Goodness is hosted by Richard Ellis, a seasoned sales leader passionate about inviting top business minds to share their wisdom. Each episode is only 15-20 minutes, perfect for your commute or workout.
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How Bill Wilson Cofounded Alcoholics Anonymous and Created a Lasting Social Movement
Manage episode 487935676 series 2391215
Content provided by HBR Presents / Brian Kenny. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by HBR Presents / Brian Kenny or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://ppacc.player.fm/legal.
Bill Wilson was an incredibly entrepreneurial young man with tremendous potential. He was also a drunk who had hit rock bottom. Then an epiphany led him to enduring sobriety.
With his personal drive and fellowship with former drinking buddies, Wilson built a social movement and worldwide organization. Founded in 1935, Alcoholics Anonymous has helped millions of “friends of Bill” recover from alcohol addiction.
In this episode of Cold Call, Harvard Business School Professor Robert Simons joins host Brian Kenny to discuss the case, Bill Wilson: Changing the World. They explore how Wilson navigated life’s choices, transformed his life and those of others, and left a lasting impact on the world.
266 episodes
ShareManage episode 487935676 series 2391215
Content provided by HBR Presents / Brian Kenny. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by HBR Presents / Brian Kenny or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://ppacc.player.fm/legal.
Bill Wilson was an incredibly entrepreneurial young man with tremendous potential. He was also a drunk who had hit rock bottom. Then an epiphany led him to enduring sobriety.
With his personal drive and fellowship with former drinking buddies, Wilson built a social movement and worldwide organization. Founded in 1935, Alcoholics Anonymous has helped millions of “friends of Bill” recover from alcohol addiction.
In this episode of Cold Call, Harvard Business School Professor Robert Simons joins host Brian Kenny to discuss the case, Bill Wilson: Changing the World. They explore how Wilson navigated life’s choices, transformed his life and those of others, and left a lasting impact on the world.
266 episodes
All episodes
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Cold Call
1 Disrupting the Freezer Aisle: Dr. Bombay Ice Cream 34:03
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Play Later Play Later Lists Like LikedWhen Happi Co. CEO Sam Rockwell partnered with Snoop Dogg and his son, Cordell Broadus, to launch Dr. Bombay Ice Cream, the team set out to disrupt a stagnant market with innovative flavors and culturally resonant branding. By combining Happi Co.’s operational expertise with Snoop Dogg’s global influence, the brand quickly secured placement in 80% of U.S. national grocery retailers and projected $20 million in first-year sales. Now, as Rockwell considers strategic next steps for marketing, fundraising, and diversification into new markets, he must also navigate the complexities of a creator-led brand. That includes balancing roles and responsibilities while keeping the company nimble and culturally relevant to reach its goals. Rockwell and Harvard Business School professor Bill Kerr join host Brian Kenny to discuss Kerr’s HBS case “ Dr. Bombay Ice Cream ,” which explores the creation, growth, and strategic decisions behind a lifestyle brand fueled by bold ideas and storytelling.…
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Cold Call
1 Shake Shack’s Digital Playbook: More Tech, Same Hospitality? 28:58
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Play Later Play Later Lists Like LikedShake Shack started in 2001 as a hot dog cart in New York City’s Madison Square Park. It’s now a global fast-casual restaurant chain renowned for both quality and hospitality. In 2024, following a rapid rollout of digital tools like kiosks and mobile ordering, Chief Growth Officer Stephanie So found herself asking, had Shake Shack built a model that could truly scale, or one that still needed work? That question came during a leadership transition and amid ambitious plans for growth. Digital orders were up, and average check sizes were higher, but the shift also raised new challenges. Would automation undermine the guest experience or change what it meant to work at Shake Shack? Could personalization and operational efficiency coexist with the company’s hallmark hospitality ethos? Harvard Business School professor Chris Stanton joins So and host Brian Kenny to discuss the case “ Shake Shack’s Playbook for the Digital Era .” Together, they explore what it means to scale hospitality in a tech-driven industry and how Shake Shack is balancing brand values, digital adoption, and the evolving role of its frontline team.…
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1 At Booking.com, Innovation Means Constant Failure (Summer Repeat) 26:41
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Play Later Play Later Lists Like LikedDuring a busy travel season, digital travel platform Booking.com wanted to try an experiment that would mean changing the site’s landing page. The CEO at the time, Gillian Tans, made the decision to lean into the company’s “test everything” culture—even if it meant failure. In this episode from 2019, Harvard Business School Professor Stefan Thomke and host Brian Kenny discuss how past experience and intuition can be misleading when attempting to launch an innovative new product, service, business model, or process. Instead, Booking.com and other innovative firms embrace a culture where testing, experimentation, and even failure are at the heart of what they do. As you plan your summer travels, enjoy this episode about cultivating an experimental mindset with insights from the case Booking.com and Professor Thomke’s book Experimentation Works .…
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Ming Min Hui, executive director of Boston Ballet, is unique in her field. As a young, Asian American woman with a Harvard Business School MBA and a background in finance, she has focused her tenure on ensuring the ballet company stays true to its art form and simultaneously relevant to its times. Hui had worked for eight years at Boston Ballet as chief of staff and chief financial officer before taking the helm. Now leading one of the foremost ballet companies in the United States, she confronted evolving demographics, shifting audience habits, and an increasingly challenging financial environment. Harvard Business School Assistant Professor Edward Chang and Hui join host Brian Kenny to discuss the case Ming Min Hui at Boston Ballet . They explore how she balances the past, present, and future—and how these lessons translate from this nonprofit arts organization to any company, anywhere.…
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Cold Call
1 How Bill Wilson Cofounded Alcoholics Anonymous and Created a Lasting Social Movement 23:34
23:34 Play Later Play Later Lists Like Liked23:34
Play Later Play Later Lists Like LikedBill Wilson was an incredibly entrepreneurial young man with tremendous potential. He was also a drunk who had hit rock bottom. Then an epiphany led him to enduring sobriety. With his personal drive and fellowship with former drinking buddies, Wilson built a social movement and worldwide organization. Founded in 1935, Alcoholics Anonymous has helped millions of “friends of Bill” recover from alcohol addiction. In this episode of Cold Call , Harvard Business School Professor Robert Simons joins host Brian Kenny to discuss the case, Bill Wilson: Changing the World . They explore how Wilson navigated life’s choices, transformed his life and those of others, and left a lasting impact on the world.…
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Cold Call
Keurig Green Mountain (KGM) created a new category of consumer products, becoming a household name in at-home coffee brewing in North America. But by the early 2010s, the public company had lost momentum and suffered a series of product missteps, negative media scrutiny, and ongoing challenges to its partner relationships. In late 2015, the company was acquired by JAB Holding Company. The new CEO Bob Gamgort led efforts to turn the newly private company around by strengthening partnerships, upping productivity, and reducing costs. In 2017, the company was then able to focus on new growth. Gamgort had to decide the best strategy from four major options: take the company public again through an IPO; set out for greater global expansion; combine with another coffee business to become a larger player in North American coffee; or diversify beyond coffee through a “pure play beverage” strategy. Harvard Business School’s Senior Lecturer David Fubini and Research Associate Patrick Sanguineti join host Brian Kenny to discuss these options from their case, “ Keurig: A Return to Growth .”…
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1 Mattel’s Barbie Playbook: Replicating Success Across the Company’s Portfolio 30:47
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Play Later Play Later Lists Like LikedThe 2023 movie Barbie and its accompanying marketing blitz incited a worldwide craze. Suddenly Barbie was everywhere, a celebrated icon reinstated at the forefront of cultural conversation. This flourishing of goodwill stood in contrast to decades of criticism of the Barbie brand. Although proponents had celebrated Barbie for her promise to “inspire the limitless potential in every girl,” detractors felt that the doll promoted a narrow beauty standard and perpetuated gender stereotypes. In this episode of Cold Call, Harvard Business School Professor Elie Ofek and coauthor and doctoral student Ryann Noe join host Brian Kenny to discuss the case “ Barbie: Reviving a Cultural Icon at Mattel .” They explore how Mattel planned to sustain the Barbie brand’s positive momentum and replicate the doll’s success across other toy brands in the company’s portfolio.…
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Cold Call
1 How Duolingo Aims to Diversify Beyond Language Learning 34:53
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Play Later Play Later Lists Like LikedLaunched in 2011, Duolingo grew into the most downloaded education app in the world. By late 2024, it boasted 100 million monthly active users, 8 million paid subscribers, and a market capitalization approaching $15 billion. The success stemmed from a gamified approach to learning, use of adaptive AI technology, and alignment of incentives: maintaining a streak on the app not only helped users master a language but also drove subscription growth and reduced costs. Duolingo had focused almost exclusively on language learning. But the company recognized the enormous potential of Gen AI to power innovative products, such as conversational language practice. Severin Hacker, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer, envisioned a future in which AI would transform the app into an educational ecosystem that covered many subjects beyond language, allowing the company to tap into the $56 billion edtech market. Duolingo had recently started to explore this direction by adding new subjects, such as math and music. HBS Senior Lecturer Jeffrey Rayport and coauthor Nicole Keller join host Brian Kenny to discuss the case “ Duolingo: On a Streak ” and the long-term benefits and risks of this diversification strategy.…
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Cold Call
1 The Nuqul Group Works to Preserve Its Founder’s Legacy 29:56
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Play Later Play Later Lists Like LikedIn 1948, Elia Nuqul fled his hometown in Palestine with his family to Jordan. The refugee overcame many hardships and started a trading business in 1952. Nuqul Group subsequently grew into one of Jordan’s largest family businesses. Its flagship company, Fine Hygienic Holding (FHH), was a leader in hygienic paper products across the Middle East and North Africa. Nuqul died in 2022. In March 2023, his son Ghassan Nuqul, the chairman of FHH, was at a crossroads. He and his three siblings had decided to split the Group’s assets among themselves so that each branch of the family could forge its own path. They were in discussions to finalize the details of the agreement. In this episode, Ghassan Nuqul and Harvard Business School Senior Lecturer Christina Wing join host Brian Kenny. They discuss what it means to continue a family business into future generations, what determines legacy, and how business decisions affect family ties in the case “ Ghassan Nuqul and the Nuqul Group: Preserving a Father’s Legacy .”…
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Cold Call
1 Calyx Global: Improving the Quality of Carbon Credits 39:15
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Play Later Play Later Lists Like LikedIn 2021, Donna Lee and Duncan van Bergen founded Calyx Global, a carbon credit rating company. The startup worked to improve the quality of carbon credits sold in the voluntary carbon market. Organizations buy those credits to use in their decarbonization efforts to meet net-zero commitments. The firm had carefully avoided perceptions of conflicts of interest. But Lee and van Bergen faced a series of dilemmas. It was a challenging time for the industry. They had to decide whether changing the business model to tap new revenue streams would jeopardize their trustworthy reputation. In this episode, HBS Professor Mike Toffel and Duncan van Bergen join host Brian Kenny to discuss the company’s business model, its approach to ratings, and the emerging competitive landscape in the case, “ Calyx Global: Rating Carbon Credits .”…
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Cold Call
1 How Lanco Medical Group Fosters Workforce Happiness to Motivate Employees and Grow Fast 26:42
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Play Later Play Later Lists Like LikedHow important is it to maintain a happy workforce? With this question in mind, Lanco Medical Group, a small but fast-growing pharmaceutical distributor serving Latin America, approached the design of their employee benefits and incentives program. But there were gaps between what leadership believed motivated employees and what employees truly valued. With ambitions for regional and market expansion in the next few years, motivating and retaining employees was a top priority for the leadership team. So, the organization systematized the collection of data about drivers of employee motivation. Priorities varied by age group, organizational role, and geographic locations. A one-size-fits all solution was unlikely to succeed. In this episode, HBS Professor Susanna Gallani discusses the case “ Lanco Medical Group: Fostering Happiness for Growth ” with host Brian Kenny . They highlight the tensions between accommodating employees’ preferences, maintaining fairness, and operating a manageable incentive program amid the pursuit of aggressive international growth targets.…
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Cold Call
Porsche has reigned as one of the world’s leading sports and luxury car companies for nearly 80 years. Central to the German automaker’s growth strategy is creating stellar customer experiences and great products, such as the legendary 911 Carrera sports car. But the automotive industry is undergoing disruptive changes and bringing new competitive challenges from around the world. Company leadership is adapting Porsche’s product portfolio, recently adding the electric model Taycan. They’re also innovating new customer experiences like the “Track Your Dream” program. In this episode, Harvard Business School Professor Stefan Thomke explores how the storied company will continue to change in a bid to stay relevant—yet also remain true to its legacy—in the case “ Porsche .”…
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Cold Call
1 Should Google Stay in the Cloud Gaming Business? 34:39
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Play Later Play Later Lists Like LikedGoogle formally announced the innovative video game service Stadia at the 2019 Game Developer Conference. The company invested substantial resources and time into building a network able to support the demanding requirements of cloud gaming. But the early uptake by premium video gamers was disappointing. The leadership team faced a decision. Should they double down on the streaming strategy, refocusing Stadia on the casual gamer segment? Or should they pull the plug altogether? In this episode, Harvard Business School Senior Lecturer Derek van Bever and coauthor Akshat Agrawal explore Google’s strategic choice, which is featured in their case “ Google Stadia: Game On or Game Over? ”…
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Cold Call
Cold Call is celebrating its tenth year of distilling Harvard Business School case studies into podcast episodes. To kick off the 2025 anniversary, the show’s production team has curated three of their favorite episodes from 2024. Host Brian Kenny recommends How One Leader Overcame Career-Ending Adversity with HBS Senior Lecturer Tony Mayo . Show producer Robin Passias offers How to Bring Good Ideas to Life: The Paul English Story with HBS Professor Frances Frei and entrepreneur Paul English . And audio engineer Craig McDonald highlights Angel City Football Club: A New Business Model for Women’s Sports with HBS faculty member Jeffrey Rayport and football club cofounder Kara Nortman .…
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Cold Call
1 Managing the Future of Work: Microsoft’s AI Perspective 43:28
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Play Later Play Later Lists Like LikedArtificial intelligence is changing how we live and work in ways large and small. It’s why Cold Call has tackled the topic several times. And it’s why today we’re sharing an episode of Harvard Business School’s Managing the Future of Work podcast, hosted by Professors Bill Kerr and Joe Fuller. The show is all about the forces, like AI, that are reshaping the nature of work. In the episode “ Microsoft’s AI perspective: From chatbots to reengineering the organization ” from February 21, 2024, HBS Professor Bill Kerr talks to Jared Spataro, Corporate Vice President of Modern Work and Business Applications at Microsoft . They discuss how the tech giant is experimenting its way from AI assistants to autonomous agents as it engages with stakeholders. The conversation also touches on the company’s relationship with OpenAI and ensuring the technology is employed responsibly.…
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How can business help solve society’s biggest challenges? Welcome to Take on Tomorrow, the award-winning podcast from PwC that examines the biggest problems facing society and the role business can—and should—play in solving them. Hosts Femi Oke and Lizzie O’Leary talk to industry innovators, tech trailblazers and visionary leaders from around the globe about timely topics: from the climate transition to AI and data; and from the future of food to how we build, move and power the world.
…
continue reading
Welcome to the What’s Next! Podcast. I’ve met so many brilliant people as I traveled the globe and have had some fascinating conversations that I’ve wished had been recorded so I could share them with you - this podcast was a way for me to recreate those moments and let you in on some fantastic insights. My current conversations center around one objective: what's next for companies and individuals as they look to innovate and grow. I hope these conversations inspire you as much as they have ...
…
continue reading
…
continue reading
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…
continue reading
A top podcast for healthcare leaders, with over one million downloads, Radio Advisory is your weekly download on how to untangle the industry's most pressing challenges to help leaders like you make the best business decisions for your organization. From unpacking major trends in care delivery—like site-of-care shifts and the rise of high-cost drugs—to demystifying stakeholder dynamics, to shining a spotlight on priorities that may get overlooked, we're here to help. Our hosts and seasoned r ...
…
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…
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…
continue reading
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continue reading
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