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Case Study
FIBA eSports: The value capture challenge

The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) had long recognized that the game of basketball was evolving beyond physical participation. That shift became impossible to ignore in 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic shut down live events and left fans stuck at home. With no traditional products to deliver, FIBA saw esports as a timely strategic ex…

Value Creation Digital Strategy
1st place in the 2026 John Molson MBA Case Writing Competition
By Amit M. Joshi, Ivy Buche and Aundria Elahe Mirabrishami
Case reference: IMD-2705, © 2025
FIBA eSports: The value capture challenge
By Amit M. Joshi Ivy Buche and Aundria Elahe Mirabrishami
Case reference: IMD-2705 ©2025
Summary
The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) had long recognized that the game of basketball was evolving beyond physical participation. That shift became impossible to ignore in 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic shut down live events and left fans stuck at home. With no traditional products to deliver, FIBA saw esports as a timely strategic extension to complement traditional basketball with a digital-first discipline that could engage younger audiences. Governed under FIBA’s statutes and structured as a national team competition, eFIBA was created to establish a new basketball discipline – enhancing the sport and advancing FIBA’s vision to unite the global basketball community. Between mid-2020 and the end of 2021, the eFIBA team launched three fully virtual tournaments – FIBA Esports Open I, II and III – with the objective to “learn by doing.” This set the foundation to deliver more ambitious eFIBA Seasons 1, 2 and 3. A key evolution in the tournament format from Season 2 onwards was that the World Finals were held in person in a host country. This created an X factor for the tournament. Each successive season witnessed increasing engagement from National Federations, dedicated eBasketball players, enthusiastic fans, sponsors, content creators and influencers. However, a key partner pulled out after Season 2 in early 2024 and eFIBA had to deliver Season 3 and future seasons with diminished resources. This marked a turning point for eFIBA. In 2025, as the eFIBA team set out to develop a five-year strategy to 2029, several questions came to the fore: What value had eFIBA created for different stakeholders to allow it to stand on its own as a brand? What different B2B and/or B2C business models could eFIBA explore to capture higher value? How should eFIBA go about developing a three-year roadmap to enhance value creation for different stakeholders and sustain value capture going forward?
1st place in the 2026 John Molson MBA Case Writing Competition
Reference IMD-2705
Copyright ©2025
Copyright owner IMD Copyright
Organization International Basketball Federation
Industry Travel and Leisure, Sports
Available Languages English
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Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Article
How to market sustainable products: Three paths to success

Many companies overestimate customers’ appetite for sustainable products, flooding the market with offerings that don’t sell. The reality is, social and environmental benefits have less impact on purchasing decisions than basic product attributes do. Consumers buy products to get specific jobs done, and only after they find something that will d…

Sustainability Global Business Marketing Customer Centricity
Selected for HBR’s 10 Must Reads 2025: The Definitive Management Ideas of the Year from Harvard Business Review
By Goutam Challagalla and Frédéric Dalsace
in Harvard Business Review
March-April 2024, vol. 102, issue 2, pp. 80-87
How to market sustainable products: Three paths to success
By Goutam Challagalla and Frédéric Dalsace
in Harvard Business Review March-April 2024, vol. 102, issue 2, pp. 80-87
Summary
Many companies overestimate customers’ appetite for sustainable products, flooding the market with offerings that don’t sell. The reality is, social and environmental benefits have less impact on purchasing decisions than basic product attributes do. Consumers buy products to get specific jobs done, and only after they find something that will d…
Selected for HBR’s 10 Must Reads 2025: The Definitive Management Ideas of the Year from Harvard Business Review
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Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Article
Data collectives are the next frontier of labor relations

The AI boom — and the growth of gen AI in particular — has introduced new points of conflict between employees and companies. Some of these have already started to play out, such as in the Writers Guild of America strike over how AI can and can’t be used in the entertainment industry. But others are still on the horizon. As AI becomes more integ…

Artificial Intelligence Data Analytics Technology Management Team Dynamics
Selected for HBR’s The year in tech, 2026: The insights you need from Harvard Business Review
By Amit M. Joshi and José Parra Moyano
in HBR.org
27 September 2024
Data collectives are the next frontier of labor relations
By Amit M. Joshi and José Parra Moyano
in HBR.org 27 September 2024
Summary
The AI boom — and the growth of gen AI in particular — has introduced new points of conflict between employees and companies. Some of these have already started to play out, such as in the Writers Guild of America strike over how AI can and can’t be used in the entertainment industry. But others are still on the horizon. As AI becomes more integ…
Selected for HBR’s The year in tech, 2026: The insights you need from Harvard Business Review
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Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Article
What everyone gets wrong about change management

Corporate transformations still have a miserable success rate: About three-quarters of change efforts either fail to deliver the anticipated benefits or are abandoned entirely. And because flawed implementation is most often blamed for such failures, organizations have focused on improving execution. But poor execution is only part of the proble…

Strategy Change Management
Selected for HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Change Management, updated and expanded collection 2025
By Jean-Louis Barsoux and Anand Narasimhan
in Harvard Business Review
November-December 2017, vol. 95, issue 6, pp. 78-85
What everyone gets wrong about change management
By Jean-Louis Barsoux and Anand Narasimhan
in Harvard Business Review November-December 2017, vol. 95, issue 6, pp. 78-85
Summary
Corporate transformations still have a miserable success rate: About three-quarters of change efforts either fail to deliver the anticipated benefits or are abandoned entirely. And because flawed implementation is most often blamed for such failures, organizations have focused on improving execution. But poor execution is only part of the proble…
Selected for HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Change Management, updated and expanded collection 2025
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Article
How managers become leaders

Harald (not his real name) is a highpotential leader with 15 years of experience at a leading European chemical company. He started as an assistant product manager in the plastics unit and was quickly transferred to Hong Kong to help set up the unit’s new Asian business center. As sales there soared, he soon won a promotion to sales manager. Thr…

Leadership Talent Management Change Management Team Dynamics
Selected for HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Leadership, updated and expanded collection 2025
By Michael D. Watkins
in Harvard Business Review
June 2012, vol. 90, no. 6, pp. 64-72
How managers become leaders
By Michael D. Watkins
in Harvard Business Review June 2012, vol. 90, no. 6, pp. 64-72
Summary
Harald (not his real name) is a highpotential leader with 15 years of experience at a leading European chemical company. He started as an assistant product manager in the plastics unit and was quickly transferred to Hong Kong to help set up the unit’s new Asian business center. As sales there soared, he soon won a promotion to sales manager. Thr…
Selected for HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Leadership, updated and expanded collection 2025
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Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Article
The set-up-to-fail syndrome: How bosses create their own poor performers

France’s recent successes make it more important than ever to understand what makes its managers tick. This year, France surpassed Japan and the U.K. in acquisitions of U.S. companies. And many French companies are world leaders, including Michelin and L’Oreal. According to the authors, who have studied the French model of management development…

Organizational Behavior Leadership
Selected for HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Managing People, updated and expanded collection 2025
By Jean-François Manzoni and Jean-Louis Barsoux
in Harvard Business Review
vol. 76, no. 2, pp. 101-113
The set-up-to-fail syndrome: How bosses create their own poor performers
By Jean-François Manzoni and Jean-Louis Barsoux
in Harvard Business Review vol. 76, no. 2, pp. 101-113
Summary
France’s recent successes make it more important than ever to understand what makes its managers tick. This year, France surpassed Japan and the U.K. in acquisitions of U.S. companies. And many French companies are world leaders, including Michelin and L’Oreal. According to the authors, who have studied the French model of management development…
Selected for HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Managing People, updated and expanded collection 2025
Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications