Fitbit
2017
This case describes how Fitbit, a company launched in 2008 that makes wearable fitness-tracking devices, strategized in 2016 about whether to focus solely on its consumer wellness products, or expand into the production of medical devices for chronic disease monitoring and management. The case includes a history of the company’s inspiration global growth until 2016, challenges, and the potential for creating new devices that would benefit clinical medicine. The case would be useful for student discussion on business entrepreneurship, biomedical engineering and design, and sports medicine in the United States.
This case study is offered for a small fee by Harvard Business School Publishing, which serves as a bridge between academia and enterprises around the world through its myriad publications—including cases, articles, simulations, books and chapters, online courses, and “core curriculum” modules on foundational topics—and content-delivery platforms. Any registered user can create personalized libraries with shareable folders of resources, and individuals with “Premium Educator access” may access publications for free as well as unlock supplemental materials, including teaching notes.
Source:
Herzlinger RE et al. Fitbit. Harvard Business School Publishing 2017. https://hbsp.harvard.edu/product/W16264-PDF-ENG.