Publications

28 Jan 2002
Research & Ideas

Read All About It! Newspapers Lose Web War

did not go unnoticed in the industry. This point was critical to the study. In most of the previous research done on disruptive technology, the established firms simply had no idea what was happening until it was too late. The question... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Entertainment & Recreation; Information; Publishing

April 2009
Case

Brummer and the bracNet Investment

By: Alnoor Ebrahim, Michael Pirson and Patricia Mangas

bracNet, a for-profit/nonprofit partnership, aims to establish Internet connectivity throughout Bangladesh. Venture capitalist Patrik Brummer invested in a first round of funding to connect major cities. Should he invest again, this time in a rural roll-out, which may... View Details

Keywords: For-Profit Firms; Venture Capital; Investment; Investment Return; Rural Scope; Partners and Partnerships; Nonprofit Organizations; Internet; Telecommunications Industry; Bangladesh

24 Sep 2001
Research & Ideas

Why the Internet Doesn’t Change Everything

definition, cannot: across national borders. Theoretically, this shift in geography should be a tremendous boon to firms, just as it is a rather terrifying prospect for states. Freed from governmental control, View Details

Keywords: by Debora L. Spar

31 Jul 2018
First Look

New Research and Ideas, July 31, 2018

providing recommendations for advisors and identifying areas ripe for future research to illuminate the advisor side of the advice-exchange process. Publisher's link: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=54760 forthcoming Journal of Economic View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

October 2010 (Revised July 2013)
Case

ActionAid International: Globalizing Governance, Localizing Accountability

By: Alnoor Ebrahim and Rachel Gordon

As a global NGO working in 45 countries, ActionAid International aims to eradicate poverty by addressing its underlying causes such as injustice and inequality. This case follows a series of radical transformations implemented by the organization's CEO, Ramesh Singh—a... View Details

Keywords: Local Range; Globalized Firms and Management; Corporate Accountability; Corporate Governance; Leading Change; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Structure; Nonprofit Organizations; Power and Influence; Johannesburg; London

April 1997
Case

ABB Germany

By: Hugo Uyterhoeven

Describes Europe's most famous postwar multinational merger between Asea of Sweden and Brown Boveri of Switzerland. Gives background on both companies and focuses particularly on BBC's geographic organization, its corporate culture, and the relationship between its... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Multinational Firms and Management; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Goals and Objectives; Organizational Culture; Performance Improvement; Geographic Location; Rank and Position; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Sweden; Switzerland; Germany

Find at Harvard

05 Sep 2007
First Look

First Look: September 5, 2007

Periodical:Review of Financial Studies (forthcoming) Abstract We investigate whether the geographic dispersion of a firm affects corporate decision-making. Our findings suggest that social factors work alongside informational... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

August 2007 (Revised October 2022)
Case

Ken Durham and Unilever as a 'Multi-Local Multinational'

By: Geoffrey Jones and Stephanie Decker

Explores the opportunities and threats to Unilever's global business in 1978 based on the commercial and political challenges faced by three of its subsidiaries, Lever Brothers in the United States, Hindustan Lever in India, and United Africa Company in West Africa.... View Details

Keywords: Business Divisions; Local Range; Global Strategy; Multinational Firms and Management; Management Style; Competitive Strategy; Africa; India; United States

05 Nov 2007
Research & Ideas

The Changing Face of American Innovation

new research based on patent and trademark data by Harvard Business School professor William Kerr drills down to further identify the probable ethnic composition of U.S. inventors, the industries they influence, and the geographies they... View Details

Keywords: by Sarah Jane Gilbert; Technology

12 Sep 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research and Ideas, September 12, 2017

in the ways they do business. Moreover, hub firms themselves must do a better job leading responsibly for the good of all, not just creating and capturing value but doing more to sustain other players in the ecosystem. Publisher's link:... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

25 Oct 2012
Research & Ideas

Developing the Global Leader

diversity of geographies and experiences is easier said than done, George concedes, although he does highlight a few standouts, including Coca-Cola (which has had five non-American CEOs), Nestlé, Unilever, Siemens, IBM, and Novartis,... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna

August 29, 2017
Article

How to Successfully Work Across Countries, Languages, and Cultures

By: Tsedal Neeley

According to a recent McKinsey Global Institute report, the number of people in the global labor force will reach 3.5 billion by 2030. Among the enormous changes this will demand are new skills, attitudes, and behaviors. A five-year study of the global workforce at... View Details

Keywords: Global Range; Globalized Firms and Management; Employees; Competency and Skills; Success

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June 1999 (Revised October 1999)
Case

Eli Lilly, 1998 (B): Emerging Global Organization

By: Michael Y. Yoshino and Thomas W. Malnight

Examines major issues faced by Eli Lilly as it evaluates the appropriateness of a focused matrix organization with extensive use of cross-functional teams. View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Geography; Globalized Firms and Management; Growth and Development; Knowledge; Management Teams; Product; Organizations; Pharmaceutical Industry

12 Oct 2011
First Look

First Look: October 12

and geographies are communicating to their stakeholders their initiatives and performance within the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) domains. Disclosure of non-financial reports has generated heated debates about whether such... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

February 2005
Case

Mahindra & Mahindra: Creating Scorpio

By: Tarun Khanna, Rajiv Lal and Merlina Manocaran

Details the emergence of a private sector automobile manufacturer in India that has created globally competitive and cheap versions of an SUV commonly available worldwide. Asks us to think about the parent corporation's next steps in leveraging this success. In... View Details

Keywords: Developing Countries and Economies; Global Range; Multinational Firms and Management; Emerging Markets; Commercialization; Expansion; Auto Industry; India

13 Nov 2012
First Look

First Look: November 13

ignores the implications of past successes when valuing future innovation. We show that two firms that invest the exact same in research and development (R&D) can have quite divergent, but predictably divergent, future paths. Our... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

02 Sep 2014
First Look

First Look: September 2

Abstract—General Motors was once regarded as one of the best managed and most successful firms in the world, but between 1980 and 2009 its share of the U.S. market fell from 62.6% to 19.8%, and in 2009 the View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

February 2006 (Revised December 2009)
Case

Pixamo-Inc., AG, or OOO?

Andrew Prihodko is forming a new venture, Pixamo, the next generation of online photo management and sharing sites. Pixamo's alpha site has generated over 1,000 users and a lot of information about registration and usage patterns. Prihodko must address a number of... View Details

Keywords: Geographic Location; Globalized Firms and Management; Internet and the Web; Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Web Services Industry; Delaware; Switzerland; Ukraine