Publications

2008
Working Paper

Communication (and Coordination?) in a Modern, Complex Organization

By: Adam M. Kleinbaum, Toby E. Stuart and Michael L. Tushman

This is a descriptive study of the structure of communications in a modern organization. We analyze a dataset with millions of electronic mail messages, calendar meetings and teleconferences for many thousands of employees of a single, multidivisional firm during a... View Details

Keywords: Business Conglomerates; Interpersonal Communication; Organizational Structure; Social Issues; Boundaries

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November 2003 (Revised June 2004)
Case

Samsung and Daewoo: Two Tales of One City

By fiscal year 2000, Samsung had pulled far ahead of other "chaebols," Korean conglomerates. For example, the market value of Samsung affiliates listed on the Korea Stock Exchange exceeded the sum of the market value of listed affiliates of second, third, and fourth... View Details

Keywords: Competition; Business Conglomerates; Corporate Strategy; Emerging Markets; Crisis Management; Electronics Industry; South Korea

27 Feb 2007
First Look

First Look: February 27, 2007

Russian conglomerate that has become the third largest shareholder in SUN Interbrew, has announced its intention to take part in the company's management and attain a leading position in the Russian beer market. Is there a role for the... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

17 Aug 2015
Research & Ideas

Who is Boss in the Sharing Economy?

When is a company not a company? A modern-day Zen koan, maybe, but the evidence is all around us—Airbnb, Elance-oDesk, Handy, HourlyNerd, TaskRabbit, Uber. These businesses seem much more like conglomerations of independent professionals... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Service; Technology

23 Jun 2003
Research & Ideas

Psychology, Pathology, and the CEO

respect as the TV unit. The sports division had to fight for airtime. Employees regularly went to the press to air grievances, reinforcing the BBC's culture of blame. Invensys: A global conglomerate that was created largely through... View Details

Keywords: by Rosabeth Moss Kanter

June 1991 (Revised December 1997)
Case

Takeover of the Norton Co., The

By: Thomas R. Piper

After a decade of mediocre performance, the Norton Co. enters 1990 with the prospect of increased sales in the next few years. Yet Norton is pursuing slow growth industries, and a lower than expected earnings announcement at the beginning of 1990 has depressed earnings... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Conglomerates; Goals and Objectives; Forecasting and Prediction; Performance Evaluation; Revenue; Bids and Bidding; Business Processes; Ownership Stake

June 2016 (Revised December 2017)
Case

The Cheese and the Oligarchs: The Politics, the Media, and Israel's Dream of a Start-Up Nation

By: Rafael Di Tella and Christine Snively

Israel enjoyed the highest concentration of technology start-ups in the world per capita. Despite regional instability, the country maintained strong economic growth and was considered a high-tech powerhouse. But not all Israelis benefited. Between the 1980s and 2010s,... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Information Technology; Business Conglomerates; Business Startups; Israel

June 1991 (Revised April 1993)
Case

General Electric: Jack Welch's Second Wave (A)

By: Christopher A. Bartlett

By the mid 1980's Jack Welch had completely transformed General Electric with more than 300 divestitures and acquisitions since the beginning of the decade. Welch insisted that his business units be number one or number two in their markets, and have the strength of... View Details

Keywords: Business Conglomerates; Transformation; Employee Relationship Management; Planning; Corporate Strategy

03 Mar 2003
Research & Ideas

The Ingredients of a Deal Disaster

inadvertently omitted from social contract negotiations. For example, in 1988, Komatsu, Japan's leader in earth-moving construction equipment, and U.S. conglomerate Dresser Industries combined their North American engineering,... View Details

Keywords: by Ron S. Fortgang, David A. Lax & James K. Sebenius

22 May 2007
First Look

First Look: May 22, 2007

reluctant to sell the company because his original vision was to create a family-owned conglomerate that would last for generations. Of his eight children, two are appropriate successors, but neither shows much interest in following in... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

11 Dec 2018
First Look

New Research and Ideas, December 11, 2018

In 2016, Bruce Wayne, Managing Director of Energy Finance Corporation (EFC), was refining the Investment/Credit Committee materials for the development of up to 10 power generating plants in Argentina. As a subsidiary of the much larger International View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

05 Feb 2008
First Look

First Look: February 5, 2008

Financial Studies (forthcoming) Abstract I evaluate the effect of loyalty on individuals' portfolio choice using a unique dataset of retirement contributions. I exploit the statutory difference that in 401(k) plans stand alone employees can invest directly in their... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

February 2019 (Revised October 2022)
Case

Scandal at Steinhoff

By: Kristin Mugford and Phil Caruso

Keywords: Volatility; Borrowing and Debt; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Financial Liquidity; Bonds; Corporate Accountability; Failure; International Finance; Restructuring; Business Conglomerates; Crime and Corruption; Retail Industry; South Africa; Austria; Netherlands

27 Jan 2015
First Look

First Look: January 27

Hanguk is a large Korean conglomerate multinational that has been keen to attract foreigners. Dylan was hired by Peter to work in Hanguk's U.S. operations. After 18 months, Dylan was promoted to company HQ in Seoul to work with Peter's... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

18 Sep 2018
First Look

New Research and Ideas, September 18, 2018

419-016). Purchase this case:https://hbsp.harvard.edu/product/419019-PDF-ENG Harvard Business School Case 418-010 SOS Group: Scaling a Social Enterprise Conglomerate By 2016, SOS Group, the largest social enterprise group in France, was... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

21 Feb 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research: February 21

Harvard Business School Case 717-403 Videojet In 2005 Craig Purse, the CEO of Videojet, a company recently acquired by the conglomerate Danaher, is dealing with the unexpected failure of a new high-tech printer just launched in the... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

July 2003 (Revised August 2006)
Case

House of Tata-2000: The Next Generation (B)

By: Tarun Khanna, Krishna G. Palepu, Catherine M. Conneely and Kirsten O'Neil Massaro

Supplements the (A) case. View Details

Keywords: Alliances; Business Conglomerates; Emerging Markets; Cost; Management Teams; India