Operations Strategy - Publications - Faculty & Research

December 1993 (Revised November 2009)
Case

Manville Corporation Fiber Glass Group (A)

Manville Corp.'s senior managers must decide how to respond to a new scientific study suggesting that fiberglass, the source of 75% of the company's profits, may be another asbestos and must act under conditions of great uncertainty. In particular, when should a... View Details

Keywords: Communication Strategy; Decision Choices and Conditions; Ethics; Health Disorders; Risk Management; Marketing Communications; Product; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Safety; Consumer Products Industry; Industrial Products Industry

Citation

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14 Nov 2017
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New Research and Ideas: November 14, 2017

https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=53493 November–December 2017 Harvard Business Review Why Every Organization Needs an Augmented Reality Strategy By: Porter, Michael E., and James E. Heppelmann Abstract—While the physical... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

26 Feb 2007
Research & Ideas

The Power of the Noncompete Clause

associate professor of technology and operations management, their paper—available for download—is titled "Noncompetes and Inventor Mobility: Specialists, Stars, and the Michigan Experiment." What they found: While noncompetes... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

12 May 2009
First Look

First Look: May 12, 2009

international awards. How could the company capitalize on this success? Should Grace expand its operations to multiple Chinese provinces? Should Grace continue as a premium boutique winery serving a growing but ultimately limited niche... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

01 Dec 2015
First Look

December 1, 2015

Statistics Survive Another Day: Using Changes in the Composition of Investments to Measure the Cost of Credit Constraints By: Garicano, Luis, and Claudia Steinwender Abstract—We introduce a novel empirical strategy to measure the size of... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

Article

The Information Technology Ecosystem: Structure, Health, and Performance

By: Marco Iansiti and Gregory L. Richards

A number of modern industries are organized as complex networks of firms whose integrated efforts are necessary to deliver value to end customers. The complexity of these networks, or business ecosystems, and the associated interdependencies among firms, make... View Details

Keywords: Business Ventures; Networks; Value; Customers; Performance Productivity; Product; Applications and Software; Innovation and Invention; Competition; Business Model; Information Infrastructure; Information Technology Industry

Citation

Find at Harvard

25 Sep 2006
Research & Ideas

How Software Platforms Revolutionize Business

You can't see them, but we've all used "software platforms" over the last few decades, whether they are embedded in the Windows operating system, a cell phone, or game machine. In a new book, the authors term software platforms... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Video Game; Web Services

November 2023
Supplement

'Care in Every Drop': Ayala Corporation and Manila Water (B)

By: Debora L. Spar, Paul Healy, Tricia Peralta and Julia Comeau

Since 1834, eight generations of the Ayala family have used their conglomerate to fund nation-building projects in the Philippines, including investments in tramcars, telecommunications, hospitals, and schools. In 1997, Ayala’s subsidiary, Manila Water, took control of... View Details

Keywords: Family Business; Economic Growth; Social Entrepreneurship; Climate Change; Natural Resources; Crisis Management; Failure; Privatization; Social Issues; Urban Development; Adaptation; Infrastructure; Utilities Industry; Philippines

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20 May 2014
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First Look: May 20

future research. Specifically, I call for research on the materiality of environmental and social issues for the future financial performance of corporations, the design of incentive and control systems to guide strategy execution,... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

15 Nov 2017
Research & Ideas

How Does a Social Startup Decide to Commercialize? It May Depend on the Founder's Gender

Science. The paper was authored by Stefan Dimitriadis, a doctoral student in the Organizational Behavior Unit at Harvard Business School; Matthew Lee, an assistant professor of strategy at INSEAD; Lakshmi Ramarajan, the Anna Spangler... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

27 Jan 2016
Research & Ideas

A Politician's Investment Portfolio Might Tip Off Corruption Potential

School’s Dylan Minor, visiting assistant professor in the Strategy unit. But before you rise up tall in the saddle against politicians, consider another of Minor’s findings: The connection between risk taking and corruption is likely to... View Details

Keywords: by Roberta Holland

16 Feb 2004
Research & Ideas

HBS Center Focuses on Europe

Vincent Dessain and Anders Sjöman: In the first eighteen months of operation (July 2002 through December 2003), thirty-eight faculty members were supported in either course development projects or research activities. So far, ten case... View Details

Keywords: by Cynthia Churchwell

05 Jun 2018
First Look

New Research and Ideas, June 5, 2018

collusion. In particular, price collusion can be sustained by a strategy in which firms refuse to join the syndicate of any firm that deviates from the collusive price, thereby raising total production costs. Our results can thus... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

November 2008 (Revised January 2010)
Case

Stone Finch, Inc.: Young Division, Old Division

By: Richard G. Hamermesh and Elizabeth Collins

CEO Jim Billings wants to attract energetic, entrepreneurial talent to Stone Finch, Inc., which comprises an older division that fabricates products like piping and tanks for water and wastewater processing plants, and a much newer division that develops biochemical... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Behavior; Human Resource Management; Motivation; Business Growth; Motivation and Incentives; Leadership; Business Subsidiaries; Innovation Strategy; Resource Allocation; Organizational Structure; Organizational Culture; Retention; Operations; Recruitment; Integration; Business Growth and Maturation; Mergers and Acquisitions; Growth and Development Strategy; Manufacturing Industry

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28 Aug 2018
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New Research and Ideas, August 28, 2018

the City as having “poor” operating conditions with “high-risk” hygiene violations (using the same low score threshold as above)—and find a further 7% decrease in purchase intentions. Moreover, the presence of an alert reduces the... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

07 Jul 2009
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First Look: July 7

Entrepreneurship: Insights for an Approach to Strategic Management That Combines Agency and Institution Authors:Julie Battilana and B. Leca Publication:In Handbook of Research on Strategy and Foresight, edited by L.A. Costanzo and R.B.... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

08 Sep 2010
First Look

First Look: September 8, 2010

markets, where they were losing market share to the likes of Apple and Samsung, or defend its market leadership in the low-margin, high-volume emerging markets. This case poses the following questions: Should Nokia stay the course, View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

15 Sep 2008
Research & Ideas

The Coming Transformation of Social Enterprise

themselves more and worry about mission impact. I believe nonprofit leaders get too bogged down in operational issues, be it fundraising, or managing the board, or program execution. They need to be more strategic. Q: What role can HBS... View Details

Keywords: by Roger Thompson

12 Aug 2002
Op-Ed

Using Big Business to Fight Poverty

and have become active politically. Health facilities have also improved. Although this operation will eventually turn a profit for DaimlerChrysler, it could not have happened without the help of the German and Brazilian governments. This... View Details

Keywords: by George C. Lodge

December 1999 (Revised September 2004)
Case

Hermes Systems

By: Michael L. Tushman and Daniel Radov

Covers the history of Hermes, a large telecommunications and network equipment company, as it grows from a single business firm to a diversified firm from 1980-95. Examines the use of entrepreneurial subsidiaries for product development and fast growth. Other issues... View Details