Publications

May 2006 (Revised November 2006)
Case

China: To Float or Not To Float? (F)- Alcatel and Strong Chinese Competition

By: Laura Alfaro, Rafael M. Di Tella and Ingrid Vogel

The Chinese operations of Alcatel, a global communications solution provider based in France, were faced with strong local competition and a difficult market. It remained unclear how Alcatel would be able to recover growth in the Chinese market. Initiatives were... View Details

Keywords: Currency Exchange Rate; International Relations; Growth and Development Strategy; Research and Development; Competitive Strategy; Horizontal Integration; Communications Industry; China; France; United States

26 Oct 2021
Research & Ideas

What Companies Want Most in a CEO: A Good Listener

skills in executive searches reflects specific firm needs, in particular the need to coordinate more—and more complex—activities within firms,” the paper says. Managers at all levels need social skills Sadun and Fuller, along with... View Details

Keywords: by Jay Fitzgerald

October 1988
Case

Digital Communications, Inc.: Encoder Device Division

Explores the issues surrounding the determination of the product cost of a subassembly in a firm that has never had to determine subassembly costs. Asks students to change the cost system by adding allocation bases and developing a step-down allocation process. View Details

Keywords: Cost Accounting; Resource Allocation; Manufacturing Industry; Telecommunications Industry; Electronics Industry

Web

Video Clips - Creating Emerging Markets

partnerships with internationally renowned brands such as Ralph Lauren have scaled their social and economic impact. Duration: 04:02 Dr. Laura Catena Dr. Laura Catena Building Brands Dr. Laura Catena, Managing Director of Bodega Catena... View Details

March 1992 (Revised June 1992)
Case

AT&T Productos de Consumo de Mexico

By: Joseph L. Badaracco Jr.

Describes in detail the decisions AT&T made in designing and staffing their Mexican telephone answering machine plant. Allows students to evaluate a company's detailed implementation decisions on a plant in a developed country--involving wages, benefits, waste... View Details

Keywords: Decision Making; Executive Compensation; Selection and Staffing; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Management Systems; Mexico

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10 Oct 2007
First Look

First Look: First Look: October 10

in-depth examination of new product development and launch strategies in the context of the music industry. Provides rich insights into how grassroots and mass-marketing approaches can facilitate new product/artist development. Octone's... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

11 Jan 2011
First Look

First Look: Jan. 11

well as the competitive advantages available from addressing them. But our understanding of shared value is still in its genesis. Attaining it will require managers to develop new skills and knowledge and... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

Web

California - Global

study writing on West Coast companies, with an emphasis on California, specifically the San Francisco Bay Area. Since its opening, the CRC has helped develop more than 250 cases, which are used in all academic units within the School's... View Details

November 2023 (Revised March 2024)
Case

Infarm: Betting the (Indoor) Farm on Food Security

By: Elie Ofek

In the summer of 2023, the co-founders of Infarm, a controlled environment agriculture (CEA) company, were contemplating a major pivot going forward. While Infarm had successfully shown it could grow over 75 products—mainly herbs, leafy greens and mushrooms—in modular... View Details

Keywords: Plant-Based Agribusiness; Business Model; Market Entry and Exit; Science-Based Business; Business Strategy; Transition; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Europe; North America; Toronto; Northeastern United States

Article

Is This the Right C-Suite Role?

By: Anne Donnellon, Joshua D. Margolis and Amy Gallo

A Harvard Business School Case Study is presented which asks "Is This the Right C-Suite Role?" Experts Rakefet Russak Aminoach, managing partner at venture capital firm TeamB, and Nadia Rawlinson, chief people officer at Slack and a board director at Vail Resorts and... View Details

Keywords: Executives; Women Executives; Office Politics; Management Teams; Personal Development and Career

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February 2009 (Revised August 2010)
Case

Dubai: Global Economy

By: Richard H. K. Vietor and Nicole Michele Forrest

This case, along with Saudi Arabia: “Modern Reform, Enduring Stability” (709-042), provides an opportunity to discuss Saudi Arabia's efforts to modernize, without really Westernizing, in sharp contrast to Dubai, a nearby Arab Emirate. As Saudi Arabia's development... View Details

Keywords: Development Economics; Non-Renewable Energy; Globalized Markets and Industries; Government and Politics; Growth and Development Strategy; Saudi Arabia; Dubai; Middle East

September 2013 (Revised November 2023)
Case

Antoine Leboyer and GSX

By: Richard S. Ruback and Royce Yudkoff

Antoine Leboyer (HBS '92) acquired the Swiss-based software company GSX in February 2008. He managed through the recession of 2008–2009, dealt with a tumultuous separation from the founder/owner, rebuilt the management team, and upgraded the company's software... View Details

Keywords: Acquisition; Small Business; Finance; Private Equity; Growth and Development Strategy; France; Switzerland

22 Apr 2019
Research & Ideas

Why Salespeople Struggle at Leading

shouldn’t make salespeople sales managers, but I don’t think that’s good advice,” Cespedes says. “Sales managers determine how much money salespeople make and how well they eat. It’s difficult, if not impossible, to View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

17 Feb 2021
Research & Ideas

Pandemic Self-Care for CEOs: Rituals, Running, and Cognitive Restructuring

stress” and “kept me mentally healthy and strong.” Some also noted that they were managing their social lives more proactively, making more concerted efforts to reach out to loved ones. “I called elderly family members regularly and... View Details

Keywords: by Gamze D. Yucaoglu, Robin Abrahams, and Boris Groysberg

26 Jun 2007
First Look

First Look: June 26, 2007

lead their facilities to prioritize different external pressures and thus adopt different management practices. Specifically, we argue that external constituents who interact with particularly influential corporate departments are more... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

10 Jan 2018
Blog Post

8 Tips to Help You Prepare for the Case Method

Ninad Kulkarni just wrapped up the fall semester at HBS and wanted to share what he learned about the case method after his first few months in the classroom. About NinadI grew up in a suburb outside of Mumbai. After earning my engineering degree in India, I spent... View Details

March 2023
Case

MrBeast: Building a YouTube Empire

By: Anita Elberse and Oliver Band

Wednesday November 16, 2022 was a historic day in the ascent of Jimmy Donaldson, better known as MrBeast, to the top echelon of YouTube creators. That day he became the YouTuber with the most subscribers ever—a total of 112 million. The meteoric rise of the 24-year-old... View Details

Keywords: Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Power and Influence; Internet and the Web; Entrepreneurship; Growth and Development Strategy; Motion Pictures and Video Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry