Publications

November 2000 (Revised November 2002)
Case

Activity-Based Management at W.S. Industries (A)

By: V.G. Narayanan and Sanjay Pothen

W.S. Industries undertakes the design and implementation of an activity based costing (ABC) system, and the ABC information empowers workers to make process improvement decisions. Workers' incentive pay is tied to cost savings from process improvements. View Details

Keywords: Activity Based Costing and Management; Motivation and Incentives; Performance Evaluation; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Knowledge Management; Energy Industry; India

October 2023
Supplement

Making Progress at Progress Software (B)

By: Katherine Coffman, Hannah Riley Bowles and Alexis Lefort

In this case, the Human Capital team at Progress Software has identified that some employees have a hard time understanding how to advance within Progress. This realization leads the team to develop several major people-process innovations: the introduction of... View Details

Keywords: Leading Change; Negotiation; Organizational Culture; Performance Evaluation; Prejudice and Bias; Talent and Talent Management; Employees; Technology Industry; United States; Bulgaria

March 2007
Teaching Note

Understanding Customer Profitability at Charles Schwab (TN)

By: Francisco de Asis Martinez-Jerez

Teaching note to 106002. View Details

Keywords: Customers; Profit; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Decision Making; Cost; System; Transformation; Budgets and Budgeting; Performance Evaluation; Financial Services Industry; Web Services Industry

April 1984 (Revised November 1988)
Background Note

Statistical Quality Control for Process Improvement

Describes systematic methods for process debugging and improvement, based on statistical quality control. Examples are from manufacturing settings, but techniques are also useful for services and sales, and to quantity improvement as well as quality improvement. View Details

Keywords: Quality; Performance Improvement; Business Processes

September 2000
Background Note

Professional Services Module Three: Internal Strategy of Organizational Design

By: Thomas J. DeLong, Ashish Nanda and Scot H. Landry

The way in which PSFs organize themselves to leverage strategic capabilities is imperative in achieving high performance. View Details

Keywords: Organizational Design; Strategy; Performance Capacity; Competency and Skills; Business Startups

Find at Harvard

12 Mar 2012
Research & Ideas

Crowded at the Top: The Rise of the Functional Manager

before—coordinating all the top minds in the top office. "CEOs are spending more and more time with their direct reports, in larger and longer meetings," says Julie M. Wulf, an associate professor of strategy at Harvard Business... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

October 1988 (Revised March 1989)
Case

Florida Power Light Quality Improvement (QI) Story Exercise (A)

Florida Power and Light (FPL) has developed a widely acclaimed quality improvement program (QIP). This exercise leads the students through the process that a division of FPL utilized in an attempt to "improve service." Specifically, the process requires students to... View Details

Keywords: Quality; Service Delivery; Performance Improvement; Business Processes; Utilities Industry; Florida

01 Dec 2019
News

Research Brief: Subject Expert Matters

Karim Lakhani (photo by Dana Maxson) Karim Lakhani (photo by Dana Maxson) Every year billions of dollars are granted to scientists based on the evaluation of peer-reviewed proposals. The final decisions about whose project gets funded,... View Details

Keywords: Jennifer Myers

20 Sep 2011
First Look

First Look: September 20

D. Margolis Publication:Harvard Business Review 89, no. 9 An abstract is unavailable at this time. Read the article: http://hbr.org/2011/09/a-global-leaders-guide-to-managing-business-conduct/ar/1 Working PapersDynamically Integrating... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

2019
Working Paper

Improving Working Conditions in Global Supply Chains: The Role of Institutional Environments and Monitoring Program Design

By: Jodi L. Short, Michael W. Toffel and Andrea R. Hugill

Activism seeking to improve labor conditions in global supply chains has led transnational corporations to adopt codes of conduct and monitor suppliers for compliance, but it is unclear whether these formal organizational structures raise labor standards. Drawing on... View Details

SSRN

Read Now

01 Jun 2005
News

When No News Isn’t Good News

If you’ve been waiting for your annual performance review to receive feedback from your boss, you may be doing yourself — and your company — a big disservice. Christine McKay (MBA ’98), a career coach who works with students through MBA... View Details

Keywords: Deborah Blagg; career consulting; career advice

Web

Hiring Process | Employment

assessment in order to evaluate a specific skill set that is necessary to perform a component of the job. If a skills assessment is required you will be made aware during the phone screen or first interview.... View Details

28 Apr 2021
Blog Post

Alumni Spotlight: Cissy Chen (MBA 2019)

Integration on Stock Valuations. One example of this was when I was asked to evaluate a large OEM company based in Asia. I evaluated the company’s ESG performance by applying... View Details

01 Dec 2022
News

In My Humble Opinion: Natural Fit

Patty in the foothills of Park City, Utah, home base for US Ski & Snowboard At the age of 18, Anouk Patty (MBA 1997) was in an enviable position, or so it seemed. In addition to gaining acceptance at Dartmouth College, Patty’s speed and grit had earned her a place on... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna; skiing; leadership; organizational culture; leadership; Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries; Arts, Entertainment

01 Jun 1999
News

Short Takes

from company performance as critics imply? Not at all, according to HBS professor Jay W. Lorsch, whose 1998 working paper, "Compensating Corporate CEOs: A Process View," examines the procedures and forces that drive CEO pay packages.... View Details

Keywords: Judith A. Ross

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