Publications

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2010
Working Paper

Does Product Market Competition Lead Firms To Decentralize?

By: Nicholas Bloom, Raffaella Sadun and John Van Reenen

There is a widespread sense that over the last two decades firms have been decentralizing decisions to employees further down the managerial hierarchy. Economists have developed a range of theories to account for delegation, but there is less empirical evidence,... View Details

Keywords: Decision Making; Employees; Managerial Roles; Organizational Structure; Competitive Strategy; Asia; Europe; North America

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23 Mar 2020
Research & Ideas

Product Disasters Can Be Fertile Ground for Innovation

the Strategy Unit of Harvard Business School. The case caught the attention of Luo and Alberto Galasso, a professor at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, who have together looked at the impact of changes in liability... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Health; Medical Devices & Supplies

28 Jun 2016
First Look

June 28, 2016

forthcoming Management Science The First Deal: The Division of Founder Equity in New Ventures By: Hellmann, Thomas F., and Noam Wasserman Abstract—We examine the trade-off between efficiency and equality within the context of... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

November 1996
Case

Del Webb Corporation (C), The

By: Jay W. Lorsch and Samanta Graff

Dion and the other Del Webb directors were open to having Industrial Equity Pacific (IEP) and Webcott Holdings representation on the board. The IEP representative was perceived as reserved and lacking in sophistication. Cotter of Webcott, however, struck the directors... View Details

Keywords: Crisis Management; Management Succession; Strategic Planning; Governing and Advisory Boards; Horizontal Integration; Conflict Management

February 1992 (Revised March 1993)
Case

Intel Corp.--1992

By: Kenneth A. Froot

Intel Corp., the world's dominant designer and manufacturer of microprocessors (the "brains" of the personal computer), has accumulated a large amount of cash (net of debt). Furthermore, it expects to continue to accumulate cash at an unprecedented rate. Has the... View Details

Keywords: Dividends; Financial Management; Competition; Multinational Firms and Management; Cash; Technological Innovation; Capital Structure; Investment Return; Equity; Financial Strategy; Corporate Finance; Semiconductor Industry; United States

April 2002 (Revised May 2005)
Case

GE's Digital Revolution: Redefining the E in GE

By: Christopher A. Bartlett and Meg Glinska

This case details the implementation of the e-business initiative--the last of Jack Welch's four company-wide strategic thrusts. First, it summarizes the 20-year change process that Welch led, detailing the initiatives he put in place. It then traces how Gerry Podesta,... View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Transformation; Decision Choices and Conditions; Leadership Style; Business or Company Management; Organizational Culture; Organizational Structure; Performance Effectiveness; Corporate Strategy; Internet and the Web

01 Dec 2010
News

Eight Join HBS Faculty

Management. After completing his doctorate, Serafeim accepted a teaching position at HBS, one of eight newcomers to join the faculty. Serafeim, an assistant professor in the Accounting & Management Unit, teaches the first-year course... View Details

07 Jun 2016
First Look

June 7, 2016

May 2016 American Economic Review: Papers and Proceedings International Data on Measuring Management Practices By: Bloom, Nicholas, Renata Lemos, Raffaella Sadun, Daniela Scur, and John Van Reenen Abstract—We examine methods used to... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

01 Jun 1999
News

Short Takes

Reinhardt writes that for a company to be sustainable, it must have a strategy or development path that maintains an undiminished level of net assets. He argues that if the prices in the firm's accounting systems are the correct ones, the... View Details

Keywords: Judith A. Ross

05 Nov 2018
Working Paper Summaries

Pioneer (Dis-)advantages in Markets for Technology

Keywords: by Moritz Fischer, Joachim Henkel, and Ariel Dora Stern; Medical Devices & Supplies

August 1965 (Revised December 1987)
Case

L.L. Bean, Inc.

Discusses the development and operations of a small manufacturing and mail order company doing $3 million sales. L.L. Bean operates in violation of most reasonable business principles, but it is profitable and growing. View Details

Keywords: Small Business; Operations; Growth and Development Strategy; Retail Industry; Maine

January 2012 (Revised June 2013)
Case

Dow Chemical: Innovating for Sustainability

Dow Chemical is one of the few major American industrial corporations that was founded in the late 19th century that is still in existence. From its origins producing bromine out of the brine underneath Midland, Michigan, the company has evolved from a diversified... View Details

Keywords: Innovation Strategy; Environmental Sustainability; Chemical Industry

February 1998 (Revised April 1999)
Case

Medical Consultants Network, Inc.

By: Paul W. Marshall and Jefferson C. Grahling

Keywords: Health Care and Treatment; Growth and Development Strategy; Health Industry

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12 Jul 2010
Research & Ideas

Rocket Science Retailing: A Practical Guide

unite partners' objectives for creating a flexible supply chain; benchmark performance against other retailers; and evaluate and manage new technologies. Raman and Fisher provide specific, detailed metrics and techniques that can be used... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Retail; Auto

2007
Chapter

Postcards from the Edge: A Review of the Business and Environment Literature

By: Andrew A. King and Luca Berchicci

Environmental issues, while of growing interest, have been outside the main focus of business scholarship. This position on the periphery may have been a good thing. It allowed scholars of business and the environment to consider unusual theories and evaluate... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Governance; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Research; Environmental Sustainability; Competitive Advantage

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December 2022 (Revised February 2023)
Case

Marfrig's Quest for Sustainable Beef

By: Jose B. Alvarez, Pedro Levindo and Ruth Costas

Marfrig, one of the world’s leading meatpackers, strived to comply with its commitment to have a deforestation-free value chain in Brazil by 2030. The company also pledged to reduce its emissions of greenhouse gases in accordance with the guidelines set by the... View Details

Keywords: Agribusiness; Animal-Based Agribusiness; Plant-Based Agribusiness; Acquisition; Family Business; Communication Strategy; Environmental Management; Climate Change; Environmental Regulation; Environmental Sustainability; Bonds; Food; Global Strategy; Goods and Commodities; Government and Politics; Political Elections; Leading Change; Marketing; Product Marketing; Product Positioning; Supply Chain; Supply Chain Management; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Business and Government Relations; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Partners and Partnerships; Strategy; Adaptation; Business Strategy; Commercialization; Competitive Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Diversification; Expansion; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Brazil; Latin America; Argentina; Uruguay; North America; United States; Europe; Asia; China

01 Jun 2004
News

Cyberposium: Pros and Cons of Outsourcing

Sheeroy Desai, EVP and COO for Sapient, noted that his company saves 30 to 40 percent by offshoring IT — but the move has involved a significant investment in training. “Most IT organizations tend to underestimate the costs of management... View Details

Keywords: cyberposium; cost; Corporate Services

14 Sep 2015
Research & Ideas

Rewriting the Rules of Service Competition

Editor's Note: Harvard Business School professors James Heskett, W. Earl Sasser, and Leonard A. Schlesinger literally wrote the book on service industry management with The Service Profit Chain. Now the trio is back with What Great... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett, W. Earl Sasser & Leonard A. Schlesinger; Retail

February 2011 (Revised November 2012)
Case

Aquion Energy

By: Thomas R. Eisenmann and David Kiron

Leaders at Aquion Energy, a Pittsburgh-based battery start-up, are deciding on a market entry strategy. Should they pursue the large but unproven grid utility market or a smaller, but higher margin market? View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Production; Business Strategy; Growth and Development Strategy; Innovation Strategy; Disruptive Innovation; Market Entry and Exit; Performance Capacity; Energy Industry