Publications

December 1989
Background Note

Action Planning in Human Resource Management

Lays out a framework for action planning in human resource management. Prepared for use in the first year MBA HRM course. View Details

Keywords: Management; Human Resources; Planning

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01 Sep 2008
News

Business Plan Contest Winners

The 12th annual HBS Business Plan Contest winner in the social enterprise track was Diagnostics-For-All (DFA), a nonprofit launched to develop a disposable, low-cost, paper-based “lab-on-a-chip” for use in diagnosing liver, kidney, and... View Details

Keywords: awards; Educational Support Services; Educational Services

06 Sep 2004
Research & Ideas

The Innovator’s Battle Plan

satisfied, high-paying customers. In essence, incumbents can disassociate themselves from a business in exchange for a better one. How can we identify when flight is in progress? Changes in customer or product mix can be a clear sign of flight, as are View Details

Keywords: by Clayton M. Christensen, Scott D. Anthony & Erik A. Roth

March 1990 (Revised November 1999)
Case

MCI Communications: Planning for the 1990s

By: Robert L. Simons and Hilary Weston

Concentrates on the evolution of MCI's strategy-setting process following a period of dramatic growth. Opportunistic strategies during MCI's early years have given top managers a dislike of formal strategic planning and a strongly-held belief in top down strategy... View Details

Keywords: Globalization; Growth and Development; Planning; Strategic Planning; Growth Management; Business or Company Management; Competition; Alignment; Communications Industry

December 2020 (Revised April 2021)
Case

Arcos Dorados: A QSR Recovery Plan

By: Forest Reinhardt, José B. Alvarez, Jenyfeer Martinez Buitrago and Mariana Cal

Arcos Dorados—McDonald’s largest independent franchisee, covering Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC)—faced a pandemic that was disrupting the entire consumer foodservice business in 2020. With the exclusive right to own, operate, and sub-franchise McDonald’s... View Details

May 1995 (Revised March 1996)
Case

ToyWorld, Inc.: Information Technology Planning

By: Lynda M. Applegate

ToyWorld, a fast growing retailer, was revitalizing its information technology (IT) infrastructure and called in AT&T to help plan for the future. Five strategic alternatives for use of information and communications technology were identified through value chain... View Details

Keywords: Strategic Planning; Information Technology; Growth and Development; Expansion; Partners and Partnerships; Retail Industry

01 Jun 2017
News

Surveying Students’ Summer Plans

brands (like Tim Tams), so I was looking for an opportunity to work on strategic brand initiatives with a firm that has similarly beloved products. Also, my wife and I enjoy outdoor activities and have heard that Minneapolis is amazing in summer—so we View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna

Research Summary

Life Planning for Executives

In this relatively new field of research and course development, Davis is researching through in depth interviews how executives create successful and fulfilling lives. He is leading a faculty team in designing an executive program for individuals wanting to transition... View Details

January 2018 (Revised February 2018)
Case

McKinnon Family Financial Planning

By: V.G. Narayanan and Shawn O'Brien

March 2, 2012
Blog Post

Career Plans Are Dangerous

By: Leonard A. Schlesinger, Charles F. Kiefer and Paul B. Brown

Read Now

October 2013 (Revised August 2015)
Supplement

Outotec (B): Action Plan

By: Robert J. Dolan and Doug J. Chung

Outotec was a market leader in providing mining solutions to large mining companies. The company’s specialization and proprietary technology created value for its customers and helped the firm differentiate from its competitors. Yet, Outotec was not pricing or... View Details

Keywords: Value-based Pricing; Bargaining Power Of Buyers; Marketing; Segmentation; Price; Policy; Sales; Management; Value Creation; Mining Industry

May 2003
Teaching Note

Argentina's Convertibility Plan (TN)

By: Rafael M. Di Tella and Ingrid Vogel

Teaching Note for (9-702-002). View Details

Keywords: Argentina

February 1982 (Revised August 1987)
Case

Hoover: Multinational Product Planning

By: Robert D. Buzzell and Benson P. Shapiro

Keywords: Product Marketing; Global Strategy; Multinational Firms and Management

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11 May 2023
News

Keeping the Plan Sustainable

August 2020
Background Note

Six Simple Steps to Action Planning

By: Tsedal Neeley

As a leader, you will need to master action plans to implement solutions that advance your organizational goals. Here are six simple steps to diagnosing situations and systematically developing action plans. View Details

Keywords: Organizations; Goals and Objectives; Planning

18 Feb 2014
News

Stick with Plan A

MADDY "When I have my mind set on something, I do not create a Plan B," says Monique Maddy (MBA 1993). "I feel that it lessens my commitment and my focus. If it doesn't work out, I come up with another Plan... View Details

Keywords: Robert S. Benchley; Waleed Iskandar (MBA 1993); Telecommunications

October 1997
Case

Planned Parenthood Federation of America (B)

By: V. Kasturi Rangan and Elaine V. Backman

Outlines the process of strategy reinvention adopted by Planned Parenthood. It lays out the new strategic proposals, and the reactions of the various constituencies to those proposals. View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Framework; Core Relationships; Risk and Uncertainty; Adaptation; Health Industry