by Mark Mortensen - Publications - Faculty & Research

13 Sep 2010
Research & Ideas

The Consumer Appeal of Underdog Branding

curse of success. "As brands grow and become successful, they are often marked by the negative stigma associated with size and power, which elicits anticorporate sentiment from consumers. As Starbucks... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

October 1997 (Revised June 1998)
Case

Woolworths South Africa

By: David B. Yoffie and Anthony St. George

Woolworths South Africa is one of the most successful retail chains in the country, modeled on Marks and Spencer of the United Kingdom. This case focuses on the sources of Woolworth's competitive advantage within South Africa and the challenges of growth in the wake of... View Details

Keywords: Growth and Development Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Growth Management; Global Strategy; Industry Structures; Marketing Strategy; Strategy; Business or Company Management; Retail Industry; South Africa

Citation

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01 May 2013
What Do You Think?

Why Isn’t ‘Servant Leadership’ More Prevalent?

Summing Up Is the Term "Servant Leadership" an Oxymoron? Servant leadership (SL) is a concept that triggers a great deal of interest, judging by my e-mail inbox and the number of responses to this month's column. Many comments... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

15 Feb 2022
Book

When Working Harder Doesn’t Work, Time to Reinvent Your Career

fluid intelligence wanes, crystallized intelligence—a different kind of thinking marked by synthesizing and sharing knowledge—grows, writes Brooks, a professor of Management Practice at HBS. He points to... View Details

Keywords: by Avery Forman

06 Jun 2011
Research & Ideas

Why Leaders Lose Their Way

forced to resign for trading in Lubrizol stock prior to recommending that Berkshire Hathaway purchase the company. Examples abound of other recent failures: Hewlett-Packard CEO Mark Hurd resigned for submitting false expense reports... View Details

Keywords: by Bill George

19 Apr 2010
Research & Ideas

The History of Beauty

you have a major industry that still has lots to reveal. We asked Jones to discuss his research and his new book. Sean Silverthorne: What inspired your interest in the beauty business and its history? Geoffrey Jones: My initial interest in the beauty industry was... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Beauty & Cosmetics

15 Aug 2022
Book

University of the Future: Finding the Next World Leaders in Higher Ed

T.M. Chang Professor of China Studies at Harvard University and the Spangler Family Professor of Business Administration at HBS—explores the many ways the three countries have made their mark in higher education over the past two... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Education

24 Oct 2016
Research & Ideas

Bernie Madoff Explains Himself

service of buying shares; now Madoff had turned the practice upside down and was paying them to trade. That innovation diverted trading away from the New York Stock Exchange floor, and by the early 1990s, Madoff’s firm was handling... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Financial Services

03 Jun 2002
Research & Ideas

How to Succeed With Your New Boss

to shape your boss's perceptions of what can and should be achieved. Aim for good marks from those whose opinions your boss respects. This is an aspect of building supportive internal coalitions. Your boss may have pre-existing... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Watkins

31 Aug 2015
Research & Ideas

How Ben Franklin’s ‘Way to Wealth’ Introduced American Capitalism to the World

of wisdom and many others were made famous by Benjamin Franklin in his 1758 essay known as The Way to Wealth, first published as a sermon delivered by “Father Abraham” in Poor Richard’s Almanack. “I’m... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna

04 Aug 2006
What Do You Think?

What Happens When the Economics of Scarcity Meets the Economics of Abundance?

even if we remove physical constraints of shelf space and supply chains." Andrei Iordache agreed, writing, " there will always be at least one element in the economic equation that will be marked View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

21 Mar 2016
Lessons from the Classroom

When Your Classmate is an NBA Superstar (or Fashion Model, or Movie Actress)

approach, spearheading efforts to cut the rising costs of programming at the network by directing staff members to choose less expensive content and rely less on pricey A-list actors. Horn’s strategy paid off: View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Entertainment & Recreation; Sports; Media & Broadcasting; Education

27 Jan 2023
Op-Ed

Have We Lost Sight of Integrity?

Easterbrook, and Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg. Rife with bravado, New York Congressman Santos campaigned on being the “full embodiment of the American dream.” The only problem was that many of his personal claims—including tentpoles punctuating... View Details

Keywords: by Bill George

September 2019 (Revised September 2019)
Case

Facebook Fake News in the Post-Truth World

By: John R. Wells, Carole A. Winkler and Benjamin Weinstock

In August 2019, Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook, was surrounded by controversy. The first major storm of protest followed the surprise election of Donald Trump as President of the United States on November 8, 2016; many put the blame at the door of fake... View Details

Keywords: Facebook; Fake News; Mark Zuckerberg; Donald Trump; Algorithms; Social Networks; Partisanship; Social Media; App Development; Instagram; WhatsApp; Smartphone; Silicon Valley; Office Space; Digital Strategy; Democracy; Entry Barriers; Online Platforms; Controversy; Tencent; Agility; Social Networking; Gaming; Gaming Industry; Computer Games; Mobile Gaming; Messaging; Monetization Strategy; Advertising; Digital Marketing; Business Ventures; Acquisition; Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Headquarters; Business Organization; For-Profit Firms; Trends; Communication; Communication Technology; Forms of Communication; Interactive Communication; Interpersonal Communication; Talent and Talent Management; Crime and Corruption; Voting; Demographics; Entertainment; Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Moral Sensibility; Values and Beliefs; Initial Public Offering; Profit; Revenue; Geography; Geographic Location; Global Range; Local Range; Country; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Globalized Firms and Management; Globalized Markets and Industries; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Government and Politics; International Relations; National Security; Political Elections; Business History; Recruitment; Selection and Staffing; Information Management; Information Publishing; News; Newspapers; Innovation and Management; Innovation Strategy; Technological Innovation; Knowledge Dissemination; Human Capital; Law; Leadership Development; Leadership Style; Leading Change; Business or Company Management; Crisis Management; Goals and Objectives; Growth and Development Strategy; Growth Management; Management Practices and Processes; Management Style; Management Systems; Management Teams; Managerial Roles; Marketing Channels; Social Marketing; Network Effects; Market Entry and Exit; Digital Platforms; Marketplace Matching; Industry Growth; Industry Structures; Monopoly; Media; Product Development; Service Delivery; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Mission and Purpose; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Organizational Structure; Public Ownership; Problems and Challenges; Business and Community Relations; Business and Government Relations; Groups and Teams; Networks; Rank and Position; Opportunities; Behavior; Emotions; Identity; Power and Influence; Prejudice and Bias; Reputation; Social and Collaborative Networks; Status and Position; Trust; Society; Civil Society or Community; Culture; Public Opinion; Social Issues; Societal Protocols; Strategy; Adaptation; Business Strategy; Commercialization; Competition; Competitive Advantage; Competitive Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Customization and Personalization; Diversification; Expansion; Horizontal Integration; Segmentation; Information Technology; Internet and the Web; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Applications and Software; Information Infrastructure; Valuation; Advertising Industry; Communications Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Information Industry; Information Technology Industry; Journalism and News Industry; Media and Broadcasting Industry; Service Industry; Technology Industry; Telecommunications Industry; Video Game Industry; United States; California; Sunnyvale; Russia

Citation

Educators

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06 May 2019
Research & Ideas

Consumers Blame Business for Global Health Problems. Can Business Become the Solution?

measures. The Global Reporting Initiative captures ESG information from over 80 percent of the world’s largest corporations. Every company wants to be known as a good global citizen, and ESG reporting helps by demonstrating transparency... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost; Health

08 Sep 2022
Book

Gen Xers and Millennials, It’s Time To Lead. Are You Ready?

leaders with business celebrities he says never found their True North. Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, for instance, has deflected blame for his company’s many scandals, even pushing back against a whistleblower’s accusation that profits... View Details

Keywords: by Lane Lambert

05 Jul 2022
What Do You Think?

Have We Seen the Peak of Just-in-Time Inventory Management?

supply of “safety stock” was the order of the day for those using slower forms of transportation. "The result, of course, was what came to be known as 'just-in-time' inventory management, as championed by firms such as Toyota." One of my... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Manufacturing; Shipping; Transportation

07 May 2012
Research & Ideas

The Art of Haggling

if you hold firm on your terms. Careful analysis may reveal that the other party needs the deal as much or more than you do. Then there are psychological factors to consider, like the power of working from one's own ideal number rather than getting anchored View Details

Keywords: by Katie Johnston

02 Aug 2024
HBS Case

How a Mission to Cut Food Waste Launched a Multimillion-Dollar Venture

On a hectic Friday in October 2016, Josh Domingues wondered if he had made a mistake quitting the security of a well-paying job managing contracts for professional hockey players to start a new venture selling nearly expired groceries at discount prices. After all, a... View Details

Keywords: by Lane Lambert; Technology; Information Technology

19 Apr 2004
Research & Ideas

Birth of the American Salesman

Scott. The book looks at the changing image of the salesman, represented by the likes of George Babbitt and Willy Loman. In the end, says Friedman, salesmen not only fed America's thirst for consumerism, they also shaped it. Laura Linard:... View Details

Keywords: by Laura Linard

Publications