Publications

20 Apr 2021
Book

A Simple Question That Can Guide Companies to Epic Success

New Video: Books@Baker Interview with Felix Oberholzer-Gee Click to watch. Some companies gain advantage by commanding premium prices. Others lean on their world-class talent. But, a small slice of companies manages to do both—and... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost

20 Nov 2000
Research & Ideas

Moving from Supply Chains to Supply Networks

Professors Ananth Raman and Roy Shapiro are two members of the HBS faculty team that developed the new Executive Education program, Managing the Supply Chain: The General Manager's Perspective. In this conversation with the Executive... View Details

Keywords: by Staff

07 Jul 2019
HBS Case

Walmart's Workforce of the Future

first year. “There’s so much to unpack in the choices that Walmart is making,” Kerr says, remarking that management has also introduced virtual reality goggles to train employees as well as an app, Spark City, that uses a game-type... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Retail

22 Aug 2022
Research & Ideas

Can Amazon Remake Health Care?

Investors and market watchers noted Amazon’s less-than-stellar forays into health care, while privacy advocates raised concerns about Amazon’s access to patient medical data. Still others have voiced hopes Amazon will bring much-needed efficiencies and improved View Details

Keywords: by Christina Pazzanese, Harvard Gazette; Health

05 Sep 2006
First Look

First Look: September 5, 2006

Eisenmann Periodical:Strategic Management Journal (forthcoming) Abstract To exploit first-mover advantages, pioneers may be motivated to amass customers before rivals enter the market. Likewise, when they... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

02 Feb 2016
First Look

February 2, 2016

service. Rubicon had made great progress since introducing its service. They had signed up large multi-national customers and had a number of large potential contracts in the negotiation phase. The team needed more capital to build out... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

29 Jul 2009
Working Paper Summaries

Firsthand Experience and the Subsequent Role of Reflected Knowledge in Cultivating Trust in Global Collaboration

Keywords: by Mark Mortensen & Tsedal Neeley

February 2015
Case

TouchTunes and the Connected Digital Jukebox Platform

By: Alan MacCormack and Noah Fisher

The case describes innovation and new product development at TouchTunes, the leader in the Digital Jukebox market. In March 2013, after releasing its innovative "Virtuo" jukebox developed in collaboration with frog design, TouchTunes was at a crossroads. Having... View Details

Keywords: Innovation; Design; R＆D; Outsourcing; Platform Strategy; Digital Media; Digital Platforms; Growth and Development Strategy; Innovation and Invention; Product Development; Music Industry

17 Feb 2009
Research & Ideas

What’s Good about Quiet Rule-Breaking

and the paramedic. In a way, top management loses power over its employees. In gray zones involving material pursuits—such as when a clothing item that could have been sold at a higher price to a customer is... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

24 Jan 2011
HBS Case

Terror at the Taj

world's collective conscience. “Not even the senior managers could explain the behavior of these employees.” A new multimedia case by HBS professor Rohit Deshpandé offers a flip side to the nightmarish scenes that unfolded in real time on... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Accommodations

November 2008 (Revised February 2009)
Case

Omron: Sensing Society

By: Rosabeth M. Kanter and Ethan S Bernstein

"Leading profitable growth is only part of the goal. We cannot live without breathing, but we do not live in order to take a breath,” said Omron's President and CEO, Hisao Sakuta, in 2008. Omron, a $7B global supplier of sensors, control system components, advanced... View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Transformation; Competitive Advantage; Leadership; Goals and Objectives; Globalized Firms and Management; Innovation and Invention; Values and Beliefs; Mission and Purpose; Electronics Industry

July 2018
Teaching Note

Cumplo.com

By: Frank V. Cespedes

Teaching Note for HBS No. 818-039. Teaching Note for HBS No. 818-039. Cumplo is a Chilean-based fin-tech startup that provides investors and small businesses with opportunities to access loans and investments in ways distinct from traditional financial institutions in... View Details

Keywords: Fintech; Alternative Finance; Crowdfunding; Crowdlending; Marketing Strategy; Growth and Development Strategy; Social Entrepreneurship; Expansion; Financial Services Industry; Latin America; South America; Chile

30 Apr 2001
Research & Ideas

Why Evolutionary Software Development Works

Given the importance of software, the lack of research on the best ways to manage its development is surprising. Many different models have been proposed since the much cited waterfall model emerged more than 30 years ago. Unfortunately,... View Details

Keywords: by Alan MacCormack; Technology

14 Nov 2017
First Look

New Research and Ideas: November 14, 2017

suited for a young, entrepreneurial organization. Start-up joiners need to do three things well: manage uncertainty, push the limits, and think like an owner. He then outlines four steps for choosing the right company: Pick a domain (find... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

09 Jul 2020
Research & Ideas

It’s Time to Reset Decision-Making in Your Organization

price decreases segmented by customer and channel. Another hallmark of stressful situations is that they can lead to paralysis and inaction, what Nathan Furr calls “unproductive uncertainty.” He recommends three strategies for... View Details

Keywords: by Boris Groysberg and Sarah Abbott

21 Mar 2011
Research & Ideas

Are We Thinking Too Little, or Too Much?

often managers find that there's not enough time to think through every single scenario or customer segment, which can take months," Norton says. "But too often the correction to 'We don't have... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

May 2022 (Revised June 2024)
Case

LOOP: Driving Change in Auto Insurance Pricing

By: Elie Ofek and Alicia Dadlani

John Henry and Carey Anne Nadeau, co-founders and co-CEOs of LOOP, an insurtech startup based in Austin, Texas, were on a mission to modernize the archaic $250 billion automobile insurance market. They sought to create equitably priced insurance by eliminating pricing... View Details

Keywords: AI and Machine Learning; Technological Innovation; Equality and Inequality; Prejudice and Bias; Growth and Development Strategy; Customer Relationship Management; Price; Insurance Industry; Financial Services Industry

18 Nov 2002
Research & Ideas

Where Morals and Profits Meet: The Corporate Value Shift

than the others? Does there always have to be a corporate justification? Will we see any trends? A: As I describe in the book, the paths to values are many and varied. Some managers arrive by way of a crisis or scandal, and others by way... View Details

Keywords: by Carla Tishler

November 1999
Case

E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (B)

DuPont must decide whether to launch a new non-GM (genetically modified) soybean that is tolerant to chemical sprays. In the face of rapid introductions of GM products by competitors, DuPont faces the challenge of ensuring the identity preservation of its new product... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Customer Value and Value Chain; Genetics; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry