• December 2023
• Case

Robert McNamara: Changing the World

By: Robert Simons and Shirley Sun

This case traces the life of Robert McNamara from Harvard Business School to Ford Motor Company to the U.S. Department of Defense. McNamara excelled in every job along the way: becoming the youngest-ever professor at Harvard Business School, the first non-family... View Details

Keywords: Performance Measurement; Military; Leadership Development; Values and Beliefs; Personal Characteristics; Leadership Style; Success; Business and Government Relations; Power and Influence; Business Education; War

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Simons, Robert, and Shirley Sun. "Robert McNamara: Changing the World." Harvard Business School Case 124-036, December 2023.

• December 2023
• Case

Davivienda Bank's Upskilling and Reskilling Strategy in Colombia

By: Jorge Tamayo, Raffaella Sadun and Jenyfeer Martinez Buitrago

Set in 2022, this case describes the digital transformation strategy of Davivienda— a leading player in Colombia’s commercial banking and one of the companies belonging to Grupo Bolívar, a major Colombian financial conglomerate—and the bank’s upskilling and reskilling... View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Transformation; Decision Choices and Conditions; Digital Strategy; Digital Transformation; Internet and the Web; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Innovation and Management; Innovation Strategy; Growth and Development Strategy; Business Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Organizational Culture; Talent and Talent Management; Training; Banking Industry; Latin America; Central America; South America; Colombia

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Tamayo, Jorge, Raffaella Sadun, and Jenyfeer Martinez Buitrago. "Davivienda Bank's Upskilling and Reskilling Strategy in Colombia." Harvard Business School Case 724-425, December 2023.

• December 2023 (Revised February 2024)
• Case

21Seeds: Taking Shots at Breakout Growth

By: Elie Ofek, Julian De Freitas, Michael Moynihan and Nicole Tempest Keller

21Seeds, a female-founded flavor-infused tequila startup launched in 2019, had made inroads into the alcoholic beverage industry by focusing on an underserved consumer segment in spirits—women, primarily in their 30s and 40s, many of whom were moms—and by following a... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Startups; Growth and Development Strategy; Brands and Branding; Product Positioning; Distribution Channels; Sales; Food and Beverage Industry

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Ofek, Elie, Julian De Freitas, Michael Moynihan, and Nicole Tempest Keller. "21Seeds: Taking Shots at Breakout Growth." Harvard Business School Case 524-008, December 2023. (Revised February 2024.)

• December 2023 (Revised July 2024)
• Case

Boortmalt: The Master Maltster

By: Forest Reinhardt, Jose B Alvarez, Damien McLoughlin, Lena Duchene and Emer Moloney

By May 2023, Boortmalt was the world’s leading producer of malt, with a production capacity of 3 million tonnes, 15% of global market share, and 27 malting plants across five continents. It had recently acquired a major competitor and had sustained an EBITDA growth of... View Details

Keywords: Plant-Based Agribusiness; Mergers and Acquisitions; Talent and Talent Management; Customer Focus and Relationships; Values and Beliefs; Financing and Loans; Employee Relationship Management; Collaborative Innovation and Invention; Innovation Leadership; Knowledge Sharing; Leadership Style; Business or Company Management; Growth and Development Strategy; Growth Management; Management Style; Resource Allocation; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Strategic Planning; Environmental Sustainability; Organizational Culture; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Belgium; Europe

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Reinhardt, Forest, Jose B Alvarez, Damien McLoughlin, Lena Duchene, and Emer Moloney. "Boortmalt: The Master Maltster." Harvard Business School Case 724-021, December 2023. (Revised July 2024.)

• December 8, 2023
• Article

What Makes a Company Great at Producing Leaders?

By: Sarah Abbott, Robin Abrahams and Boris Groysberg

GE is well known as an “academy company”—a talent incubator that exports effective leaders to other organizations and even industries. To better understand which companies are top talent incubators today, the authors worked with the Official Board, a firm that provides... View Details

Keywords: Personal Development and Career; Talent and Talent Management; Training; Organizational Culture

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Abbott, Sarah, Robin Abrahams, and Boris Groysberg. "What Makes a Company Great at Producing Leaders?" Harvard Business Review (website) (December 8, 2023).

• December 2023
• Case

Food & Life Companies

By: Forest L. Reinhardt and Akiko Saito

Founded in 1984 in Japan, Food & Life Companies Ltd. (F&LC) operated Sushiro, the largest conveyor belt sushi restaurant chain in Japan, and other types of restaurants that offered sushi and fish cuisine. F&LC was committed to offering high-quality sushi at an... View Details

Keywords: Growth and Development Strategy; Market Entry and Exit; Expansion; Food and Beverage Industry; Japan; Asia; United States

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Reinhardt, Forest L., and Akiko Saito. "Food & Life Companies." Harvard Business School Case 724-015, December 2023.

• December 2023 (Revised December 2023)
• Case

Research In Motion: Launching and Scaling the World's First Smartphone Empire (A)

By: Tatiana Sandino and Samuel Grad

In 2005, Research In Motion’s (RIM) BlackBerry smartphone was a sensation. After its launch in 1999, the groundbreaking BlackBerry had captured the hearts and minds of corporate America through its secure wireless email service. The device was so addictive and... View Details

Keywords: Business Growth and Maturation; Decision Choices and Conditions; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Innovation and Management; Technological Innovation; Business or Company Management; Management Style; Product Development; Managerial Roles; Growth and Development Strategy; Technology Industry; United States; Canada

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Sandino, Tatiana, and Samuel Grad. "Research In Motion: Launching and Scaling the World's First Smartphone Empire (A)." Harvard Business School Case 124-023, December 2023. (Revised December 2023.)

• December 4, 2023
• Article

Stop Assuming Introverts Aren't Passionate About Work

By: Kai Krautter, Anabel Büchner and Jon M. Jachimowicz

Society often assumes that the only way to be passionate is to act extroverted, but that is simply not true. In their new research, the authors found that regardless of their actual level of passion, extroverted employees are perceived as more passionate than... View Details

Keywords: Passion; Personality; Extraversion; Scale Development; Personal Characteristics; Perception; Employees; Prejudice and Bias

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Krautter, Kai, Anabel Büchner, and Jon M. Jachimowicz. "Stop Assuming Introverts Aren't Passionate About Work." Harvard Business Review Digital Articles (December 4, 2023).

• December 2023
• Article

Looking Forward – To Better Strategy-Sales Coordination

By: Frank V. Cespedes

Business decisions are about tomorrow, not yesterday. A key to looking forward in most firms is the annual strategy meeting, where linking sales efforts with strategy is vital for implementation and profitable growth. But according to surveys, less than half of... View Details

Keywords: Sales; Growth and Development Strategy; Corporate Strategy

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Cespedes, Frank V. "Looking Forward – To Better Strategy-Sales Coordination." Top Sales Magazine (December 2023), 26–27.

• November 2023
• Case

Gabon Special Economic Zone

By: John Macomber and Wale Lawal

Tropical rain forest covers about 80% of the West African nation of Gabon, part of the Congo Basin and the "lungs of the world." Gabon is one of the first nations to earn revenue from carbon sequestration...as long as the rain forest remains intact. There are... View Details

Keywords: Economic Development; Forestry; Wood; Carbon Credits; Supply Chain; Economic Growth; Developing Countries and Economies; Climate Change; Environmental Sustainability; Government Administration; Business and Government Relations; Strategy; Forest Products Industry; Africa; Gabon

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Macomber, John, and Wale Lawal. "Gabon Special Economic Zone." Harvard Business School Case 224-012, November 2023.

• November 2023 (Revised July 2024)
• Case

'Care in Every Drop': Ayala Corporation and Manila Water (A)

By: Debora L. Spar, Paul Healy, Tricia Peralta and Julia M. Comeau

Since 1834, eight generations of the Ayala family have used their conglomerate to fund nation-building projects in the Philippines, including investments in tramcars, telecommunications, hospitals, and schools. In 1997, Ayala’s subsidiary, Manila Water, took control of... View Details

Keywords: Family Business; Economic Growth; Social Entrepreneurship; Climate Change; Natural Resources; Crisis Management; Failure; Privatization; Social Issues; Urban Development; Adaptation; Public Opinion; Mission and Purpose; Utilities Industry; Asia; Philippines

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Spar, Debora L., Paul Healy, Tricia Peralta, and Julia M. Comeau. "'Care in Every Drop': Ayala Corporation and Manila Water (A)." Harvard Business School Case 324-038, November 2023. (Revised July 2024.)