Publications

April 1993 (Revised June 1993)
Supplement

General Dynamics and Computer Sciences Corporation: Outsourcing the IS Function (D)

By: F. Warren McFarlan and Katherine Seger

Designed to be handed out after discussion of the (C) case. View Details

Keywords: Job Cuts and Outsourcing

April 1991 (Revised September 1991)
Case

Royal Trust

By: F. Warren McFarlan and Krista McQuade

January 1991
Teaching Note

CIBA Vision Canada--1990, Teaching Note

By: F. Warren McFarlan and Jiro Kokuryo

Keywords: Canada

September 2006 (Revised August 2007)
Background Note

The History of Credit Agencies in the United States

By: F. Warren McFarlan and Tracy Manty

Provides a brief background on the history of credit agencies in the United States. Focuses on the mature process of data collection on an American consumer and how credit agencies share the information to determine proper credit risk and worthiness of a consumer. The... View Details

Keywords: Credit; United States

May 2005
Supplement

Otis Elevator: An Interview with Ari Bousbib (video)

By: F. Warren McFarlan and Brian DeLacey

CEO Ari Bousbib talks about how IT is transforming Otis and the practical challenges they are overcoming. Visibly demonstrates what appropriate CEO involvement is in an IT-enabled business transformation. View Details

Keywords: Management Teams; Information Technology; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Leading Change; Construction Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Consumer Products Industry

September 2004 (Revised June 2005)
Case

Otis Elevator: Accelerating Business Transformation with IT

By: F. Warren McFarlan and Brian DeLacey

Focuses on a major transformation of Otis Elevator's infrastructure. Led by the CEO, this transformation represents a remarkable long-term reengineering of all the processes of the firm to drive its operating costs down and service image up. The transformation is the... View Details

Keywords: Transformation; Cost Management; Infrastructure; Business Processes; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Information Technology

October 2005
Article

Information Technology and the Board of Directors

By: Richard Nolan and F. Warren McFarlan

Keywords: Information Technology; Governance

December 1996 (Revised June 1997)
Case

Trinity College (B)

By: F. Warren McFarlan and Jaan Elias

Supplements the (A) case. View Details

Keywords: Education Industry; Connecticut

03 Oct 2017
News

Can Bezos’s Ties to Boston—and HBS—Seal the Deal?

electronics devices to Amazon’s online storefront. HBS would continue to play a role in Amazon’s development, with the article noting that two of Amazon’s earliest acquisitions included local companies founded by Warren Adams (MBA 1998)... View Details

Keywords: Retail Trade

01 Dec 2002
News

Hong Kong Club Thrives, Plans Next Global Alumni Conference

HBS and Asia. He worked with Professor F. Warren McFarlan to establish the HBS Asia-Pacific Research Center in Hong Kong and to facilitate trips to the region for HBS faculty. Teo is particularly proud of... View Details

2009
Book

Chinese General Management: Tsinghua-Harvard Text and Cases

By: F. Warren McFarlan and Guoqing Chen

Keywords: Management; Higher Education; Information; Cases; China

October 1998
Supplement

Timberjack Parts: Packaged Software Selection Project, Video

By: F. Warren McFarlan and Mark Keil

Keywords: Software

July 2004 (Revised May 2005)
Case

Pfizer's Virtual CIO (Abridged)

By: F. Warren McFarlan and Brian DeLacey

Discusses the IT organization and IT strategy issues facing Pfizer, one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies. Managing over $1 billion of IT expense, the company has a committee approach for handling all critical IT decisions, an approach that is consistent... View Details

Keywords: Decision Making; Cost Management; Organizational Culture; Strategy; Information Technology; Pharmaceutical Industry

December 2001
Case

Alibaba.com (B)

By: F. Warren McFarlan and Fred Young

The challenges the largest Chinese electronic commerce company faces many challenges at the end of 2001. This case describes how it has completely reoriented its strategy in the past 12 months to become a B-to-B company. The key question is: Will it work and what... View Details

Keywords: Business or Company Management; Business Strategy; Internet and the Web; Problems and Challenges; Information Technology Industry; China; United States

December 2001 (Revised January 2002)
Case

COSCO

By: F. Warren McFarlan and David Lane

Focuses on the IT challenges facing COSCO, one of the largest shipping companies in the world, as it deals with the Internet and modern information technology. The challenge is to understand what they are trying to do and understand the complexity of the task. View Details

Keywords: Internet and the Web; Information Technology; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Technological Innovation; Complexity; Problems and Challenges; Shipping Industry; China

April 2001
Supplement

Merrill Lynch: Integrated Choice (Supplement)

By: F. Warren McFarlan and Christina Ruth

Supplements the case. Designed as an in-class handout. View Details

Keywords: Financial Services Industry

March 2000
Supplement

Charles Schwab Corporation, The: A Presentation by David Pottruck Co-CEO

By: F. Warren McFarlan and Melissa Dailey

David Pottruck, Co-CEO of Charles Schwab Corp., discusses the company's information technology and competitive strategy with an Executive Education (Program for Management Development) class at Harvard Business School, October 22, 1999. View Details

Keywords: Competitive Strategy; Information Technology; Financial Services Industry

September 1999 (Revised March 2001)
Case

Charles Schwab Corporation (A)

By: F. Warren McFarlan and Nicole Tempest

A look at the industrial restructuring in the brokerage industry made possible by e-commerce. Focuses the student's attention on the decision alternatives facing Charles Schwab, one of the industry leaders in January 1998. In a word, the challenge is "Do they slash... View Details

Keywords: Restructuring; Internet and the Web; Price; Decision Choices and Conditions; Business Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Financial Services Industry