Publications

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11 Oct 2017
Research & Ideas

The House Wants to Squelch Voices of ‘Small’ Shareholders. Research Shows Those Voices Matter.

relatively smaller shareholders.” Under the CHOICE Act, shareholders would not be able to submit proposals unless they owned at least 1 percent of a company’s shares, period. For America’s largest firms that... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

Teaching Interest

The Startup Toolkit

This SIP is an abridged version of Startup Bootcamp and is for students who want to develop the skills they need to understand their customer pain points, jobs to be done and a cursory exploration of the core elements of getting a startup off the ground. View Details

December 2001
Case

Cisco China

By: F. Warren McFarlan, Guoqing Chen and David Kiron

Designed to show how Cisco has taken its U.S.-based infrastructure and applied it to China. It is stunning in its impact as one notes how so much of what is being done in the United States in terms of the intranet has been transferred to China. View Details

Keywords: Internet and the Web; Web Services Industry; Information Technology Industry; China; United States

September 2006 (Revised April 2008)
Case

Wild Oats Markets, Inc.

By: John R. Wells and Travis Haglock

Ever since ex-Ben and Jerry's CEO Perry Odak took over as CEO of Wild Oats in 2001, he has been trying to turn the company around. After some apparent false starts, profits now seem to be on the rise in 2005 and 2006. Has he finally done it? View Details

Keywords: Competitive Strategy; Change Management; Profit; Retail Industry; United States

01 Aug 2008
What Do You Think?

Has the Time Come for “Stretch” in Management?

knowledge workers confronted with a barrage of data and distractions delivered by new information technologies? A reluctance on the part of managers to relinquish "ownership" over activities and processes needed View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

January 2009
Case

Wolf Elmore Brewer, Inc.

By: John A. Davis

This case describes how Alex Wolf, the founder of a small architecture and urban planning firm based in Portland, Oregon, decides to offer partnership to two trusted colleagues, and then how strains develop in their relationship. It asks what can be done to improve... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Interpersonal Communication; Entrepreneurship; Partners and Partnerships; Conflict Management

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April 1979 (Revised April 1981)
Case

Chaircraft Corp. (B)

Discusses the purchase and installation of automated cutting equipment in a medium-sized furniture factory. The equipment has so far failed to cut costs as expected and the management is attempting to discover what the problems are and what can be done to remedy them. View Details

Keywords: Production; Cost Management; Consumer Products Industry

August 2008
Case

Sloan & Harrison: The Associate Challenge

By: Boris Groysberg and Eliot Sherman

The law firm, Sloan & Harrison, was confronting issues pertaining to morale and turnover among its associate ranks. Annual surveys of associates revealed increasing dissatisfaction, particularly with respect to partner communication, work-life balance, and mentorship.... View Details

Keywords: Problems and Challenges; Employees; Human Resources; Leadership Development; Management Style; Performance; Work-Life Balance; Conflict Management; Legal Services Industry

14 Jul 2022
Research & Ideas

When the Rubber Meets the Road, Most Commuters Text and Email While Driving

“I suspect this may actually be lower than the true extent of unsafe multitasking, given the fact that not everyone would easily admit to a behavior that is recognized as problematic, if not illegal.” Almost... View Details

Keywords: by Jay Fitzgerald

September 1991 (Revised December 1991)
Case

Apple Computer (D): Epilogue

By: Michael Beer and Michael J. Gibbs

Brings students up to date on events at Apple Computer as of August 1991. Outlines resolutions of, or attempts to deal with, problems outlined. Illustrates what Apple had done to address problems, shows progress to date, and alludes to further issues to be addressed.... View Details

Keywords: Strategic Planning; Problems and Challenges; Corporate Strategy; Computer Industry

09 Dec 2002
Research & Ideas

Unilever—A Case Study

businesses, the question of whether it "controlled" them was more debatable. Some of the central issues related to the organization and performance of multinationals after the Second World War can View Details

Keywords: by Geoffrey Jones; Consumer Products; Entertainment & Recreation; Food & Beverage; Manufacturing; Retail

15 Oct 2020
Other Presentation

Pandemic Caused 'A Lot of Consumer-Driven Innovation': Harvard's Herzlinger

By: Regina E. Herzlinger

The "Godmother of consumer-driven health care" Regina Herzlinger of Harvard Business School and Bloomberg's Vonnie Quinn discuss how the pandemic is a wake-up call for how U.S. health care is incentivized, and what can be done to improve the delivery of American... View Details

Keywords: COVID-19; Health Care Industry; Health Pandemics; Health Care and Treatment; Service Delivery; Demand and Consumers; Health Industry; United States

23 Feb 2021
Cold Call Podcast

Examining Race and Mass Incarceration in the United States

Keywords: Re: Reshmaan N. Hussam

December 2010 (Revised May 2011)
Case

Cola Wars Continue: Coke and Pepsi in 2010

By: David B. Yoffie and Renee Kim

Examines the industry structure and competitive strategy of Coca-Cola and Pepsi over 100 years of rivalry. The most intense battles of the cola wars were fought over the $74 billion CSD industry in the United States, where the average American consumes 46 gallons of... View Details

Keywords: Profit; Growth and Development Strategy; Industry Structures; Competitive Strategy; Food and Beverage Industry; United States

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