aerospace - Publications - Faculty & Research

10 Oct 2007
Research & Ideas

“Blank” Inside: Branding Ingredients

Harvard Business School professor John Quelch writes a blog on marketing issues, called Marketing Know: How, for Harvard Business Online. It is reprinted on HBS Working Knowledge.Why do we pay more for an orange with a Sunkist sticker? Because inspecting the outside of... View Details

Keywords: by John Quelch; Aerospace; Aerospace

Dwane L. Wallace

In 1936, Wallace took complete control of Clyde Cessna Aircraft and set out to make it the #1 light plane manufacturer. Wallace’s sharp engineering skills allowed him to create high quality, low cost planes that could be made on efficient assembly lines. Securing an... View Details

Keywords: Automotive & Aerospace

Thomas E. Braniff

Braniff received his first airmail contract from the federal government in 1934, four years after founding Braniff Airways. In 1952, Braniff acquired Mid-Continent Airlines, which made Braniff Airways the sixth largest airline in the U.S. and the twelfth largest in the... View Details

Keywords: Automotive & Aerospace

W. Michael Blumenthal

When Blumenthal took over Bendix, it had become a gigantic conglomerate producing a bewildering variety of products. Blumenthal sold several of the company’s unprofitable divisions, and doubled company sales during his tenure to more than $3 billion. Under his... View Details

Keywords: Automotive & Aerospace

Charles M. Pigott

Pigott was instrumental in leading the growth of his family’s business, Pacific Car & Foundry. Sales of heavy trucks under the Peterbilt and Kenworth names increased from $320 million to $4.3 billion. Part of that growth was generated through a series of... View Details

Keywords: Automotive & Aerospace

Ransom E. Olds

Olds was one of the early pioneers of the automobile industry. He is credited with the design of the “curved dash” which was both functional (keeping passengers warm) and stylish. Olds’ first car, the “runabout,” was mass produced in 1901 and was considered the first... View Details

Keywords: Automotive & Aerospace

Glenn L. Martin

Martin created the largest pre-World War II airplane manufacturing firm in America. He was the creative inventor of numerous airplanes mostly designed for military purposes (e.g. the famous B-10 bomber, B-26 and huge “Clipper” seaplanes). He also developed special... View Details

Keywords: Automotive & Aerospace

Henry B. Joy

Under Joy’s leadership, Packard Motor’s automobile became one of the most respected cars in the 1900s. He was also prominent in the development of the Liberty airplane motor. View Details

Keywords: Automotive & Aerospace

Lido (Lee) A. Iacocca

Iacocca, former president of Ford Motor Company, took over Chrysler when it was leaning towards bankruptcy. He asked Congress for a loan, arguing that if Chrysler filed for bankruptcy, the government would have to spend more on unemployment compensation than on keeping... View Details

Keywords: Automotive & Aerospace

Henry Ford

In 1908, Ford introduced to the market the Model T automobile. Through cost-cutting production methods, Ford was eventually able to reduce the price of the Model T to $260, making it affordable for the mass market. Establishing the continuously moving assembly line,... View Details

Keywords: Automotive & Aerospace

Frederick J. Fisher

Fisher produced auto bodies specifically designed for autos rather than as modifications of horse-drawn carriages. When Cadillac placed an order for 150 closed bodies in 1910, it was the first volume order of its kind in the U.S. In 1919, General Motors, under the... View Details

Keywords: Automotive & Aerospace

Harlow H. Curtice

Curtice took the helm of General Motors during the height of the post-war automobile boom. He dramatically impacted the boom by approving a $1 billion investment in the company. In so doing, General Motors expanded the scale and scope of its operations even though it... View Details

Keywords: Automotive & Aerospace

May 2014 (Revised November 2014)
Supplement

Houston We Have A Solution: NASA and Open Innovation (B)

By: Michael Tushman, Hila Lifshitz-Assaf and Kerry Herman

Jeff Davis, director of Space Life Sciences Directorate at NASA, has been working for several years to raise awareness amongst scientists and researchers in his organizations of the benefits of open innovation as a successful and efficient way to collaborate on... View Details

Keywords: Technology; Aerospace Industry

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January 2014
Case

Boeing 787 Manufacturing Footprint

By: Willy Shih

This case looks at the outsourcing strategy for major subsystems of Boeing's 787 Dreamliner, and the risks and production consequences of letting go of core technology. It is intended to be used as a (B) case for 612-036 Boeing 737 Manufacturing Footprint: The Wichita... View Details

Keywords: Outsourcing; Outsourced Production; Boeing 787; Manufacturing Footprint; Systems Integration; Production; Supply Chain Management; Aerospace Industry; United States

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Educators

May 2012
Case

Columbia's Final Mission (Abridged) (A)

By: Amy C. Edmondson and Kerry Herman

This case documents decision-making processes, organizational culture, and other contributors to NASA's failed Columbia mission in 2003. Addresses the question of how organizations should deal with "ambiguous threats" - weak signals of potential crisis - and explores... View Details

Keywords: Cognitive Biases; Teams; Organizational Learning; Ambiguous Threat; Leadership; Organizational Culture; Decision Making; Failure; Crisis Management; Aerospace Industry

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March 2010
Background Note

Airline Travel in the U.S.

By: Sunil Gupta and Kavita Shukla

How should airlines respond to the rising share of Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) as consumers increasingly search the web to buy tickets? View Details

Keywords: Management; Marketing Channels; Consumer Behavior; Market Participation; Agency Theory; Online Technology; Aerospace Industry; United States

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April 2007
Case

The Boeing Company: Moonshine Shop

By: Robert D. Austin, Richard L. Nolan and Shannon O'Donnell

Describes how the "Moonshine Shop," a group of plant-savvy creative generalists, is helping a great industrial company become more innovative. Chronicles the history of the Moonshine Shop, its successes and failures, and describes innovations they've helped put in... View Details