Publications

February 2021
Case

Rolex SA

By: Doug J. Chung

Rolex SA was one of the most successful watchmakers in the world. In recent years, the global demand for Rolex watches, especially the stainless-steel sports models, had dramatically increased, resulting in a supply shortage worldwide. The shortage in supply further... View Details

Keywords: Watches; Pricing; Marketing; Strategy; Demand and Consumers; Price; Marketing Channels

Jan 27 2022
Testimonial

AI Offers a Competitive Advantage

September 1997
Case

Radiology Management Sciences

Radiology Management Sciences (RMS) analyzes diagnostic imaging claims to help HMOs and insurers control utilization. As industry changes threaten RMS's profitability, the company's founders contemplate two alternative business models. View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Industry Growth; Service Industry; Service Industry

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2023
Working Paper

ESG: From Process to Product

By: George Serafeim

ESG measurement, analysis, management, and communication is a process that the financial industry has turned into a product, resulting in many investment funds using the ESG label. This has caused confusion, generating demand for a framework that defines... View Details

Keywords: ESG; ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) Performance; ESG Ratings; ESG Reporting; Investment Fund; Investment; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Financial Services Industry

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September 2016
Case

Truly Human Leadership at Barry-Wehmiller

By: Dylan Minor and Jan Rivkin

The chief executive of Barry-Wehmiller, a large maker of industrial equipment, has resolved to run the company via “truly human leadership” in which “success is measured by the way we touch the lives of people.” With unusual people practices and a distinctive strategy,... View Details

Keywords: Job Cuts and Outsourcing; Values and Beliefs; Organizational Culture; Employees; Business Strategy; Manufacturing Industry

November 2010 (Revised December 2010)
Case

Mid-Missouri Energy: Ethanol from Corn

By: Forest L. Reinhardt, Noel Michele Holbrook, James Weber and Karla Sartor

Mid-Missouri Energy (MME) is a farmer-owned cooperative that produces ethanol from corn. The cooperative has performed well in comparison to other producers, but margins in the industry had declined as industry production levels neared market demand limits. MME farmers... View Details

Keywords: Agribusiness; Renewable Energy; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Policy; Growth and Development Strategy; Cooperative Ownership; Business and Government Relations; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; United States

Mar 26 2018
Testimonial

Evolving In Agribusiness

Mar 20 2018
Testimonial

Collaborating To Create More Value

09 Jun 2024
Blog Post

The EC Formula: MBA Class of 2024 Looks Back

industries and functions. We asked members of the MBA Class of 2024 what EC course will help them succeed in their various sectors, why they pursued an MBA, what advice they would give to prospective MBA students in their fields, and... View Details

February 2001 (Revised June 2001)
Case

Competitive Dynamics in Home Video Games (B): Nintendo Power

Tells the story of Nintendo's revival of the home video game industry in the mid-1980s and its dominance of the market in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Strategic issues addressed include the creation of value by sparking dormant demand and the capture of value... View Details

Keywords: Competitive Strategy; Video Game Industry

March 2023 (Revised June 2023)
Case

Layoffs in the Tech Industry: 2022–2023

By: Sandra J. Sucher and Marilyn Morgan Westner

This case examines the mass layoffs that swept through the tech industry (2022-2023) through the lens of four companies: Twitter, Stripe, Meta, and Google. How these companies implemented workforce change through mass layoffs raises critical questions applicable beyond... View Details

Keywords: Layoffs; Human Resource Management; Workforce Reductions; Ethics; Human Resources; Management; Values and Beliefs; Employee Relationship Management; Resignation and Termination; Compensation and Benefits; Technology Industry; United States; United Kingdom

13 Nov 2006
Research & Ideas

Science Business: What Happened to Biotech?

Thirty years ago it appeared as if biotech would not only revolutionize healthcare, but also radically improve the very process of R&D itself. This hasn't happened. Though some firms such as Amgen have created dramatic breakthroughs, the overall View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Biotechnology

November 1986
Supplement

People Express - March 1984

By: D. Quinn Mills

Describes People Express business strategy and whether it was successful. Describes changing environment in the airline industry and asks students to make decisions concerning a new business strategy for People Express. Follow-up to the (A) case. View Details

Keywords: Change; Industry Structures; Business Strategy; Aerospace Industry

Dec 2009
Other Presentation

The Economic Performance of Swiss Regions

By: Michael E. Porter and Michael Keller

Indicators of Economic Performance, Composition of Cantonal Economies and Clusters of Traded Industries View Details

Keywords: Economics; Switzerland

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Web

The Five Forces - Institute For Strategy And Competitiveness

value is divided among industry actors. First described by Michael Porter in his classic 1979 Harvard Business Review article, Porter’s insights started a revolution in the strategy field and continue to shape business practice and... View Details

August 1999 (Revised July 2009)
Case

Tricon Restaurants International: Globalization Re-examined

By: Pankaj Ghemawat and Tarun Khanna

Describes a leading fast food operator/franchiser trying to consolidate and standardize its operations worldwide and focus its efforts on a few key markets. Lends itself to a discussion of how global the fast food industry is, whether Tricon's new international... View Details

Keywords: Business Ventures; Global Strategy; Markets; Operations; Competition; Consolidation; Food and Beverage Industry

Ramon Casadesus-Masanell is the Herman C. Krannert Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School. He joined HBS in 2000 where he has taught the required MBA Strategy course, an elective course on Competing Business Models, and Ph.D. courses on... View Details

Keywords: apparel; energy; paper; semiconductor; software

October 2011 (Revised September 2014)
Case

Music and the (Real) World: Thirty Years of MTV

By: Mukti Khaire and Eleanor Kenyon

The case is useful for teaching students the structure of creative industries - especially fashion - and the issues to consider when attempting disruptive innovation and entrepreneurship in these industries. View Details

Keywords: Industry Structures; Entrepreneurship; Disruptive Innovation; Internet and the Web; Networks