Publications

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24 Feb 2009
First Look

First Look: February 24, 2009

market-type dispersion is an important determinant of delegation and the provision of incentives. Using a sample of convenience store chains, we show that market-type dispersion is related to the degree of franchising at the chain level... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

01 Mar 2011
News

Making Their Way

export. With globalization, supply chains are lengthening and that means growth for railroads and other transportation modes.” According to the Association of American Railroads, an industry trade group, if... View Details

Keywords: Garry Emmons; Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing; Manufacturing; Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing; Manufacturing; Rail Transportation; Transportation

06 Jan 2012
Op-Ed

Where Green Corporate Ratings Fail

professor at Harvard Business School, where he researches the effectiveness of environmental management practices within companies' operations and supply chains, and teaches MBAs and executives how managers can effectively navigate... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Toffel & Auden Schendler; Information; Publishing

December 1989 (Revised April 1997)
Case

Destin Brass Products Co.

By: William J. Bruns Jr.

A specialized manufacturer of brass valves, pumps, and flow controllers is troubled by competitive pricing in pumps and higher than expected margins for flow controllers. Managers suspect that cost accounting and cost allocations to products may be to blame. Two... View Details

Keywords: Cost Accounting; Activity Based Costing and Management; Five Forces Framework; Customer Value and Value Chain; Competition; Business Strategy; Design; Inflation and Deflation; Asset Pricing; Governance Controls; Manufacturing Industry

Keywords: Julia Hanna; Water, Sewage and Supply Systems; Water, Sewage and Supply Systems; Water, Sewage and Supply Systems; Water, Sewage and Supply Systems; Water, Sewage and Supply Systems; Water, Sewage and Supply Systems; Water, Sewage and Supply Systems; Water, Sewage and Supply Systems; Water, Sewage and Supply Systems

07 Feb 2012
First Look

First Look: February 7

Frederik NellemannHarvard Business School Case 712-438 Unilever's Lipton Tea had been successful with the first phase of its certification partnership with Rainforest Alliance. Now the company faced challenges in how to push forward with the transformation of more... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

01 Mar 2011
News

James McNerney Jr.

engage in global cooperation to get these planes done. Another lesson was IT systems. We lost visibility of the supply chain because our systems weren’t good enough to keep track of manufacturing activity.... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna; interview; Transportation Equipment Manufacturing; Manufacturing; Air Transportation; Transportation

13 Apr 2010
First Look

First Look: April 13

by deviating frequently and in predictable ways from the recommendations offered by a centralized capacity planning model. Finally, we document that these discretionary capacity supply decisions exhibit a strong learning effect whereby... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

18 Sep 2017
News

Chronicling a Legacy of Alumni Social Impact

Howard Stevenson (photo by Stuart Cahill) Howard Stevenson (photo by Stuart Cahill) [Editor's note: This article was updated November 25, 2019] As former dean of External Relations, longtime faculty member Howard Stevenson met individually with more than 1,000 alumni... View Details

01 Mar 2017
News

The Middle Way

Woods”—a series of demonstrations involving environmental and First Nations activists blocking the path of logging equipment and chaining themselves to trees and bulldozers. The protests attracted international attention and spread beyond... View Details

Keywords: Dan Morrell; photos by Kamil Bialous

March 2011 (Revised May 2012)
Case

Shanghai Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park Development Co., Ltd.

By: Robert G. Eccles, Catherine Zhang, Cheng-hua Tzeng, Liang Cheng and Penelope Rossano

This case is about the establishment, growth, and direction of the Shanghai Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park ("Zhangjiang Park"), which is located in the Pudong New Area of Shanghai. Considered to be one of the most competitive hi-tech industry clusters in China, the combined... View Details

Keywords: Industry Clusters; Information Technology; Capital Markets; Urban Development; Buildings and Facilities; Competition; Business Strategy; Governing and Advisory Boards; Technology Industry; Real Estate Industry; Shanghai

October 2001 (Revised February 2002)
Case

Nasdaq Japan: E-Merging Markets

By: Lynda M. Applegate and Kristin M. Kohler

Describes the design and launch of Nasdaq Japan. Addresses issues concerning the design of electronic markets, the impact of information technology on market structures and relationships, the launch of new ventures by established firms, and the cultural issues that... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Financial Markets; Technological Innovation; Management; Industry Structures; Competitive Strategy; Information Technology; Internet and the Web; Financial Services Industry; Information Technology Industry; Japan

August 2006 (Revised May 2016)
Case

Cluster Mobilization in Mitteldeutschland

By: Jeffrey Fear, Christian H.M. Ketels and Claudia Linsenmeier

As part of the privatization in Eastern Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Dow Chemical made a major investment in the Halle-Leipzig region, one of the largest chemical industry sites in Europe. The executive in charge of Dow's operations in the region, Bart... View Details

Keywords: Industry Clusters; Development Economics; Privatization; Chemicals; Foreign Direct Investment; Management Teams; Private Sector; Competitive Strategy; Brands and Branding; Market Participation; Chemical Industry; Germany

July 2005 (Revised January 2011)
Case

Understanding Customer Profitability at Charles Schwab

By: Francisco de Asis Martinez-Jerez

Charles Schwab is transforming into a customer-centric organization. Central to this cultural and organizational change is the utilization of customer profitability at different decision-making levels. Examines several technical aspects of the ABC cost system, as well... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Motivation and Incentives; Customer Relationship Management; Customer Value and Value Chain; Activity Based Costing and Management; Decision Making; Organizational Culture; Profit; Performance Evaluation; Budgets and Budgeting