Publications

May 2010 (Revised June 2012)
Case

From Imitation to Innovation: Zongshen Industrial Group

By: Willy Shih and Nancy Hua Dai

As Zuo Zongshen drove the transformation of the Zongshen Industrial Group from an early imitator in the motorcycle business to a company that increasingly focused on innovation as a way to get out of the hyper-competitive commodity business, he continually faced new... View Details

Keywords: Experience and Expertise; Learning; Investment; Disruptive Innovation; Knowledge Acquisition; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Structure; Competitive Strategy; Manufacturing Industry; Motorcycle Industry; China

February 2010 (Revised March 2010)
Supplement

Leading Change at Simmons (E)

By: Amy C. Edmondson and Susan Thyne

This case updates the “Leading Change at Simmons” series by examining Simmons' increasing debt under the ownership of Thomas H. Lee, a private equity firm. Charlie Eitel, the former CEO, wonders what the company's, and his, legacy will be after declaring bankruptcy... View Details

Keywords: Borrowing and Debt; Private Equity; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Leading Change; Operations; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Ownership; Performance Improvement; Consumer Products Industry

December 2009 (Revised October 2015)
Case

Diamond Foods

By: David E. Bell and Mary Louise Shelman

CEO Michael Mendes has transformed a grower-owned cooperative into a publicly traded top marketer of snack foods. Diamond's organization, culture, product development process, advertising and promotion strategy, and specifically its marketing department have been built... View Details

Keywords: Agribusiness; Business Model; Customer Focus and Relationships; Leadership; Marketing Strategy; Consumer Behavior; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Cooperative Ownership; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Retail Industry; United States

June 2007 (Revised December 2007)
Case

AFL-CIO: Office of Investment and Home Depot

By: Rakesh Khurana and James Weber

Describes the AFL-CIO: Office of Investments activities in their campaign to improve governance at Home Depot by calling attention to Home Depot CEO Robert Nardelli's compensation package and the company's poor performance. The AFL-CIO Office of Investments advocates... View Details

Keywords: Investment; Corporate Governance; Governing and Advisory Boards; Executive Compensation; Labor Unions; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Business and Shareholder Relations

November 2002 (Revised May 2003)
Case

ConAgra Foods

By: Ray A. Goldberg and Ingrid Vargas

In 2002, ConAgra Foods CEO Bruce Rohde was deliberating the next steps in the process of transforming the company from an agribusiness giant to a value-added food processor. ConAgra had become the second largest food company and number one food service supplier in the... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Strategy; Leading Change; Change Management; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Food; Agribusiness; Product; Business Processes; Management Teams; Expansion; Brands and Branding; Food and Beverage Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; United States

October 1999
Case

Royal Dutch/Shell in Transition (B)

By: Lynn S. Paine

This case describes the decisions made by Shell in response to the situation presented in the (A) case. View Details

Keywords: Governance; Corporate Accountability; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Social Issues; Public Opinion; Moral Sensibility; Values and Beliefs; Transformation; Energy Industry

January 1996
Case

Biogen, Inc.: rBeta Interferon Manufacturing Process Development

By: Steven C. Wheelwright

Biogen, Inc., a Cambridge, MA-based biotechnology company, is wrapping up a project to develop a new manufacturing process for a new drug product that will reposition the company from a purely research-oriented company to a fully integrated pharmaceutical manufacturing... View Details

Keywords: Learning; Technological Innovation; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Product Development; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Projects; Research and Development; Corporate Strategy; Biotechnology Industry

Student-Profile

Omar Olivarez

but how we live. “AI is dynamic technology that adapts to different situations,” he explains. “But what are the repercussions of AI on aspects of work like job satisfaction or worker autonomy?” One of the challenges of researching... View Details

22 Oct 2013
First Look

First Look: October 22

and adapt leadership and talent management best practices to law firm structures and challenges. Chapters cover all of the important aspects of strategic talent management and provide practical guidance from law firm talent management... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

03 Jun 2002
What Do You Think?

Are We Entering an Era of European Management Leadership?

efficiency, innovation, quality, and responsiveness to customers—even as one also finds adaptations to cultural differences." These comments tend to question whether management leadership has a "geographic home" as opposed... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

05 Dec 2022
Blog Post

2022 Climate Symposium: Tackling Climate Together

discussions featuring industry experts in the following areas: Energy Transition; Ag-Tech Innovations; Consumer Driven Sustainability; Living with Climate Change; Early Stage Climate Investing; Scaling Carbon Markets; Climate Mitigation & View Details

15 Aug 2024
Blog Post

Navigating the Future of Renewable Energy at Port Esbjerg

and a presentation by Total Energies, and a walkthrough of the port’s district heating plant. Port Esbjerg offered us a unique perspective on how a port can be a central hub in the transition to renewable energy. Adapting Infrastructure... View Details

Web

Getting Things Done: Motivating Yourself and Others - Course Catalog

self-motivation techniques that may undermine or reinforce value creating behavior. Special attention will be given to motivation challenges in remote and hybrid work environments, addressing how traditional motivation approaches must View Details

15 Dec 2024
News

On The Case

Professor Linda Hill first met Tom Mihaljevic (GMP 15, 2013) when he came to campus to participate in a fireside chat that Hill unexpectedly wound up facilitating. At that time, he was the CEO of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, and the pair found they had a lot to talk... View Details

Keywords: Jen McFarland Flint; Educational Support Services; Educational Services

01 Jun 2012
News

Alumni Book Briefs

produces continual improvement and allows them to rapidly adapt to change without succumbing to complexity. Dorade: The History of an Ocean Racing Yacht by Douglas D. Adkins (MBA 1975) (David R. Godine) This is a history of the Dorade,... View Details

Keywords: News, Library, Internet, and Other Services; Information; Clothing and Clothing Accessories Stores; Retail Trade

April 2020
Case

The Board's Role in Refocusing Bahrain Development Bank

By: Paul M. Healy and Alpana Thapar

In March 2016, Bahrain Development Bank’s (BDB) existing board term came to an end and Khalid Al Rumaihi was appointed the new chairman. Determining a need for change, he immediately overhauled the board and replaced BDB’s long-standing CEO. The new board quickly... View Details

Keywords: Board Of Directors; Governing and Advisory Boards; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Change Management; Banking Industry; Bahrain

January 2020
Supplement

Chemours (B)

By: David G. Fubini and David Lane

Supplement to the (A) case, describing actions taken by Chemours CEO Mark Vergnano and members of his executive team to execute a successful turnaround of the company. View Details

Keywords: Transformation; Leading Change; Crisis Management; Organizational Change and Adaptation; United States

March 27, 2017
Article

How the Water Industry Learned to Embrace Data

By: Frank V. Cespedes and Amir Peleg

Most current talk about “big data” seems to assume the disintermediation or replacement of physical assets by digital technologies. But a bigger and more impactful trend is the use of online tools to improve physical asset utilization in many traditional off-line... View Details

Keywords: Information Technology; Analytics and Data Science; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Utilities Industry

Register to Read

December 2011 (Revised October 2015)
Case

Fonterra

By: David E. Bell and Mary Shelman

In 2011, Fonterra, the world's largest processor and exporter of dairy products, needed to reposition its business to take advantage of rising demand in emerging markets in Asia. View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Product Positioning; Emerging Markets; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Asia