Publications

December 2003 (Revised April 2004)
Case

Blockbuster Inc. & Technological Substitution (B): Confronting New Digital Formats

Investigates how the rise of digital video formats threatens to make videocassette technology obsolete; how this technological substitution might alter the economics and structure of the video rental and retail industries; and how Blockbuster Inc., the industry leader,... View Details

Keywords: Risk and Uncertainty; Decisions; Technological Innovation; Competition; Change Management; Service Industry; Motion Pictures and Video Industry

05 Sep 2008
What Do You Think?

Is Case Method Instruction Due for an Overhaul?

were nevertheless raised for our further consideration. For example, Joe Violette left us with the assertion that "The Case Method ... develops a structured management approach ... not ... leaders." Others, such as Jacoline... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett; Education

19 May 2020
Blog Post

The Aspen Fellowship: MBA Student Launches Program Supporting Black Undergrads

need to succeed in corporate America. Fellows will be paired with advisors who manage the project’s scope, development, and overall direction. At the conclusion of the program, fellows will have spent valuable View Details

31 Mar 2008
HBS Case

JetBlue’s Valentine’s Day Crisis

from taking off.) That day, only seventeen of JetBlue's 156 scheduled departures left JFK, a fact that caused ripple effects throughout the system and displaced crew and aircraft. In subsequent days, JetBlue management canceled more and... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Air Transportation

23 Apr 2019
Blog Post

HBS Shares Their Favorite Books for HR Leaders

future success. Forged in Crisis: The Power of Courageous Leadership in Turbulent Times A book for managers who strive to be great leaders, Nancy Koehn’s book Forged in Crisis: The Power of Courageous... View Details

Keywords: All Industries

09 Jan 2007
First Look

First Look: January 9, 2007

Review 85, no. 1 (January 2007) Abstract Every leader gets off track from time to time. As leaders rise through the ranks, they have fewer and fewer opportunities for honest and direct feedback. Their bosses are no longer monitoring their... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

12 Feb 2018
Research & Ideas

Customers at the Back of the Line Are Anxious—Can You Keep Them from Leaving?

the UPS Foundation Associate Professor of Service Management in the Technology and Operations Management Unit. “When we are feeling bad, one way we cope is by comparing ourselves to people who are worse off... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Retail; Service

04 Apr 2011
HBS Case

Reinventing the National Geographic Society

case study in 1994 when Fahey was CEO of Time Life, ironically facing many of the same challenges with earlier generations of media and technology. Fifteen years later it was an opportunity to observe an elite general View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Publishing

12 Oct 2006
First Look

First Look: October 12, 2006

differently than many companies' product development processes, but allows this company to produce very high profit margin products that retain their margins for a very long time in an industry in which products come and go very quickly.... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

April 2011 (Revised July 2011)
Case

Renewing GE: The Africa Project (A)

By: David A. Thomas and Stephanie J. Creary

This case profiles the evolution of General Electric's African American Form (AAF), an employee affinity group, and its efforts to increase the company's involvement in Africa. The AAF formed in 1991 to help advance GE's recruitment, retention and development of black... View Details

Keywords: Diversity; Global Strategy; Multinational Firms and Management; Employees; Employee Relationship Management; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Corporate Strategy; Expansion; Africa; United States

2021
Chapter

Governing for Growth in Scope: Cultivating a Comparative Understanding of How Peer Production Collectives Evolve

By: Rebecca Karp, Amisha Miller and Siobhan O'Mahony

One of the early challenges for any peer production collective is how to govern the growth of new members or contributors. Scope growth was not a topic of concern when scholars were focused on understanding the emergence of peer production collectives as a phenomenon... View Details

Keywords: Peer Production Collectives; Scope Growth; Collaborative Innovation and Invention; Governance; Growth Management

Read Now

2012
Working Paper

Relational Contracts and Organizational Capabilities

By: R. Gibbons and R. Henderson

A large literature identifies unique organizational capabilities as a potent source of competitive advantage, yet our knowledge of why capabilities fail to diffuse more rapidly-particularly in situations in which competitors apparently have strong incentives to adopt... View Details

Keywords: Competitive Advantage; Motivation and Incentives; Management Practices and Processes; Contracts; Competency and Skills; Relationships; Complexity

Read Now

12 Apr 2022
Research & Ideas

Swiping Right: How Data Helped This Online Dating Site Make More Matches

Evidence from a Randomized Field Experiment. McFowland coauthored the paper with Jui Ramaprasad of the University of Maryland, Ravi Bapna of the University of Minnesota, Probal Mojumdar of Indian Institute of Management Udaipur, and... View Details

Keywords: by Kara Baskin

July 2020
Case

Michael Solomonov: Jerusalem in a Bowl

By: Boris Groysberg, Evan M.S. Hecht and Katherine Connolly Baden

Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook had begun to wonder whether it might be time to rethink their opportunistic approach to the expansion of their small restaurant empire in Philadelphia, CooknSolo. The pandemic, however, caused an... View Details

Keywords: Restaurant Industry; Entrepreneur; COVID-19; Crisis; Crisis Response Plans; Entrepreneurship; Food; Health Pandemics; Crisis Management; Innovation and Invention; Leadership; Creativity; Strategy; Ownership; Problems and Challenges; Risk and Uncertainty; Situation or Environment; Food and Beverage Industry; United States

08 Dec 2023
News

New Leadership Role and Structure

Relations. This organizational change reflects the lifelong relationship our students have with Harvard Business School—one that starts when they apply, deepens during their time on campus, and extends after they graduate and throughout... View Details

February 2000 (Revised April 2005)
Case

Gray Security: Building a South African Services Firm

Describes Gray Security Services, an entrepreneurial South African firm that has recently gone through a financial restructuring with the help of Brait Capital Partners, a private equity firm. Gray provides complete security services to companies in South Africa, other... View Details

Keywords: Initial Public Offering; Entrepreneurship; Equity; Growth and Development Strategy; Service Industry; South Africa

20 Oct 2017
Blog Post

Taking Care to Prepare Leaders: Lessons in Leadership Development from DaVita Kidney Care

leaders and given special attention, such as seminars and direct exposure to senior leadership.” 2. Rotational Program: The most familiar model comes in two forms – an established general management program with fixed View Details

Keywords: Health Care

June 2011 (Revised January 2013)
Case

Home Essentials: Building a Global Service Business with Local Operations

By: Lynda M. Applegate, William R. Kerr and David Lane

Chris Exline founded Home Essentials, a furniture rental business targeted toward expatriates, in Singapore but rapidly moved the base of operations to Hong Kong. The company was highly successful in Singapore and Hong Kong and then pursued rapid global expansion.... View Details

Keywords: Growth Management; Renting or Rental; Corporate Governance; Global Strategy; Failure; Singapore; Hong Kong