Publications
Publications
Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(1,798)
- Faculty Publications (229)
- January 1998 (Revised February 2006)
- Background Note
Creating Competitive Advantage
By: Pankaj Ghemawat and Jan W. Rivkin
A firm such as Schering-Plough that earns superior, long-run financial returns within its industry is said to enjoy a competitive advantage over its rivals. This note examines the logic of how firms create competitive advantage. It emphasizes two themes: First, to... View Details
- November 1997
- Case
Colly Cotton Ltd.
By: Ray A. Goldberg and Tom Clay
Colly Farm is an entrepreneurial cotton farm complex that has to compete on a world market. In going public it has to satisfy the market that it can remain profitable in volatile times. View Details
- July 1997 (Revised August 1997)
- Case
numeric investors l.p.
By: Andre F. Perold and Brian J. Tierney
Numeric Investors manages equity portfolios with the use of a momentum model and a value model. The momentum model is based on earnings surprise and analysts' revisions of their earnings estimates. The firm offers long-short as well as long-only strategies, and its... View Details
- April 1997
- Background Note
Using ABC to Manage Customer Mix and Relationships
By: Robert S. Kaplan
Describes applying activity-based costing to manage customer relationships. Links cost-to-serve to net margins earned with individual customers. View Details
- December 1996
- Background Note
Financial Engineering and Tax Risk: The Case of Times Mirror PEPS
By: Peter Tufano
Provides general background on the taxation of corporate securities, and shows how the inconsistent taxation of functionally-similar securities can permit financial engineers to bear tax risk to earn positive returns. Designed to be used with Times Mirror Co. PEPS... View Details
- December 1996 (Revised June 1998)
- Case
Midnight Networks, Inc.
By: H. Kent Bowen and Marilyn Matis
Midnight Networks, Inc., is a small computer network validation company. This case describes how the five founders built their business from operations earnings and how they established "best practices" operational processes to run their firm successfully. Operational... View Details
- July 1996
- Case
Bayside Controls, Inc.
By: H. Kent Bowen, Jennifer Kochman and Sylvie Ryckebusch
Two recent MBA graduates acquire a small and ailing metal-machining company that had manufactured small aerospace components. Through clever application of state-of-the-art manufacturing, engineering, and marketing/sales concepts, they turned the company into a growing... View Details
- March 1996 (Revised April 1996)
- Case
State Street Bank and Trust Company: New Product Development
By: Gary P. Pisano and Maryam Golnaraghi
Portrays the dilemma faced by Marsh Carter, CEO and chairman of the board of State Street Bank, in May 1995. For the past decade, the bank earned continually expanding earnings through its rapidly growing custody business. Now, as that business matures and custodial... View Details
- March 1996 (Revised July 1996)
- Case
Service Corporation International
By: Benjamin C. Esty and Craig F Schreiber
The CFO of a high-growth company in the low-growth and fragmented funeral services industry must decide how to optimize capital structure and earnings growth while maximizing the company's market value. View Details
- Article
Investing in Distressed Situations: A Market Survey
By: S. C. Gilson
The risks of investing in distressed companies—a practice popularly known as "vulture" investing—are highly firm specific and idiosyncratic. Investors who are adept at managing these risks, who understand the legal rules that must be followed in corporate bankruptcy,... View Details
- June 1995 (Revised September 2019)
- Teaching Note
Richardson Sheffield
By: Christopher A. Bartlett and Ashish Nanda
This note was prepared to aid instructors in the use of "Richardson Sheffield," HBS No. 392-089. The case traces Bryan Upton’s 20-plus years as managing director of a Sheffield-based cutlery company and describes the strategic and organizational actions he took to... View Details
Keywords: Development; General Management; Human Resources; Management; Leadership; Strategy; United Kingdom
- March 1995 (Revised November 1995)
- Supplement
Dividend Policy at FPL Group, Inc. (B)
By: Benjamin C. Esty and Craig F Schreiber
FPL's dividend policy and the reaction of the financial markets are examined. View Details
- February 1994 (Revised July 2008)
- Case
Banc One Corporation: Asset and Liability Management
By: Benjamin C. Esty, Peter Tufano and Jon Headley
Banc One's share price has been falling recently due to analyst and investor concern over the bank's heavy use of interest rate derivatives. Dick Lodge, chief investment officer in charge of the bank's investment and derivative portfolio, must recommend to the CEO a... View Details
- December 1992 (Revised March 1997)
- Case
Peoria Engine Plant (A)
By: Robert S. Kaplan and Amy P. Hutton
Describes the cost control system used at an automobile engine plant for labor and overhead costs. The finance staff prepares daily, weekly, and monthly variance reports against budgets. Department supervisors, finance staff, and the plant manager discuss the use and... View Details
- May 1992 (Revised September 2019)
- Case
Richardson Sheffield
By: Christopher A. Bartlett and Ashish Nanda
The case traces Bryan Upton’s 20-plus years as managing director of a Sheffield-based cutlery company and describes the strategic and organizational actions he took to raise sales and earnings at more than 25% annually, even as the local industry was in steep... View Details
- June 1991 (Revised December 1997)
- Case
Takeover of the Norton Co., The
By: Thomas R. Piper
After a decade of mediocre performance, the Norton Co. enters 1990 with the prospect of increased sales in the next few years. Yet Norton is pursuing slow growth industries, and a lower than expected earnings announcement at the beginning of 1990 has depressed earnings... View Details
- March 1991 (Revised April 1995)
- Case
IBP and the U.S. Meat Industry
By: David J. Collis and Nancy Donohue
IBP, the largest U.S. beef and pork processor, is facing deteriorating earnings and undertakes a fundamental strategic review in 1990. Having grown from its founding in 1961 to its current position as a low cost, innovative producer of boxed beef, and more recently... View Details
- March 1990 (Revised June 1993)
- Case
Analog Devices, Inc.: The Half-Life System
By: Robert S. Kaplan
The company has committed to major improvements in quality, cost, and on-time delivery performance. Despite strong senior management support, however, the actual rate of improvement was disappointing until a new measurement philosophy was introduced. The new approach... View Details