Publications

2010
Book

The Big Ditch: How America Took, Built, Ran, and Ultimately Gave Away the Panama Canal

By: Noel Maurer and Carlos Yu

On August 15, 1914, the Panama Canal was officially opened for business, thus changing the face of both world trade and military power and playing a pivotal role in the rise of the United States on the world stage. Today we view the creation of the Panama Canal as a... View Details

Keywords: Political History; For-Profit Firms; Development Economics; Infrastructure; State Ownership; Ship Transportation; Panama; United States

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August 1983 (Revised June 1984)
Case

Rise of the New York Port

By: Richard S. Tedlow

Keywords: Business History; Urban Development; Shipping Industry; New York (city, NY)

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December 2019 (Revised June 2024)
Supplement

The Dutch East India Company in 1612 (B)

By: Lynn S. Paine and Giuseppe Dari-Mattiacci

The case relates the decision made in the A case and what happened in the aftermath. View Details

Keywords: Corporate Governance; Globalized Firms and Management; Organizational Structure; Laws and Statutes; Financial Markets; Business and Shareholder Relations; Business and Government Relations; Business History; Shipping Industry; Netherlands

December 2019 (Revised June 2024)
Case

The Dutch East India Company in 1612 (A)

By: Lynn S. Paine and Giuseppe Dari-Mattiacci

The Dutch East India Company’s board of directors must decide what to do about an impending legal requirement to liquidate the company’s assets and return to shareholders their capital and any profits earned during a ten-year lock-up period. The charter granted to the... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Governance; Globalized Firms and Management; Organizational Structure; Laws and Statutes; Financial Markets; Business and Shareholder Relations; Business and Government Relations; Business History; Shipping Industry; Netherlands

June 2013
Teaching Plan

Fairstar Heavy Transport

By: Guhan Subramanian and Charlotte Krontiris

This case traces the efforts of Fairstar Heavy Transport, a heavy marine transportation company, to secure a contract associated with the development of the Greater Gorgon gas fields off the coast of Australia. It examines Fairstar's approach to a highly regimented... View Details

Keywords: Fairstar; Gorgon; Bidding; Bids and Bidding; Energy Sources; Shipping Industry; Australia

August 1982 (Revised June 1983)
Case

American President Lines Ltd.: CMS-I Decision (A)

By: James I. Cash Jr. and Michael R. Vitale

Keywords: Information Technology; Decision Making; Shipping Industry

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July 2022 (Revised November 2022)
Case

Building a Mishap-Free U.S. Navy

By: Amy C. Edmondson, Herman B. Leonard, Michael W. Toffel and Michael Norris

In 2021, Kevin “Bud” Couch, a retired Navy captain who was now working as a civilian employee of the Navy Safety Center, was trying to determine how best to reduce the risk of Navy mishaps. The Navy had experienced a series of major mishaps in 2017 that had led to a... View Details

Keywords: National Security; Safety; War; Ship Transportation; Risk Management; Operations; Singapore; Tokyo; San Diego

10 Aug 2010
First Look

First Look: August 10

in an environment in which consumers disseminate content without the assistance, or approval, of gatekeepers. Purchase this case:http://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cb/product/510064-PDF-ENG Vereinigung Hamburger Schiffsmakler und Schiffsagenten e.V. (VHSS): Valuing View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

April 2004 (Revised July 2008)
Case

Showdown on the Waterfront: The West Coast Port Dispute (A)

By: Kathleen L. McGinn and Dina R. Pradel

New technology underlies a protracted dispute between West Coast longshoremen and their employers. Severe economic consequences lead to government intervention in the dispute. View Details

Keywords: Economics; Negotiation Process; Business and Government Relations; Labor and Management Relations; Conflict and Resolution; Shipping Industry; Western United States

April 2003 (Revised September 2005)
Case

Celebrity Cruises, Inc.: A Taste of Luxury

By: Frances X. Frei, Corey B. Hajim and Christian Hempell

Describes the complex operations of the cruise industry. Positioned between luxury cruise lines and mass market lines, Celebrity struggles to find ways to create customer loyalty and increase profitability. View Details

Keywords: Customer Satisfaction; Profit; Product Positioning; Operations; Luxury; Shipping Industry

October 2002 (Revised October 2005)
Case

United Parcel Service's IPO

By: Paul M. Healy, Brett Laschinger and Ajay Shroff

Examines the valuation of United Parcel Service (UPS) at the time of its IPO in mid-1999. Offers students the opportunity to assess UPS's current performance relative to its major competitor, Federal Express (FedEx), and to judge whether that performance is... View Details

Keywords: Initial Public Offering; Valuation; Performance Evaluation; Competition; Shipping Industry; Georgia (state, US)

20 Dec 2018
Research & Ideas

Most Popular Stories and Research Papers of 2018

earners, who may also exploit additional strategies to increase the share of total income that accrues to the top 1 percent, according to Ethan Rouen and colleagues. Shipping Fees and Product Assortment in Online Retail This study... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

October 2008 (Revised February 2009)
Case

Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering

Explores the journey of aggressive learning and capability building in the operations of a major Korean Shipbuilder. While DSHM had once used its superior learning capability to topple its Japanese competition, it now faced the potential for a similar attack from new... View Details

Keywords: Job Cuts and Outsourcing; Ship Transportation; Competitive Strategy; Globalization; Manufacturing Industry; Japan; China; South Korea

19 Nov 2018
Sharpening Your Skills

E-Santa: Is Retail Ready for Digital Christmas?

Is Amazon's growing retail power capable of breaking the "wheel of retailing" theory? Retail Reaches a Tipping Point—Which Stores Will Survive? E-commerce is about to deal severe blows to many familiar store-based brands. How to Use Free View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Retail

10 May 2011
First Look

First Look: May 10

strategy—made by Cake's team in response to market feedback. Purchase this case:http://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cb/product/811041-PDF-ENG Vereinigung Hamburger Schiffsmakler und Schiffsagenten e.V. (VHSS): Valuing Ships Benjamin C. Esty and... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

26 Mar 2008
Sharpening Your Skills

Sharpening Your Skills: Disaster!

Can leaders anticipate disaster? How Does Disaster Change Leadership Goals? Shackleton: An Entrepreneur of Survival On a trek across Antarctica, Sir Ernest Shackleton's ship Endurance became trapped in ice. How did Shackleton lead his... View Details

October 1996 (Revised April 1997)
Case

Team New Zealand (A)

By: Marco Iansiti and Alan D. MacCormack

The case describes the development process used by Team New Zealand to design their two yachts for the 1995 America's Cup. During development, the team makes extensive use of simulation and physical prototyping to improve the initial design concept. As they approach... View Details

Keywords: Product Design; Design; Product Development; Sports; Ship Transportation; Research and Development; Situation or Environment; Decisions; Sports Industry; New Zealand

February 2011 (Revised January 2013)
Case

Fairstar Heavy Transport (A)

By: Guhan Subramanian and Rhea Ghosh

In 2009, the small heavy marine transport company Fairstar entered into bidding on one of the largest contracts in the history of the industry. The case chronicles the company's year-long tendering process, leading up to a final make-or-break meeting. View Details

Keywords: Negotiation Process; Decision Making; Contracts; Shipping Industry; Shipping Industry