Publications

February 2002 (Revised February 2006)
Case

Volvo Trucks (A): Penetrating the U.S. Market

By: Michael E. Porter and Orjan Solvell

Volvo Trucks has worked on a global strategy for several decades. Beginning in the mid-1970s, the company decided to enter the largest market for trucks: the United States. Over time, the company has struggled to get a significant share of the U.S. market and at the... View Details

Keywords: Market Entry and Exit; Competitive Strategy; Five Forces Framework; Truck Transportation; Global Strategy; Globalized Markets and Industries; Manufacturing Industry; Manufacturing Industry; United States; Europe

January 2006 (Revised December 2006)
Case

Toyota Motor Corporation: Launching Prius

By: Forest L. Reinhardt, Dennis A. Yao and Masako Egawa

In 1995, Hiroshi Okuda, president of Toyota Motor Corp., considers whether to push for a more aggressive launch of the Toyota Prius--an automobile that incorporates Toyota's new and technically advanced hybrid power train. This launch decision allows discussion of the... View Details

Keywords: Environmental Sustainability; Product Launch; Transportation; Brands and Branding; Manufacturing Industry; Green Technology Industry; Auto Industry; Japan

06 Feb 2014
Research & Ideas

The Art of American Advertising

in the years following the Civil War—when the railroad industry created a new, national network for manufacturing and distributing consumer goods. (These were the days when "posting" referred to hanging posters on the sides of... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Advertising

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

12 Oct 1999
Research & Ideas

Decoding the DNA of the Toyota Production System

The Toyota Production System is a paradox. On the one hand, every activity, connection, and production flow in a Toyota factory is rigidly scripted. Yet at the same time, Toyota's operations are enormously flexible and responsive to customer demand. How can that be?... View Details

Keywords: by H. Kent Bowen & Steven Spear; Manufacturing; Manufacturing; Manufacturing

16 Feb 2004
Research & Ideas

European Private Equity—Still a Teenager?

Oliver Ewald said his firm, Audax Group, has recently made deals on corporate carve-outs that include a digital x-ray manufacturer based in Switzerland and a cryogenic equipment View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Financial Services

09 Jun 2003
Research & Ideas

Around the World of Entrepreneurial Ventures

about $40 million. "More importantly," said Kuemmerle, Singulus established 60 percent of world market share in CD metallization. Another company he studied, Jinwoong, the world's largest manufacturer of camping View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

07 Aug 2009
What Do You Think?

Why Can’t Americans Get Health Care Right?

above are numerous in a channel that includes, in your comments, food and tobacco producers of unhealthy products (Christy Hitchens, Tom Dolembo); lifestyle equipment and service providers; developers and View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett; Health

15 Sep 2003
Research & Ideas

The Lessons of New-Market Disruption

of a mini refrigerator and stacked on top of other line equipment. Better yet, this tighter integration would greatly reduce the manufacturing costs. The second technology was Windows NT. Teradyne's test systems included various software... View Details

Keywords: by Clark Gilbert; Technology

29 May 2006
Research & Ideas

Why CEOs Are Not Plug-and-Play

one of America's best-managed companies. By the 1990s, GE's Appliance and Lighting businesses required careful attention to costs given mature industries and highly unionized labor forces. Its Aircraft Engines, Power Systems, Industrial Systems, and View Details

Keywords: by Boris Groysberg, Andrew N. McLean & Nitin Nohria; Employment

March 2019
Article

Economics of Converting Renewable Power to Hydrogen

By: Gunther Glenk and Stefan Reichelstein

The recent sharp decline in the cost of renewable energy suggests that the production of hydrogen from renewable power through a power-to-gas process might become more economical. Here we examine this alternative from the perspective of an investor who considers a... View Details

Find at Harvard

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27 May 2014
First Look

First Look: May 27

create frames compatible with Glass, and 3) negotiating a partnership with a leading eyewear manufacturer to jointly develop and market Glass. Purchase this case: http://hbr.org/product/google-glass/an/814102-PDF-ENG Harvard Business... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

12 Feb 2016
Op-Ed

The Real Jobs Tragedy in the US: We've Lost the Skills

to bring people and jobs together at home. Developing a playbook for equipping Americans with the right skills will be critical if America is to retain its competitiveness in an increasingly global economy. And it is the essential... View Details

Keywords: by Joe Fuller and Matt Sigelman; Manufacturing; Manufacturing

April 2024
Case

Michelin in Motion: Putting Purpose to Work

By: Hubert Joly, Nitin Nohria and Emilie Billaud

When he became CEO, facing limited growth prospects, a low valuation, and therefore a stagnating share price, Menegaux and his team launched a set of initiatives to reposition Michelin. These included (1) articulating a clear purpose (“We care about giving people a... View Details

2011
Working Paper

Sustainable Fleet Operations: The Collaborative Adoption of Electric Vehicles

By: Vanessa Chocteau, David F. Drake, Paul R. Kleindorfer, Renato J. Orsato and Alain Roset

Keywords: Fleet Management; Carbon Regulation; Sustainable Operations; Collaboration; Environmental Sustainability; Transportation; Cooperation; Energy Sources; Manufacturing Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Manufacturing Industry; France

Read Now

October 1989 (Revised May 1998)
Teaching Note

Collision Course in Commercial Aircraft: Boeing-Airbus-McDonnell Douglas--1991 (A) & New Theories of International Trade, Teaching Note

By: David B. Yoffie

Teaching Note for (9-391-106) and (9-390-001). View Details

Keywords: Air Transportation Industry; Air Transportation Industry