Publications

May 2003 (Revised October 2003)
Case

BEA Systems, Inc.: Constant Reinvention to Cope with Market Waves

Developed in 1995 as a specialist software vendor, BEA Systems, Inc. had already transformed itself twice from a transaction processing product company to a server application provider. By July 2002, it had become the fastest company in history to reach $1 billion in... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Digital Platforms; Business Growth and Maturation; Management Practices and Processes; Applications and Software; Entrepreneurship; Organizational Culture; Web Services Industry; Information Technology Industry

Find at Harvard

January 2015 (Revised July 2015)
Case

Jimmy Choo

By: Anat Keinan and Sandrine Crener

Jimmy Choo is a British luxury accessories brand, specializing in shoes, handbags, accessories, and fragrances. Founded in 1996 in London by couture shoe designer Jimmy Choo and Vogue accessories editor Tamara Mellon OBE, the brand enjoyed immediate success and rapidly... View Details

11 Sep 2019
Research & Ideas

Germany May Have the Answer for Reducing Drug Prices

to prove that a new medication’s benefits merit a higher price if cheaper, similar drugs are available. The process rewards companies whose drugs are more novel or help patients more, while forcing manufacturers of equally or less effective treatments to cut prices,... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost; Health

17 Jan 2012
First Look

First Look: January 17

Structure and the Division of Labor in Top Management Authors:Maria Guadalupe, Hongyi Li, and Julie Wulf Abstract This paper shows that top management structures in large U.S. firms have radically changed... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

January 2020 (Revised July 2020)
Case

Chemours (A)

By: David G. Fubini and David Lane

The July 2015 spin-off of DuPont’s performance chemicals division as the independent company Chemours burdened new CEO Mark Vergnano and his team with perilous challenges. Despite market-leading offerings in several areas, the company faced a glutted market for its... View Details

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

01 Aug 2012
What Do You Think?

Should CEOs Worry About ‘Too Big to Succeed?’

cause the lack of sufficient organic growth as opposed to the growth by mergers and acquisitions. As he put it, "Toobigs are enormously complex, with massive, self defeating strategies at war within, producing a lower return."... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Manufacturing; Financial Services

31 Dec 2012
Research & Ideas

Most Popular Stories of 2012

Strategist? Published: July 16, 2012 Corporate strategy has become the bailiwick of consultants and business analysts, so much so that it is no longer a top-of-mind responsibility for many senior executives. Professor Cynthia A.... View Details

Keywords: by Staff

02 Nov 2016
Op-Ed

Government and Financial Tech Can Fix Cash Woes for Small Businesses

Additionally, a July 2016 American Express OPEN report found that nearly half (49 percent) of small business owners are concerned about cash flow issues at their company, and more than one-quarter (27 percent) experienced a cash flow... View Details

Keywords: by Karen Mills

30 Apr 2012
Research & Ideas

India’s Ambitious National Identification Program

In a hugely ambitious project, the Unique Identification Authority of India has been charged with implementing a nationwide program to register and assign a one-of-a-kind ID number to every Indian resident—some 1.2 billion people—by 2020 and to meet an interim goal of... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

October 2014 (Revised October 2015)
Case

Procter & Gamble, 2015

By: John R. Wells and Galen Danskin

On July 30, 2015, Procter & Gamble (P&G) announced headline double-digit earnings per share growth for the year ended June 30. A closer look at the numbers suggested a less healthy picture. Sales, volumes, and operating profits were down. Investors were not impressed;... View Details

Keywords: Strategic Analysis; Strategy; Consumer Products; Global; Procter ＆ Gamble; Corporate Strategy; Competition; Consumer Products Industry

19 Jul 2011
Research & Ideas

Rupert Murdoch and the Seeds of Moral Hazard

heavily on other, usually smaller, companies or external individuals to conduct many of their activities. What part of your iPad is made by Apple? Is the Verizon customer representative you're talking with really part of that company? How... View Details

Keywords: by Staff; Journalism & News; Publishing

19 Jul 2007
Research & Ideas

Podcast: Rupert Murdoch and the Wall Street Journal

three dozen voting members of the Bancroft family, who control 64 percent of the voting shares. The family is expected to vote July 23. Meanwhile, the Journal reported on July 18 that ad revenue for... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Aisner; Journalism & News; Publishing

September 2013
Case

Advanced Leadership Pathways: General Gale Pollock and Services for the Vision Impaired

By: Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Juliane Calingo Schwetz and Patricia Bissett Higgins

In July 2012, retired United States Army Major General Gale Pollock created Elevivo, a venture that worked on developing a comprehensive disease management software system to support the growing number of visually impaired individuals by providing them with tailored... View Details

Keywords: United States; Health Care; Health Care Education; Insurance Companies; Disease Management; Technology; Military; Leadership Skills; Health; Health Care and Treatment; Education; Insurance; Information Technology; Entrepreneurship; Leadership; Information Technology Industry; Health Industry; United States

August 2012 (Revised September 2012)
Case

JP Morgan Chase & the CIO Losses

By: Clayton Rose

On July 13, 2012, JP Morgan Chase & Co. announced a larger than expected loss for the quarter, $4.4 billion, from positions held in the Chief Investment Office (CIO), raising the total losses to $5.9 billion. Since the substantial risks in the CIO had first been... View Details

Keywords: Banking; Governance; Finance; Risk Management; Corporate Governance; Business Earnings; Accounting; Banking Industry; Financial Services Industry; United States

2013
Case

Advanced Leadership Pathways: General Gale Pollock and Services for the Vision Impaired

By: Rosabeth M. Kanter, Juliane Calingo Schwetz and Patricia Bissett Higgins

In July 2012, retired United States Army Major General Gale Pollock created Elevivo, a venture that worked on developing a comprehensive disease management software system to support the growing number of visually impaired individuals by providing them with tailored... View Details

Keywords: Disease Management; Health; Health Care and Treatment; Education; Information Technology; Insurance; Entrepreneurship; Leadership; Information Technology Industry; Health Industry; United States

February 2025
Case

RedBird Capital Partners

By: Anita Elberse and David Moreno Vicente

In July 2024, Gerry Cardinale, the founder and managing partner of RedBird Capital Partners (‘RedBird’) has helped orchestrate a high-profile deal in the world of entertainment: one in which Skydance Media (‘Skydance’), a content production studio led by David Ellison... View Details

Keywords: Entertainment; Media; Film; Television; Sports; Superstars; Marketing; Strategy; General Management; Investing; Mergers and Acquisitions; Private Equity; Asset Management

29 Oct 2007
HBS Case

Marketing Maria: Managing the Athlete Endorsement

When Serena Williams took Centre Court at Wimbledon on July 3, 2004, few gave her opponent, 17-year-old Russian star Maria Sharapova, much of a chance. But Sharapova took the Ladies' Singles championship in straight sets, catapulting her... View Details

Keywords: by Sarah Jane Gilbert; Sports

24 Mar 2002
Lessons from the Classroom

Case Study: A Lesson in Private Venture Financing

capital. Would it be a better idea to ride the wave of globalization and try to get acquired by a multinational corporation? Or should the firm remain privately owned and focus its growth in Africa? After all, he noted, markets beyond... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna

November 2024
Case

Polish Agro: Where Do We Grow From Here?

By: Willy C. Shih, Lena Duchene and Daniela Beyersdorfer

By July 2024, Polish Agro had grown into one of Poland’s fastest-growing agribusinesses, with €230 million in revenue, 82 employees, and operations across Northern Poland. The company supported farmers with essential agricultural inputs like fertilizers and seeds,... View Details