Publications

June 1994 (Revised October 2001)
Case

Mrs. Fields, Inc. (1988-1992)

By: Lynda M. Applegate, Keri O. Pearlson and Randi Wade Purchia

Continues the story of Mrs. Fields Cookies. Explores the new challenges the company faced managing its geographic growth and its expansion of products and markets through combination stores. Details the decision of Debbi and Randy Fields to delegate management... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Expansion; Growth Management; Organizational Structure; Globalization; Information Management; Food and Beverage Industry

05 Dec 2017
Research & Ideas

What We've Learned from 101 Entrepreneurs in Emerging Markets

studied at Harvard Business School. Credit: Bartosz Hadyniak For perspectives on what has been learned so far, HBS Working Knowledge conducted an email interview with four of the key drivers of CEM: Project coordinators Geoffrey Jones,... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

22 Apr 2002
Lessons from the Classroom

Entrepreneurship: It Can Be Taught

you'll find that very few actually wind up in the industrial sector, which had been the focus of the long-standing Business Policy course. When Kim Clark became Dean, he stressed that entrepreneurship—the pursuit of opportunity beyond the... View Details

Keywords: by Staff

11 Jan 2016
Blog Post

Meet the Business and Environment Initiative

relationships between economic systems and the natural environment, and about the structures that enable firms to act productively in this arena. It develops innovative cases, teaching notes, and other curriculum materials for broader... View Details

Web

Finalists | New Venture Competition

homeowners time and preventing costly repairs. By leveraging advanced agentic RAG, OCR, predictive analytics, IOT, and an AI-driven marketplace, Oply provides personalized insights, proactive reminders, and seamless vendor coordination -... View Details

Profile

Jonathan Arena

"It definitely started in kindergarten," Jonathan Arena says, about his interest in art. "I attended a Waldorf School that believed in immersing children in creativity, rather than in the industrial processes of most public... View Details

01 Dec 2004
News

Finding a Balance

would otherwise be unable to afford treatment. Authored in 2003 by HBS professor Rohit Deshpandé, the case began as a straight pricing study. “The pharmaceutical industry is unlike any other,” Deshpandé explains. “Although the prices vary... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna; Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services

12 Feb 2001
Research & Ideas

Creating Value Across Borders

example, while Korea has a great education system, its industry structure is still rather inefficient. The Asian financial crisis induced a healthy shakeout, and now private equity firms are very active... View Details

Keywords: by Staff

January 2013 (Revised July 2014)
Case

Chorus and Telecom: Building the Boards (A)

By: Boris Groysberg and Sarah L. Abbott

In 2011, Sarah Naudé and Matt Stanley sat down with the chairman of Telecom New Zealand, Wayne Boyd. Telecom, a publicly listed company and the largest telecom provider in New Zealand, was being divided into two publicly traded companies, Chorus, a telecom... View Details

Keywords: Board Of Directors; Women's Empowerment; Governance; Leadership; Selection and Staffing; Organizational Structure; Decision Making; Human Resources; Diversity; Telecommunications Industry; New Zealand

April 2009
Case

SAP AG: Orchestrating the Ecosystem

By: Marco Iansiti and Karim R. Lakhani

Business ecosystems require careful orchestration and strategic choices regarding make/buy/partner decisions and membership access. This case examines the strategic and technological issues related to managing SAP's thriving ecosystem of user communities, software... View Details

Keywords: Decision Choices and Conditions; Organizational Structure; Partners and Partnerships; Business Strategy; Technology Industry

August 2008
Case

Progressive Corporation: Variable Dividends

By: Timothy A. Luehrman and Brenda W. Chia

In 2006, Progressive Corporation announced a change in its dividend policy. Henceforth, dividends would be paid annually rather than quarterly and, more importantly, would be set according to a formula that would result in considerably greater year-to-year variability... View Details

Keywords: Capital Structure; Policy; Goals and Objectives; Performance; Business and Shareholder Relations; Insurance Industry

21 Aug 2000
Research & Ideas

Faculty Research Looks to Latin America

I've begun to study Latin America. "I've written a series of papers on how industry structure changes following liberalization. Going forward I'm doing a series of cases and starting some research on... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

May 1989 (Revised September 1989)
Case

Jacobs Suchard: Reorganizing for 1992

By: Robert G. Eccles Jr.

Jacobs Suchard, the Swiss-based coffee and chocolate producer, is preparing for the common market and EEC 1992. At the time of the case, the company is still organized toward independent, local country markets, and believes it must move toward a more global... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Expansion; Organizational Structure; Markets; Global Strategy; Food and Beverage Industry; Switzerland