Manufacturing Costs - Publications - Faculty & Research

26 May 2015
First Look

First Look: May 26

in the world where factor costs are favorable. This paper re-examines this assumption and suggests that not all manufacturing is highly mobile. We suggest that manufacturing... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

December 2017 (Revised January 2018)
Case

Alltech was a Lexington, Kentucky–based producer of supplements for animal feed, with revenues of over $2 billion (projected to reach $3 billion in 2018), sales in 120 countries, 5,000 employees, and 100 manufacturing plants worldwide. For nearly four decades, Alltech... View Details

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03 May 2012
Working Paper Summaries

Learning by Supplying

Keywords: by Juan Alcácer & Joanne Oxley

November–December 2024
Article

Scaling Up Transformational Innovations

By: Peter Koen, Ananya Sheth, Mike DiPaola and Linda A. Hill

For large companies operating in mature sectors—such as Procter & Gamble in consumer goods, Apple in consumer electronics, and Adobe in cloud software—driving growth is a perennial challenge. Growth through acquisition is always an option, but companies often quickly... View Details

Keywords: Growth and Development Strategy; Leadership; Innovation Strategy; Consumer Products Industry

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TransDigm, an incredibly successful yet relatively unknown company, manufactures a wide range of highly engineered aerospace parts utilizing a somewhat controversial strategy. In the 10 years following its IPO in March 2006, its stock price increased by... View Details

18 Mar 2001
Research & Ideas

The Essentials for Enlightened Experimentation

incentives to encourage rapid experimentation. Consider using small development groups that contain key people (designers, test engineers, manufacturing engineers) with all the knowledge required to iterate rapidly. Determine what... View Details

Keywords: by Stefan Thomke

23 May 2007
Working Paper Summaries

What Causes Industry Agglomeration? Evidence from Coagglomeration Patterns

Keywords: by Glenn Ellison, Edward L. Glaeser & William Kerr; Manufacturing

26 Jun 2019
Research & Ideas

Why the US-China Tariff Standoff Hurts American Companies More

affected by the retaliation tariffs started falling by 5 percent, on average. US retailers partially absorbed the tariffs. In-progress analyses of retail prices show more heterogeneity, with some retailers passing higher import costs to... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost; Manufacturing; Manufacturing; Manufacturing

February 1992 (Revised March 1993)
Case

Intel Corp.--1992

By: Kenneth A. Froot

Intel Corp., the world's dominant designer and manufacturer of microprocessors (the "brains" of the personal computer), has accumulated a large amount of cash (net of debt). Furthermore, it expects to continue to accumulate cash at an unprecedented rate. Has the... View Details

Keywords: Dividends; Financial Management; Competition; Multinational Firms and Management; Cash; Technological Innovation; Capital Structure; Investment Return; Equity; Financial Strategy; Corporate Finance; Semiconductor Industry; United States

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12 Oct 1999
Research & Ideas

Rapid Response: Inside the Retailing Revolution

amenable to rapid replenishment will remain in this country for the near term, while the lower labor costs in nearby Mexico and the Caribbean will favor these areas for the assembly phases of production." Given this scenario and the... View Details

Keywords: by James E. Aisner; Manufacturing; Manufacturing; Manufacturing; Manufacturing; Manufacturing

November 2011 (Revised June 2012)
Case

The Big 3 Roar Back

By: William W. George

The "Big 3"—Ford Motor Company, General Motors, and Chrysler—were all headquartered in Detroit, Michigan. Born between 1903 and 1928, they dominated the automobile industry in the U.S. for decades until they became complacent. In the 1970s they started losing share to... View Details

Keywords: Production; Labor Unions; Labor and Management Relations; Industry Clusters; Competitive Strategy; Manufacturing Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Michigan

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22 Jan 2001
Research & Ideas

Control Your Inventory in a World of Lean Retailing

capital and risk. But the trade-off is that the manufacturer frequently runs short on its medium and especially its high-variability items. That means lost sales and maybe a canceled contract with a prized customer. In the third test, the... View Details

Keywords: by Frederick H. Abernathy, John T. Dunlop, Janice H. Hammond & David Weil; Consumer Products

July 2000
Case

Aerospace Technologies, Inc.

By: Paul M. Healy and Jacob Cohen

Ben Galil's privately held engineering consulting firm represents aerospace products manufacturers in Israeli government biddings. The company incurs expenses for years before getting paid. This case deals with the alternative methods for booking revenues and expenses... View Details

Keywords: Accrual Accounting; Accounting; Revenue; Cost; Business or Company Management; Profit; Engineering; Bids and Bidding; Government and Politics; Private Ownership; Consulting Industry; Israel

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15 Sep 2015
First Look

September 15, 2015

2015 Research Handbook on Shareholder Power Thirty Years of Evolution in the Roles of Institutional Investors in Corporate Governance By: Coates, John C. Abstract—No abstract available. Publisher's link: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=48729 forthcoming... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

January 1997 (Revised December 1999)
Case

OXO International

By: H. Kent Bowen, Marilyn Matis and Sylvie Ryckebusch

OXO, a kitchen tools and gadgets company, was started by a businessman who had 30 years of experience in the housewares industry. With his wife and son as founders, he creates a new niche in the gadgets industry for high-end gourmet stores. The company has headquarters... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Supply Chain Management; Production; Design; Ownership; Business Startups; Acquisition; Consumer Products Industry; Asia; New York (city, NY); Connecticut

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April 1991 (Revised October 1993)
Case

Cat Fight in the Pet Food Industry (A)

By: David J. Collis

Describes the pet food industry in the mid-eighties prior to the breakout of a major competitive battle as manufacturers fight for share. Illustrates how when there are benefits to play in multiple markets, competitors will take action in one market to preserve their... View Details

Keywords: Cost vs Benefits; Forecasting and Prediction; Financial Markets; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Ownership Stake; Competition; Corporate Strategy; Food and Beverage Industry

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02 Jan 2014
Working Paper Summaries

Managing the Family Firm: Evidence from CEOs at Work

Keywords: by Oriana Bandiera, Andrea Prat & Raffaella Sadun

06 Feb 2012
Research & Ideas

Kodak: A Parable of American Competitiveness

When American companies move pieces of their operations overseas—often because manufacturing and labor costs are much cheaper—they run the risk of moving the expertise, innovation, and new growth... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Manufacturing

September 2003 (Revised January 2004)
Case

Alessi: Evolution of an Italian Design Factory (A)

By: Youngme E. Moon, Vincent Dessain and Anders Sjoman

Alessio Alessi, head of distribution at family-run Alessi S.p.A., is facing price and brand confusion among customers and is considering reorganizing Alessi's worldwide network of distributors. By describing the challenges facing Alessi, an internationally acclaimed... View Details