Publications

March 2024
Case

Nomad: A License to Bank

By: Paul A. Gompers and Pedro Levindo

In late 2023, Lucas Vargas, CEO and co-founder of Nomad, a fintech that offered financial services in the United States for Brazilian residents, had to decide what to do to ensure the company’s continued expansion. Nomad launched its first product, a U.S. digital bank... View Details

October 2005 (Revised June 2007)
Case

Apollo Hospitals--First-World Health Care at Emerging-Market Prices

By: Felix Oberholzer-Gee, Tarun Khanna and Carin-Isabel Knoop

The Apollo Hospitals Group, one of Asia's premier health care organizations, had come to rival the best health care organizations on the globe. Apollo offered advanced medical procedures, such as cardiac surgery using the beating heart technique, at very high levels of... View Details

Keywords: Vertical Integration; Decision Choices and Conditions; Health Care and Treatment; Global Strategy; Developing Countries and Economies; Health Industry; Thailand; United States; India

March 2018 (Revised March 2018)
Supplement

Sandlands Vineyards

By: Benjamin C. Esty and Greg Saldutte

Approximately 80% of the wineries in the US breakeven or lose money. An even greater percentage lose money on an economic basis (i.e., after a charge for the cost of equity). Tegan Passalacqua is a successful, young, Californian winemaker who specializes in making... View Details

15 Feb 2011
First Look

First Look: Feb. 15

incomplete contracts model of vertical integration choices into a standard perfectly competitive international trade framework. Integration decisions are driven by a trade-off... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

December 2018 (Revised May 2021)
Background Note

Making UK Energy Smarter

By: John R. Wells and Benjamin Weinstock

This case describes the history of the United Kingdom's domestic energy industry and the country's efforts to create a more competitive, greener, and distributed power sector. On July 24, 2017, the United Kingdom government and the industry regulator, the Office of Gas... View Details

28 Apr 2009
First Look

First Look: April 28, 2009

has been successful in up markets, in the current down market its strategic rationale was being tested. As a capital-intensive manufacturer of DRAMs that had to license its designs from abroad, was it able to compete with large vertically... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

20 Oct 2015
First Look

October 20, 2015

higher tariffs should lead to higher prices and therefore to more integration. We construct firm-level indices of vertical integration for a large set of countries and industries and exploit cross-section... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

March 2018
Teaching Note

Sandlands Vineyards

By: Benjamin C. Esty and Greg Saldutte

Teaching Note for HBS No.718-438. View Details

February 2010
Teaching Note

Wanxiang Group: A Chinese Company's Global Strategy (TN)

By: Regina M. Abrami, William C. Kirby, F. Warren McFarlan and Keith Chi-ho Wong

Teaching Note for [308058]. View Details

Keywords: Business History; Global Strategy; Business Conglomerates; Vertical Integration; Goals and Objectives; Mergers and Acquisitions; Auto Industry; China; United States

17 Mar 2008
Research & Ideas

The Lessons of Business History: A Handbook

even cartels treat them as valid and often successful forms of business enterprise rather than inferior options to large, vertically integrated firms. Q: Is there a major theme running through the book? A:... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

13 Nov 2012
First Look

First Look: November 13

advertisers use in-house rather than independent advertising agencies and examines inter-industry variation in such internalization. Contrary to the widely held impression that use of an in-house advertising agency is more the exception than the rule, we find that... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

November 1999 (Revised June 2002)
Case

Debate Over Unbundling General Motors: The Delphi Divestiture and Other Possible Transactions, The

By: Malcolm S. Salter

Ever since General Motors (GM) announced in February 1997 its intention to divest Delphi Automotive Systems--its upstream parts manufacturing operations--Wall Street had called for further unbundling, and various stakeholders competed for their claim of value... View Details

Keywords: Valuation; Supply Chain; Vertical Integration; Corporate Strategy; Corporate Governance; Auto Industry; United States

21 Jun 2011
First Look

First Look: June 21

by Beijing is unlikely to suffice. Product Positioning in a Two-Dimensional Vertical Differentiation Model: The Role of Quality Costs Authors: Dominique Lauga and Elie Ofek Publication: Marketing Science (forthcoming) Abstract We study a... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

March 2020
Teaching Note

Reawakening the Magic: Bob Iger and the Walt Disney Company

By: David J. Collis

Teaching Note for HBS No. 717-483. View Details

Keywords: Acquisition Strategy; Technology Strategy; Franchise Management; CEO Role; Corporate Advantage; Corporate Strategy; Acquisition; Global Strategy; Information Technology; Strategy; Vertical Integration; Media and Broadcasting Industry; Consumer Products Industry

17 Jul 2006
Lessons from the Classroom

Developing a Strategy for Digital Convergence

successful along the entire vertical chain in a converging world. In the course, we try to dissect where, and under what conditions, you want to focus on horizontal layers in the value chain versus offering fully View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Computer; Education

23 Oct 2007
First Look

First Look: October 23, 2007

game. We show that vertical mergers give rise to an outlets effect: the deviation profits of cheating unintegrated firms are reduced as these firms can no longer profitably sell to the downstream affiliates of their View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

June 2017
Teaching Note

The De Beers Group: Exploring the Diamond Reselling Opportunity

By: Benjamin C. Esty, Daniel P. Gross and Lauren G. Pickle

In September 2014, Tom Montgomery (SVP of strategic initiatives at the De Beers Group) and his team launched a pilot program in the United States to explore $1 billion diamond market for pre-owned (recycled) diamonds. According to Montgomery, the motivation for the... View Details

2014
Book

International Strategy: Context, Concepts and Implications

By: David J. Collis

This book is designed for every student who will be involved in managing and advising companies that compete internationally or face international competitors. Designed around the course at Harvard Business School, Collis' new text takes the firm that operates across... View Details

Keywords: Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Global Strategy; Globalized Economies and Regions; Globalized Firms and Management; Multinational Firms and Management; Globalized Markets and Industries; Alignment; Business Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Corporate Strategy; Diversification; Horizontal Integration; Vertical Integration

Find at Harvard