Publications

15 Jun 2021
News

Keeping Hourly Workers Focused on the Stock, Not the Clock

Illustration by Lincoln Agnew Pete Stavros (MBA 2002) got his first lessons in labor relations as a kid at the dinner table, when his father, who operated a road grader at construction sites, told the family about his day. The elder... View Details

Keywords: April White; Management of Companies and Enterprises; Management of Companies and Enterprises

November 2001
Supplement

Interview with Philip Casey at AmeriSteel

By: Joseph L. Bower and Sonja Ellingston Hout

Gerdau Group is a family-controlled Brazilian manufacturer and distributor of long steel products. Philip Casey describes the evolution of the company's strategy, organization, and financial and management issues as the company has grown to be the #2 steel producer in... View Details

Keywords: Finance; Growth and Development Strategy; Distribution; Production; Organizations; Family Ownership; Corporate Strategy; Manufacturing Industry; Brazil

November 1993 (Revised July 1995)
Case

OfficePro (A)

By: John A. Quelch

The international procurement manager of an off-price office supply retail chain has to recommend which of several bids to accept for the right to supply computer diskettes to OfficePro's new French subsidiary. View Details

Keywords: Decisions; Globalized Firms and Management; Business Subsidiaries; Supply Chain Management; Retail Industry; France

Web

Employment Data Trends

17% 21% 20% 23% Other Finance 2% 4% 3% 3% 4% General Management 14% 11% 10% 16% 13% Logistics 0% <1% 0% 0% 0% Operations / Manufacturing 2% 2% 2% 1% <1% Project Management <1%... View Details

February 2025
Case

Doing Business in Manila, Philippines

By: Jill Avery, Harold Zhu and Billy Chan

This case explores the opportunities and challenges of doing business in the Philippines, focusing on its economic transformation from "the sick man of Asia" to a rising force in Southeast Asia in the decades leading up to 2024. It examines key obstacles like... View Details

Keywords: Business History; Competitive Strategy; Emerging Markets; Globalization; Logistics; Climate Change; Environmental Sustainability; Transformation; Fashion Industry; Asia; Philippines

September 2006
Case

Earthbound Farm

By: William A. Sahlman and Alison Berkley Wagonfeld

Describes a set of decisions confronting the senior management of Earthbound Farm, the largest organic produce company in the world. Focuses on what to do with an East Coast distribution center that is losing money but may be useful strategically. View Details

Keywords: Plant-Based Agribusiness; Distribution; Food; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Management Teams; Capital Budgeting; Business or Company Management; Business Strategy; Corporate Finance; Food and Beverage Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry

Find at Harvard

February 2001 (Revised May 2001)
Case

Balance, Inc. (A)

By: Richard G. Hamermesh and Michele Lutz

Focuses on an entrepreneur who founded a successful health-food store and seeks to expand his retail concept. Illustrates the challenges he faces as he recruits his top management team. View Details

Keywords: Distribution Channels; Executive Compensation; Agreements and Arrangements; Outcome or Result; Recruitment; Management Teams; Selection and Staffing; Food and Beverage Industry

Find at Harvard

October 2004 (Revised November 2004)
Case

Mavens & Moguls: Creating a New Business Model

By: Myra M. Hart, Victoria Winston and Kristin Lieb

Mavens & Moguls is a "virtual" marketing-consulting firm of approximately 40 professionals. Examines the processes by which its founder, Paige Arnof-Fenn, learns the business, builds a power network of industry experts and potential customers, and uses this expertise... View Details

Keywords: Internet and the Web; Values and Beliefs; Work-Life Balance; Organizational Structure; Organizational Culture; Operations; Networks; Business Model; Growth Management; Business Growth and Maturation; Entrepreneurship; Growth and Development Strategy; Consulting Industry

09 Jan 2012
Research & Ideas

Location, Location, Location: The Strategy of Place

where the retailer was able to outmaneuver mom-and-pop competitors. The management team again waited until they had developed enough resources before going head-to-head in suburban areas against big-box retailers like Kmart. Timing Is... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

01 Sep 2023
News

Solving for Z

With nearly 20 years of experience as a senior human resources executive, Matthew Breitfelder (MBA 2002) has seen a lot of change in the corporate talent space. But what’s happening now looks like a tectonic generational shift. From his perch as global head of human... View Details

Keywords: Alexander Gelfand; Illustrations by Doug Chayka; Administration of Human Resource Programs; Government

10 Feb 2022
Research & Ideas

Why Are Prices So High Right Now—and Will They Ever Return to Normal?

higher-than-normal inflation levels for a while.” [Image: iStockphoto/Eloi_Omella] Related reading from the Working Knowledge Archives Seven Tips for Managing Price Increases View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

24 Apr 2017
Op-Ed

Op-Ed: Courage: The Defining Characteristic of Great Leaders

lagged PepsiCo’s. Since 2011, PepsiCo stock is up 70 percent, while Coca-Cola’s has increased only 15 percent. The courage cohort There are literally thousands of competent managers who can run organizations efficiently using... View Details

Keywords: by Bill George; Auto; Food & Beverage

2024
Working Paper

When Batteries Meet Hydrogen: Dual-Storage Investments for Load-Shifting Purposes

By: Christian Kaps and Simone Marinesi

Power systems account for nearly 40% of global emissions. As the world tries to reduce emissions by increasing renewable penetration, storage technologies are playing an increasingly important role in matching variable renewable supply with demand. Batteries have... View Details

Keywords: Environmental Sustainability; Renewable Energy; Transition; Utilities Industry; Battery Industry

SSRN

23 Apr 2019
First Look

New Research and Ideas, April 23, 2019

academic literature and many management testimonials advocating a broader conception of corporate purpose—one that addresses the interests of firms’ multiple constituencies and the well-being of their employees, customers, and View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

November 1995
Case

Transformation of Pratt & Whitney North Haven (C)

By: H. Kent Bowen, Linda A. Hill, Andrew P. Burtis, Sylvie Ryckebusch and John Schiavone

As part of the Pratt & Whitney North Haven restructuring effort, Ed Northern and his business unit managers are encouraging workers to make decisions and take an active role in improving the manufacturing process at North Haven. Business Unit Manager Tom Hutton has... View Details

Keywords: Restructuring; Decisions; Capital; Human Resources; Agreements and Arrangements; Production; Problems and Challenges

2015
Working Paper

The Impact of Funds: An Evaluation of CDC 2004-12

By: Josh Lerner, Ann Leamon, Steve Dew and Dong Ik Lee

CDC was founded in 1948 as part of the U.K. government's efforts to develop the economic resources of Britain's remaining colonies. Since then, CDC has pursued a series of strategies to "do good without losing money," as its original mission was phrased. Its approach... View Details

Keywords: Investment Funds; Great Britain