Publications

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September 2011
Teaching Note

Salud Digna: Successfully Competing with For-Profit Organizations (TN)

By: Allen S. Grossman

Teaching Note for 311-051. View Details

Keywords: Growth and Development Strategy; Profit; Capital; Mission and Purpose; Growth Management; Nonprofit Organizations; Competitive Strategy; Mexico

25 Apr 2005
Research & Ideas

New Learning at American Home Products

This entry into medical instruments was similar to the strategy of Squibb, but took place on a much more modest scale than that of SmithKline or Warner-Lambert. The disposal of the confectionery and household goods followed. In 1984... View Details

Keywords: by Alfred D. Chandler Jr.; Chemical; Health; Manufacturing; Pharmaceutical

24 Jul 2007
First Look

First Look: July 24, 2007

particular, the ability to collaborate with partners to achieve superior innovation performance. Yet despite this need, there is little guidance on how to develop or deploy this ability. This article describes the results of a study to understand the View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

March 1999 (Revised March 2001)
Case

Nike, Inc.--Entering the Millennium

By: William E. Fruhan Jr.

Traces the evolution of Nike from 1987 through 1998. Through a series of eight assignment questions, it examines how the company has created and sustained a competitive advantage, and how that competitive advantage is reflected in growth, profitability, and share price... View Details

Keywords: Competitive Advantage; Profit; Corporate Strategy; Business Growth and Maturation; Sports Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry

May 2013
Teaching Plan

High Wire Act: Credit Suisse and Contingent Capital

By: Clayton Rose and David Lane

Late in 2010, Credit Suisse CEO Brady Dougan and his team considered whether or not to issue contingent capital, which Swiss regulators would require by 2019. They faced a number of substantial issues, including: Would contingent capital actually work as conceptualized... View Details

Keywords: Financial Institutions; Capital Markets; Financial Crisis; Decision Choices and Conditions; Leadership; International Finance; Financial Liquidity; Risk and Uncertainty; Competitive Strategy; Financial Services Industry; Switzerland

February 2009 (Revised June 2010)
Case

Mibanco: Meeting the Mainstreaming of Microfinance

By: Michael Chu and Gustavo A. Herrero

Mibanco, Peru's leading microfinance bank, faces intense competition as the banking industry rushes into low income segments. Companion video clips bring into the classroom the contemporary reality of a world-class microfinance institution, where the unpaved streets... View Details

Keywords: Microfinance; Profit; Business History; Growth and Development Strategy; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Marketing Strategy; Service Operations; Performance; Competition; Banking Industry; Peru

21 Feb 2005
Research & Ideas

The VC Quandary: Too Much Money

said that one reason maintaining a top position is such a challenge is that competitors will seek to follow in a successful fund's footsteps. "Every strategy attracts competitors and copiers, particularly if it's successful. So it's... View Details

Keywords: by Julie Jette; Financial Services

June 1997 (Revised February 2012)
Case

The Union Carbide Deal (Abridged)

By: Thomas J. DeLong

On November 3, 1986, after a three-hour board of directors meeting, Union Carbide decided to accept First Boston's proposal to embark on a $2.5 billion recapitalization program. Jameson and his associates' efforts had paid off. Jameson had reason to be excited: He had... View Details

Keywords: Restructuring; Capital Structure; Investment Banking; Financial Strategy; Partners and Partnerships; Competition; Financial Services Industry

01 Jan 2005
News

Nancy M. Barry, MBA 1975

enterprise development, for example, an initiative that grew to $3.3 billion over a decade. She also led much of the work on industry, trade, and finance in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. And before leaving the Bank, she headed its... View Details

April 1997
Background Note

Note on Value Drivers

By: Benjamin C. Esty

Presents a framework for analyzing strategic decisions. Takes as given the practice of value-based management whereby managers use value as a primary criterion when making financial, strategic, or investment decisions. Through a simple valuation model, it shows how... View Details

Keywords: Decisions; Equity; Financial Strategy; Investment; Profit; Framework; Growth Management; Value Creation

01 Oct 1997
News

Theory & Practice

Whether or not game theory has applications for business strategy remains unclear - to date, empirical studies have been too limited to yield any definitive conclusions. In Games Businesses Play: Cases and Modules, HBS professor Pankaj... View Details

13 Apr 2015
Research & Ideas

3 Ways Firms Can Profit From Environmental Investments

revenue for their companies. "For many firms, it's possible to act sustainably and make money at the same time," says Henderson, the John and Natty McArthur University Professor at Harvard University who has a joint appointment in the General Management and View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Energy; Utilities

October 1996 (Revised April 2011)
Module Note

Venture Capital and Private Equity: Module IV

By: Josh Lerner, G. Felda Hardymon and Ann Leamon

Provides an overview of a module that focuses on the adaptation of the private equity model to corporate and nonprofit settings. View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Private Equity; Investment; Nonprofit Organizations; Adaptation

January 2021
Case

Rio Tinto Aluminum: Can Purpose Lead to Profit?

By: David Fubini and Agastya Muthanna

This case describes the tradeoffs Rio Tinto faces as it considers investments to ensure environmentally friendly, sustainability produced aluminum with the potential risks of competitive pricing and profit loses. View Details

Keywords: Environmental Sustainability; Investment; Price; Competition; Profit; Cost vs Benefits; Mining Industry

September 2009 (Revised August 2011)
Case

Root Capital

By: V. Kasturi Rangan and Katharine Lee

Founded in 1999, Root Capital had loaned $150 million to nearly 250 small and growing businesses, mainly in Latin America. In 2009, as the organization launched a five-year, $55 million capital campaign, it had to determine a strategic path going forward in keeping... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Social Entrepreneurship; Capital; Financing and Loans; Growth and Development Strategy; Financial Services Industry; Latin America

24 Oct 2006
First Look

First Look: October 24, 2006

maintain majority control of their company. As attractive as the plan seems, they worry about the high cost of the loan and the risk that the offering might fail. In January 2005, with no time left to consider alternative financing plans,... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

December 2008
Case

Responding to Imitation: Intel vs. AMD in 1991

By: Dennis A. Yao

This case examines Intel's response to imitative entry by Advanced Micro Devices into the 386 microprocessor product category in which Intel had been the sole producer. The case is set in 1991 when AMD first introduces its Intel-compatible 386 processor and before... View Details

Keywords: Price; Marketing Strategy; Market Entry and Exit; Competition; Hardware; Technology Industry

February 1992 (Revised January 1999)
Background Note

Selected Profitability Data on U.S. Industries and Companies

Describes the importance of industry structure and competitive positioning to the profitability of U.S. corporations between 1981 and 1994. Cites recent research indicating that persistent industry differences and persistent competitor differences account for 19% and... View Details

Keywords: Competitive Strategy; Industry Structures; Profit; United States