Publications

Research Summary

corporate strategy, international strategy, strategy process

David Collis' research is primarily concerned with how companies create value across markets, whether those markets are different businesses (corporate strategy), or different countries (international strategy). Additionally, he is interested in how... View Details

August 2017
Case

'Not so fast...' Litigation Strategy in EMC Corporation v. Donatelli (A)

By: Lena G. Goldberg and Danielle V. Holland

The sudden departure to Hewlett-Packard of a top-level EMC Corporation executive who had full knowledge of EMC’s operations, business plans, and key personnel ignited a bi-coastal battle between two fierce rivals that was played out in courts competing for jurisdiction... View Details

Keywords: Non-competition Agreements; Key Employee Agreements; Litigation Strategy; Law; Preliminary Injunctions; Jurisdictional Disputes; Conflict Of Laws; Lawsuits and Litigation; Strategy; Contracts

November 1983 (Revised October 1988)
Case

Canon Inc.: Worldwide Copier Strategy

By: Michael E. Porter

Describes Canon's worldwide strategy in the copier business. Designed to be used to explore strategy formulation in a worldwide industry, and the principles of international competition. View Details

Keywords: Values and Beliefs; Global Strategy; Marketing Strategy; Business Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Manufacturing Industry

Find at Harvard

May 1990 (Revised July 1991)
Case

Workbench Pricing Strategy

An abridged version of Workbench, most notably the results of two customer surveys, given in their complete form in Workbench. Focuses on the pricing decision for a small contemporary furniture retailer. Should Workbench continue its highly promotional pricing policy... View Details

Keywords: Price; Business Strategy; Consumer Products Industry

22 Nov 2010
Research & Ideas

Seven Strategy Questions: A Simple Approach for Better Execution

Business leaders can't develop and execute effective strategy without first gathering the right information, says Harvard Business School professor Robert Simons. In his new... View Details

Keywords: by Robert Simons

09 Jan 2012
Research & Ideas

Location, Location, Location: The Strategy of Place

what works in one location may not work somewhere else.” "The decision to expand is sometimes driven by the wrong reasons," says Associate Professor Juan Alcácer, who teaches in the Strategy Unit at Harvard View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

9 AM – 10 AM EST, 28 Feb 2017
Webinars: Trending@HBS

A Strategy for Leading Innovation

Creating a new business and optimizing an existing one are two fundamentally different management challenges. How can leaders meet the performance requirements of an existing business--one that is still thriving--while dramatically reinventing it? Govindarajan expands... View Details

17 Jan 2012
News

An adviser for global strategy

TeachingInterests

Driving Digital Strategy (DIGS)

By: Sunil Gupta

Digital technologies have changed the way consumers search for information, communicate with each other, and buy products. Rapid changes in technology and consumer behavior have had a profound impact on business models and marketing practices. This program equips... View Details

12 Jul 2021
News

Better, Simpler Strategy

24 Nov 2010
News

Seven Strategy Questions

Keywords: Professor Robert Simons; Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services; Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services; Professional Services

March 2004 (Revised September 2005)
Case

Newell Rubbermaid: Strategy in Transition

By: Cynthia A. Montgomery, Rhonda Kaufman and Carole Winkler

Describes the transformation of a company's corporate-level strategy. Begins by laying out the strategy that brought the Newell Co. stunning success for nearly three decades. The highly integrated, internally consistent strategy was tailored for manufacturing and... View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Corporate Strategy; Transformation; Problems and Challenges; Acquisition; Product Development; Brands and Branding; Manufacturing Industry; Retail Industry; United States

January 2014 (Revised December 2014)
Case

GenapSys: Business Models for the Genome

By: Richard G. Hamermesh, Joseph B. Fuller and Matthew Preble

GenapSys, a California-based startup, was soon to release a new DNA sequencer that the company's founder, Hesaam Esfandyarpour, believed was truly revolutionary. The sequencer would be substantially less expensive—potentially costing just a few thousand dollars—and... View Details

Keywords: DNA Sequencing; Life Sciences; Business Model; Innovation ＆ Entrepreneurship; Health Care and Treatment; Genetics; Business Strategy; Biotechnology Industry; Pharmaceutical Industry; Technology Industry; Health Industry; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry; United States

May 2012
Case

Westlake Lanes: How Can This Business Be Saved?

By: Richard G. Hamermesh and Alisa Zalosh

Shelby Givens, a new MBA, is the general manager of Westlake Lanes, a near-bankrupt bowling alley that her grandfather founded decades earlier. Givens has been given one year to turn a profit; if the goal is not met Westlake will close. During the first few days on the... View Details

Keywords: United States; Operations Management; Small And Medium-sized Enterprises; Turnarounds; Strategy; Leading Change; Marketing Strategy; Entrepreneurship; Operations; Transformation; Growth and Development Strategy; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; United States

April 2005 (Revised April 2005)
Background Note

Strategies of Related Diversification

By: Bharat N. Anand

Which businesses should a firm expand into? This question of corporate scope is central to corporate strategy. Flawed scope decisions can have severe consequences, and the trauma experienced by many companies as a result of mistaken decisions to expand scope is often... View Details

Keywords: Diversification; Business Conglomerates; Corporate Strategy; Problems and Challenges

We analyze the optimal strategy of a high-quality incumbent that faces a low-quality ad-sponsored competitor. In addition to competing through adjustments of tactical variables such as price or the number of ads a product carries, we allow the incumbent to... View Details

September 1991 (Revised May 1994)
Case

Microsoft's Networking Strategy

By: David B. Yoffie

Keywords: Network Effects; Networks; Business Strategy; Information Technology; Information Technology Industry