Publications

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January 1993 (Revised June 1993)
Background Note

Challenge of Commitment,The

By: Michael Beer and Michael J. Gibbs

Defines commitment, describes the psychological and organizational factors that underly it, and provides a comprehensive discussion of the policies and practices managers can employ to enhance commitment. Identifies control and commitment as two critical strategies... View Details

Keywords: Ethics; Governance Controls; Policy; Management Practices and Processes; Managerial Roles; Strategy

December 2007 (Revised April 2008)
Exercise

The Elcer Products Transaction: Confidential Information for Elcer Products Division President

By: James K. Sebenius and Guhan Subramanian

In a six-party negotiation exercise, the TNDA Corp. plans to sell Elcer Products Division to one of four potential buyers (industrial, financial, U.S., German). This case contains confidential information for the Elcer Divisional management role. Challenges include how... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Managerial Roles; Negotiation Deal; Negotiation Process; Negotiation Tactics

08 Jan 2016
Research & Ideas

Is it Worth a Pay Cut to Work for a Great Manager (Like Bill Belichick)?

Baseball, drawn from the 1969–1987 period, to estimate the impact of managerial quality on team and on individual players’ performance. Using a team’s winning percentage in a given year as the dependent variable, View Details

Keywords: by Boris Groysberg & Abhijit Naik; Sports

August 2000
Case

Belmont Industries, Inc. (D)

By: Joseph L. Bower

Supplements the (A) case. A rewritten version of an earlier supplement. View Details

Keywords: Wages; Managerial Roles; Management Practices and Processes; Performance; Goals and Objectives; Labor and Management Relations

30 Aug 2010
Research & Ideas

Turning Employees Into Problem Solvers

service organizations also benefit from worker input. But people, it goes without saying, are harder to work on than cars and hotel rooms. Two Managerial Processes That Helped "Hospitals are enormously... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Health

26 Apr 2004
Research & Ideas

A Clear Eye for Innovation

The Roman god Janus had two sets of eyes—one pair focusing on what lay behind, the other on what lay ahead. General managers and corporate executives should be able to relate. They, too, must constantly look backward, attending to the products and View Details

Keywords: by Charles A. O'Reilly III & Michael L. Tushman

March 1991 (Revised May 1995)
Case

Kraft General Foods: The Merger (A)

By: David J. Collis

Describes Philip Morris' acquisitions of General Foods in 1985 and Kraft, Inc. in 1989, focusing on the integration of Kraft and General Foods that forms a $30 billion food subsidiary. Details the steps required to merge these two large companies, emphasizing the... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Subsidiaries; Business or Company Management; Managerial Roles; Business Processes; Cooperation; Integration; Food and Beverage Industry

18 Mar 2001
Research & Ideas

The Essentials for Enlightened Experimentation

R&D systems for performing experiments that will generate the information needed to develop and refine products quickly. The challenges are managerial as well as technical: Organize For Rapid Experimentation Examine and, if necessary,... View Details

Keywords: by Stefan Thomke

01 Nov 1999
Research & Ideas

Companies, Cultures and the Transformation to the Transnational

II, according to Chandler, the management processes in most large British companies were dominated by "family capitalism." As these companies expanded abroad, family members or handpicked "trusted company servants"... View Details

Keywords: by Christopher A. Bartlett & Sumantra Ghoshal

November 2009 (Revised January 2010)
Case

Zara: Managing Stores for Fast Fashion

By: Zeynep Ton, Elena Corsi and Vincent Marie Dessain

Pablo Isla, the CEO of Zara, wanted to improve operational efficiencies in managing its store network. In particular, he wanted to improve labor productivity at the stores. He considered outsourcing certain store operations to third parties, changing the way store... View Details

Keywords: Compensation and Benefits; Employees; Managerial Roles; Service Operations; Business Processes; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Performance Efficiency; Performance Productivity; Retail Industry

October 2009 (Revised July 2014)
Teaching Note

New Century Financial Corporation

By: Suraj Srinivasan and Krishna G. Palepu

Teaching Note for [109034] and [113-002]. View Details

Keywords: Management Practices and Processes; Business Model; Financial Liquidity; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Managerial Roles; Accounting Audits; Financial Crisis; Financial Services Industry; United States

28 Mar 2004
Research & Ideas

HBS Celebrates Social Enterprise Initiative

origin and mission of the Social Enterprise Initiative? James Austin: When we began the Social Enterprise Initiative, the opportunity that motivated us was to mobilize the talent and capacity of HBS to enhance the leadership, managerial... View Details

Keywords: by Manda Salls

December 2007 (Revised April 2008)
Exercise

The Elcer Products Transaction: Confidential Information for Euro Elektrische Keramische Vorrichtungen (Euro EKV), GmbH

By: James K. Sebenius

In a six-party negotiation exercise, the TNDA Corp. plans to sell the Elcer Products Division to one of four potential buyers (industrial, financial, U.S., German). This case contains confidential information for the Euro Elektrische Keramische Vorrichtungen, GmbH... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Managerial Roles; Negotiation Deal; Negotiation Process; Negotiation Tactics

09 May 2017
First Look

New Research and Ideas, May 9

Sadun Abstract—Many senior executives struggle to describe how they make strategic decisions. That’s a serious problem since the process for making strategic decisions can shape the strategy itself. To understand better how companies... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

10 Jun 2008
First Look

First Look: June 10, 2008

with book goodwill and two successive years of book-to-market ratios above one). We find non-impairment of goodwill is increasing in firm characteristics predicted to be associated with greater managerial discretion. We also find evidence... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

August 2000
Case

Belmont Industries, Inc. (C)

By: Joseph L. Bower

Supplements the (A) case. A rewritten version of an earlier supplement. View Details

Keywords: Wages; Managerial Roles; Management Practices and Processes; Performance; Goals and Objectives; Labor and Management Relations