Publications

September 2024
Case

Nvidia, Inc. in 2024 and the Future of AI

By: David B. Yoffie and Sarah von Bargen

Nvidia was one of the most successful companies in the world, reaching $3.4 trillion in valuation on June 18th, 2024. While Microsoft and Apple quickly recaptured the value crown, some analysts forecasted that Nvidia was so strongly positioned that it might become the... View Details

Keywords: Customer Value and Value Chain; Price; Technological Innovation; Competition; Vertical Integration; Valuation; Technology Industry

23 Dec 2002
Research & Ideas

Partnering and the Balanced Scorecard

Often overlooked in essays on leadership is the role of the organization's measurement and management system. Effective leaders, however, know that measurement and management systems play a critical role in communication; in establishing the culture and View Details

Keywords: by Robert S. Kaplan & David P. Norton

November 2019 (Revised January 2020)
Case

Bayer Crop Science

By: David E. Bell, Damien McLoughlin, Natalie Kindred and James Barnett

In mid-2019, a year after German conglomerate Bayer Group closed its acquisition of U.S.-based seeds giant Monsanto, the leadership of Bayer’s Crop Science division (which absorbed Monsanto) is reflecting on the opportunities ahead. Some observers have questioned... View Details

Keywords: Agribusiness; Research and Development; Innovation and Invention; Innovation Strategy; Mergers and Acquisitions; Consolidation; Customer Value and Value Chain; Change Management; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Technology Industry; United States; Germany

24 Jan 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research: January 24, 2017

Publisher's link: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=52122 January 2017 Strategic Finance Managing Healthcare Costs and Value By: Kaplan, Robert S., Michael E. Porter, and Mark L. Frigo Abstract—Rising health care costs are a... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

June 2007 (Revised March 2008)
Case

Zoots - Financing Growth (A)

By: Michael J. Roberts, William A. Sahlman and Todd Krasnow

Traces the genesis and founding of Zoots, the largest chain of dry cleaning establishments in the U.S. Founded by some of the founders of the very successful Staples chain, the company raises a very large amount of capital without fully proving its business model, and... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Decision Choices and Conditions; Venture Capital; Financial Strategy; Investment Return; Growth and Development Strategy; Valuation; United States

Program

Managing Turbulence

Summary Even before the global pandemic, businesses and their leaders struggled with the extraordinary challenges of technological change, rapidly evolving consumer tastes, and a reconfiguration of the global economic order. COVID-19 added further turbulence,... View Details

26 Jul 2006
Research & Ideas

The Strategic Way to Go to Market

more vehicles than they can sell and—unable to make money from new cars—turn to service and trade-ins to eke out margins. And at the bottom of the chain are customers trapped in high-pressure negotiations for a car that isn't the exact... View Details

Keywords: by 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

2025
Working Paper

The Impact of Input Inaccuracy on Leveraging AI Tools: Evidence from Algorithmic Labor Scheduling

By: Caleb Kwon, Antonio Moreno and Ananth Raman

Problem Definition: Considerable academic and practitioner attention is placed on the value of ex-post interactions (i.e., overrides) in the human-AI interface. In contrast, relatively little attention has been paid to ex-ante human-AI interactions (e.g., the... View Details

Keywords: AI and Machine Learning; Employees; Performance Effectiveness

SSRN

2003
Book

The Slow Pace of Fast Change: Bringing Innovations to Market in a Connected World

By: Bhaskar Chakravorti

Innovation's encounter with the market results in a game of both high risk and high stakes. Often its outcome defies common sense: Superior new products flop, unlikely ideas become runaway hits, and—despite rapid technological advances and intense... View Details

Keywords: Game Theory; Network Effects; Innovation and Invention; Product Marketing; Economics

26 Jun 2023
Research & Ideas

Want to Leave a Lasting Impression on Customers? Don't Forget the (Proverbial) Fireworks

example, at the Japanese restaurant chain Santouka Ramen, servers greet guests with a chorus of welcomes in both English and Japanese upon entering, setting the stage for an enjoyable dinner. “The first time someone experiences that, it... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Entertainment & Recreation

March 1990 (Revised October 1990)
Case

Ruentex Industries Ltd. and Liz Claiborne, Inc.

Describes Ruentex's operations and the piece goods production process and begins to describe the company's relationship with Liz Claiborne, Inc., its largest customer. When used with Liz Claiborne, Inc. and Ruentex Industries Ltd. and Liz Claiborne, Inc. and Ruentex... View Details

Keywords: Supply Chain Management; Relationships; Cooperation; Apparel and Accessories Industry

29 Aug 2024
Blog Post

Leni Peterson R. (MS/MBA 2023): Solving Big Problems Through Entrepreneurship

with a population of 23 million people. The city simultaneously has every possible water issue including scarcity, flooding, sinking, poor quality, and unequal access. It is here I realized how water touches every aspect of our lives, and how we often fail to... View Details

November 2008 (Revised February 2009)
Case

Omron: Sensing Society

By: Rosabeth M. Kanter and Ethan S Bernstein

"Leading profitable growth is only part of the goal. We cannot live without breathing, but we do not live in order to take a breath,” said Omron's President and CEO, Hisao Sakuta, in 2008. Omron, a $7B global supplier of sensors, control system components, advanced... View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Transformation; Competitive Advantage; Leadership; Goals and Objectives; Globalized Firms and Management; Innovation and Invention; Values and Beliefs; Mission and Purpose; Electronics Industry

07 Feb 2012
First Look

First Look: February 7

mimic the three-stage CDM process. To model airline disruption responses, an integer optimization model was developed to balance operational and passenger considerations in determining which flights to cancel, swap, or delay. The value of... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

June 2020
Background Note

Customer Management Dynamics and Cohort Analysis

By: Elie Ofek, Barak Libai and Eitan Muller

The digital revolution has allowed companies to amass considerable amounts of data on their customers. Using this information to generate actionable insights is fast becoming a critical skill that firms must master if they wish to effectively compete and win in today’s... View Details

Keywords: Cohort Analysis; Customers; Analytics and Data Science; Segmentation; Analysis; Customer Value and Value Chain