Publications
Publications
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- All HBS Web
(16,409)
- Faculty Publications (2,725)
- July 1989
- Article
Immunizing Children Against the Negative Effects of Reward
By: B. A. Hennessey, T. M. Amabile and M. Martinage
Two studies were conducted to examine the effect of intrinsic motivation training on children's subsequent motivational orientation and creativity in an expected reward situation. Past research has demonstrated the overjustification effect: Children who work on an... View Details
- March 1989 (Revised March 1999)
- Case
Metabo GmbH & Co. KG
By: Robert S. Kaplan
A privately owned German power tool company was dissatisfied with its existing cost system. The system could not produce timely accurate reports on cost center operations, and newly purchased automated machines were attracting large overhead costs. A new, highly... View Details
- December 1988
- Article
Strategic Responses to Automobile Emissions Control: A Game-Theoretic Analysis
By: Dennis Yao
This paper examines the dynamics of standard-setting regulation under technological uncertainty and asymmetric information about technological capability. A two-period model which allows fully strategic action is developed and applied to the regulation of automobile... View Details
- August 1988 (Revised November 1988)
- Case
Texas Instruments: Cost of Quality (A)
By: Robert S. Kaplan
Texas Instruments implements a Cost of Quality (COQ) system as part of a company-wide "Total Quality Thrust." After several years of operation, group management questions whether or not the COQ system should be updated to make it more useful in identifying areas for... View Details
- August 1988 (Revised January 1992)
- Supplement
Norton Group PLC: To Be or Not to Be in the Motorcycle Business (B)
By: V. Kasturi Rangan and Jon Skofic
Outlines the decisions taken by the company's management team in response to the challenges posed in Norton Group PLC (A). For each such decision, further data is provided for students to ponder the effectiveness of the action steps undertaken. View Details
Keywords: Motorcycle Industry
- Article
Beyond the Reach of the Invisible Hand: Impediments to Economic Activity, Market Failures, and Profitability
By: Dennis Yao
In this paper it is argued that failures of the competitive market are necessary conditions for supranormal profitability. Three fundamental causes of these market failures-production economies and sunk costs, transactions costs, and imperfect information-are developed... View Details
Keywords: Economics; Markets; Failure; Profit; Cost; Information; Market Transactions; Competition; Strategy; Production
- November 1987 (Revised April 2017)
- Teaching Note
Polysar Limited
By: Robert Simons
Teaching Note for (9-187-098). View Details
- September–October 1987
- Article
Manage Customers for Profits (Not Just Sales)
By: Benson P. Shapiro, V. K. Rangan, Rowland T. Moriarty and Elliot Ross
- March 1987 (Revised April 1987)
- Background Note
Specialties vs. Commodities: The Battle for Profit Margins
Explains the differences between commodities and specialties and defines four different types of specialty products. The analysis is customer oriented. Special attention is given to the distinctions between functions (product- ) and relationship (vendor-oriented)... View Details
Keywords: Goods and Commodities
- January 1987
- Article
Posterior Implementability in a Two-person Decision Problem
By: Jerry R. Green and Jean-Jacques Laffont
When a decision rule is implemented using a Bayesian incentive compatible mechanism in which the messages are publicly observable, the players' information is augmented by their observation of each others' strategies. In this paper we study the set of Bayesian... View Details
- 1986
- Working Paper
Price Competition with a Distribution of Switch Costs and Reservation Prices
By: Jerry R. Green and Suzanne Scotchmer
When there is a distribution of switch costs and of reservation prices for a good, and marginal cost of producing the good is zero, equilibrium in pure price strategies may (and sometimes must) exhibit price dispersion. Equilibrium may or may not exist, and there may... View Details
- July 1986 (Revised July 1991)
- Case
Nippon-WTI Ltd.
By: W. Carl Kester and Glynn Ferguson
A Japanese joint venture between a U.S. parent and a Japanese parent has proposed that 100% of the U.S. parent's product be produced in Japan rather than the 40% currently being manufactured there. This would require the U.S. parent to give up a dollar profit earned on... View Details
Keywords: Joint Ventures; Currency Exchange Rate; Profit; Product; Production; Strategy; Manufacturing Industry; Asia; Japan; United States
- January 1986
- Article
Social Influences on Creativity: The Effects of Contracted-For Reward
By: T. M. Amabile, B. A. Hennessey and B. S. Grossman
Three studies, with 195 5–11 yr olds and 60 female undergraduates, tested the hypothesis that explicitly contracting to do an activity in order to receive a reward would have negative effects on creativity, but receiving no reward or only a noncontracted-for reward... View Details
- September 1985
- Case
H.J. Heinz Co.: Plastic Bottle Ketchup (B)
By: John A. Quelch
The Heinz Ketchup product manager discovers she does not have sufficient finished inventory and production capacity to meet trade demand for a new plastic bottle ketchup. Alternatives include cancelling promotion events and putting the trade on allocation. View Details
- February 1985
- Article
Motivation and Creativity: Effects of Motivational Orientation on Creative Writers
By: T. M. Amabile
72 members of the college community who identified themselves as actively involved in creative writing participated in individual laboratory sessions, in which they were asked to write 2 brief poems, to investigate the hypothesis that intrinsic motivation is conducive... View Details
- January 1985 (Revised November 1985)
- Background Note
Note on the Microcomputer Software Industry--January 1982
Contains a history of the microcomputer software industry from the mid-1970s through early 1982. During that period growth was explosive. Many new companies were formed. However, the eventual structure of the industry was not yet clear. No truly dominant firms had... View Details
- 1985
- Working Paper
Sequential Innovation and Market Structure
By: Jerry R. Green and Jean-Jacques Laffont
This paper concerns the introduction of a sequence of new, higher-quality durable products in a market in which there already exists a lower-quality substitute. The product has the further attribute that a real resource cost is incurred at the time a higher-quality... View Details
- September 1984
- Case
Henkel Corp.: International Sealants Brand SISTA (A)
By: Robert J. Dolan
Corporate headquarters wishes to expand sales of a sealant product currently sold only in the West German market. Regional affiliates, operating on a profit center basis, are not enthusiastic about taking on the new product. The case describes the company's... View Details
- September 1983 (Revised February 1989)
- Background Note
The Oil Tanker Shipping Industry in 1983
Describes the international oil tanker shipping industry both historically and in 1983. Designed to provide a vehicle for practicing industry analysis in a volatile commodity business, and for formulating strategy in such an environment. Also can be used to examine... View Details