Publications

June 2007 (Revised September 2021)
Case

Thomas J. Watson, IBM and Nazi Germany

By: Geoffrey Jones, Grace Ballor and Adrian Brown

Considers the strategy of U.S.-owned IBM, then a manufacturer of punch cards, in Nazi Germany before 1937. Opens with IBM CEO Thomas J. Watson meeting Adolf Hitler in his capacity as President of the International Chamber of Commerce. IBM had acquired a German company... View Details

Keywords: Business History; Values and Beliefs; Multinational Firms and Management; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Investment; Business and Government Relations; Germany; United States

October 1996 (Revised December 1997)
Case

American Cyanamid (A): Boardroom Response to a Hostile Takeover Offer

American Home Products' (AHP) $9 billion hostile takeover of American Cyanamid (Cyanamid) was the largest mergers and-acquistions transaction in 1994, and made AHP the fourth largest pharmaceutical firm in the United States. At the time of AHP's offer, Cyanamid had... View Details

Keywords: Governing and Advisory Boards; Mergers and Acquisitions; Corporate Governance; Pharmaceutical Industry; United States

12 Apr 2005
Other Presentation

Redefining Health Care: Creating Value-Based Competition on Results

This presentation draws on a forthcoming book with Elizabeth Olmsted Teisberg (Redefining Health Care: Creating Positive-Sum Competition to Deliver Value, Harvard Business School Press). Earlier publications about the work include the Harvard Business Review article... View Details

Keywords: Health; United States

7 Apr 2005
Other Presentation

Redefining Health Care: Creating Positive-Sum Competition to Deliver Value

This presentation draws on a forthcoming book with Elizabeth Olmsted Teisberg (Redefining Health Care: Creating Positive-Sum Competition to Deliver Value, Harvard Business School Press). Earlier publications about the work include the Harvard Business Review article... View Details

Keywords: Health; United States

February 2012
Article

A 'Core Periphery' Framework to Navigate Emerging Market Governments—Qualitative Evidence from a Biotechnology Multinational

By: Prithwiraj Choudhury, James Geraghty and Tarun Khanna

We build on the emerging literature of influence-based models to study how multinational firms can navigate host governments. Our "core-periphery" framework posits that the actions that an MNC takes with actors in what we call the "periphery"—comprised of state,... View Details

Keywords: Emerging Markets; Multinational Firms and Management; Business and Government Relations; Power and Influence; Framework; Biotechnology Industry; Massachusetts; Brazil; China; Costa Rica; France; India

Find at Harvard

Research Summary

Customer-Centricity as a Vehicle for Organic Growth

By: Ranjay Gulati

This body of work examines the mechanics of how firms grow profitably in commoditizing markets. Underlying the "customer-centricity" that many firms embrace today is a factor that will determine their success with this effort: enabling collaboration across... View Details

9 May 2005
Other Presentation

Redefining Health Care: Creating Value-Based Competition on Results

This presentation draws on a forthcoming book with Elizabeth Olmsted Teisberg (Redefining Health Care: Creating Value-Based Competition on Results, Harvard Business School Press). Earlier publications about the work include the Harvard Business Review article... View Details

Keywords: Health; United States

April 1998 (Revised November 1999)
Case

Hambrecht & Quist

By: Thomas J. DeLong and Nicole Tempest

Hambrecht & Quist (H&Q), an investment bank headquartered in San Francisco, has a very unique culture relative to its Wall Street counterparts. Firm members and even competitors describe the culture as entrepreneurial, team-driven, non-bureaucratic, and... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Investment Banking; Growth and Development Strategy; Emerging Markets; Organizational Culture; Competitive Advantage; Banking Industry; San Francisco

Profile

Merve Ciplak

the U.N., “I figured out I really liked interacting with client teams, especially in nonprofits within a global development context.” Pursuing law and business to unite the public and the private The... View Details

30 Mar 2021
Research & Ideas

Commuting Hurts Productivity and Your Best Talent Suffers Most

Many of us have been there: mired in rush-hour traffic, listening to music or news to take our minds off the grind, wishing we didn’t feel so stressed before we’ve even reached the office. A late-night conversation with a fellow researcher about the hassle of commuting... View Details

Keywords: by Lane Lambert

October 2021 (Revised September 2022)
Case

GoPro: Becoming a Subscription Hero

By: Elie Ofek, Marco Bertini and Nicole Tempest Keller

In 2021, Nick Woodman, founder and CEO of GoPro, was reviewing the company’s subscription offering, considering whether to extend it beyond benefits that were directly related to the company’s iconic camera. Founded in 2002, GoPro had gained renown for its innovative... View Details

Keywords: Subscription Model; Pricing; Lifestyle Brands; Value Proposition; Business Model; Growth and Development Strategy; Marketing Strategy; Consumer Products Industry; California

April 2024
Case

Qualcomm, Inc. in 2024

By: David B. Yoffie and Sarah von Bargen

Qualcomm was facing a new era in 2024. After a judge’s adverse anti-trust decision almost destroyed Qualcomm’s business model, the company was victorious on appeal. The new CEO was optimistic about new growth opportunities in technologies such as 5G, AI, and augmented... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Lawsuits and Litigation; Growth and Development Strategy; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Valuation; Technology Industry; United States; China

October 1981 (Revised August 2010)
Case

Quabbin Cablevision Company

By: Henry B. Reiling

Several entrepreneurs are considering the purchase of an existing cable TV business with the financial assistance of several investors. They must decide whether to establish the company as a partnership or a corporation, and how to capitalize the company for an optimal... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Organization; Television Entertainment; Entrepreneurship; Capital Structure; Taxation; Telecommunications Industry; Massachusetts

January 2008 (Revised September 2009)
Case

Financing American Housing Construction in the Aftermath of War

By: David Moss and Cole Bolton

At the start of WWI, the United States faced a significant housing shortage. Public officials feared the spread of disease—and even communism—in the nation's cramped urban centers where vacancy rates held near zero and families often "doubled up" in single-housing... View Details

Keywords: Central Banking; Bonds; Mortgages; Government Legislation; Business History; Housing; Banking Industry; United States

9 May 2006
Other Presentation

Redefining Health Care: Creating Value-Based Competition on Results

This presentation draws on a forthcoming book with Elizabeth Olmsted Teisberg (Redefining Health Care: Creating Value-Based Competition on Results, Harvard Business School Press). Earlier publications about the work include the Harvard Business Review article... View Details

Keywords: Health; United States

28 Oct 2005
Other Presentation

Redefining Health Care: Creating Value-Based Competition on Results

This presentation draws on a forthcoming book with Elizabeth Olmsted Teisberg (Redefining Health Care: Creating Value-Based Competition on Results, Harvard Business School Press). Earlier publications about the work include the Harvard Business Review article... View Details

Keywords: Health; United States