Publications

September 2011
Supplement

TopCoder (B)

By: Karim R. Lakhani, Eric Lonstein and Stephanie Pokrywa

Metrology plays a key role in the manufacture of mechanical components. Traditionally it is used extensively in a pre-process stage where a manufacturer does process planning, design, and ramp-up, and in post-process off-line inspection to establish proof of quality.... View Details

Keywords: Industry Growth; Forecasting and Prediction; Change Management; Production; Machinery and Machining; Planning; Quality; Competition; Diversification; Technology Adoption; Measurement and Metrics; Product Design; Manufacturing Industry

Career Coach

Martin November

Marty (HBS '98) is an MD/MBA and practicing OBGYN physician who has broad expertise in the healthcare sector as the former Medical Director for Patient Safety and Risk... View Details

Keywords: Consulting; Education; Entrepreneurship; Government; Health Care; Insurance; Publishing / Communications / Advertising; Social Enterprise; Startup - Founder; Entrepreneurship; Startup - Joiner; Entrepreneurship

17 Jun 2019
Research & Ideas

What Hospitals Must Learn to Compete

is even harder to measure than price. But there’s a great amount of price variation that doesn’t seem to be correlated to quality (at least to quality that we can measure). Which brings us to the question of... View Details

Keywords: by Alumni Bulletin Staff; Health

02 Feb 2010
First Look

First Look: Feb. 2

various perspectives, raise conceptual and empirical concerns, underscore challenges for further development of this literature, and provide directions for future research. View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

February 1987 (Revised January 1989)
Case

SmithKline Consumer Products: The Contac Relaunch

In March 1986, a tamperer contaminated CONTAC Cold Capsules, SmithKline Consumer Product's most popular product. To relaunch CONTAC after withdrawing it from the market, the management team had to present a plan of action to the corporation board. They knew CONTAC's 25... View Details

Keywords: Safety; Crisis Management; Product Launch; Pharmaceutical Industry

Find at Harvard

13 Mar 2012
First Look

First Look: March 13

Abstract Governments and other organizations often outsource activities to achieve cost savings from market competition. Yet such benefits are often accompanied by poor quality resulting from moral hazard,... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

07 Oct 2014
First Look

First Look: October 7

Results from a Natural Field Experiment in California By: Levine, David I., and Michael W. Toffel Abstract—For companies with strong internal occupational safety and health... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

January 2001
Case

Achieving Customer Satisfaction at Pizza Hut (B)

By: V.G. Narayanan and Lisa Brem

Supplements the (A) case. View Details

Keywords: Food; Customer Satisfaction; Quality; Marketing; Food and Beverage Industry; Food and Beverage Industry

May 2023
Supplement

Sian Flowers: Fresher by Sea - Video Supplement

By: Willy C. Shih

The setting for this case is the Sian Flowers, a company headquartered in Kitengela, Kenya that exports roses to predominantly Europe. Because cut flowers have a limited shelf life and consumers want them to retain their appearance for as long as possible, Sian or its... View Details

Keywords: Supply Chain; Supply Chains; Sustainability; Sustainable Agriculture; Sustainability Reporting; Carbon Emissions; Supply Chain Management; Quality; Ship Transportation; Cost Management; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Africa; Kenya; Netherlands; Europe

March 2011
Case

Grand Circle Travel: Where Risk Comes with the Territory

By: Herman B. Leonard

A worldwide travel company is intrinsically exposed to risks of natural and man-made disasters. How do you organize a business for success when it must on a nearly daily basis cope with hazards ranging from minor mishaps to large-scale catastrophes? Alan and Harriet... View Details

Keywords: Crisis Management; Risk and Uncertainty; Safety; Transportation; Organizational Design; Decision Choices and Conditions; Organizational Structure; Mission and Purpose; Competitive Advantage; Travel Industry

13 Jan 2014
News

How Government Can Restore the Faith of Citizens

Keywords: Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities; Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities

October 2013 (Revised January 2015)
Case

The Slingshot: Improving Water Access

By: John A. Quelch, Margaret L. Rodriguez and Carin-Isabel Knoop

In 2012, over 750 million people around the globe lacked access to safe drinking water. Dean Kamen, inventor of the Segway, sought to bring fresh water to poor and rural areas with the Slingshot, a water purification device. Kamen's challenge was to identify ways to... View Details

07 Jun 2016
First Look

June 7, 2016

contrast the strengths and weaknesses of "open-ended questions" (e.g., World Management Survey) with "closed questions" (e.g., Management and Organizational Practices Surveys). For this... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

17 Jul 2012
First Look

First Look: July 17

http://www.hbs.edu/research/pdf/10-060.pdf Investment Incentives in Proprietary and Open-Source Two-Sided Platforms Authors:Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and Gastón Llanes Abstract We study incentives to invest... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

01 Nov 2011
First Look

First Look: Nov. 1

short-term profits and returns to shareholders at the expense of worker safety and health, the environment, and society in general. In this... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

November 1992 (Revised January 2002)
Case

Process Control at Polaroid (A)

By: H. Kent Bowen and Steven C. Wheelwright

Describes the initial efforts at a film production plant to shift from a traditional QC inspection mentality to a worker-based process control mentality. Students can prepare SPC charts, propose actions needed, and combine steps into an overall action plan. View Details

Keywords: Management Systems; Operations; Quality; Factories, Labs, and Plants; Business Processes; Change Management; Consumer Products Industry; Manufacturing Industry