Publications

2021
Working Paper

Accounting for Product Impact in the Interactive Media and Services Industry

By: DG Park, George Serafeim and Katie Trinh

We apply the product impact measurement framework of the Impact-Weighted Accounts Initiative (IWAI) in two competitor companies within the interactive media and services industry. We design a monetization methodology that allows us to calculate monetary impact... View Details

SSRN

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May 1997
Supplement

Suzanne de Passe at Motown Productions

By: Linda A. Hill and Mara Willard

Suzanne de Passe talks to an MBA class in October 1996 and discusses her perspective on leadership, her experience making "Lonesome Dove," and her company: de Passe Entertainment. Designed for use with Suzanne de Passe at Motown Productions (A) (9-487-042), (A1)... View Details

Keywords: Leadership; Perspective; Organizational Culture; Personal Development and Career; Entertainment and Recreation Industry

05 Jul 2004
What Do You Think?

Work-Life: Is Productivity in the Balance?

Summing Up This month's column sought to pose a trade-off between improved work-life balance and productivity. In general, many among the large number of respondents rejected the notion. As Brian O'Leary put it, " ... finding a work-life balance will not undermine... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

March 2021
Article

Targeted Price Controls on Supermarket Products

By: Alberto Cavallo and Diego Aparicio

We study the impact of targeted price controls for supermarket products in Argentina from 2007 to 2015. Using web scraping, we collected daily prices for controlled and non-controlled goods and measured the differential effects on inflation, product availability, and... View Details

Keywords: Prices; Controls; Price Dispersion; Economics; Price; Cost Management; Goods and Commodities; Retail Industry; Argentina

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Article

How Smart, Connected Products Are Transforming Competition

By: Michael E. Porter and James E. Heppelmann

Information technology is revolutionizing products. Once composed solely of mechanical and electrical parts, products have become complex systems that combine hardware, sensors, data storage, microprocessors, software, and connectivity in myriad ways. These "smart,... View Details

Keywords: Strategy; Competition; Information Technology; Transformation; Information Technology Industry

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March 2022
Module Note

Navigating Nascent Industries and Product Categories

By: Rory McDonald

This Note introduces a module of cases used at Harvard Business School to teach fundamental concepts about navigating nascent industries and product categories. It elaborates a set of ‘innovation tensions’ that managers must address in these domains. In connecting the... View Details

Keywords: Nascent Industries; Product; Innovation and Management; Strategy

January 1974 (Revised February 1974)
Case

Picard Printing Products (A)

By: Louis T. Wells Jr.

November 1995 (Revised May 1997)
Case

General Re Financial Products

2007
Case

Improving Productivity at Infosys

By: Vijay Govindarajan and Chris Trimble

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January 2007
Supplement

Sonoco Products Company (C)

By: Boris Groysberg, David A. Thomas and David Lane

Keywords: Energy; Energy Industry

December 1999
Case

Avon Products China (B)

By: Lynn S. Paine and Jennifer Gui

Supplements the (A) case. View Details

Keywords: Factories, Labs, and Plants; Business Ventures; Ethics; Government and Politics; Globalization; Global Strategy; China

Educators

September 1995
Supplement

At Play Productions (C)

By: William A. Sahlman and Andrew S. Janower

Supplements the (A) case. View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship

September 1995
Case

At Play Productions (A)

By: William A. Sahlman and Andrew S. Janower

Fast Answer

Medical devices: Competitive products

What are the substitute and/or competitative medical products? You may begin with the following approaches: Check market research reports. You may begin with: BCC Research Frost & Sullivan Medical devices databases by FDA Conduct a preliminary... View Details

06 Dec 2022
Research & Ideas

Latest Isn’t Always Greatest: Why Product Updates Capture Consumers

scenario in an experiment, most people did indeed choose the longer stick, whereas only 15 percent initially chose the shorter one. However, when the short version was labeled as “newer,” twice as many, about 31 percent, chose it—even though all of the other View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Consumer Products; Consumer Products

December 1970 (Revised April 1983)
Case

Product Management at United Brands

By: Jay W. Lorsch

Keywords: Product; Management; Consumer Products Industry