Publications

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05 Jun 2013
Op-Ed

Corporate Leaders Need to Step Up on Climate Change

Green initiatives are ubiquitous these days, implemented with zeal at companies like Dupont, IBM, Walmart, and Walt Disney. The programs being rolled out—lighting retrofits, zero-waste factories, and carpool incentives—save money and provide a green glow. Most large... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Toffel & Auden Schendler

November 2002 (Revised May 2003)
Case

DaChan Great Wall Group

By: Ray A. Goldberg and Cate Reavis

Describes the challenges facing a leading Taiwanese agribusiness concern as it competes in an increasingly complex business environment in China. View Details

Keywords: Agribusiness; Brands and Branding; Competition; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Taiwan; China

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December 2005 (Revised May 2007)
Case

Polaroid Entering Digital Imaging

Focuses on Polaroid's attempt to respond to the changes to its competitive environment that are entailed by the rise of digital imaging. View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Technological Innovation; Competition; Consumer Products Industry; Technology Industry

March 1992 (Revised June 1993)
Case

Lada do Brasil

By: James E. Austin and Helen Shapiro

In an effort to capitalize on the entrepreneurial opportunity presented by the Brazilian government's trade liberalization, a Panamanian automobile trading company launched a business of importing the Russian made Lada cars into Brazil. The company confronts a complex... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Transformation; Economics; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Capital; Policy; Competition; Auto Industry; Brazil

November 1985 (Revised March 1987)
Case

DEC--Confidential Instructions

Confidential information for students assigned the role of the Division of Environment Conservation. See Riverside and DEC--General Information. View Details

Keywords: Negotiation; Environmental Sustainability; Pulp and Paper Industry

September 2011
Article

What Drives Innovation?

By: Tom Nicholas

The idea that innovation drives economic growth is incontrovertible, but the factors that, in turn, drive innovation are not fully understood. This paper surveys the recent literature, focusing on three main drivers: intellectual property rights institutions, the... View Details

Keywords: Innovation and Invention; Economic Growth

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April 2012
Background Note

Note: Net Cash, Share Repurchases and EPS Growth

By: William E. Fruhan Jr.

How companies with large net cash positions can enhance earnings/share through share repurchase in an environment of low interest rates. View Details

Keywords: Stock Shares; Corporate Finance

February 2001 (Revised September 2005)
Case

Howard Schultz and Starbucks Coffee Company

By: Nancy F. Koehn

Investigates the entrepreneur's strategic initiatives to develop a mass market for specialty coffee in the 1980s and 1990s. These initiatives included the development of premium products, rapid expansion of company-owned stores--each with attractive retail environments... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Groups and Teams; Brands and Branding; Growth Management; Employee Relationship Management; Consumer Behavior; Organizational Design; Leadership Style; Customer Relationship Management; Competitive Advantage; Vertical Integration; Food and Beverage Industry

July 2021 (Revised February 2022)
Technical Note

RegTech: A New Way to Manage Risks

By: Aiyesha Dey, Jonas Heese and James Barnett

A note on regulatory technology (RegTech) describing its evolution, use cases, and the competitive environment in 2021. View Details

Keywords: Regulatory Technology; Change; Financial Management; Governance Compliance; Governance Controls; Technology; Banking Industry; Financial Services Industry; Technology Industry

December 1997 (Revised October 2008)
Case

Wolfgang Keller at Konigsbrau-TAK (A)

By: John J. Gabarro

Wolfgang Keller, manager of the Ukrainian subsidiary of a German beer company, faces a managerial dilemma. His subordinate, Dmitri Brodsky, is a talented and experienced commercial director who is not meeting his goals expediently and often requires considerable... View Details

Keywords: Business Subsidiaries; Performance Evaluation; Management Style; Managerial Roles; Behavior; Conflict Management; Situation or Environment; Failure; Employee Relationship Management; Food and Beverage Industry; Ukraine; Germany

October 2000
Background Note

Sustaining Value

By: Robert J. Dolan

Describes the challenges a firm faces in building and sustaining a value proposition over time. Describes major ways in which the marketing environment changes over time and the methods a firm can use to protect its market position. View Details

Keywords: Price; Marketing Strategy; Competition; Situation or Environment

March 2010 (Revised February 2013)
Case

Baltic Beverages Holding: Competing in a Globalizing World (A)

By: Juan Alcacer, Rasmus Karl Gustaf Molander and Rakeen Mabud

The Finnish brewer Hartwall and the Swedish brewer Pripps had to decide how to react to the rapidly changing European political, economic, and business environment in 1989–1990. View Details

Keywords: Economics; Globalized Economies and Regions; Government and Politics; Competition; Corporate Strategy; Food and Beverage Industry; Finland; Sweden

Research Summary

Overview

My research lies at the intersection of strategic management and international business, with a focus on how firms’ heterogeneous national environments affect competition, corporate strategy, and firm performance. View Details

Keywords: Global Strategy; Emerging Markets; Corporate Strategy; Competitiveness; Competitive Dynamics; United States; Brazil; Africa

June 2015
Case

Ethiopia: An Emerging Market Opportunity?

By: John A. Quelch and Sunru Yong

This case centers on the potential and challenges of entering an emerging market. It provides a brief overview of the Ethiopian market, market reforms and policies, and the business environment faced by foreign companies. Three multinational businesses, CareCo, ShoeCo,... View Details

Keywords: Multinational Firms and Management; Emerging Markets; Foreign Direct Investment; Ethiopia

Research Summary

Overview

Gregor Schubert's research focuses mainly on the economics of uncertainty. He investigates the impact of changes in the risk environment on the behavior of workers, firms, voters and policymakers. View Details

March 1999
Teaching Note

Conceptual Overview: "Business and the Environment," An Elective for MBA Students TN

By: Forest L. Reinhardt

Intended to assist faculty who teach courses on environmental management at business schools. Other people interested in the relationships between business and the environment may also find it useful. View Details

Keywords: Science-Based Business; Environmental Sustainability; Business Education; Theory

January 2002 (Revised March 2006)
Background Note

Democracy

By: Rawi E. Abdelal

Surveys scholarship on democracy and democratization. Describes the relationship between democracy and the environment of business, including capitalist economic institutions, economic growth, economic reform, and international relations. View Details

Keywords: Economic Systems; Situation or Environment; Business and Government Relations; Economic Growth; International Relations; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms

December 2001 (Revised February 2008)
Case

Borealis

By: Robert S. Kaplan and Bjorn N. Jorgensen

When Borealis, a European producer of plastics, used a traditional, time-consuming budgeting process, the budget was quickly out of date in a competitive environment characterized by continually changing input and output prices and dynamic market conditions. This case... View Details

Keywords: Activity Based Costing and Management; Budgets and Budgeting; Forecasting and Prediction; Investment; Governance Controls; Balanced Scorecard; Management Systems; Manufacturing Industry; Europe