Publications

May 2021
Case

André Hoffmann: Beyond Philanthropy

By: Lauren Cohen, Hao Gao, Jiawei Ye and Spencer C.N. Hagist

André Hoffmann is a leader of one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies. His exceptional tenure in philanthropy over the past several decades, including being president of the WWF and the vice-president of the MAVA Foundation, has allowed him access to a far... View Details

Keywords: Strategy; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Restructuring; Social Entrepreneurship; Values and Beliefs; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Environmental Sustainability; Cash Flow; Macroeconomics; Ethics; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Switzerland; United States; Japan

01 Feb 2017
What Do You Think?

Is the Next Jobs Crisis Just Ahead?

international competition as well as technological innovation. Now consider these facts: In the US, there are 10 non-governmental jobs in the service sector for every manufacturing job. The ratio is roughly comparable in Western Europe... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Service

01 Aug 2012
What Do You Think?

Should CEOs Worry About ‘Too Big to Succeed?’

take their organizations beyond that point in terms of size? Phil Clark posed the question, "Is there a 'right size' for a company?" If so, how do we know? How many companies that you can think of are right-sized? What do you think? Original Article... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Manufacturing; Financial Services

18 Dec 2019
News

Thinking Smart About Numbers

Fariha Ansari Javed (PLDA 18, 2014). In the spring, Desai made a stop in London for a book presentation with the HBS Club of London. More than 150 HBS alumni from around the UK and Europe gathered to hear Desai’s “wisdom of finance,”... View Details

Keywords: Margie Kelley

07 Mar 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research, March 7

and forming R&D partnerships in Europe and North America. As the company continues its growth in the context of a slowing Chinese economy, how can Yili integrate its new global resources and supply chain to meet local market needs and... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

August 2012 (Revised November 2012)
Case

Viterra

By: Ray A. Goldberg and Matthew Preble

As Mayo Schmidt's tenure as CEO of the Canadian-based agribusiness Viterra wound down before its sale to the Swiss-based commodity company Glencore, he reflected on his tenure, which had seen the firm grow from a Canadian-focused agricultural cooperative to an... View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Vision; Strategy And Execution; Growth Strategy; Organizational Change And Transformation; International Business; Farm Cooperatives; Agribusiness; Leading Change; Growth and Development Strategy; Market Entry and Exit; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Canada; Australia; Asia; North America; Europe

2010
Working Paper

Introductory Reading for Being a Leader and the Effective Exercise of Leadership: An Ontological Model

By: Werner Erhard, Michael C. Jensen, Steve Zaffron and Kari L. Granger

This paper is the sixth of six pre-course reading assignments for an experimental leadership course developed by the authors over five years (2004-2008) at the U. of Rochester Simon School of Business working with students, alumni, executives, and faculty from various... View Details

Keywords: Leadership Development; Curriculum and Courses; Strategy; Performance Capacity; Attitudes; Behavior; United States; Netherlands; Texas

SSRN

08 Feb 2011
First Look

First Look: Feb. 8

that the American business school as it evolved in the post-World War II era has become the dominant model for business schools in Europe and elsewhere in the world. Most observers looking at these institutions as they exist today,... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

12 Dec 2018
News

Lesson Plan

pressing need in today’s world to shore up waning public trust in government institutions through transparency and good financial stewardship. Christopher Smart worked alongside Cognetti in Treasury, serving as deputy assistant secretary of View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna; photographed by Chris Sorensen

October 2021
Case

Yildiz Holding's Corporate Strategy: Managing Diversification for Growth

By: Juan Alcácer and Esel Çekin

The case opens in May 2018 with Nurtaç Ziyal Afridi, chief strategy and growth officer of Yıldız Holding, a Turkish conglomerate, reflecting on the group’s diversification journey. In ten years, the group had achieved a remarkable growth through diversification: seven... View Details

Keywords: Strategy; Diversification; Growth Management; Mergers and Acquisitions; Global Strategy; Restructuring; Food and Beverage Industry; North America; United Kingdom; Turkey; Asia

2013
Chapter

The Global and the Local in the Beauty Industry: A Historical Perspective

By: G. Jones

This chapter explores the impact of the global beauty industry on beauty ideals. It shows that as the industry internationalized from the late nineteenth century, there was a homogenization of beauty ideals and practices around the world. Western and white beauty... View Details

Keywords: Business History; Globalization; History; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Asia; Europe; Latin America; Middle East; North and Central America; South America

July 1992 (Revised June 1994)
Case

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.: MIS Reorganization (A) and Project ICON (A), Abridged

Describes the reorganization of the Systems Development resource from Central MIS to the divisions. Whereas this had been planned for October 1990, unexpected senior management changes precipitated a request to reorganize 12 to 18 months ahead of schedule. Also... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Information Technology; London; Pennsylvania

Find at Harvard

May 2011
Teaching Note

The Dutch Flower Cluster (TN)

By: Jorge Ramirez-Vallejo and Michael E. Porter

Teaching Note for 711507. View Details

Keywords: Customer Value and Value Chain; Auctions; Industry Clusters; Competition; Plant-Based Agribusiness; Netherlands; China; Colombia; Ecuador; Kenya

November 2001 (Revised February 2002)
Case

Resinas Sinteticas, S.A. (C)

By: Lynn S. Paine and Greg Rogers

Supplements the (A) case. View Details

Keywords: Chemical Industry; Mexico; United States; Europe

06 Sep 2018
Cold Call Podcast

Should US Companies Still Care About the Paris Climate Change Agreement?

Keywords: Re: Vincent Pons; Manufacturing; Mining

March 2025
Case

Intuit: Lobbying to Save TurboTax

By: Joseph L. Badaracco and Tom Quinn

Intuit’s TurboTax software held a dominant market position in the online tax preparation market. Many politicians over the years had proposed changes that would have harmed Intuit’s business—notably, allowing the Internal Revenue Service to develop a government-owned... View Details

Keywords: Lobbying; Fairness; Moral Sensibility; Government Legislation; Taxation; Business and Government Relations; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Reputation; Civil Society or Community; Public Opinion; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Rank and Position; Power and Influence; Technology Industry; United States; Europe

November 2023 (Revised March 2024)
Technical Note

Customer Data Privacy

By: Eva Ascarza and Ta-Wei Huang

This note provides an overview of the evolving landscape of customer data privacy in 2023. It highlights two pivotal aspects that make privacy a central concern for businesses: building and maintaining customer trust and navigating the intricate regulatory... View Details

Keywords: Customer Relationship Management; Governance Compliance; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Risk and Uncertainty; Reputation; Trust; Information Management; Retail Industry; Technology Industry; Financial Services Industry; Telecommunications Industry; Europe; United States

January 2023
Supplement

Apple: Privacy vs. Safety (B)

By: Henry McGee, Nien-hê Hsieh and Christian Godwin

In 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the globe, Apple and Google partnered to develop a contact tracing application that would collect information about users infected with the disease and notify those who they had been in contact with. While Apple/Google’s... View Details