Publications

January 2019 (Revised February 2019)
Supplement

The a2 Milk Company

By: Benjamin C. Esty, Daniel Fisher and Greg Saldutte

The a2 Milk Company (a2MC) became the most valuable company listed on the New Zealand stock exchange in 2018 by capitalizing on a biochemical discovery related to the protein composition of cow's milk. Because many people find the A1 protein difficult to digest, and... View Details

January 2018 (Revised October 2020)
Case

The Rise and Rise (?) of Walmart (A): Battling Kmart

By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell, Eric Van den Steen and Karen Elterman

This case, set in 1990, describes the history of Walmart and asks what competitive strategies Kmart might adopt in response to Walmart's success. It discusses the strategy and organization of both companies in terms of HR practices, store location, distribution,... View Details

Keywords: Walmart; Kmart; Organization; Company Culture; Pricing; Procurement; Supercenter; Strategy; Competition; Organizational Culture; Competitive Strategy; Retail Industry; United States; Bentonville; Arkansas

March 1991
Supplement

Zenith and High-Definition Television--1990, Video

By: Benjamin Gomes-Casseres and David B. Yoffie

Records a visit by Jerry Pearlman, Zenith CEO, to an MBA classroom. He is shown commenting on Zenith strategy and industrial policy issues and fielding student questions. View Details

Keywords: Management Teams; Business Strategy; Policy; Trade; Competition; Electronics Industry

August 1983 (Revised June 1986)
Case

Johnson & Johnson (B): Hospital Services

By: Francis Aguilar

The main issue has to do with the lack of fit or incompatibility between the early environmental requirements for strategy and the cultural constraints on the organization. Describes the internal resistance to the proposed changes and top management's efforts to... View Details

Keywords: Business or Company Management; Change Management; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Health Care and Treatment; Growth and Development Strategy; Health Industry

Web

Overview | MBA

relevant timeframes, opportunity-costs, rewards, and organizational behavior. Assess the potential therapeutic value of discoveries emanating from lab-discovery in the life sciences and understand ways to accelerate these discoveries into therapeutics. Determine the... View Details

21 Jan 2020
Research & Ideas

Lessons for Retailers from the Rebirth of Indie Bookstores

As big box bookstores Barnes & Noble and Borders spread across the landscape in the 1990s, retail observers sounded the death knell for small, independent booksellers. But they had no idea of the onslaught that was coming. Amazon.com launched in 1995, offering... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Entertainment & Recreation

Career Coach

Crystal Yao

Crystal is particularly interested in helping students understand careers in Sports, Media, and Entertainment and Big Tech, as well as functional careers in General Management, Strategy Consulting, Business Development, and Sales &... View Details

April 2010 (Revised November 2011)
Case

Soren Chemical: Why Is the New Swimming Pool Product Sinking?

By: V. Kasturi Rangan and Sunru Yong

Topics include distribution channels, pricing, and new product marketing. Jen Moritz, the marketing manager for Soren Chemical Co. is struggling with the poor sales performance of Coracle, a new clarifier for residential swimming pools. The performance is puzzling... View Details

Keywords: Marketing Mix; New Product Marketing; Pricing; Branding; Price; Marketing Strategy; Marketing Channels; Product Launch; Brands and Branding; Communication Strategy; Chemical Industry

24 Jan 2024
News

Why Boeing’s Problems with the 737 MAX Began More Than 25 Years Ago

Web

Curriculum | MBA

Strategy Harvard Business School Social Purpose of the Firm (SPF) Harvard Business School Life Science, Ethics, and Management Seminar More on the MBA Required Curriculum SUMMER Students are free to pursue an internship of their choosing... View Details

19 Jul 2004
Research & Ideas

Why Innovations Sit on the Shelf

organization strategy to enable the different functions to work together to bring products to market more quickly. As Ludwig grappled with a way to jumpstart change at DIS, he began to suspect that people throughout the unit were talking... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Beer, Russell Eisenstat & Derek Schrader

March 1997
Case

Private Management and Public Schools (A)

Examines the prospects for private management in U.S. public schools. Introduces the U.S. system of education and the concerns driving the education reform process. Focuses on the education and business strategies of Education Alternatives, Inc. (EAI), Public... View Details

Keywords: For-Profit Firms; Value; Education; Government and Politics; Education Industry; United States

Find at Harvard

March 2000 (Revised May 2002)
Case

Korea: On the Back of a Tiger

Describes the development strategy followed by Korea under the leadership of Park Chung Hee as well as the reform efforts embarked on by his successors. View Details

Keywords: Leadership; Developing Countries and Economies; Government and Politics; Growth and Development Strategy; Public Administration Industry; South Korea

September 1995 (Revised October 1995)
Case

Loblaw Companies Limited: Differentiation in the 90s and Beyond

By: Ray A. Goldberg, Thomas N. Urban Jr and Jane L. Wertz

Loblaw wants to develop long-term relationships with its customers and is testing a variety of strategies to do this. View Details

Keywords: Customer Relationship Management; Decision Choices and Conditions; Business or Company Management; Marketing Strategy

August 1985 (Revised March 1986)
Case

InteCom

Looks at the evolution of industry structure, the use of strategy to create competitive advantages, and the sustainability of competitive advantage. View Details

Keywords: Competitive Advantage; Industry Structures

Find at Harvard

March 2020 (Revised March 2022)
Case

Wachtell Lipton: Focused Excellence

By: Ashish Nanda and Margaret Cross

For years, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz—a small, New York City law firm—has consistently boasted the highest profits per partner and one of the highest “prestige” ratings among U.S.-based law firms. The firm has remained loyal to a distinctive strategy ever since its... View Details

Keywords: Strategy; Law; Mergers and Acquisitions; Legal Services Industry; New York (city, NY)

November 2013 (Revised November 2014)
Case

Freemium Pricing at Dropbox

By: Thales Teixeira and Elizabeth Anne Watkins

Online storage company Dropbox provided remote-storage over the internet of any type of computer file, along with file sharing, synchronization and backup. Using a freemium pricing strategy whereby a basic service was free-of-charge and a premium service was paid,... View Details

Keywords: Marketing Strategy; Price; Internet; Information Technology Industry