Publications

Article

Competition for Scarce Resources

By: Peter Eso, Volker Nocke and Lucy White

We model a downstream industry where firms compete to buy capacity in an upstream market that allocates capacity efficiently. Although downstream firms have symmetric production technologies, we show that industry structure is symmetric only if capacity is sufficiently... View Details

Keywords: Competitive Strategy; Natural Environment; Technology; Production; Business Cycles; Forecasting and Prediction; Cost; Demand and Consumers; Industry Structures; Performance Capacity

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July – August 2011
Article

What Factors Drive Analyst Forecasts?

By: Boris Groysberg, Paul Healy, Nitin Nohria and George Serafeim

A firm's competitive environment, its strategic choices, and its internal capabilities are considered important determinants of its future performance. Yet there is little evidence on whether analysts' forecasts of firm performance actually reflect any of these factors... View Details

Keywords: Competition; Forecasting and Prediction; Industry Growth; Judgments; Performance; Valuation; Price; Quality; Innovation and Invention; Organizational Culture; Competency and Skills; Surveys

March 2016 (Revised February 2021)
Case

Lotus F1 Team

By: Stefan Thomke, Nikolaos Trichakis, Jérôme Lenhardt and Daniela Beyersdorfer

Describes the detailed inner workings of a high performance Formula One (F1) racing team. It shows how Lotus F1 Team has been able to battle bigger rivals in a very fast-moving, highly regulated, and ultra-competitive environment, where winning races can come down to... View Details

Keywords: Formula One; Motor Sport; Racing Cars; Car Development; Supply Chain; Logistics; Innovation and Management; Competitive Advantage; Product Design; Research and Development; Auto Industry; Sports Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry

May 2007 (Revised July 2011)
Case

The West German Headache Center: Integrated Migraine Care

By: Michael E. Porter, Clemens Guth and Elisa M. Dannemiller

Describes the joint efforts of the German health plan KKH and Essen University Hospital to develop an integrated practice unit (IPU), and the West German Headache Center's efforts to improve the quality of migraine care. Provides an overview of the German health care... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Health Care and Treatment; Medical Specialties; Industry Structures; Service Delivery; Integration; Health Industry; Germany

July 2000 (Revised May 2001)
Case

WebMD (A)

Discusses the emerging role of the Internet in the health care industry and describes the strategy of WebMD in this new "ehealth" space. Issues include technology strategy, industry transformation, competition in turbulent environments, and strategic alliances. View Details

Keywords: Internet and the Web; Alliances; Competitive Advantage; Industry Structures; Health Care and Treatment; Health Industry

July 1996 (Revised July 2009)
Background Note

Antitrust and Competitive Strategy from the 1990s to 2008 (Condensed)

Describes U.S. antitrust policy, including major judicial decisions and their impact on competitive strategy. Omits information on the history of antitrust policy and on the specific prohibitions of the various acts. View Details

Keywords: Judgments; Policy; Laws and Statutes; Monopoly; Business and Government Relations; Competitive Strategy; United States

March 2022
Article

Winner Takes All? Tech Clusters, Population Centers, and the Spatial Transformation of U.S. Invention

By: Brad Chattergoon and William R. Kerr

U.S. invention has become increasingly concentrated around major tech centers since the 1970s, with implications for how much cities across the country share in concomitant local benefits. Is invention becoming a winner-takes-all race? We explore the rising spatial... View Details

Keywords: Clusters; Invention; Agglomeration; Artificial Intelligence; Innovation and Invention; Patents; Applications and Software; Industry Clusters; AI and Machine Learning

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April 2010 (Revised March 2011)
Case

The Auction for Travelport (A)

By: Andrei Hagiu and Misha Sanwal

A senior Blackstone director is deciding how aggressively to bid for Travelport, a travel distribution business containing several key services and platforms. Travelport's most important properties were Galileo, one of the top 3 global distribution systems (GDSs),... View Details

Keywords: Value Creation; Product Positioning; Cost vs Benefits; Private Equity; Leveraged Buyouts; Competitive Advantage; Auctions; Industry Structures; Travel Industry

December 2009 (Revised November 2012)
Teaching Note

Global Wine War 2009: New World versus Old (TN)

By: Christopher A. Bartlett

Teaching Note for [910405]. View Details

Keywords: Emerging Markets; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Segmentation; Competitive Advantage; Globalized Firms and Management; Consumer Behavior; Industry Structures; Food and Beverage Industry; United States

November 1997
Case

National Pork Producers Council

By: Ray A. Goldberg and Tom Clay

Al Tank, CEO of the National Pork Products Council, is facing an environmental and structural crisis in the U.S. pork industry. Can he resolve the environmental and image problems of his industry in time? Can he receive the support of both his growers and the... View Details

Keywords: Decision Choices and Conditions; Situation or Environment; Crisis Management; Environmental Sustainability; Business and Community Relations; Animal-Based Agribusiness; Industry Structures; Reputation; Food and Beverage Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; United States

09 Jul 2018
Research & Ideas

Overcoming the Challenges of Selling Brand New Technology (Hey, Need a 3-D Printer?)

SeventyFour Few phrases in business are more seductive than the one attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson in the 19th century: “Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door.” Unless, of course, what you are selling is something totally new, like 3-D... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Medical Devices & Supplies; Medical Devices & Supplies; Medical Devices & Supplies; Medical Devices & Supplies; Medical Devices & Supplies; Medical Devices & Supplies; Medical Devices & Supplies; Medical Devices & Supplies

19 Aug 2024
News

Quantum Leap

“There’s a lot of money going into the ecosystem,” Kumar says. That influx is being driven by the expectation that quantum computers will prove vastly superior to classical computers at complex, resource-intensive tasks like training AI systems, optimizing View Details

26 Sep 2013
Research & Ideas

Behind India’s Economic and Political Woes

the tightening supply of the US dollar. India's economy still has many strengths compared to China, especially thriving entrepreneurship at the grass-roots level, but it's been sadly overshadowed by the less-than-sterling performance of... View Details

Keywords: by Zeenat Potia

01 Aug 2005
What Do You Think?

Is There an “Efficient Market” in CEO Compensation?

efficient markets might argue that these are merely a reflection of the scarcity of supply among those thought to be able to lead large organizations. And yet there is evidence of little or no relationship between the size of CEO... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

06 Jan 2003
What Do You Think?

China: The Next Big Market Opportunity or the Next Big Bubble?

view raises questions of whether there will be an adequate supply of such talent. Will impatient Western managers eager to develop Chinese business opportunities delay initiatives until the right people can be found? How high is the cost... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

01 Jun 2015
News

Alumni Take Action to Improve US Competitiveness

middle skills jobs,” Worrell says. “We focused our research on that gap and the failure in the talent supply chain that’s leading to that gap.” HBS alumnus Matt Sigelman (MBA 1999) also stepped up to help understand the talent gap. As CEO... View Details

Keywords: Erin Peterson; Walmart; Health, Social Assistance; Retail Trade

October 2010
Teaching Note

Whole Foods: Balancing Social Mission and Growth (TN)

By: Christopher Marquis and Bobbi Thomason

Teaching Note for 410023. View Details

Keywords: Food; Growth and Development; Mergers and Acquisitions; Mission and Purpose; Supply Chain; Business Model; Growth and Development Strategy; Integration; Management Practices and Processes; Labor Unions; Food and Beverage Industry; United States

July 2013 (Revised November 2021)
Module Note

Exploration vs. Exploitation

By: Willy Shih

This module note introduces James March's concept of exploration and exploitation, and the management challenge of balancing the allocation of resources to the two activities in the firm. The note also touches on the O'Reilly and Tushman paper on the ambidextrous... View Details