Publications

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Tessa Vacher-Desvernais

Vuitton Moët Hennessy Group. “I was passionate about compelling and aspirational stories,” says Tessa. Fascinated by their galvanizing power, she wanted to build brands. The customer journey and emotional experience encouraged her to start a career in this space. “I... View Details

Keywords: Retail/Hospitality; Financial Services

May 1988 (Revised March 1990)
Case

Matsushita Electric Industrial (MEI) in 1987

By: Christopher A. Bartlett and Sumantra Ghoshal

Describes the development of Matsushita's international operations and the building of its dominant competitive position in the consumer electronics industry. Picks up the major challenges facing the company in 1987 as both its product focus and geographic posture are... View Details

Keywords: Global Strategy; Goods and Commodities; Product Positioning; Problems and Challenges; Business Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Value; Electronics Industry

September–October 2012
Article

Egalitarianism, Cultural Distance, and Foreign Direct Investment: A New Approach

By: Jordan I. Siegel, Amir N. Licht and Shalom H. Schwartz

This study addresses an apparent impasse in the research on organizations' responses to cultural distance. Using historically motivated instrumental variables, we observe that egalitarianism distance has a negative causal impact on FDI flows. This effect is robust to a... View Details

Keywords: FDI; Neo-institutionalism; Multinational Firm; Cultural Distance; Egalitarianism; Regulatory Arbitrage; Pollution Haven Hypothesis; Foreign Direct Investment; Global Strategy; Culture; Entrepreneurship

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January 1995 (Revised October 1995)
Case

Schweizerische Maschinenfabrik Zug, A.G.

Schweizerische Maschinenfabrik Zug (SMZ), a 110-year old Swiss machinery firm, faces several issues at the end of 1992. It's not clear whether the company will be able to maintain its traditional price premium in the face of foreign competition. The firm must chart a... View Details

Keywords: Competition; Machinery and Machining; Globalized Markets and Industries; Manufacturing Industry; Switzerland

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Career Coach

Nicole Ledoux

returned stateside to help build a new sell-side fixed income rates business for State Street Global Markets, trading swaptions and FX options. Nicole enjoys advising students exploring various functions in entrepreneurship and finance,... View Details

Keywords: Consumer Products; Entrepreneurship; Investment Management; Financial Services (All)

17 Jan 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research: January 17

style, and thus set prices that limit market penetration. The winning strategy diverges from this approach in almost every respect. When innovators develop products that people want to pull into their lives, they create markets that serve... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

December 1998
Case

Australian Wheat Board Limited.: Becoming a Grower-owned Corporation

By: Ray A. Goldberg, Carin-Isabel Knoop and Cate Reavis

In July 1999, the Australian Wheat Board (AWB), a statutory national and international grain marketing organization, would become grower-owned. As a private corporation, the AWB would no longer receive government borrowing guarantees and would have to rely on its own... View Details

Keywords: Transformation; Capital Structure; Globalized Markets and Industries; Monopoly; Employee Ownership; Competition

April 1993 (Revised June 1993)
Case

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW)

By: Robert J. Dolan

In 1992, BMW attempts to revive its position in the United States market. In 1991, unit sales had fallen to 53,000 from 88,000 in 1987. The new CEO of North America considers a multifaceted plan to turn around the situation. View Details

Keywords: Product Positioning; Marketing Strategy; Multinational Firms and Management; Market Entry and Exit; Sales; Manufacturing Industry; Auto Industry; Germany; North America

27 Aug 2014
Lessons from the Classroom

Learning From Japan’s Remarkable Disaster Recovery

It's common in Harvard Business School classrooms to discuss the "pivot," the moment an enterprise changes direction to pursue a new strategy. On a visit to eastern Japan, MBA students talked to Masamichi Ono, CEO of chrysanthemum grower Ono Kashoen, which... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Energy; Utilities; Retail

December 2016
Case

thredUP: Think Secondhand First

By: Thomas Eisenmann, Allison Ciechanover and Jeff Huizinga

In the fall of 2016, the management team at thredUP, the largest U.S. online retailer of second hand clothing, is deciding whether to expand into international markets. Over the past 12 months the 7-year-old startup, which had raised over $130 million in venture... View Details

Keywords: Scaling Start-ups; International Expansion; Online Consignment; Apparel; Internet and the Web; Expansion; Entrepreneurship; Global Strategy; Business Startups; E-commerce; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Retail Industry; San Francisco

December 2008 (Revised February 2010)
Case

ViniBrasil: New Latitude Wines

By: David E. Bell, Marcos Flava Neves, Luciano Thome e Castro and Mary Louise Shelman

ViniBrasil is a small wine venture in Brazil started by a top Portuguese wine company, Dao Sul. ViniBrasil grows its grapes in a novel environment (close to the equator) using innovative management practices such as controlled irrigation and year-round harvesting.... View Details

Keywords: Agribusiness; Global Strategy; Innovation and Invention; Management Practices and Processes; Demand and Consumers; Competition; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Brazil

16 May 2018
Research & Ideas

How Companies Managed Risk (and Even Benefitted) in World War Internment Camps

Related Reading: Restoring a Global Economy, 1950–1980 A Manager’s Guide to International Strategy Managing Political Risk in Global Business: Beiersdorf 1914-1990 What do you... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Manufacturing

06 Feb 2012
Research & Ideas

Kodak: A Parable of American Competitiveness

operations has been occurring for decades, based on the assumption that moving grunt work overseas wouldn't affect US companies' competitive edge in the global marketplace. But this assumption is wrong, and the fallout has been... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Manufacturing

Fast Answer

Consumer confidence

Where can I find information on consumer confidence and sentiment? Conference Board: From the "Economy, Strategy & Fiance page," select "Consumer Dynamics." Surveys of Consumers: Current and... View Details

1986
Chapter

Competition Encountered by U.S. Companies That Manufacture Abroad

By: Robert B. Stobaugh

Keywords: Multinational Firms and Management; Competition; Trade; Manufacturing Industry; United States

2006
Chapter

The Microeconomic Foundations of Prosperity: Findings from the Business Competitiveness Index

By: Michael E. Porter, Christian H.M. Ketels and Mercedes Delgado-Garcia

Keywords: Microeconomics; Welfare; Competitive Advantage; Globalized Economies and Regions