Publications

17 Apr 2020
News

Q&A with former SBA Administrator Karen Mills

2005
Chapter

On Coaches, Counsellors, Facilitators and Behavioural Consultants.

Executive coaches, career counsellors, psychotherapists, group facilitators and behavioural consultants all have overlapping, yet different areas of expertise. To make an informed decision about the kind of long-term leadership development program you want, it is... View Details

Keywords: Experience and Expertise; Decisions; Learning; Leadership Development; Outcome or Result; Programs; Behavior

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April 2000 (Revised March 2015)
Case

The First Six Months: Launching a PSF Career

By: Ashish Nanda, Thomas J. DeLong and Scot H. Landry

Presents two situations: 1) two graduating MBAs from Harvard Business School compare and contrast their strategies for getting off to a good start in consulting, and 2) a junior consultant has to deal with difficult feedback in his very first performance review. View Details

Keywords: Personal Development and Career; Planning; Practice; Strategy; Performance Evaluation; Adaptation; Consulting Industry

March 1997 (Revised January 1999)
Case

Cambridge Technology Partners: Corporate Venturing (August 1996)

By: Paul A. Gompers and Catherine M. Conneely

Concerns the decision of Jim Sims, president and CEO of Cambridge Technology Partners (CTP) to form a corporate venture capital subsidiary. CTP is a fast-growing information technology consulting firm that has been presented with many investment opportunities from... View Details

Keywords: Decisions; Venture Capital; Leadership; Information Technology; Investment; Opportunities; Customer Focus and Relationships; Business Startups; Business Subsidiaries; Consulting Industry; Consulting Industry; Cambridge

Find at Harvard

March 2023
Module Note

The Trusted Advisor's Mindset

By: David G. Fubini and Patrick Sanguineti

A module note for the Mastering Consulting and Advisory Skills (MCAS) course, "The Trusted Advisor's Mindset" introduces some of the differences between working as an operator and an advisor. View Details

16 Dec 2020
Video

On-Demand Workforce: Segment 2

March 2017 (Revised October 2018)
Case

Catalant: The Future of Work?

By: Thomas Eisenmann, Jeffrey F. Rayport and Christine Snively

Catalant, founded in 2013 as an online marketplace where MBAs could bid on consulting projects posted by small- to medium-sized businesses, had expanded by 2016 to provide Fortune 1000 companies with access to over 35,000 independent experts. The founders envisioned... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Human Resources; Recruitment; Labor; Market Platforms; Growth and Development Strategy; Consulting Industry; Consulting Industry; United States

January 2002 (Revised June 2002)
Background Note

The Rise and Decline of e-Consulting

By: Ashish Nanda and M. Julia Prats

E-consulting began as a specialized consulting service in the late 1990s. In January 2000, more than 100 firms were characterized as e-consultants. By December 2001, more than 50% of these firms had disappeared. This case tracks the rapid rise and sharp decline of... View Details

Keywords: Internet and the Web; Market Participation; Consulting Industry

September 1988 (Revised January 1989)
Case

Unisys: The Merger of Burroughs and Sperry

Mike Blumenthal, CEO of Burroughs, successfully executes the merger of Burroughs and Sperry in 1986. The case discusses the putting together of the two firms in a fast time period in order to achieve cost savings, high earnings, and an integrated culture. Blumenthal... View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Organizational Structure; Mergers and Acquisitions; Consolidation

April 1992 (Revised April 1996)
Case

Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc.

By: Hugo Uyterhoeven

The board and management of General Cinema has to determine whether the acquisition of Harcourt Brace Jovanovich (HBJ), thereby entering the publishing business, makes strategic sense. The case describes HBJ's involvement in several segments of the publishing industry:... View Details

Keywords: Competition; Boundaries; Supply and Industry; Segmentation; Publishing Industry

27 Apr 2018
HBS Seminar

Helen Riley, Moonshot Mission Controller at X (formerly Google [x])

January 1999 (Revised March 2004)
Case

Absolute Sensors

Absolute Sensors is a new spin-off from a scientific consulting firm. Collins and his team must address issues such as: what market(s) to target, how and from whom to raise money, and to what extent they should engage in manufacturing their products. View Details

Keywords: Strategic Planning; Entrepreneurship; Financing and Loans; Consulting Industry; Consulting Industry