Publications

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May 1997 (Revised June 2003)
Case

Prestige Telephone Company

By: William J. Bruns Jr.

An independent regulated telephone company has established a computer services subsidiary that seems to remain unprofitable. Managers must determine whether it is profitable or not and consider changes in pricing or promotion that might improve profitability. A... View Details

Keywords: Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Profit; Cost vs Benefits; Business Subsidiaries; Telecommunications Industry

February 2008
Case

Entrepreneurial Leadership in Forming High Tech Enclaves: Lessons from the Government of Andhra Pradesh

By: F. Warren McFarlan, Ramiro Montealegre and Espen Andersen

This case provides an overview of the entrepreneurial leadership taken by the government of India's Andhra Pradesh state in promoting the IT sector and using it to improve the status of the state's economic position in the early years of the third millennium. View Details

Keywords: Economic Sectors; Entrepreneurship; Leadership; Business and Government Relations; Welfare; Information Technology; Andhra Pradesh

June 2004 (Revised November 2005)
Case

Salem Telephone Company

By: William J. Bruns Jr. and Julie Hertenstein

A computer subsidiary appears to be unprofitable. Managers must determine whether it is actually unprofitable and consider whether changes in prices or promotion might improve profitability. Allows clear separation of variable costs from fixed costs. A rewritten... View Details

Keywords: Cost; Business Earnings; Cost vs Benefits; Cost Management; Profit; Telecommunications Industry

February 1995 (Revised November 1996)
Case

MasterCard and World Championship Soccer

By: John A. Quelch and Carin-Isabel Knoop

The MasterCard vice president for global promotions and other MasterCard executives are appraising the results of MasterCard's worldwide sponsorship of the 1994 World Cup soccer championship. They must decide whether to commit to sponsor the 1998 championship to be... View Details

Keywords: Credit Cards; Marketing Strategy; Multinational Firms and Management; Advertising Campaigns; Globalization; Sports; Financial Services Industry; Sports Industry; France; United States

October 2019
Case

David Yin's Vegetarian Mission

By: Boris Groysberg and Evan M.S. Hecht

After the establishment of his critically-acclaimed upscale vegetarian restaurant, King’s Joy, in Beijing, chef and entrepreneur David Yin must decide whether or not to expand to other locations or continue to invest in his existing location in order to fulfill his... View Details

Keywords: Restaurant; Restaurant Industry; Creative Ability; Creative Industries; Values; Entrepreneurship; Creativity; Food; Values and Beliefs; China

November 1983 (Revised May 1990)
Case

Procter & Gamble Co. (B)

By: John A. Quelch

The brand assistant on H-80, a new light duty liquid detergent, has to develop a year-one national promotion plan for the new product. Illustrates one of the important tasks of a Procter & Gamble brand assistant and provides substantial information on different types... View Details

Keywords: Advertising; Product Launch; Product Marketing; Brands and Branding; Consumer Products Industry; United States

April 2010
Article

Managed Globalization: Doctrine, Practice, and Promise

By: Rawi Abdelal and Sophie Meunier

Two alternate visions for shaping and explaining the governance of economic globalization have been in competition for the past 20 years: an ad hoc, laissez-faire vision promoted by the United States versus a managed vision relying on multilateral rules and... View Details

Keywords: Financial Crisis; Trade; Globalized Economies and Regions; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Competition; European Union; United States

Article

Big Ideas Feature: Time for Happiness: Why the Pursuit of Money Isn't Bringing You Joy—and What Will

By: A.V. Whillans

Adam (real story, fake name) was a good employee who was given a plum project he believed could get him a promotion and a raise. Taking it seemed like the proverbial no-brainer: Work hard, nail the assignment, get more pay. He knew he’d have to put in long days and... View Details

Keywords: Time; Privilege; Guilt; Money; Happiness; Work-Life Balance

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September 2004 (Revised February 2007)
Case

Roller Coaster Ride, The: The Resignation of a Star

By: Boris Groysberg, Steve Balog and Jennifer Haimson

Presents a detailed account of power dynamics that unfold in the firm when one of its best and brightest threatens to leave. Focuses on the dynamics of attracting, retaining, compensating, negotiating, and leveraging a star performer in a professional services firm. A... View Details

Keywords: Talent and Talent Management; Compensation and Benefits; Resignation and Termination; Retention; Business or Company Management; Negotiation; Power and Influence

May 1990 (Revised July 1991)
Case

Workbench Pricing Strategy

An abridged version of Workbench, most notably the results of two customer surveys, given in their complete form in Workbench. Focuses on the pricing decision for a small contemporary furniture retailer. Should Workbench continue its highly promotional pricing policy... View Details

Keywords: Price; Business Strategy; Consumer Products Industry

17 Feb 2015
HBS Case

HBS Cases: The Battle for San Francisco

San Francisco has always been a beacon for people who want to change the world. From beat poets to hippies to gay activists, each wave of counterculture immigration has put its stamp on the city, creating a unique blend that has set it apart from any other in America.... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Technology

February 2006 (Revised January 2007)
Case

MercadoLibre.com

By: Francisco de Asis Martinez-Jerez, Joshua Bellin and James Robert Dillon

MercadoLibre.com, eBay's Latin-American partner, needed to decide how far it was going to follow eBay's practice of offering "free listing days" and discounted special-feature days. Was this type of promotion prudent, given MercadoLibre.com's customer base, revenue... View Details

Keywords: Internet and the Web; Auctions; Service Industry; Latin America

February 1998 (Revised January 1999)
Case

Rob Parson at Morgan Stanley (C)

A year after Rob Parson's manager decided to postpone Parson's promotion, Parson's new manager Gary Stuart faces the decision of promotion again. Stuart considers whether the efforts Parson had made were sufficient. Teaching purpose: To explore managerial problems... View Details

Keywords: Management; Personal Development and Career; Performance Evaluation; Financial Services Industry

June 2023
Teaching Note

NIO: A Chinese EV Company’s Global Strategy

By: William C. Kirby and Noah B. Truwit

Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 322-106. Through this case, students will discuss the impacts of government policy on promoting a new industry, how a company with Chinese roots becomes a truly global company, and the paths forward for Chinese businesses in the face of... View Details

Keywords: Global Strategy; Policy; China

January 2006 (Revised June 2008)
Case

Lehman Brothers (A): Rise of the Equity Research Department

By: Ashish Nanda, Boris Groysberg and Lauren Prusiner

Under Jack Rivkin's leadership, Shearson Lehman's research department rose from relative obscurity to the highest ranking research department on Wall Street within three years. When Rivkin is promoted to head of equity, he wonders how to succeed in his new position. A... View Details

Keywords: Talent and Talent Management; Leadership; Service Operations; Organizational Culture; Research; Alignment

2014
Working Paper

Mobilizing Culture for Public Action: Community Participation and Child Rights in Rural Uttar Pradesh

By: Akshay Mangla

Community-based initiatives that work to empower the poor and promote their participation have gained strong support among scholars and practitioners of development. Yet the questionable assumptions about culture and development that inform these initiatives render it... View Details

Keywords: India; Culture; Child Rights; Caste Relations; Child Education; Child Health; India

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April 1992
Case

Malaysia (A)

By: Bruce R. Scott

Riots in 1969 bring martial law and a new, more firmly Malay government which sets out to promote redistribution of opportunity, income, and wealth by race-based quotas. Dr. Mahatherl, a Malay nationalist says Malays have a non-competitive alliance which must be forced... View Details

Keywords: Wealth and Poverty; Change Management; Race; Conflict and Resolution; Power and Influence; Malaysia

January 1988
Case

Santa Clara County Transportation Agency (A)

A manager is confronted with a choice between promoting a man, recommended through a careful evaluation process, or a woman, who scored slightly lower in the same process, and who is seen as a trouble maker. Appendix summarizes legal issues in affirmative action... View Details

Keywords: Decision Choices and Conditions; Laws and Statutes; Gender