Publications

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April 2017 (Revised March 2024)
Case

Making Target the Target: Boycotts and Corporate Political Activity

By: Nien-hê Hsieh and Victor Wu

Through the challenges facing Target, the case examines ways in which corporations can become involved in political and legislative debates and processes, ranging from campaign contributions to lobbying to political activism. In 2016, Target CEO Brian Cornell must... View Details

2012
Working Paper

Payout Taxes and the Allocation of Investment

When corporate payout is taxed, internal equity (retained earnings) is cheaper than external equity (share issues). If there are no perfect substitutes for equity finance, payout taxes may therefore have an effect on the investment of firms. High taxes will favor... View Details

Keywords: Business Earnings; Equity; Financing and Loans; Investment; Taxation; Business and Shareholder Relations; Motivation and Incentives

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October 2000 (Revised March 2001)
Case

eLance.com: Building a Professional Services Marketplace

By: Lynda M. Applegate and Kristin Kohler

Launched as an eBay for services, eLance promises to leverage the capabilities of the Internet to not only change the way services are bought and sold, but change the fundamental dynamics of the global economy. Building on theories posited in the HBR article by Tim... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Technological Innovation; Job Search; Business or Company Management; Growth and Development Strategy; Business Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Web Sites; Information Technology Industry; Service Industry

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14 Jul 2020
News

The Strategic Problem the Army Doesn’t Seem to Care About: African Americans Aren’t Branching Combat Arms

December 1992 (Revised October 1993)
Case

BMW: The Ultimate Driving Machine Seeks to De-Yuppify Itself

By: Stephen A. Greyser and Wendy Smith Schille

Tracks changes in the luxury auto market during the 1980s and early 1990s. Shifts in target consumer behavior--particularly the yuppie lifestyle--serve as the basis for manufacturer modifications of product line, positioning, and advertising. The climax of the case is... View Details

Keywords: Advertising; Change Management; Transformation; Brands and Branding; Product Positioning; Production; Luxury; Segmentation; Auto Industry

Article

The CMS New Rule on Ambulatory Surgical Centers Earns Only Partial Credit

By: Junaid Nabi and Robert S. Kaplan

The Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced that it will be removing more... View Details

Keywords: Ambulatory Care; Payment Policy; Health Care and Treatment; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms

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September 2014
Case

Victors & Spoils: 'Born Open'

By: Karim R. Lakhani and Michael L. Tushman

Victors & Spoils (V&S), located in Boulder, Colorado, was the first advertising agency built on open innovation and crowdsourcing principles from the ground-up. V&S was co-founded in 2009 by John Winsor, Claudia Batten and Evan Fry, all former members of the... View Details

Keywords: Advertising Agency; Marketing; Crowdsourcing; Open Innovation; Growth; Acquisitions; Advertising; Advertising Campaigns; Digital Marketing; Acquisition; Innovation and Invention; Advertising Industry; United States

August 2015 (Revised July 2017)
Technical Note

Hotel Industry

By: Arthur I. Segel, Daniel Woodbury and Michael Horowitz

This note teaches the critical elements to understand the fundamentals of hotel investing, ownership, and management. It outlines the basics of hotel segmentation, operations, ownership, management, and valuation. The changing impact of technology is also addressed. View Details

Keywords: Business or Company Management; Investment; Ownership; Accommodations Industry

June 2005 (Revised July 2009)
Case

Financial Reporting Problems at Molex, Inc. (A)

By: Paul M. Healy

Following an accounting problem at Molex, the firm's auditors request changes in management. The board of directors has to decide whether the auditors' concerns have merit or whether, as management argues, the accounting issue is immaterial. View Details

Keywords: Managerial Roles; Governing and Advisory Boards; Financial Reporting; Relationships; Resignation and Termination; Accounting Audits

01 Mar 2021
Blog Post

Best Practices for Creating a Successful Virtual Internship

In the wake of COVID-19, organizations around the world quickly made changes to how they got work done, including managing summer internships. For many organizations, that meant creating remote internship programs in 2020 that will stay... View Details

Keywords: All Industries

May 1987 (Revised October 1996)
Case

Murray Ohio Manufacturing Co.

By: Krishna G. Palepu

After a record year in 1983, Murray Ohio's earnings declined in 1984. The company was faced with competition from cheap imports and was experiencing declining margins. Students are asked to analyze the company's 1984 financial statements and predict whether there is... View Details

Keywords: Financial Statements; Financial Reporting; Business Divisions; Cost Management; Spending; Decision Making; Change Management; Problems and Challenges; Management Systems; Manufacturing Industry

02 Feb 2007
What Do You Think?

Is There Too Little “Know Why” In Business?

Aggarwal asked, "How many businesses truly were established with the vision of making the world a better place?" Jassi Brar said, "One must be able to 'afford' the good." Steve Holton had a different take on this issue: "Profitability View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

13 Mar 2025
Blog Post

Advancing Health Care Innovation and Impact with Anita Gupta (GMP 29, 2020)

at scale. Seeing those changes take effect reinforced the power of strategic leadership in moments of crisis. Since then, my work has expanded beyond the clinical setting. I’ve collaborated with organizations like the World Economic... View Details

Alvin E. Roth

Al Roth is the George Gund Professor of Economics and Business Administration in the Department of Economics at Harvard University, and in the Harvard Business School. His research, teaching, and consulting interests are in game theory, experimental economics, and... View Details

Keywords: e-commerce industry; education industry; health care; information; internet; legal services

December 2005 (Revised February 2006)
Background Note

Why do strategies fail?: Advanced Competitive Strategy, Module note for students

By: Jan W. Rivkin

The third of four module notes for students who are taking an advanced course on competitive strategy. Examines how combinations of external threats and internal barriers to change lead to strategic failure. View Details

Keywords: Competitive Strategy; Situation or Environment; Failure

News

WeWork's saga is a cautionary tale about golden parachutes and CEO pay

12 Feb 2015
Video

Happy Money, The Science Of Smarter Spending

January 2015 (Revised November 2016)
Case

Stella McCartney

By: Anat Keinan and Sandrine Crener

Stella McCartney launched her own fashion house under her name in a partnership with the luxury conglomerate Kering as a 50/50 joint venture in 2001. A lifelong vegetarian, Stella McCartney does not use any leather or fur in her collections, which include women's... View Details

October 1996 (Revised March 1998)
Case

Schroder Ventures: Launch of the Euro Fund

By: Josh Lerner, Kate Bringham and Nick Ferguson

Schroder Ventures is considering launching a pan-European fund in response to investor demand. This will lead to changes in the interactions between the parent organization and the national affiliates. A related question is the extent to which the private equity model... View Details

Keywords: Change; Private Equity; Investment Funds; Multinational Firms and Management; Product Launch; Europe