Publications

March 2025 (Revised March 2025)
Case

Seattle's Climate Pledge Arena: Ticket to a Greener Future

By: Rosabeth Moss Kanter and Jacob A. Small

Tim Leiweke reviewed how his development group and partners had completely rebuilt an aging Seattle landmark into the world’s greenest arena, carrying the visible name Climate Pledge Arena. It had attracted a new National Hockey League franchise, the Kraken, and... View Details

Keywords: Environmental Sustainability; Leadership; Bids and Bidding; Standards; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Green Buildings; Innovation Leadership; Partners and Partnerships; Power and Influence; Operations; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Seattle

October 1994
Case

Allegheny Ludlum Steel Corporation (Abridged)

By: Steven C. Wheelwright

Describes a decision facing Allegheny Ludlum Steel Corp. in June 1985: whether to continue to compete in the silicon steel business in the face of stiff competition from imports. Includes a complete description of the company's productivity improvement systems and... View Details

Keywords: Decision Choices and Conditions; Business Strategy; Performance Improvement; Management Systems; Technology; Steel Industry

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02 Feb 2010
First Look

First Look: Feb. 2

welfare enhancing. In this case, the net cost of both contracting directly on an aggregate measure and exploiting career incentives based on disaggregated measures is smaller... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

08 Mar 2004
Research & Ideas

Secret to Success: Go for “Just Enough”

"Success has always been an American preoccupation, but the definition of success takes on a new urgency today, when every conventional measure of success seems to have a faster burn rate than ever before," say Laura Nash View Details

Keywords: by Laura Nash & Howard Stevenson

February 2003 (Revised April 2003)
Case

Roman Catholic Diocese of San Jose, The

By: Allen S. Grossman and Christina Darwall

Patrick J. McGrath, the bishop of the healthy and growing San Jose diocese, is pioneering the use of long-term, business-like strategic planning to better deliver on his churches' core mission. The adopted plan addresses issues at the heart of how the diocese is... View Details

Keywords: Financial Management; Innovation Strategy; Leadership; Growth Management; Success; Performance Effectiveness; Strategic Planning; Problems and Challenges

20 Dec 2016
First Look

December 20, 2016

performance metrics that can be used to run the business. This case gives students the opportunity to develop a framework for thinking about GoDaddy’s business and design View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

February 2002
Supplement

Interview with Vittorio Merloni

By: Joseph L. Bower and Sonja Ellingson Hout

Vittorio Merloni describes the evolution of leadership in his company, and the consequent improvement in its performance, as well as his thoughts on building a successful company in a very competitive industry. View Details

Keywords: Information; Leadership Development; Outcome or Result; Performance Improvement; Competitive Strategy

June 1997 (Revised May 1998)
Case

Mobil USM&R (A2)

By: Robert S. Kaplan

Second of a two-part case on the development and use of a Balanced Scorecard (BSC) at Mobil's US Marketing and Refining Division. This case describes the completed BSC, and how this was linked to the BSCs of the independent business units and the internal service... View Details

Keywords: Balanced Scorecard; Performance Evaluation; Management Teams; Management Practices and Processes; Executive Compensation; Motivation and Incentives; Corporate Strategy; Energy Industry; Mining Industry; United States

November 2009 (Revised September 2011)
Case

The Last DVD Format War?

By: Andrei Hagiu

Provides a brief overview of the standards battle between HD-DVD and Blu-ray, focusing on the events that precipitated the Blu-ray victory in early 2008. View Details

Keywords: Five Forces Framework; Standards; Competitive Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Hardware; Media and Broadcasting Industry; Media and Broadcasting Industry

April 2001 (Revised November 2001)
Case

AvantGo

By: Alan D. MacCormack and Kerry Herman

Richard Owen, CEO of AvantGo, is preparing for a meeting in which he will set the human resource policy for the firm going forward. It has been three months since the company's IPO, and given the tremendous cramp in hiring over the six months prior to the IPO, he knows... View Details

Keywords: Initial Public Offering; Management Teams; Selection and Staffing; Retention; Growth and Development Strategy; Performance Evaluation; Information Technology; Decisions; Information Technology Industry; Service Industry; United States

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05 Sep 2012
What Do You Think?

Will Business Management Save US Health Care?

the background? How will change be achieved? What could go wrong? Will management save US health care? What do you think? To Read More: Atul Gawande, Big Med, The New Yorker, August 13 & 20, 2012, pp. 52-63. Paul C. Weiler, Howard W. Hiatt, Joseph P. Newhouse,... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett; Health

September 2011 (Revised October 2011)
Case

Scotty Smiley

By: Scott A. Snook and Doug Crandall

U.S. Army Lieutenant Scotty Smiley faces the biggest challenge of his young life. What will he do after learning that the wounds he received from a car bomb in Iraq have left him permanently blinded? On April 6, 2005, Lieutenant Scotty Smiley was grievously wounded by... View Details

Keywords: Government Administration; Leadership Development; Leadership Style; Personal Characteristics; Customization and Personalization; Personal Development and Career; Work-Life Balance; Performance Capacity; Planning; Employment Industry; United States; Iraq

18 Aug 2009
First Look

First Look: August 18

(whether Wellfleet should accept it or not). At the same time, students will learn that gray-area risk decisions and, in particular, risk-adjusted performance measurement can rarely be automated. Risk... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

10 Dec 2013
First Look

First Look: December 10

capabilities across markets: no learning, local learning, and global learning. Three equilibrium strategies arise: accommodate, marginalize, and collocate. We identify how... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

14 Feb 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research: February 14

the scientists themselves. Publisher's link: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=52220 January 2017 American Economic Review Are Online and Offline Prices Similar? Evidence from Large Multi-Channel Retailers By: Cavallo,... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

01 Sep 2007
News

Faculty Books

including start-up, funding, growth, alliances and collaboration, and performance measurement — to help readers gain an in-depth understanding of... View Details

Keywords: Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools

November 1992 (Revised May 1993)
Case

American Mobile Satellite Corporation

By: Frank V. Cespedes and Laura Goode

American Mobile Satellite Corp. (AMSC) has a license to provide wireless mobile communications via satellite throughout the United States and 200 miles of coastal waters. The first satellite launch is scheduled for 1994 and, in the interim, AMSC is providing limited... View Details

Keywords: Wireless Technology; Decisions; Distribution Channels; Marketing Strategy; Product Development; Sales; Emerging Markets; Resource Allocation; Performance Capacity; Communications Industry; Information Technology Industry; United States

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October 1992
Supplement

American Connector Co. (B)

By: Gary P. Pisano

Presents a plant manager's proposal to improve operations at American Connector Co. The plan attempts to imitate operations at DJC Corp., a successful Japanese competitor. Requires students to consider how changes in manufacturing impact productivity, flexibility, and... View Details

Keywords: Change; Production; Performance Productivity; Strategy; Japan; Sunnyvale

March 2007
Case

Hallstead Jewelers

By: William J. Bruns Jr.

A retail jeweler has relocated to a larger store and is experiencing losses for the first time. Sales and costs have increased along with the breakeven point. Changes in pricing and promotion must be explored. Alternative actions to return to profitability can be... View Details

Keywords: Restructuring; Transition; Marketing Channels; Outcome or Result; Performance Evaluation; Opportunities; Commercialization; Apparel and Accessories Industry