Publications

November 2008 (Revised February 2010)
Case

Rebranding at Oliver Wyman Group

By: Robert G. Eccles and Kaitlyn Simpson

Keywords: History; Integration; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Marketing Strategy; Service Operations; Organizational Structure; Organizational Culture; Brands and Branding; Consulting Industry

June 1995
Case

Polaroid Corporation: European Distribution System

By: Janice H. Hammond and Afroze A Mohammed

Describes distribution operations in Polaroid Europe. In the late 1980s, Polaroid senior management in the United States proposed moving from a system of 12 decentralized warehouses to a centralized distribution system in which all inventory for European retailers... View Details

Keywords: Distribution; Operations; Risk Management; Distribution Channels; Logistics; Transition; Strategy; Problems and Challenges; Industry Structures; Consumer Products Industry; Europe; European Union; United States

25 Jul 2005
Research & Ideas

An Organization Your Customers Understand

the role of organization in regard to a business unit's success, or in the choice of which structure to use, is intertwined with a large number of other important factors. These include the strategy of the business, the quality of its... View Details

Keywords: by Robert Simons

12 Jan 2004
Research & Ideas

Does Your HQ Operation Fit With Corporate Strategy?

Structure and Performance of Corporate Headquarters." Among their findings: Contrary to popular belief, European HQs were smaller than American HQs. And the much-touted "lean and mean" ideal does not necessarily lead to... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

22 Feb 2022
Blog Post

Lessons Learned from My HBS Career Journey in Environmental Sustainability

often comes with startups did not fit my learning style; I needed more structure and guidance. In addition, I realized that being remote comes with its own challenges and not having any peers in the same role proved to be difficult.... View Details

Keywords: Energy / Cleantech

Web

The Strategic Case for Diversity in Digital Transformation - Blog: RGE Report

full potential for innovation and impact. Diversity and Workforce Development: It’s About Change, Not Just Adoption As digital tools reshape work, the challenge for boards goes beyond adoption and application and includes the shift in workforce View Details

May 1991
Case

Sun Hydraulics Corp. (C)

Provides a follow-up to the (A) and (B) (Condensed) case. Brings events up to date from 1985-1991. Bob Koski, Sun's CEO, has now taken on a new #2 heir apparent in Clyde Nixon. The company has a proliferation of new products and new directions. Has Sun's horizontal... View Details

Keywords: Business or Company Management; Organizational Structure; Organizational Culture

January 1985
Case

Turning Around Alcan Europe (B): Patrick Rich's Two Years as CEO-Europe

Traces the efforts of Patrick Rich, CEO of Alcan Europe, to bring the company into a stable, profitable situation after having lost $120 million in 1982. Focuses on a wide variety of issues, including setting objectives and strategies for the region, creating... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Strategic Planning; Organizational Structure

20 Nov 2018
First Look

New Research and Ideas, November 20, 2018

different methods of selecting peers, sampling, different proxies and estimation techniques. Download working paper: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=55265 Corporate Legal Structure and Bank Loan Spreads By: Sikochi,... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

Profile

Tony He

particular, through the case method, I learned how to really listen—to focus my attention on others, to think critically about what’s being said, to probe for assumptions, and to check on my own biases and reactions. I also gained practice in View Details

Keywords: Nonprofit / Government

Web

Lynda Benglis Migrating Pedmarks 1998 | About

connection to water. These works explore patterns of flow and movement, and function not unlike fountains. The sculptures were initially formed in wet clay that Benglis hand cut and pounded into rectangular, square and triangular sheets. She then affixed them to a... View Details

21 Jul 2011
News

Social Investing’s Time Has Come

handful more in other locations over the following two years, totaling $100 million in impact investments. Social Finance will work with state and local governments to structure and monitor the funded programs. “Social impact bonds have a... View Details

Keywords: Roger Thompson; Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations; Personal Services

01 Dec 2011
News

Faculty Books

sustainability, and develop and execute the systems needed to accomplish both. Based on more than 10 years of research and filled with examples, this book explores the basic structure of a nonprofit. It explains how to build, monitor, and... View Details

Keywords: Utilities

05 Feb 2019
First Look

New Research and Ideas, February 5, 2019

Modularity By: Baldwin, Carliss Y. Abstract— This is the first chapter in Part 3. Its purpose is to contrast the value structure of platform systems with step processes from a technological perspective. I first review the basic technical... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

17 Aug 2010
First Look

First Look: August 17

structure and function of the asset management industry, with a primary focus on the U.S. It was designed to support the HBS MBA course "Managing the Financial Firm." Purchase this... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

28 Oct 2010
Working Paper Summaries

The Distinct Effects of Information Technology and Communication Technology on Firm Organization

Keywords: by Nicholas Bloom, Luis Garicano, Raffaella Sadun & John Van Reenen; Technology

December 2019
Case

WeWork Files for an IPO

By: Lynn S. Paine and Will Hurwitz

For the board of The We Company—better known as WeWork—August 14, 2019, promised to be a pivotal day. It was then that WeWork’s IPO prospectus, known as an S-1 filing, would be made public, giving potential investors, the media, and the general public a window into the... View Details

Keywords: Capital Structure; Corporate Accountability; Corporate Governance; Going Public; Leadership; Management; Private Equity; Valuation; Venture Capital; Real Estate Industry; Technology Industry; United States

November 2017
Case

iRobot: Moving Beyond the Roomba

By: Rajiv Lal and Scott Johnson

The makers of the Roomba, a robotic vacuum cleaner, connected the latest version of their product to the Internet. This new feature opened up a wealth of new opportunities and challenges for the company. View Details

Keywords: Irobot; Smart Home; Connected Home; Roomba; Vacuum; Mapping; Internet Of Things; Connected Products; Organizational Structure; Organizational Design; Information Infrastructure; Applications and Software; Digital Platforms; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Consumer Products Industry; Electronics Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Technology Industry; United States

July 1991 (Revised September 1995)
Case

Eastman Kodak Co.: Managing Information Systems Through Strategic Alliances

By: Lynda M. Applegate

In January 1988, Colby Chandler, Kodak CEO, created the Corporate Information Systems (CIS) and appointed Katherine Hudson head. She at once became the first head of IT and first woman corporate vice president in the company. Throughout 1989, Hudson inaugurated a... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Strategy; Information Technology; Partners and Partnerships; Organizational Structure; Success; Trends; Information Management; Service Operations; Manufacturing Industry