Publications

March 2017 (Revised February 2025)
Case

Edwin Land: The Art and Science of Innovation

By: Tom Nicholas, Christopher T. Stanton and Matthew G. Preble

Throughout the second half of the 20th century, Polaroid first invented—and then continuously reinvented—the field of instant photography. Under the leadership of its mercurial founder Edwin Land, the company regularly released new instant cameras and films, often... View Details

Keywords: Instant Photography; Company History; Change Management; Disruption; Forecasting and Prediction; Entrepreneurship; Business History; Innovation Strategy; Disruptive Innovation; Innovation and Management; Intellectual Property; Patents; Product Marketing; Brands and Branding; Product Launch; Product Development; Chemical Industry; Chemical Industry; United States

02 Jan 2001
Research & Ideas

Can Japan Compete? [Part One]

the authors came to believe, government had inflicted detrimental effects not only on industry but also on the Japanese economy as a whole. Their new book Can Japan Compete? is the result of years of research by Porter, the author of... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace & Hilah Geer

December 2012 (Revised November 2014)
Case

W.R. Grace & Co.: Dealing with Asbestos Torts

By: Stuart C. Gilson and Sarah L. Abbott

A manufacturer of building products and specialty chemicals, W. R. Grace & Co. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2001 in response to a flood of lawsuits alleging that its products contained asbestos, and had caused hundreds of thousands of people to contract... View Details

Keywords: Bankruptcy Reorganization; Business Failures; Environmental Regulations; Class Action Lawsuits; Natural Environment; Valuation; Health Disorders; Capital Structure; Restructuring; Lawsuits and Litigation; Chemicals; Crisis Management; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Legal Liability; Construction Industry; Construction Industry; United States

30 Apr 2001
Research & Ideas

Entering the Age of Alliances

United States, and Georgia-Pacific Corporation, one of the world's largest forest products companies, had pursued competing agendas for common lands. The former wanted to preserve the land untouched, the latter to use it intensively. However, mounting environmental... View Details

Keywords: by James Austin

04 May 2010
First Look

First Look: May 4

Stuart C. Gilson and Sarah L. AbbottHarvard Business School Case 210-001 Hit with an industry recession and the global financial crisis of 2008, in January 2009 LyondellBasell Industries AF S.C.A., one of... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

1993
Chapter

Regulating the International Trade in Hazardous Pesticides: Closing the Accountability Gap

By: L. S. Paine

Keywords: Trade; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Corporate Accountability; Chemical Industry; Chemical Industry

October 2019 (Revised February 2025)
Case

A Conversation with Ellen J. Kullman, Chairman & CEO of DuPont, 2009-2015

By: Lynn S. Paine and Will Hurwitz

Ellen J. Kullman, the retired Chairman and CEO of DuPont, describes how she guided the storied science and technology company through a contentious proxy battle with activist investor Trian Partners, which acquired DuPont shares in 2013 and sought to break up the... View Details

Keywords: Agribusiness; Capital Structure; Corporate Accountability; Corporate Governance; Institutional Investing; Leadership; Leadership Style; Management; Transformation; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Chemical Industry; United States

22 Apr 2008
First Look

First Look: April 22, 2008

limited-liability firms in China, using the example of the Dasheng cotton mills in Nantong near Shanghai. Dasheng, one of the earliest and most successful industrial enterprises in pre-war China, was founded by the famous entrepreneur... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

10 Jun 2015
Research & Ideas

The Transparency Revolution in Corporate Reporting

growth, but we still have a very poor understanding of the value implications of these kinds of actions. So there's lots of room for improvement. Q: Are there certain companies excelling in this area, or any industries where ESG... View Details

Keywords: Re: George Serafeim

04 Apr 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research, April 4

Industry By: Baldwin, Carliss Y. Abstract—This paper seeks to explain the technological forces that led to the rise of vertically integrated corporations in the late 19th century and the opposing forces that led to a... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

September 2023 (Revised March 2024)
Case

ReMo Energy: Sizing Up Investors

By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang and Tom Quinn

In 2023, executives with ReMo Energy (founded 2020) were deciding which size ammonia plant to build as their first project. Their innovative model produced ammonia—useful for making fertilizer and for energy storage—from renewable energy, and they had received funding... View Details

February 2008
Teaching Note

Kerr-McGee (TN)

By: Robin Greenwood

Teaching Note for [207020]. View Details

Keywords: Energy Industry; Energy Industry; United States

November 1984 (Revised March 1985)
Case

Restructuring European Petrochemicals: Regional Data

By: Francis Aguilar, Joseph L. Bower and Benjamin Gomes-Casseres

Keywords: Restructuring; Corporate Strategy; Energy Industry; Energy Industry; Europe