Publications

15 May 2020
Research & Ideas

Find Your Pragmatic Path through Radical Uncertainty

communicating with those who depend on us for advice and leadership. We must be willing to explain why we can’t answer all the questions. Credibility is a critical commodity in a crisis and it must not be wasted. “Who to trust” is a... View Details

Keywords: by Howard Stevenson, Eugene B. Kogan, and Shirley Spence

23 Jul 2001
Research & Ideas

How the Giants of Enterprise Seized the Future

others. Result: Carnegie Steel became the low cost, high quality producer of a commodity vital to the creation of the modern world. Carnegie sold his company to J.P. Morgan, who used it as the fulcrum for United States Steel, in 1901.... View Details

Keywords: by Richard S. Tedlow

16 Jul 2008
Op-Ed

What Should Employers Do about Health Care?

and value. But health care has been treated as a commodity and cost reduction has been the dominant approach. Employers have gone to their vendors, health plans, or third-party administrators in the case of self insured plans, and tried... View Details

Keywords: by Michael E. Porter, Elizabeth O. Teisberg & Scott Wallace; Health

28 Aug 2012
First Look

First Look: August 28

is that they were taken from the accounts of customers trading in commodity futures and used in other areas of the firm; less is known about how it happened. The case describes MF Global's operating model, certain management decisions,... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

02 Aug 2010
Research & Ideas

Modern Indian Art: The Birth of a Market

categories such as art and fashion and examining the processes in commodity markets such as tobacco, financial services, and so on. We propose a theory of market creation processes that involve multiple players working together out of... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

14 Oct 2013
Research & Ideas

Time that Government Reopens for Business

making good money in developing markets, but those opportunities are now considerably diminished due to depreciating currencies in the face of high commodity prices, specifically energy prices, which are dollar denominated. Meanwhile,... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Aisner

29 Apr 2008
First Look

First Look: April 29, 2008

the U.S. and its new "Solution Pack" in its domestic market, Japan. The case provides rich detail on the firm's evolution from a manufacturer of thermometers to a seller of commodity products like syringes to a diversified firm... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

January 2025
Supplement

Negotiating a Legacy at Sustainable Harvest (B)

By: Jillian Jordan, Julian Zlatev, Alicia Dadlani and Martha Hostetter

The specialty coffee importer Sustainable Harvest was the first certified B Corp in the coffee industry due to its investments in building coffee farmers’ capacity and livelihood. But in 2022, after coffee prices plummeted and the company’s bank declined to extend its... View Details

Keywords: Negotiation; Mergers and Acquisitions; Trust; Ethics; Plant-Based Agribusiness; Volatility; Futures and Commodity Futures; Social Enterprise; Valuation; Business Model; Credit; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Food and Beverage Industry; United States; Europe

January 2020
Case

The June Oven

By: Leonard A. Schlesinger and Christian Godwin

The June Oven was a smart oven which was capable of identifying food and cooking it accordingly. This type of smart oven represented the next step in the long history of oven and stove development. Due to the widespread use of traditional ovens, the market for the June... View Details

15 Oct 2008
First Look

First Look: October 15, 2008

Firms accordingly had to develop their own rules for legitimating truth-claims and standardizing and regulating laboratory practices. I argue here that the primary commodity crafted by DNA-typing companies—the courtroom credibility of DNA... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

12 Feb 2001
Research & Ideas

John Irving’s Lessons for Business

solitary pursuit of writing, not jockeying for advancement in a business organization. Even so, according to HBS professor Teresa Amabile, a good look at Irving's life to date reveals fascinating lessons on how to think about the notion of "raw talent" —... View Details

Keywords: by Mallory Stark & Martha Lagace

December 2021
Case

Grapery

By: Forest Reinhardt and Natalie Kindred

16 Mar 2010
First Look

First Look: March 16

states to collect export taxes to finance expenditures, rendered states with higher windfall tax revenues from the export of commodities to spend more on education per capita. Second, we prove that colonial institutions constrained the... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

14 Nov 2017
First Look

New Research and Ideas: November 14, 2017

business strategy for their company? Purchase this case: https://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cbmp/product/617050-PDF-ENG Harvard Business School Case 218-005 Investing in Commodities at Global Endowment Management No abstract available. Purchase... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

26 Jul 2010
Research & Ideas

Yes, You Can Raise Prices in a Downturn

Finally, performance pricers relentlessly communicate their value. An example is PACCAR, producer of Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks in a market viewed as a commodity by others. Throughout 70 consecutive years of profitability—a period from... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Retail; Consumer Products

07 Dec 2010
First Look

First Look: Dec. 7

case:http://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cb/product/111016-PDF-ENG Purchase this supplement (B):http://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cb/product/111029-PDF-ENG Lessons Learned? Brooksley Born & the OTC Derivatives Market (A) Clayton S. Rose and David LaneHarvard Business School Case... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

29 Jan 2013
First Look

First Look: Jan. 29

Publication:Journal of Public Economics Abstract We examine a prominent justification for capital income taxation: goods preferred by those with high ability ought to be taxed. In an environment where commodity taxes are allowed to be... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

07 May 2018
Research & Ideas

Why Online Retailers Should Hide Their Best Discounts

Commodity Busters: Be a Price Maker, Not a Price Taker Fixing Price Tag Confusion What do you think of this research? Share your insights and experiences below. View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Retail

January 2024
Case

Frank Cornelissen: The Great Sulfite Debate (A)

By: Tiona Zuzul and Susan Pinckney

In 2018, artisanal Italian vineyard Frank Cornelissen was one of the world’s leading natural wine vineyards. Its founder, Frank Cornelissen, faced weather related conditions that forced him to have to decide between staying true to the tenets of the natural wine... View Details