Publications

January 2001
Background Note

Country Analysis in a "Global Village"

By: Bruce R. Scott

Substantially rewritten to establish the relevance of countries in the global context. It does so in terms of their differing economic performance in recent decades, and also by contrasting those that have "converged" toward the rich country norm (as theory would... View Details

Keywords: Globalized Economies and Regions; Macroeconomics; Trade; Business Strategy; Performance Evaluation; Industry Growth; Currency; Policy; Development Economics

June 1998 (Revised January 2001)
Case

Browser Wars, 1994-1998, The

By: David B. Yoffie and Mary Kwak

Analyzes the competition between Netscape and Microsoft in the market for Web browsers and related products. Despite its first mover advantage, Netscape sees its market share fall once Microsoft becomes "hard-core" about the Internet. By the spring of 1998, the future... View Details

Keywords: Applications and Software; Internet and the Web; Innovation and Management; Growth and Development Strategy; Competition; Supply and Industry; Information Technology Industry

2019
Working Paper

Golden Opportunity? Voluntary Sustainability Standards for Artisanal and Small-scale Gold Mining and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

By: Kristin Sippl

While much is known about voluntary sustainability standards' contributions to certain issues in certain sectors, less is known about their contributions to the realization of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This paper helps balance the... View Details

Keywords: Sustainability Standards; Gold; Certification; Eco-labeling; International Law; Extractive Industries; Fair Trade; United Nations; Sustainable Development; Environmental Sustainability; Standards; Adoption; Governance; Global Range; Luxury; Mining Industry

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2003
Article

Closing the Loop: Product Take-back Requirements and their Strategic Implications

By: Michael W. Toffel

In Asia, Europe, and North America, regulators are seeking to reduce waste disposal and develop recycling markets by requiring manufacturers to manage the end-of-life disposition of products they produce. Such policies attempt to "close the loop" for products ranging... View Details

Keywords: Wastes and Waste Processing; Energy Conservation; Product Development; Strategy; Policy; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Manufacturing Industry; Asia; Europe; North and Central America

Read Now

June 2009 (Revised July 2010)
Case

Microfin

By: Michael Chu and Enrique Kramer

The case presents the management dilemmas of a new institution in an undeveloped microfinance market in Latin America. Supported by a globally recognized industry player, it is the result of the efforts of two fledgling local entrepreneurs with a business model they... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Developing Countries and Economies; Social Entrepreneurship; Microfinance; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Industry Structures; Competitive Strategy; Financial Services Industry; Latin America

Find at Harvard

March 2019 (Revised May 2019)
Case

Fetchr: A New Way of Last Mile Delivery

By: V.G. Narayanan and Eren Kuzucu

By mid-2016, five years of aggressive growth had transformed Fetchr from a small logistics startup to a 1,000-employee, full-fledged last-mile delivery company operating across four countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Already beneficiaries of the... View Details

February 2009
Teaching Note

AMD Dresden: Copy Inexactly! (TN)

By: Willy C. Shih

Teaching Note for [609004]. View Details

Keywords: Growth and Development; Production; Management Practices and Processes; Organizational Culture; Investment; Industry Clusters; Groups and Teams; Motivation and Incentives; Competency and Skills; Engineering; Science; Geographic Location; Semiconductor Industry; Germany; Europe; United States

November 2008
Teaching Note

Crossing Borders: MTC's Journey through Africa (TN)

By: Tarun Khanna

Teaching Note for [708477]. View Details

Keywords: Growth and Development; Monopoly; Strategic Planning; Mergers and Acquisitions; Leadership; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Competition; Developing Countries and Economies; Brands and Branding; Culture; Telecommunications Industry; Kuwait; Africa

June 1986 (Revised July 1990)
Case

OTISLINE (A)

By: F. Warren McFarlan and Donna B. Stoddard

Describes the company's use of information technology to strengthen its position in the elevator sales and service market. Also demonstrates how information technology can be used to better manage and control a large geographically dispersed service organization. View Details

Keywords: Information Technology; Technology Adoption; Sales; Marketing; Rank and Position; Salesforce Management; Service Operations; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Global Range; Accounting; Business Ventures; Industry Growth

21 Jan 2013
Research & Ideas

Altruistic Capital: Harnessing Your Employees’ Intrinsic Goodwill

previously learned about development seemed to be conflicting with what I was seeing in the field," she says. "I kept seeing situations in which people might seem to have access to various supplies and technologies, but they weren't able... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

17 May 2011
First Look

First Look: May 17

existence of rural areas not supplied by grid electricity was an important motivation for early movers in both the U.S. and Denmark. Public policy was the problem rather than the opportunity for wind entrepreneurs before 1980, but... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

26 Mar 2007
Research & Ideas

Learning from Failed Political Leadership

transpire, the media instantaneously supplies a convenient explanation, even as the players conceal the real facts. When the true story emerges the originals are never corrected, particularly on television. One consequence is that our... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

02 Jan 2001
Research & Ideas

Can Japan Compete? [Part One]

systems are almost the opposites. The keiretsu system essentially walls off companies from any shareholder pressures because the majority of their ownership is in the hands of friendly companies. Companies in the keiretsu are expected to serve each other, and View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace & Hilah Geer

29 Aug 2024
Research & Ideas

Shoot for the Stars: What to Know About the Space Economy

bringing new options to the table for achieving military objectives, too. Baskin: What is the big takeaway? Weinzierl: The biggest changes that have happened in space thus far are on what you might think of as the supply side of a... View Details

Keywords: by Kara Baskin; Aerospace

25 Mar 2025
Blog Post

ClimateCAP 2025 & ClimateCAP Fellowship

angles - whether in energy, finance, supply chains, or consumer goods. Engaging in these discussions and networking with professionals, some of whom generously offered to continue the conversation beyond the conference, was truly... View Details

July 2013 (Revised November 2021)
Module Note

Exploration vs. Exploitation

By: Willy Shih

This module note introduces James March's concept of exploration and exploitation, and the management challenge of balancing the allocation of resources to the two activities in the firm. The note also touches on the O'Reilly and Tushman paper on the ambidextrous... View Details

January 2025
Teaching Note

Vytal: Packaging-as-a-Service

By: George Serafeim, Michael W. Toffel and Stacy Straaberg

Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 124-007. The Germany-based startup Vytal operated the largest digital-native reusable packaging-as-a-service network globally, having raised nearly €15 million, established a large network of restaurant partners, and prevented the use of... View Details

January 2018
Teaching Note

Suominen Wipes the Slate Clean

By: Boris Groysberg, Kalle Heikkinen, Michael Norris and James Barnett

In 2016, after successfully turning around Finnish nonwovens manufacturer Suominen, CEO Nina Kopola faces a decision on the company’s strategy moving forward. View Details

Keywords: Nonwovens; Female Protagonist; Turnaround; Strategy; Mergers and Acquisitions; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry; Europe; United States; Finland

June 2005 (Revised July 2006)
Background Note

Note on the Convergence Between Genomics & Information Technology

By: David B. Yoffie, Dharmesh M Mehta and Rachel Sha

Focuses on the convergence between the genomics and semiconductor industries, in particular organ printing, DNA computing, biomolecular sensory networks, and DNA microarrays. Explains what this newly converged world looks like based on current research and findings in... View Details

Keywords: Genetics; Information Technology; Business Model; Disruptive Innovation; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry