Publications

July 1993 (Revised October 2004)
Case

Aston-Blair, Inc.

By: John J. Gabarro

Describes the formation, selection, and experience of a task force with multidepartmental membership. The problems faced by the task force leader at the end of the case raise issues of who does the selection; the establishment of group norms, values, and goals; the... View Details

Keywords: Employees; Leadership; Problems and Challenges; Groups and Teams; Conflict Management

05 May 2003
Research & Ideas

How Bank of America Turned Branches into Service-Development Laboratories

America's Innovation & Development Team quickly realized that it would be very difficult to conduct a diverse array of experiments within the confines of a traditionally designed bank branch. Experiments require frequent changes in... View Details

Keywords: by Stefan Thomke; Banking; Financial Services

28 Feb 2014
News

The First Five Years: Omowale Casselle (MBA 2009)

the expectations of our consumers, retailers, and brand partners. "In addition to managing our product lines, I also lead our operations team, which means that I make sure that each retail partner (Walmart, Walgreens, Kroger, and Meijer)... View Details

Keywords: General Merchandise Stores; Retail Trade

July 2002 (Revised August 2003)
Case

EXP Systems

By: Malcolm S. Salter and Alison Berkley Wagonfeld

Discusses selecting investors and avoiding board-level conflicts of interest in start-ups. Using the "term sheet" in third-round financing as a negotiation over future governance and control rights. A rewritten version of an earlier case. View Details

Keywords: Conflict of Interests; Governance Controls; Governing and Advisory Boards; Business Startups; Management Teams

January 1998 (Revised June 1998)
Case

Li & Fung: Beyond "Filling in the Mosaic," 1995-1998

By: Michael Y. Yoshino, Carin-Isabel Knoop and Anthony St. George

In early 1998, William and Victor Fung had to review their business, the Li & Fung Group, to plan for the next three years. Examines strategic and organizational issues including company culture, international expansion, and venture capital projects. A rewritten... View Details

Keywords: Management Teams; Venture Capital; Organizational Culture; Global Strategy; Opportunities; Problems and Challenges; Strategic Planning; Asia

08 Jul 2024
Research & Ideas

The Critical Computer Science Principles Every Strategic Leader Needs to Know

In an AI-world, leaders who speak technology’s language gain an edge. But that doesn’t mean every manager needs a computer science degree. A handle on a handful of basics goes a long way toward preparing strategic leaders for today’s... View Details

Keywords: by Ben Rand; Technology; Information Technology

November 2009 (Revised September 2010)
Case

Discovering Hidden Gems: The Story of Daryl Morey, Shane Battier, and the Houston Rockets (A)

By: Frances X. Frei and Matthew Todd Perlberg

As NBA Commissioner David Stern approached the podium, silent anticipation gripped the 4,000 Houston Rockets fans gathered at the Rockets Draft Party. "With the 8th pick in the 2006 NBA draft," Stern began, "the Houston Rockets select Rudy Gay from the University of... View Details

Keywords: Sports; Talent and Talent Management; Competitive Strategy; Operations; Groups and Teams; Sports Industry

April 1997
Case

Romeo Engine Plant (Abridged)

By: Robert S. Kaplan and Amy P. Hutton

A newly reopened automobile engine plant has been organized along total quality and teamwork principles. Employees now solve problems and ensure quality, rather than watch parts being produced. New operating and financial systems have been installed to promote... View Details

Keywords: Cost Accounting; Cost Management; Groups and Teams; Employees; Performance Improvement; Auto Industry

20 Sep 2021
Blog Post

Student Spotlight: Summer Internships in Business and Environment

Sofia Baqueiro (MBA 2022, Section J), Summer Internship: MBA Intern at Whole Foods Market, e-Commerce Digital and Product Management Team The e-Commerce Digital and Product View Details

01 Jun 1997
News

Go Team!

January cohort students attempt to swish ten free throws as one of many tasks in a "treasure hunt" that took place in February as part of Technology and Operations Management's Project Management module. The hunt involved student View Details

01 Mar 2007
News

HBS Debaters Muzzle Yale Bulldog

In November, in the friendly confines of Spangler Auditorium, the HBS debate team talked circles around a visiting contingent from the Yale School of Management and won a 2–1 decision. As reported by the... View Details

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

17 Apr 2017
HBS Case

This Turkish Debt Collector Is Customer-friendly

turn-around artist who had saved many companies from financial distress, Guvenal started by learning as much as he could about Turkasset’s debtors. He and his team discovered many of them were small-business owners suffering from poor... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Financial Services

17 Aug 2021
Blog Post

Applying the MBA Skillset to Global Health Challenges: Summer Fellow Vasilis Theodorou (MBA 2022)

goals for this summer? First and foremost, I want to leverage the skills I have acquired from consulting and my first year at HBS to help my team at CHAI increase the management capabilities of its programs.... View Details

January 2016 (Revised January 2019)
Case

The Allergan Board Under Fire (A)

By: Lynn S. Paine, Suraj Srinivasan, John C. Coates and David Lane

In 2014, the Allergan Inc. board of directors received a surprise takeover offer from Valeant Pharmaceuticals in alliance with hedge fund activist Bill Ackman's Pershing Square Capital Management. In the unprecedented arrangement between an acquirer and a hedge fund... View Details

October 2013 (Revised January 2016)
Case

J.C. Penney's 'Fair and Square' Strategy (Abridged)

By: Elie Ofek and Jill Avery

As he gets ready to release 2nd quarter 2012 results, Ron Johnson, the new CEO of department store J.C. Penney, is reconsidering the dramatic changes he initiated for the business model and brand image of his company. A new pricing scheme he put in place in February,... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Change Management; Marketing Strategy; Price; Consumer Behavior; Decision Making; Management Teams; Brands and Branding; Retail Industry; United States

04 Mar 2013
Lessons from the Classroom

Lessons from Running GM’s OnStar

Among the most popular elective courses at Harvard Business School is Building and Sustaining a Successful Enterprise (BSSE). Developed by Professor Clayton M. Christensen, the course teaches future leaders how to use well-researched academic theories to understand... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Auto

July 2015
Article

Executives' 'Off-the-Job' Behaviors and Financial Reporting Risk

By: Robert Davidson, Aiyesha Dey and Abbie Smith

We examine how executives' behavior outside the workplace, as measured by their ownership of luxury goods (low “frugality”) and prior legal infractions, is related to financial reporting risk. We predict and find that chief executive officers (CEOs) and chief financial... View Details

Keywords: Management Teams; Behavior; Personal Characteristics; Crime and Corruption; Governance Compliance; Financial Reporting; Organizational Culture