Publications

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2025
Working Paper

CEO-Firm Matches and Productivity in 42 Countries

By: Amanda Dahlstrand, Dávid László, Helena Schweiger, Oriana Bandiera, Andrea Prat and Raffaella Sadun

Firms are key to economic development, and CEOs are key to firm productivity. Are firms in countries at varying stages of development led by the right CEOs, and if not, why? We develop a parsimonious measure of CEO time use that allows us to differentiate CEOs into... View Details

Keywords: Training; Management Skills; Economic Growth; Leadership Development

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19 Dec 2012
Research & Ideas

How to be Extremely Productive

project flopped, don't attack the person"). Deborah Blagg: Classic productivity books often focus on time management, but Extreme Productivity takes a much broader look. It reads more like a... View Details

Keywords: by Deborah Blagg

October 1983 (Revised July 1984)
Case

Clark Material Handling Group-Overseas: Brazilian Product Strategy (D)

Expands on Clark Material Handling Group-Overseas: Brazilian Product Strategy (A) and (B). Company considers entry into the Japanese market. View Details

Keywords: Market Entry and Exit; Japan

January 1977 (Revised April 1983)
Case

Corning Glass Works: The Electronic Products Division (B)

By: Michael Beer

Focuses on the recommendations and implementation strategy made by the organizational development group for the electronic product division's problems. View Details

Keywords: Business Divisions; Growth and Development Strategy; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Problems and Challenges; Adaptation

Research Summary

The Real Exchange Rate, Innovation and Productivity

By: Laura Alfaro

We evaluate manufacturing firms' responses to changes in the real exchange rate (RER) using detailed firm-level data for a large set of countries for the period 2001-2010. We uncover the following stylized facts about regional variation of manufacturing firms'... View Details

January 2007 (Revised June 2010)
Teaching Note

Sonoco Products Company (TN) (A), (B), and (C), and Sonoco Products Company (A) (Abridged)

By: Boris Groysberg, David A. Thomas and David Lane

Keywords: Energy; Energy Industry

January 2011
Case

Sidoti & Company: Launching a Micro-Cap Product

By: Boris Groysberg, Paul M. Healy and Sarah Abbott

It is 2010 and Sidoti & Company, a New York-based brokerage firm specializing in small capitalization stocks, has just launched a new product- micro cap stock research. The firm has hired a group of five analysts who will produce written research reports on micro-cap... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Financial Strategy; Product Launch; Strategic Planning; Corporate Strategy; Financial Services Industry; New York (city, NY)

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August 1996 (Revised November 2000)
Case

Hewlett-Packard Co.'s Home Products Division in Europe (A)

By: Michael Y. Yoshino and Carin-Isabel Knoop

In 1995, Hewlett-Packard Home Products Division (HPD) has the assignment to make Hewlett-Packard the third major home PC player worldwide. With the U.S. launch imminent, the HPD team has to decide how to enter the European market. View Details

Keywords: Decisions; Globalization; Product Launch; Market Entry and Exit; Competition; Information Technology; Technology Industry; Europe; United States

23 Mar 2020
Research & Ideas

Product Disasters Can Be Fertile Ground for Innovation

to answer: Would negative publicity from the accident affect future innovation in that segment of the medical device industry? Would people’s perception of safety issues reduce demand for products using radiation? Do accidents chill... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Health; Medical Devices & Supplies

August 1976 (Revised April 1995)
Background Note

The Integration of Mass Production and Mass Distribution

Describes the sudden appearance of the large industrial enterprise in the 1880s. Reviews the three types of mass-production industries in which the new form came: those producing perishable products; those making low-priced semi-perishable products; and makers of... View Details

Keywords: Business History; Production; Manufacturing Industry

February 2012 (Revised March 2012)
Module Note

Drivers of Productivity and Global Competitiveness

By: Diego Comin

Keywords: Trade; Performance Productivity; Global Range

1990
Chapter

Cost of Product and Process Complexity

By: S. Datar, R. Banker, S. Kekre and T. Mukhopadhyay

Keywords: Complexity; Cost; Product Development; Business Processes

May 2013
Case

Launching Krispy Natural: Cracking the Product Management Code

By: Frank V. Cespedes and Heather Beckham

Pemberton Products is a U.S. market leader in the cookie and bakery snacks segment of the sweet snack market. Looking to expand into the salty snack market, the company acquires Krispy Inc., a maker of salty snack crackers located in the southeastern U.S. To compete... View Details

Keywords: Analytics and Data Science; Competition; Organizational Culture; Management Teams; Brands and Branding; Expansion; Marketing Strategy; Product Launch; Acquisition; Food and Beverage Industry; Ohio; United States

January 2014
Case

In a Bind: Peak Sealing Technologies' Product Line Extension Dilemma

By: Robert J. Dolan and Heather Beckham

Peak Sealing Technologies (PST), a manufacturer of premium carton sealing tapes, stresses technological innovation as the company's core value. But when a new regional competitor introduces a less expensive and inferior product, PST is faced with a decision that could... View Details

January 2023 (Revised January 2023)
Case

Belden and Digital Transformation: From Product Sales to Solutions Sales

By: Frank V. Cespedes and Amy Klopfenstein

This case concerns the industrial automation division at Belden, a hardware manufacturer. While Belden historically sold products such as cables, wires, and other networking devices, EVP of Industrial Automation Ashish Chand recognized that IT vendors were entering the... View Details

Keywords: Implementation; Sales Cycle; Digital Transformation; Sales; Product Positioning; Business Model; Market Entry and Exit; Customer Focus and Relationships; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Supply and Industry; Technology Industry; North America; United States

June 1984 (Revised February 1988)
Teaching Note

Hoover: Multinational Product Planning, Teaching Note

By: Benson P. Shapiro

Keywords: Product; Planning; Multinational Firms and Management