Publications

Find at Harvard

March 2001 (Revised August 2001)
Case

Virgin.com

By: Alan D. MacCormack and Kerry Herman

Describes the evolution of Virgin's dot-com organization and the decision it faced in mid-2000--whether to consolidate several separate dot-com ventures into one larger venture or, instead, to allow each to run independently. Also contains a history of Virgin's... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Design; Organizational Structure; Motivation and Incentives; Internet and the Web; Consolidation

Find at Harvard

September 1986 (Revised November 1994)
Case

Lotus Development Corp. Channel Choice: Direct vs. Distribution

By: V. Kasturi Rangan

Lotus Development Corp., the number one microsoftware firm has traditionally sold to its customers through a distributor-retail dealer network. In early 1986, the company is considering the option of selling direct to large corporate customers. Students are expected to... View Details

Keywords: Cost vs Benefits; Marketing Channels; Distribution Channels; Sales; Software; Information Technology Industry; United States

23 May 2022
News

Four HBS Faculty Members Receive Class of 2022 Faculty Teaching Award Honors

25 May 2017
News

The Trouble with Optionality

23 Apr 2019
Video

New Teachers Thriving Final Pitch New Venture Competition 2019 Social Enterprise Track

September 2023
Teaching Note

Apple’s iPhone Revolution: Pioneering the Circular Economy

By: George Serafeim

Teaching Note for HBS Case 123-089. The case describes the Trade-In system for iPhones that allow iPhones to be refurbished and reused or to be recycled. The case provides information for the students to analyze the financial attractiveness of the Trade-In system and... View Details

Keywords: Iphone; Smartphone; Technology; Business Model Innovation; Carbon Emissions; Recycling; Business Model; Product Design; Climate Change; Environmental Sustainability; Green Technology; Technology Industry

Career Coach

HuQing Piemonte

HuQing worked for more than 30 years in universities as a career and immigration advisor, including 23 years at Harvard. As an immigrant who came to the United States as a graduate student, she understands the challenges associated with being an international student,... View Details

April 2004 (Revised November 2004)
Background Note

Why Complex Systems Fail

Operationally excellent organizations create competitive opportunities for themselves that are not available to their peers. One view of the manager's competitive dilemma is to pick the right position for his organization, differentiating it, for example, as a... View Details

Keywords: Organizations; Complexity

13 Jan 2023
Blog Post

Video: Introduction to the Harvard MS/MBA: Engineering Sciences

View Video TRANSCRIPT Robert D. Howe: The MS/MBA program is a dual degree program. So in two years, you'll earn an MBA from Harvard's Business School and a Master of Science in engineering from Harvard's Engineering School. The core of the curriculum is a set of five... View Details

Web

Accounting & Management - Faculty & Research

Accounting & Management Overview Faculty Curriculum Seminars & Conferences Awards & Honors Doctoral Students July 2025 Case Microsoft’s Performance Across Three CEOs By: George Serafeim This case traces Microsoft’s evolution from its... View Details

March 2020 (Revised May 2022)
Case

The Art of the Merger: The Museum of Modern Art and PS1

By: Dennis Yao and Hillary Greene

This case examines the organizational relationship between the Museum of Modern Art and its affiliate MoMA PS1. The relationship raises a number of business and corporate strategy questions regarding the evolution of organizational relationships and their management.... View Details

Keywords: Arts; Nonprofit Organizations; Corporate Strategy; Mergers and Acquisitions; Disruption; Decision Making; Fine Arts Industry; United States; New York (state, US)

January 1989
Background Note

Managing Information Technology: System Development

By: James I. Cash Jr. and Thomas H. Davenport

Provides an overview of the system development process in large organizations. Describes traditional life cycle approaches as well as more recent methods, e.g., prototyping. The objective is to familiarize students with the terminology and issues involving system... View Details

Keywords: Design; Information Technology; System