Operations - Publications - Faculty & Research

31 Mar 2011
Research & Ideas

From SpinPop to SpinBrush: Entrepreneurial Lessons from John Osher

Canyon," Sahlman said. "But you have to be realistic. Sometimes you can confuse a rising tide with genius." Operating In A Downturn The panelists and Sahlman agreed that today's economic climate is not only a challenging... View Details

Keywords: by Dennis Fisher; Consumer Products

02 Apr 2001
Research & Ideas

Not All M&As Are Alike—and That Matters

geographically by rolling up other companies in adjacent territories. Usually, the operating unit remains local if the relationship with local customers is important. What the acquiring company brings is some combination of lower View Details

Keywords: by Joseph L. Bower

01 Jun 2022
News

In My Humble Opinion: Home Base

firms, and investment houses, to Pfizer, Disney, Lincoln Center, and even the US Air Force. “These organizations are talent-driven and operate in demanding circumstances and markets,” Dowling notes. “They want actionable, resonant... View Details

Keywords: April White

21 Aug 2017
Lessons from the Classroom

Companies Love Big Data But Lack the Strategy To Use It Effectively

Technology and Operations Management Unit. He discussed with students how German soccer team TSG Hoffenheim deploys analytics in scouting and player development. He also noted how New Zealand’s yacht designers and crew prepared for the... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

December 1997
Case

Wriston Manufacturing Corporation

By: Janice H. Hammond

Wriston Manufacturing is a broad-line maker of components for the automotive industry. It has developed a network of nine plants as its product line has grown. Newer, higher-volume products tend to be made in newer, focused, high-volume plants, while older product... View Details

Keywords: Decision Choices and Conditions; Cost Management; Business or Company Management; Production; Performance Efficiency; Auto Industry

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June 2007 (Revised April 2016)
Case

Octone Records

By: Anita Elberse and Elie Ofek

In February 2007, Octone Records founders James Diener, Ben Berkman, and David Boxenbaum had been highly successful with the first two bands they had signed, Maroon 5 and Flyleaf. Known for its grassroots marketing campaigns, Octone operated through a unique... View Details

Keywords: Arts; Joint Ventures; Investment Return; Marketing Strategy; Product Launch; Product Development; Outcome or Result; Creativity; Music Industry

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01 Sep 2023
News

End Game

Illustration by James Steinberg In the 1960s and 1970s, as the environmental movement dawned in the United States, a new generation of activist-minded entrepreneurs appeared. Among them were companies like Body Shop, Aveda, Tom’s of Maine, and Whole Foods—all founded... View Details

Keywords: Jen McFarland Flint; Miscellaneous Store Retailers; Retail Trade

2019
Working Paper

Rehabilitating Corporate Purpose

By: Malcolm S. Salter

In this paper, I address how the ascendance of the theory of shareholder value maximization into the central consciousness of public corporations and its canonization as the only legitimate expression of corporate purpose has contributed to both a widening breach... View Details

Keywords: Capitalism; Justice; Corporate Purpose; Shareholder Value Maximization; Ethical Reciprocity; Economic Systems; Business Ventures; Mission and Purpose; Ethics; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact

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01 Jun 2023
News

An Engine of Innovation

Startup life can often feel like a solo sport, says Matt Segneri (MBA 2010), the Bruce and Bridgitt Evans Executive Director of the Harvard Innovation Labs: “What the three labs in our ecosystem do is to make building a venture something that happens within a truly... View Details

Keywords: Jennifer Gillespie

Web

Judging Criteria - Alumni

appealing to acquirers or positioning it for an IPO. Financing: How much money do you need and for what purpose? Team: Can the founder, key team members, and advisors operate and scale a successful business? Highlight industry knowledge,... View Details

September 2010 (Revised March 2012)
Case

AQR's Momentum Funds (A)

By: Daniel Baird Bergstresser, Lauren H. Cohen, Randolph B. Cohen and Christopher J. Malloy

AQR is a hedge fund based in Greenwich, Connecticut, that is considering offering a wholly new line of product to retail investors, namely the ability to invest in the price phenomenon known as momentum. There is a large body of empirical evidence supporting momentum... View Details

Keywords: Financial Strategy; Investment Funds; Investment Portfolio; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Product Development; Financial Services Industry; Greenwich

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04 Sep 2019
Blog Post

A Guided Experience into the World of Entrepreneurship

people start companies, I knew that this was the best program for me.” Stan had already gained an impressive amount of experience at Microsoft where he worked on operating systems and with online payments technology, responsibilities that... View Details

Apr 12 2017
Interview

The Future of Professional Service Firms

Web

Documenting the Wartime Effort | Baker Library | Bloomberg Center | Harvard Business School

Additionally, U.S. Steel drew upon the work of photographers serving in the company’s engineering corps, who were intimately familiar with the inner workings of the corporation. It also employed the services of local studios operating... View Details

26 Mar 2006
Research & Ideas

The Office of Strategy Management

strategy. We have also learned that: (a) Many organizations don't have a consistent way to even describe their strategy, other than in a large strategic planning binder. We believe strongly that organizations need to find a consistent, coherent way to translate their... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

01 Dec 2016
News

In My Humble Opinion: Chip Brewer (MBA 1991)

(photo by Christina Gandolfo) Perhaps not surprisingly, Oliver “Chip” Brewer III (MBA 1991) found his first job in golf while playing the game with a friend who happened to know the founder of Adams Golf. At the time, Brewer was working in the paper industry (his first... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna

March 1, 2021
Article

Transitioning to Clean Energy Transportation Services: Life-cycle Cost Analysis for Vehicle Fleets

By: Stephen Comello, Gunther Glenk and Stefan Reichelstein

Comprehensive global decarbonization requires that transportation services cease to rely on fossil fuels for power generation. This paper develops a generic, time-driven life-cycle cost model for mobility services to address two closely related questions central to the... View Details

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2022
Case

Tesla's Battery Supply Chain: A Growing Concern

By: Andrew J. Hoffman

In October 2021, the fictional vice president of supply chain sustainability at Tesla is working on finding the best way to achieve Tesla's goal of 100% recycling for the batteries in its electric vehicles (EVs) as they reach their end of life. A major challenge in... View Details

Keywords: Supply Chain Management; Environmental Sustainability; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Governance Compliance; Metals and Minerals; Auto Industry

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fall 1984
Article

What Does 'Product Quality' Really Mean?

By: David A. Garvin

Keywords: Product; Quality

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December 2023
Case

Raízen: Helping to Decarbonize the World?

By: Gunnar Trumbull, Pedro Levindo, Daniel Tong and Rafaella Mazza

Raízen, the world’s largest sugar and ethanol producer, strived to find ways to expand the second-generation ethanol (E2G) market, which it pioneered. The company planned to invest R$24 billion (around $4.6 billion) in 20 production plants, with a total capacity to... View Details