Publications

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October 2001 (Revised September 2022)
Case

Le Petit Chef

By: Alan D. MacCormack, Sandra J. Sucher and Suraj Rangashayi

Brigitte Gagne, Le Petit Chef's director of microwave R&D, is deciding on the product development agenda for next year. She has to decide which of the available projects to fund, and evaluate the overall portfolio of projects currently under development. The recent... View Details

Keywords: Production; Product Development; Projects; Planning; Research and Development; Performance; Problems and Challenges; Management Teams; Resource Allocation

November 1993
Supplement

Erik Peterson (C)

By: John J. Gabarro

Describes the outcome of Erik Peterson's one-day meeting with his superior and the events of the subsequent day's meeting with the president and vice president of operations of the parent company. Students should have read the (A) and (B) cases. The (C) case may be... View Details

Keywords: Conferences; Leadership; Management; Product Launch; Operations; Outcome or Result; Problems and Challenges

August 2000
Case

Manila Water Company (B)

By: Michael Beer and Elizabeth Weldon

On August 1, 1997 the Manila Water Co. took control of the east zone of the newly privatized Manila Metropolitan Water and Sewerage System (MWSS). At the time of privatization, MWSS was an inefficient, ineffective, and corrupt government agency. MWC must develop the... View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Horizontal Integration; Privatization; Problems and Challenges; Utilities Industry

05 May 2010
What Do You Think?

Is Denial Endemic to Management?

Bullard suggested that "Ruthless realism is, itself, pathological . The professional pilot denies a crash is inevitable until a second before impact, and that ability to believe one can save the ship is critical to the attitude of actually saving it."... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

01 Mar 2025
News

Venture: Time Heals All

Assembling a nursing schedule for a hospital ward can be surprisingly difficult—a little like playing three-dimensional Tetris, says Ilana Springer Borkenstein (MBA 2022). “It is a really challenging, tedious task.” Nurse managers must... View Details

Keywords: Amy Crawford; Illustration by Klaus Kremmerz; Ambulatory Health Care Services; Health, Social Assistance

February 1978
Case

Sierra Log Homes, Inc. (A)

By: Michael E. Porter

Describes the history and evolution of the log home manufacturing industry, a rapidly growing embryonic industry capitalizing on the back-to-basics lifestyle changes in the United States. Focuses on one of the leading firms in the industry, but allows a discussion of... View Details

Keywords: Business or Company Management; Change Management; Industry Structures; Supply and Industry; Problems and Challenges; Business Startups; Business Strategy; Manufacturing Industry; United States

October 1998 (Revised November 2001)
Case

Boston Beer Company: Light Beer Decision

By: Linda A. Cyr, Joseph B. Lassiter III and Michael J. Roberts

Boston Beer's current light-beer offering, Boston Lightship, has not been successful, and a student team is charged with investigating the problem and recommending a strategy. Highlights issues around branding, target customer selection, and cannibalization, and... View Details

Keywords: Problems and Challenges; Brands and Branding; Customers; Growth and Development Strategy; Marketing Strategy; Entrepreneurship; Food and Beverage Industry; Boston

01 Apr 2002
News

Q&A - Mark Fields

After HBS, he signed on with the Ford Motor Company, where he served in various capacities, including two years as managing director of Ford Argentina S.A. In 1998, he moved to Mazda (33.4 percent of which is owned by Ford) as senior... View Details

Keywords: auto; Mazda; Ford; Mark Fields; Machinery Manufacturing; Manufacturing

02 Jan 2014
News

The Power to Change

catastrophically in Japan. Once fully deployed, Transatomic says its reactors could use existing stockpiles of nuclear waste to satisfy the world's electricity needs through 2083. But that's a long way off. With Transatomic, Wilcox faces many of the same View Details

Keywords: Ralph Ranalli; Business and Environment Initiative; Scientific Research and Development Services

January 2003 (Revised February 2004)
Case

The Credit Suisse Group

By: Ashish Nanda and Kelley Elizabeth Morrell

On September 19, 2002, Lukas Muhlemann announced that he would step down as chairman and CEO of the Credit Suisse Group, effective January 1, 2003. The bank had progressed from a small Swiss start-up 150 years ago to a global banking powerhouse. Over the past 5 years,... View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Business Growth and Maturation; Management Succession; Problems and Challenges; Business Startups; Banks and Banking; Banking Industry; Switzerland

Find at Harvard

August 2019
Case

Experiencya Cuba: Two Entrepreneurs in Havana

By: Charles F. Wu, Mariana Cal and Fernanda Miguel

In 2019, two Cuban entrepreneurs discussed their growth strategy, given the regulatory framework instability, for private companies, in Cuba. Experiencya Cuba offered car and apartment rentals, airport pick-up, and tours around the island, all conducted in perfectly... View Details

Keywords: Self-employed; Regulatory Changes; Developing Countries and Economies; Entrepreneurship; Growth and Development Strategy; Problems and Challenges; Tourism Industry; Auto Industry; Transportation Industry; Cuba

01 Dec 2015
News

Case Study: Bionic Banking

(Thinkstock/Getty Images) Robo-advisors, like Betterment and Wealthfront, are built for millennials-automated asset management for those with lower account balances or an aversion to traditional financial advisors. Silicon Valley has... View Details

01 Jun 2007
News

A Roadmap for Moms

nationally) who face the challenges and rewards of returning to work: Back on the Career Track: A Guide for Stay-at-Home Moms Who Want to Return to Work (Warner Business Books, 2007). Rabin discussed their book during a recent promotion... View Details

Keywords: Lewis I. Rice; Business Schools & Computer & Management Training; Business Schools & Computer & Management Training

Web

Sara Marcus Archives | Social Enterprise

Impact Measurement Inclusive Finance International Development K-12 Education Leadership Fellows Leadership in Challenging Times MBA Programs Microfinance Non Profit Management Nonprofit Supportive Services... View Details

June 2018 (Revised June 2018)
Teaching Note

Blake Sports Apparel and Switch Activewear: Bringing the Executive Team Together

By: Boris Groysberg, Tricia Gregg and Katherine Connolly Baden

Teaching Note for HBS No. 417-048. View Details

Keywords: Management Teams; Groups and Teams; Performance Effectiveness; Problems and Challenges; Behavior; Communication; Cooperation; Decision Making; Leadership

March 2008
Teaching Note

Brazil Under Lula: Off the Yellow BRIC Road (TN)

By: Aldo Musacchio

Teaching Note for [707031]. View Details

Keywords: Cost Management; Programs; Problems and Challenges; Equality and Inequality; Poverty; Growth and Development Strategy; Brazil; India; Russia; China