Publications

February 1998 (Revised May 1998)
Case

Merck-Medco: Vertical Integration in the Pharmaceutical Industry

By: V. Kasturi Rangan and Marie Bell

Records the analyses and actions taken by Merck Pharmaceuticals in its acquisition of Medco, a channel intermediary (called "pharmacy benefit manager"). While many of its competitors seem to be faring poorly, Merck seems to have managed the Medco integration superbly. View Details

Keywords: Vertical Integration; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Competitive Strategy; Marketing Channels; Mergers and Acquisitions; Pharmaceutical Industry

September 2019
Case

Shell: A Company of Opportunity?

By: Joseph B. Fuller and Emer Moloney

The Opportunity Hub was a cloud-based platform that enabled managers to market projects they were working on and associated resourcing needs as “Opportunity Owners” and employees, or “Opportunity Seekers,” to browse these statements of need and engage when they had... View Details

Keywords: Business Divisions; Change Management; Competency and Skills; Experience and Expertise; Talent and Talent Management; Energy; Energy Sources; Non-Renewable Energy; Renewable Energy; Human Resources; Employees; Retention; Collaborative Innovation and Invention; Innovation and Management; Innovation Strategy; Technological Innovation; Jobs and Positions; Job Design and Levels; Knowledge Sharing; Knowledge; Knowledge Use and Leverage; Labor; Human Capital; Labor Unions; Leading Change; Resource Allocation; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Performance Evaluation; Performance Productivity; Strategic Planning; Projects; Motivation and Incentives; Business Strategy; Social and Collaborative Networks; Technology Platform; Chemical Industry; Energy Industry; Information Technology Industry; Technology Industry; United Kingdom; Netherlands

September 1993
Case

Manufacturing at ALZA: The Right Prescription? (A)

By: Dorothy A. Leonard

ALZA, a company specializing in drug delivery systems such as transdermal patches, considers manufacturing its own products. Until now, the company has conducted research and development on its patented system but has then licensed the technology to client-partner... View Details

Keywords: Business or Company Management; Technological Innovation; Innovation and Management; Growth and Development Strategy; Problems and Challenges; Production; Research and Development; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry

20 Sep 2016
First Look

September 20, 2016

in press More Than Managing: The Relentless Pursuit of Effective Jewish Leadership Nudging as a Tool for Leaders By: Bazerman, Max Abstract—Jewish organizational life is inundated with publications on View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

15 Nov 2016
First Look

November 15, 2016

now served and begin to scale back from those areas? Purchase this case: https://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cbmp/product/617021-PDF-ENG Harvard Business School Case 417-035 Zurich Insurance: Fostering Key People Management Practices Zurich... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

29 Mar 2019
Interview

Integrating Theory into Your Organization: Black Duck by Synopsys

By: Lou Shipley

The Disruptive Voice hits the road, heading to BlackDuck by Synopsys headquarters in Burlington, MA. We sit down with Lou Shipley (CEO), Patrick Carey (Director of Product Marketing), and Tim Kenny (VP of Culture) to hear how Competing Against Luck became a company... View Details

Keywords: Innovation; Company Culture; Disruption; Innovation and Invention; Disruptive Innovation; Technology; Organizational Culture

November 2003 (Revised December 2003)
Case

Proteome Systems Limited: The First Five Years

A Sydney-based biotechnology company is moving from the development of proteomics technology to the commercialization of its first instruments in the worldwide proteomics market. The case study highlights the range of activities engaged in by the 120-person company,... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Information Technology; Commercialization; Entrepreneurship; Biotechnology Industry; Sydney

20 Aug 2024
Book

Why Competing With Tech Giants Requires Finding Your Own Edge

traditional businesses may struggle to adapt to the constantly changing nature of ecosystem strategies. In his book, Smart Rivals: How Innovative Companies Play Games That Tech Giants Can't Win, Feng Zhu provides principles to help... View Details

Keywords: by Feng Zhu; Technology; Information Technology

September 2022 (Revised April 2023)
Case

Cesaro e Associati

By: Christina R. Wing and Amram Migdal

This case describes the leadership succession planning process at Cesaro e Associati (Studio Cesaro), founded in 1986 by Franco Cesaro in the northeastern Italian state of Veneto. In 2022, Franco was contemplating retirement and passing leadership of his firm, which... View Details

07 Dec 2010
First Look

First Look: Dec. 7

Joan E. Ricart Publication:Management Research 8, no. 2 (2010) Abstract The purpose of this paper is to reflect on competitiveness by using the business model concept and to understand the need to adapt business models to View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

09 Jul 2024
Research & Ideas

Chance Encounters: What's at Stake in Return-to-Office Decisions

realizing they need workers to be physically present, in person, at least several days a week and that they need to coordinate the timing of this so they have shared time to work with each other. Andy Wu: Broadly, we’ve seen a lot of... View Details

Keywords: by Jen McFarland Flint, HBS Alumni Bulletin

November 2000 (Revised December 2001)
Case

iSteelAsia (A)

By: Rosabeth M. Kanter and Pamela A. Yatsko

The chairman of a Hong Kong-based steel distributor starts an online Asian steel trading portal and contemplates different paths to profitability and growth. Barriers include industrial culture, weakened markets in the spring of 2000, and vulnerability to takeover by... View Details

Keywords: Commercialization; Distribution Channels; Business Growth and Maturation; Horizontal Integration; Transformation; Corporate Strategy; Business Strategy; Mergers and Acquisitions; Steel Industry; Hong Kong

04 Jan 2010
Research & Ideas

Best of HBS Working Knowledge 2009

Download the PDF. Accelerated organizational transformation faces a host of obstacles well-documented in the change management literature, according to HBS professor emeritus... View Details

Keywords: by Staff

26 Apr 2004
Research & Ideas

A Clear Eye for Innovation

the key to creating breakthrough innovations. Still others have claimed that a company may be able to shift back and forth between different organizational models, focusing on exploitation for a period View Details

Keywords: by Charles A. O'Reilly III & Michael L. Tushman

12 Nov 2013
First Look

First Look: November 12

product range and a broad customer base. Kvadrat's internal organization had grown and transformed to support this larger business. Now Kvadrat's management team was focused on... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

Article

Fighting Bias on the Front Lines

By: Alexandra C. Feldberg and Tami Kim

Most companies aim for exceptional customer service, but too few are attentive to the subtle discrimination by frontline employees that can alienate customers, lead to lawsuits, or even cause lasting brand damage by going viral.
This article presents research... View Details

Keywords: Customer Service; Customer Focus and Relationships; Service Delivery; Diversity; Prejudice and Bias; Organizational Change and Adaptation

Read Now

December 2022 (Revised July 2023)
Case

Applegate Farms

By: Forest L. Reinhardt, José B. Alvarez and Natalie Kindred

Keywords: Agribusiness; Food; Consumer Behavior; Animal-Based Agribusiness; Brands and Branding; Integration; Strategy; Change Management; Change; Organizational Structure; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; United States

January 2017 (Revised October 2021)
Case

Delivering the Goods at Shippo

By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang, Jeffrey F. Rayport and Olivia Hull

Laura Behrens Wu, CEO of software start-up Shippo, prepares her pitch for a Series A funding round following a successful seed round. Customer adoption of Shippo’s e-commerce dashboard application, which allows small and medium retailers to compare delivery rates... View Details