Publications

November 2000 (Revised April 2004)
Case

Airbus A3XX: Developing the World's Largest Commercial Jet (A)

By: Benjamin C. Esty and Michael Kane

In July 2000, Airbus Industries' supervisory board is on the verge of approving a $13 billion investment for the development of a new super jumbo jet known as the A3XX that would seat from 550 to 1,000 passengers. Having secured approximately 20 orders for the new jet,... View Details

Keywords: Risk and Uncertainty; Investment; Forecasting and Prediction; Capital Budgeting; Valuation; Government and Politics; Demand and Consumers; Product Development; Product Positioning; Air Transportation Industry; Air Transportation Industry

31 Mar 2011
Research & Ideas

From SpinPop to SpinBrush: Entrepreneurial Lessons from John Osher

told the audience of HBS alumni and Executive Education participants. "He hated having to manage employees, so he built a big company with very few employees." Dr. John's was the third major venture that Osher built from the... View Details

Keywords: by Dennis Fisher; Consumer Products

02 Mar 2010
First Look

First Look: March 2

Eva Lutz, and Kerry HermanHarvard Business School Case 809-056 In 2001, Allianz Capital Partners and Goldman Sachs acquired a majority stake in Messer Griesheim, a European industrial gas concern held by... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

Web

Entrepreneurship Course Online | HBS Online

startup Understand the process of raising capital and how to speak to investors Who Will Benefit Aspiring Entrepreneurs Early-Stage Entrepreneurs Students Whether you’re a first-time entrepreneur with the start of an idea or are exploring... View Details

December 1996 (Revised June 1997)
Case

Trinity College (A)

By: F. Warren McFarlan and Jaan Elias

Trinity College was an elite, private, liberal-arts college of some 1,800 students located in Hartford, CT. When Tom Gerety was chosen as Trinity's 17th president in 1989, he pledged to stay for ten years. Now less than five years at the job, Gerety announced he was... View Details

Keywords: Higher Education; Crisis Management; Management Succession; Planning; Social Enterprise; Education Industry; Connecticut

Web

Career Support - Business & Environment

industry in which environmental challenges are front-and-center, such as energy, agriculture, or real estate. Work in finance, incorporating environment, social, and governance (ESG) factors. Engage in entrepreneurial View Details

January 1986 (Revised July 2006)
Case

Kristen's Cookie Company (A)

The student is starting his or her own business, baking make-to-order cookies. Basic times of each operation are laid out and the student is asked to determine the consequences for the operating system. Serves as an exercise and review of concepts such as capacity,... View Details

Keywords: Production; Business Startups; Food and Beverage Industry

30 Nov 2007
What Do You Think?

What Is Management’s Role in Innovation?

inspired entrepreneur into a large R&D staff over a sustained period is next to impossible," Wayne Hosking suggested that these ideas need "to incorporate some analysis of the venture capital... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

Profile

Dusty Register

wanted an in-person MBA experience which has (for the most part) come to fruition this year! Coming to HBS is like Jumping off a cliff into an ice-cold creek. First, it took a leap of faith for both me and my wife to leave established jobs and supportive communities... View Details

Keywords: CPG

29 Sep 2023
Blog Post

HBS Latino Student Association Spotlight: Reyna Pacheco Rios (MBA 2025)

boards and in C-suites of corporate America are occupied by Latinos despite this community representing 19% of the US population. 2. Less than 5% of venture capital is directed toward Latino entrepreneurs.... View Details

12 Mar 2021
News

My Favorite Case

oil industry. I came full circle with both of those cases, having spent my career in the oil industry and as CEO of a company involved in the Macondo well disaster in 2010. Going through the Macondo crisis and looking back on the... View Details

Keywords: Business Schools & Computer & Management Training; Educational Services

November 2000 (Revised March 2001)
Case

Iggy's Bread of the World

By: Kathleen L. McGinn and Alexis Lefort

In January 1994, Igor and Ludmilla Ivanovic opened the doors of their bakery, Iggy's Bread of the World. This case describes their unusual mission statement and the way in which they try to bring a social consciousness mentality to a for-profit business. Six years... View Details

Keywords: Growth Management; Mission and Purpose; Organizational Culture; Restructuring; Family Business; Power and Influence; Food and Beverage Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Massachusetts

24 Nov 2003
Research & Ideas

Boards and Corporate Governance: A Balanced Scorecard Approach

framework can serve as the cornerstone of both effective management and sound governance. Key Learnings · A sophisticated governance system is necessary in a complex capitalistic economy to ensure that capital funds the best ideas. The... View Details

Keywords: Re: Robert S. Kaplan & Krishna G. Palepu

August 2013 (Revised November 2013)
Case

Ford vs. GM: The Evolution of Mass Production (A)

By: Willy Shih

This case explores the very different paths taken by the Ford Motor Company and the General Motors Corporation in the first three decades of the twentieth century. Henry Ford's Model T was a car for the masses. After considerable experimentation, Ford Motor... View Details

Keywords: Innovation; Exploration; Dominant Design; Business Growth and Maturation; Business History; Innovation and Management; Innovation Strategy; Technological Innovation; Leading Change; Growth and Development Strategy; Product Positioning; Product Design; Product Development; Business Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Vertical Integration; Auto Industry; Auto Industry; Michigan

April 2021 (Revised June 2021)
Case

IBM: Design Thinking

By: Srikant M. Datar, Amram Migdal and Paul Hamilton

This case describes the 2012-2020 effort at IBM to implement design thinking throughout the company and hire thousands of designers to serve on every product team alongside technical engineers and developers and product managers. IBM’s design transformation is told... View Details

Keywords: Business Ventures; Business Divisions; Business Units; Business Organization; Change; Change Management; Transformation; Competency and Skills; Talent and Talent Management; Design; Human Resources; Recruitment; Selection and Staffing; Innovation and Invention; Collaborative Innovation and Invention; Innovation and Management; Innovation Strategy; Jobs and Positions; Job Design and Levels; Leading Change; Management; Business or Company Management; Goals and Objectives; Management Practices and Processes; Operations; Product; Product Design; Product Development; Organizations; Business Processes; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Design; Organizational Structure; Strategy; Adaptation; Adoption; Technological Innovation; Information Infrastructure; Information Technology; Technology Industry; Technology Industry; United States

17 Aug 2021
Op-Ed

Dispensing Justice: The Case for Legalizing Cannabis Nationally

into inefficient local markets that face capital scarcity, absence of downside protection, and lack of differentiation. The illegal industry grows The devastating consequence is that the unregulated cannabis... View Details

Keywords: by Ashish Nanda and Tabatha Robinson

August 2013 (Revised July 2024)
Case

Amazon in 2024

By: Sunil Gupta and Margaret L. Rodriguez

Amazon launched its website in July 1995 to sell books online and by 2020 it has grown to become a digital giant with over $280 billion in annual sales. A large part of its growth came from expanding into a variety of businesses that some see as unrelated. Has it... View Details

Keywords: Platforms; Complements; Showrooming; Ecosystem; Growth Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Network Effects; Internet and the Web; Business Model; Competitive Strategy; Growth and Development Strategy; Digital Platforms; Retail Industry; Retail Industry