Publications

December 2003
Case

Fox Bids for the NFL-1993

By: Bharat N. Anand and Catherine M. Conneely

The Fox television network, launched in 1987 by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. was in a precarious position in 1993. Although it had met its business plan targets, its ratings in the recently concluded November "sweeps" were indifferent, several of its newly launched... View Details

Keywords: Valuation; Competitive Strategy; Financial Reporting; Bids and Bidding; Revenue; Television Entertainment; Media and Broadcasting Industry

March 2002 (Revised October 2005)
Case

Apple Computer 2002

By: David B. Yoffie and Yusi Wang

In 1980, Apple was the leader of the personal computer industry, but by 2002 it had suffered heavy losses at the hands of the Wintel camp. This case examines Apple's strategic moves as the PC industry evolves in the 21st century and poses the question: Can Steve Jobs... View Details

Keywords: Growth and Development Strategy; Leadership Style; Information Technology; Supply and Industry; Competitive Advantage; Computer Industry; Retail Industry; California

September 2007 (Revised August 2008)
Case

Suncor in the Oil Sands Industry

By: Forest L. Reinhardt and Nazli Uludere

Describes the economics, technology, and politics of the oil sands industry, focusing on one of the industry's leading firms. Oil sands deposits in Alberta represent a potentially vast reserve of hydrocarbons, but the extraction, refining, and transportation challenges... View Details

Keywords: Economics; Non-Renewable Energy; Government and Politics; Supply and Industry; Natural Environment; Competitive Strategy; Environmental Sustainability; Energy Industry; Alberta

March 2004 (Revised March 2005)
Case

Oscar de la Renta

By: Bharat N. Anand, Elizabeth Lea Carpenter and Samhita Patwardhan Jayanti

Over three decades, Oscar de la Renta (ODLR) had established itself as one of the premier luxury brands in America. Its mainstay business had always been producing and marketing high-priced, couture/ready-to-wear luxury goods. Now, in September 2003, it faced a series... View Details

Keywords: Business Conglomerates; Borrowing and Debt; Growth and Development Strategy; Brands and Branding; Production; Family Ownership; Luxury; Competition; Diversification; Expansion; United States

September – October 1982
Article

How Global Companies Win Out

By: T. M. Hout, M. E. Porter and E. Rudden

Keywords: Global Range; Business Ventures; Competition

Find at Harvard

2001
Case

Encylopedia Britannica (A)

By: Vijay Govindarajan and Praveen Kopalle

Two Scotsmen, Colin Macfarquhar, a printer, and Andrew Bell, an engraver, formed a partnership in 1768 to publish a "Dictionary of Arts and Sciences." The initial three-volume set was published as Encyclopedia Britannica. By 1990, consumers were purchasing the volumes... View Details

Keywords: Competition; Software; Books; Information Publishing; Publishing Industry

Read Now

January 1990 (Revised November 1992)
Case

Product Proliferation and Preemption

Examines whether product proliferation can be used as a preemptive device--as alleged in the FTC's 1982 complaint against four manufacturers of ready-to-eat cereals. View Details

Keywords: Competition; Supply and Industry; Product Marketing; Consumer Products Industry

June 1987 (Revised September 1987)
Case

Semiconductors: U.S. Response to Japanese Ascendency

By: Malcolm S. Salter

Keywords: Competition; Trade; Business and Government Relations; Semiconductor Industry; Japan; United States

Find at Harvard

28 Feb 2005
Research & Ideas

How to Harness Auction Fever

Want to create a high-profit auction? One strategy is to create "auction fever" around your sale by generating lots of hype, having strict rather than flexible deadlines at the end of auctions, and making sure winners and losers... View Details

Keywords: by Manda Salls; Web Services; Technology

01 Oct 2002
News

View from the Top

goal for his organization that is both ambitious and achievable, a strategy to get the organization there, and the ability to communicate this strategy clearly, simply, and repeatedly. CEOs also need to pick... View Details

December 1998
Case

NHL 1998: "The Coolest Game in Nagano"

By: Stephen A. Greyser and Kirk A. Goldman

Explores the National Hockey League's participation in the 1998 Winter Olympics, for which a "winter break" was taken from the regular schedule. The benefits and risks associated with the NHL's Olympic participation are one specific focus. In addition, the case address... View Details

Keywords: Risk Management; Brands and Branding; Marketing Communications; Opportunities; Competitive Strategy; Expansion

02 Feb 2004
Research & Ideas

Where Does Apple Go From Here?

investment. "Now, obviously, the company is doing much better since Jobs returned to the CEO job; but having said that, it has not yet reached the value that it was in the early 1990s," Yoffie points out. Yoffie, whose book Judo View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

November 2002 (Revised May 2003)
Case

DaChan Great Wall Group

By: Ray A. Goldberg and Cate Reavis

Describes the challenges facing a leading Taiwanese agribusiness concern as it competes in an increasingly complex business environment in China. View Details

Keywords: Agribusiness; Brands and Branding; Competition; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Taiwan; China

Find at Harvard

June 1989 (Revised September 1992)
Case

Dominion Motors & Controls Ltd.

The leading manufacturer of motors in Canada is threatened by a loss of market share in oilfield pumping motors because a major customer, having tested several competing motor brands, finds a competitor's motor to be superior. A central issue is whether to make a... View Details

Keywords: Product; Competition; Product Marketing; Manufacturing Industry; Canada

01 Jun 2013
News

Collective Wisdom

according to Karim R. Lakhani, is that thanks to the Internet, crowdsourcing has moved into new and unexpected industries and organizations, establishing itself as a mainstream strategy for innovating and gaining a View Details

Keywords: crowdsourcing; Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services; Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services; Professional Services

April 2013
Teaching Plan

Marks and Spencer: Plan A (TP)

By: David Bell and Michael Norris

Teaching Note for 509029. View Details

Keywords: Marketing; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Strategic Planning; Environmental Sustainability; Competitive Advantage; Retail Industry

07 Apr 2009
First Look

First Look: April 7, 2009

Addleshaw-Goddard (AG), the 15th largest law firm in the U.K., is seeking ways to serve larger clients on more important legal matters. Part of this strategy involves its "Client Development Centre (CDC)," an innovative idea and... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

June 2018 (Revised January 2020)
Teaching Note

Qualcomm Inc., 2019

By: David B. Yoffie

Teaching Note for HBS No. 718-514. View Details

Keywords: Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Intellectual Property; Information Technology; Standards; Business Model; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Telecommunications Industry; Semiconductor Industry