Publications

August 1974
Article

On Equilibrium Allocations as Distributions on the Commodity Space

By: Elon Kohlberg, S. Hart and W. Hildenbrand

Keywords: Goods and Commodities

10 Feb 2003
Research & Ideas

Commodity Busters: Be a Price Maker, Not a Price Taker

different you are, the greater your opportunity to set your own price. A commodity is defined as "undifferentiated." You must be different. Gore, the very successful manufacturer of Goretex, provides unique product... View Details

Keywords: by Benson P. Shapiro

Research Summary

Paper - Commodity Chains: what can we learn from a business history of the rubber chain? (1870-1910)

The literature on the rubber boom applied a Marxist/Dependendist view of rubber production in the Brazilian Amazon. Even though a sizeable surplus was generated in the rubber chain, it was mostly appropriated by foreigners. This view is in tune with the Global... View Details

Sep 2013
Panel Discussion

Overseas Chinese Entrepreneurs in Southeast Asian Commodity Markets: An Overview

By: Valeria Giacomin

2007
Blog

Harvard Business Online—Marketing Know:How: How To Avoid the Commodity Trap

By: John A. Quelch

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December 1990
Teaching Note

American Food and Grains: Commodity and Ingredient Procurement, Teaching Note

By: David A. Garvin and Norman Klein

2010
Working Paper

Commodity Chains: What Can We Learn from a Business History of the Rubber Chain? (1870-1910)

By: Felipe Tamega Fernandes

The literature on the rubber boom applied a Dependendist view of rubber production in the Brazilian Amazon. Even though a sizable surplus was generated in the rubber chain, it was mostly appropriated by foreigners. This view is in tune with the Global Commodity Chain... View Details

Keywords: Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Business History; Supply Chain; Manufacturing Industry; Rubber Industry; Brazil

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October 1989 (Revised December 1989)
Case

Deregulation of the Australian Wheat Board: A Commodity System in Flux

By: Ray A. Goldberg

Keywords: Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Business and Government Relations; Goods and Commodities; Markets; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Australia

May 2017
Case

Nestle's Commodity Systems Approach in Venezuela: Laying the Foundation for Shared Value in a Time of Crisis

By: Ray A. Goldberg, Jessica M. Newman and Jessica Grisanti

1995
Chapter

Perspectives on PPP and Long-Run Real Exchange Rates

By: K. Froot and K. Rogoff

Keywords: Purchasing Power Parity; Commodities; International Finance

January 2013 (Revised April 2017)
Supplement

Maxum Petroleum, Inc.

By: W. Carl Kester

Maxum seeks an oil-price hedging strategy that yields substantial cash during oil price spikes, is affordable under ordinary circumstances, and is easily managed. It is striving to avoid a repeat of the challenging situation encountered in 2008 when spiking oil prices... View Details

Keywords: Hedging; Options; Commodities; Credit Derivatives and Swaps; Risk Management; Futures and Commodity Futures; Financial Strategy; Volatility

2001
Working Paper

The Law of One Price Over 700 Years

By: K. A. Froot, M. Kim and K. Rogoff

Keywords: Purchasing Power Parity; Commodities; International Finance; Partners and Partnerships; Goods and Commodities

December 1997 (Revised March 1998)
Case

Mid Ocean Limited: Trading Catastrophe Index Options

By: Kenneth A. Froot and Markus Mullarkey

An insurance industry executive must evaluate the potential of a set of newly-offered catastrophe insurance derivatives. The background addresses the roles of traditional reinsurance and securitization efforts in providing risk transfer and risk financing in the "cat"... View Details

Keywords: Commodity Market; Derivatives; Insurance; Capital Markets; Natural Disasters; Risk Management; Financial Management; Financial Strategy; Performance Evaluation; Insurance Industry; Bermuda

September 2023
Case

Diamond Standard

By: Lauren H. Cohen, Zhaoheng Gong and Grace Headinger

Cormac Kinney, Founder and CEO of Diamond Standard, was on a mission to transform the U.S. diamond market through unlocking the precious gems as market-traded assets. As a serial FinTech entrepreneur, he hoped to add an additional service to his vault: Carats. The... View Details

February 2013
Teaching Note

Fonterra (TN)

By: David E. Bell and Mary Shelman

Teaching Note for Fonterra View Details

Keywords: Dairy; Cooperatives; Commodity Prices; Agribusiness; Organizational Structure; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; New Zealand

December 2015 (Revised February 2017)
Case

BRF

By: David E. Bell and Natalie Kindred

In 2015, BRF's new leadership team is transforming several aspects of the Brazilian protein giant, which had grown sluggish after the 2011 merger that created it. Underlying their reforms are the common goals of reducing bureaucracy, streamlining decision making, and,... View Details