Publications
Publications
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- All HBS Web
(183)
- Faculty Publications (42)
- 30 Jan 2018
- Interview
IKEA Founder Leaves Behind a Furniture Empire and a Troubling Past
By: Nancy F. Koehn and Amanda McGowan
- October 2016
- Case
La-Z-Boy (A)
By: Joseph B. Fuller and Natalie Kindred
Kurt Darrow, CEO of La-Z-Boy furniture, must decide whether to continue an overhaul of the company's strategy in the face of a collapse in demand during the great recession. Having pared back La-Z-Boy's portfolio of brands and manufacturing network, he intends to... View Details
Keywords: Retail; Manufacturing; Organizational Transformations; Reorganization; Furniture Industry; Corporate Strategy; Home Fashion; Turnaround; Portfolio Rationalization; Globalization Of Supply Chain; Brand Repositioning; Business Growth and Maturation; Brands and Branding; Competitive Strategy; Vertical Integration; Retail Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Consumer Products Industry; United States
- February 2014 (Revised March 2014)
- Case
Red Star Furniture Group Co. Ltd.
By: Krishna G. Palepu and Pedro Nueno
Founded in 1986, Red Star had become the leading department store in China for furniture and home equipment products (bathroom, lamps, textiles complements, etc.). The business model of Red Star was to provide adequate space for vendors (that rented the space) in good... View Details
- June 2013 (Revised March 2014)
- Case
Kvadrat: Leading for Innovation
By: Boris Groysberg and Sarah L. Abbott
In 2013, Anders Byriel, CEO of the family-owned Danish textiles company, Kvadrat, considered the firm's strategic plan. In 2000, Byriel and Mette Bendix, Kvadrat's Product Director, had taken over management of the company from their fathers, who had founded Kvadrat... View Details
- July 2012 (Revised April 2013)
- Case
Peter Jepsen
By: Howard H. Stevenson, Michael J. Roberts and James M. Sharpe
About to break bank covenants, Peter Jepsen has to deal with a contentious prior owner, improve profitability and staff appropriately all while maintaining credibility with his investors, in the furniture hardware company he has owned for less than a year. View Details
Keywords: Acquisitions; Bankruptcy; Crisis Management; Entrepreneurial Management; Entrepreneurial Finance; Financial Crisis; Turnarounds; Financial Distress; Negotiation; Entrepreneurs; Bank Loan; Search Funds; Liquidation; Boards Of Directors; Ethics; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Acquisition; Entrepreneurship; Manufacturing Industry; United States
- June 2011 (Revised January 2013)
- Case
Home Essentials: Building a Global Service Business with Local Operations
By: Lynda M. Applegate, William R. Kerr and David Lane
Chris Exline founded Home Essentials, a furniture rental business targeted toward expatriates, in Singapore but rapidly moved the base of operations to Hong Kong. The company was highly successful in Singapore and Hong Kong and then pursued rapid global expansion.... View Details
- June 2010
- Case
FoldRite Furniture Company: Planning to Meet a Surge in Demand
By: Steven C. Wheelwright and Afarin Bellisario
Demand for folding and stackable chairs and tables at FoldRite Furniture Co. is unexpectedly strong. The company spent the previous two years improving manufacturing quality and efficiency, dropping poor-performing product lines, developing new products that are... View Details
- June 2010
- Teaching Note
FoldRite Furniture Company: Planning to Meet a Surge in Demand (Brief Case)
By: Steven C. Wheelwright and Afarin Bellisario
Teaching Note for 4555. View Details
- June 2010
- Supplement
FoldRite Furniture Company: Planning to Meet a Surge in Demand, Spreadsheet Supplement (Brief Case)
By: Steven C. Wheelwright and Afarin Bellisario
- June 2010
- Supplement
FoldRite Furniture Company: Planning to Meet a Surge in Demand, Spreadsheet Supplement for Instructors (Brief Case)
By: Steven C. Wheelwright and Afarin Bellisario
- June 2009
- Case
Manchester Products: A Brand Transition Challenge
By: John A. Quelch and Heather Beckham
In January of 2005, Manchester Products Inc., a longtime leader in office furniture that only recently entered into the home furniture market, acquired Paul Logan's Furniture Division (PLFD). The acquisition of PLFD made Manchester an instant market leader in household... View Details
- March 2008
- Article
Linguistic Network Configurations: Management of Innovation in Design-intensive Firms
By: Claudio Dell'Era, Alessio Marchesi and Roberto Verganti
In today's business and academic arenas, design is more and more viewed as an important strategic resource. In fact, over the last couple of years, we have seen a real explosion in business and research literature that see scholars and companies alike trying to... View Details
- April 2004 (Revised September 2004)
- Case
IKEA Invades America
By: Youngme E. Moon
In 2002, the IKEA Group is the world's top furniture retailer, with 154 stores worldwide. In the United States, IKEA operates 14 stores, all of which have been enormously popular despite their self-service requirements. The company's goal is to have 50 stores in... View Details
- June 1998 (Revised April 1999)
- Case
Wiegandt GmbH Cologne
By: Dwight B. Crane and Mathew M Millett
The credit department of Wiegandt, a furniture manufacturer, is evaluating the financial condition of two stores that retail the company's furniture. View Details
- May 1990 (Revised July 1996)
- Case
Ingvar Kamprad and IKEA
By: Christopher A. Bartlett and Ashish Nanda
Traces the development of a Swedish furniture retailer under the leadership of an innovative and unconventional entrepreneur whose approaches redefine the nature and structure of the industry. Traces IKEA's growth from a tiny mail order business to the world's largest... View Details
- April 1989 (Revised December 1998)
- Background Note
Household Furniture Industry in 1986
Profiles the household furniture industry in the United States in 1986. Designed for use with Masco Corp. (A) and (B). View Details
- April 1989 (Revised December 1998)
- Case
Masco Corp. (A)
Describes the history and corporate position of a large and successful producer of faucets and related household products. Masco is considering entry into the $14 billion furniture industry. Designed to be used with Household Furniture Industry in 1986 in a strategy... View Details
- June 1986
- Case
Premier Furniture Co.
By: Thomas R. Piper
A credit analyst for a furniture manufacturer is confronted with two customers who have exceeded their credit limits. The financial performance of each has been weak, and one of the customers has a highly leveraged balance sheet. Industry conditions are weak; the... View Details
- December 1976 (Revised August 1984)
- Case
Chaircraft Corp.
Production control in a furniture manufacturing company. Based on a case by R.S. Rosenbloom. View Details