Publications

September 2012 (Revised December 2013)
Case

Intel: Strategic Decisions in Locating a New Assembly and Test Plant (A)

By: Juan Alcacer and Kerry Herman

In mid-2005, Intel is examining its options for where to locate its next assembly and test plant. On its short list of potential sites include locations in China, India, Thailand, and Vietnam. Each country has its own unique benefits and risks related to... View Details

Keywords: Strategic Positioning; Location Choices; Location Strategies; Technology; Geographic Location; Global Strategy; Information Technology; Strategy; Technology Industry; United States; China; India; Thailand; Viet Nam

Educators

06 Sep 2019
Working Paper Summaries

Experimentation and Startup Performance: Evidence from A/B Testing

Keywords: by Rembrand Koning, Sharique Hasan, and Aaron Chatterji

Teaching Interest

Strategy For Entrepreneurs

By: Rembrand M. Koning

Strategy for Entrepreneurs (SFE) helps students develop better strategies for the ventures they start, the startups they will join, and the new companies they might invest in. The course pushes students to write down a theory of value and then design and run... View Details

March 2008
Article

Testing a Purportedly More Learnable Auction Mechanism

We describe an auction mechanism in the class of Groves mechanisms that has received attention in the computer science literature because of its theoretical property of being more "learnable" than the standard second price auction mechanism. We bring this mechanism,... View Details

Keywords: Market Design; Auctions; Learning; Economics

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December 2014
Article

Location Strategies for Agglomeration Economies

By: Juan Alcácer and Wilbur Chung

Geographically concentrated industry activity creates pools of skilled labor and specialized suppliers, and increases opportunities for knowledge spillovers. The strategic value of these agglomeration economies may vary by firm, depending upon the relative value of... View Details

Keywords: Location Strategies; Location Choices; Agglomeration Economies; Strategy; Value Creation; Geographic Location; Industry Clusters; Microeconomics; Manufacturing Industry; United States

03 Mar 2008
Working Paper Summaries

Testing a Purportedly More Learnable Auction Mechanism

Keywords: by Katherine L. Milkman, James Burns, David C. Parkes, Gregory M. Barron & Kagan Tumer; Web Services

October 2012 (Revised February 2014)
Teaching Note

Intel: Strategic Decisions in Locating a New Assembly and Test Plant (A) and (B)

By: Juan Alcácer

The case is used in Harvard Business School's (HBS) elective course "Competing Globally" as the first case in the third module (see "Competing Globally: Course Note for Instructors," HBS No. 713-422). As the first case in the module, it introduces the framework to... View Details

Keywords: Strategic Positioning; Location Choices; Location Strategies; Strategic Planning; Strategy; Global Strategy; Geographic Location; Computer Industry

June 23, 2021
Article

Research: When A/B Testing Doesn't Tell You the Whole Story

By: Eva Ascarza

When it comes to churn prevention, marketers traditionally start by identifying which customers are most likely to churn, and then running A/B tests to determine whether a proposed retention intervention will be effective at retaining those high-risk customers. While... View Details

Keywords: Customer Retention; Churn; Targeting; Market Research; Marketing; Investment Return; Customers; Retention; Research

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March 2020
Case

Thingtesting: Launching a Brand Discovery and Testing Digital Community

By: Ayelet Israeli and Jill Avery

Thingtesting, a brand discovery and testing digital community devoted to uncovering and exploring direct-to-consumer brands, had just received seed funding and was contemplating a second year of growth. The new year brought many challenges, as founder Jenny Gyllander... View Details

Educators

December 2016
Article

The Effects of Endowment Size and Strategy Method on Third Party Punishment

By: Jillian J. Jordan, Katherine McAuliffe and David G. Rand

Numerous experiments have shown that people often engage in third-party punishment (3PP) of selfish behavior. This evidence has been used to argue that people respond to selfishness with anger, and get utility from punishing those who mistreat others. Elements of the... View Details

Keywords: Third-party Punishment; Norm-enforcement; Strategy Method; Economic Games; Cooperation; Emotions; Fairness

February 2008 (Revised August 2008)
Case

EXACT Sciences Corp.: Commercializing a Diagnostic Test

By: Regina E. Herzlinger

This case addresses the challenges of commercializing molecular diagnostics. Along the way, it explains the technology, payment system, and the measures used to assess the value of a diagnostic test. View Details

Keywords: Health Testing and Trials; Genetics; Science-Based Business; Commercialization; Biotechnology Industry

October 2016 (Revised December 2016)
Module Note

Strategy Execution Module 6: Evaluating Strategic Profit Performance

By: Robert Simons

This module reading demonstrates how to calculate and analyze the profit generated by different business strategies. Formulas and examples are provided to calculate profit generated by changes in market share, revenue growth, efficiency improvements, and support costs.... View Details

Keywords: Management Control Systems; Implementing Strategy; Execution; Evaluating Business Performance; Profitability Analysis; Variance Analysis; Measuring Effectiveness; Measuring Efficiency; Activity-Based Costing; Flexible Budget; Accounting; Strategy

November 2016 (Revised December 2016)
Module Note

Strategy Execution Module 12: Aligning Performance Goals and Incentives

By: Robert Simons

This module reading explains how managers use performance goals and incentives to ensure that employee actions align with the overall business strategy of the organization. The module begins by discussing how managers use goals to communicate business strategy, the... View Details

Keywords: Management Control Systems; Implementing Strategy; Execution; Performance Goals; Performance Measures; Incentives; Benchmarks; Motivation; Compensation; Bonuses; Strategy

02 Feb 2004
Research & Ideas

Mapping Your Corporate Strategy

structure for meetings where managers can quickly see which aspects of their strategy are succeeding and where they are falling short. The causal relationships enable managers to test whether the theory of... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

26 Mar 2006
Research & Ideas

The Office of Strategy Management

distinct advantage. These organizations have found ways to describe and communicate their strategies using powerful and tested approaches. They have recognized the need to make View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

18 Sep 2014
Working Paper Summaries

Institutional Strategies in Emerging Markets

Keywords: by Christopher Marquis & Mia Raynard

31 May 2011
Research & Ideas

Japan Disaster Shakes Up Supply-Chain Strategies

figure it out," Shih says. "For example, if you really wanted to trace conflict minerals, you would turn off the valve at the Congo border and see who screams. It's the same structural problem as in Japan. A Wii has a chip designed by IBM, which may have been... View Details

Keywords: by Dennis Fisher; Auto; Technology; Computer; Electronics

2008
Book

Execution Premium: Linking Strategy to Operations for Competitive Advantage

By: Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton

In a world of stiffening competition, business strategy is more crucial than ever. Yet most organizations struggle in this area--not with formulating strategy but with executing it, or putting their strategy into action. Owing to execution failures, companies realize... View Details

Keywords: Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Operations; Performance; Strategic Planning; Business Strategy