Publications

07 Jul 2003
What Do You Think?

Can We Have Too Much Productivity Improvement?

www.alumni.hbs.edu/bulletin.) It does seem to be a problem, and getting more serious." Alejandro Ocana suggested that "productivity improvement [should mean], 'How much more can we do with the people and resources that we... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

07 Apr 2003
What Do You Think?

Should Global Business Initiatives Be Devalued?

Summing Up Krishnamurthy suggested that a return of mercantilism is not a threat, and that "the present dilemma is probably an aberration that will taper off in due course." Alejandro Ocana stated bluntly, "Global... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

February 2005 (Revised March 2009)
Case

Arauco (A): Forward Integration or Horizontal Expansion?

By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell, Jorge Tarzijan and Jordan Mitchell

Celulosa Arauco is a major Chilean producer of market pulp and wood products. Owning over 1.2 million hectares of forest in Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay, the company's key advantage is the ideal growing conditions in which the company's forests are located. As of... View Details

Keywords: Decision Choices and Conditions; Competitive Advantage; Diversification; Expansion; Vertical Integration; Forest Products Industry; Chile

January 2021
Case

Cinépolis

By: Joshua D. Margolis and Fernanda Miguel

Two weeks after Cinepolis released a documentary film about corruption, a judge ordered its provisional suspension, claiming it had to be edited before it continued to be shown, against Mexican cinematography laws. Cinépolis, Latin America’s largest movie theater chain... View Details

Keywords: Movies; Entertainment; Corruption; Risk Assessment; Communication Strategy; Crime and Corruption; Decision Making; Film Entertainment; Ethics; Leadership; Risk Management; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Motion Pictures and Video Industry; Mexico; Latin America; North and Central America

February 2023
Case

Grupo Sancor Seguros: Facing the Digital Transformation of Insurance in Argentina (A)

By: Jorge Tamayo and Jenyfeer Martínez Buitrago

In 2020, Alejandro Simón, CEO of Sancor Seguros Group, a nearly 75-year-old cooperative that had become Argentina’s insurance leader, had to decide about the Group’s digital transformation strategy. The Group’s values and history needed to be considered during the... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Digital Transformation; Organizational Culture; Cooperative Ownership; Strategy; Business Strategy; Adaptation; Technology Adoption; Insurance Industry; Latin America; South America; Argentina

02 Oct 2000
What Do You Think?

What Lies Beyond NAFTA?

economies. The conclusion is that it has created jobs on both sides of the border while sharpening the ability of Mexican companies to compete. The Mexican business community is learning to cope not only with foreign competitors, but also with rising labor costs caused... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

01 Sep 2024
News

Back to School

There are some things you just can’t learn in an HBS classroom—what it takes to jump out of an airplane, for instance, or the experience of playing at the World Series of Poker. Yet those kinds of out-of-office pursuits are important, says HBS assistant professor Jon... View Details

Keywords: April White; illustrations by Josh Cochran

Article

You Can't Always Get What You Want: The Real Exchange Rate and Manufacturing Performance in a World of Global Value Chains

By: Laura Alfaro, Alejandro Cuñat, Harald Fadinger and Yanping Liu

Real exchange rate devaluations are typically seen as a viable development strategy, but the effectiveness of the approach may vary over time and across countries. This column explores this issue by focusing on the microeconomics of firm-level responses to exchange... View Details

Keywords: Manufacturing Performance; Real Exchange Rate; Global Value Chains; Economics; Production; Performance

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Web

HBS - The year in Review

learners they serve while further strengthening their individual positions and managing their growth and long-term success. FY22 was marked by a return to in-person learning. For Executive Education this meant welcoming over 10,000... View Details

Web

HBS - The year in Review

recognized by MBA students for their excellence and dedication with Faculty Teaching Award honors. Tony Mayo, Sophus Reinert, and Charlotte Robertson were acknowledged for their profound impact within and outside of the required... View Details

09 Nov 2023
News

From the Brink

Weiss knew that the island, an unincorporated US territory whose residents are American citizens, was drowning in $70 billion of debt. Hampered by legal limitations on the remedies it could pursue, and desperate for ready cash to meet its... View Details

Keywords: Ralph Ranalli

Blog

The Harvard Business School Faculty Summer Reader 2023

Bill Gates' How to Avoid a Climate Disaster to Electrify: An Optimist's Playbook for Our Clean Energy Future by Saul Griffith. But even grounded books such as The Disposable City by Mario View Details

2009
Working Paper

Does Competition Favor Delegation?

By: Christian Alejandro Ruzzier

This paper studies the consequences of product-market competition on firms' decisions to delegate more or fewer decision-making responsibilities to managers. By simultaneously addressing the choice of both competitive actions and organizational design, the paper makes... View Details

Keywords: Business or Company Management; Competition; Decision Making