Publications

19 Apr 2004
Research & Ideas

Birth of the American Salesman

most significant time period in terms of transforming sales and American business? A: The birth of modern salesmanship occurred in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries with the rise of large mass manufacturing firms. National... View Details

Keywords: by Laura Linard

07 May 2020
Research & Ideas

The One Good Thing Caused by COVID-19: Innovation

hospitals. The e-commerce giant JD developed a drone program to drop parcels and to spray disinfectant. Smart helmets can identify anyone with fever within a five-meter radius. For other businesses, especially those where digital and... View Details

Keywords: by Hong Luo and Alberto Galasso

03 Jun 2022
Research & Ideas

In a Work-from-Anywhere World, How Remote Will Workers Go?

digital nomad visas to attract a global workforce. Digital nomad visas allow tourists to legally work in a foreign country, creating a boon for areas trying to attract remote workers and for companies... View Details

Keywords: by Kara Baskin

08 Mar 2022
Research & Ideas

Representation Matters: Building Case Studies That Empower Women Leaders

bring to life the stories of a diverse and passionate array of changemakers, through projects like Pathways to a Just Digital Future and our Glass-Shattering Leaders case series, and our teaching material collections. Role models are one... View Details

Keywords: by Colleen Ammerman and Boris Groysberg

29 Oct 2019
Sharpening Your Skills

Robots in the Boardroom

recent research from Harvard Business School faculty marks the possibilities and pitfalls that could occur along this digital transformation. A Good Place to Start Ethics Bots and Other Ways to Move Your Code of Business Conduct Beyond... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

06 Oct 2020
Sharpening Your Skills

18 Tips Managers Can Use to Lead Through COVID's Rising Waters

mask on first, before attempting to assist others” is a potent metaphor. In the blink of an eye, self-care for leaders of organizations has transformed from a feel-good nostrum to a strategic first priority. Companies cannot afford to... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

25 Aug 2003
Research & Ideas

Why IT Does Matter

effectiveness has come the ability to do things truly differently. American Hospital Supply's distribution software and American Airlines' SABRE reservation system are examples of victories in past technologies. The firms were the first in their industries to see... View Details

Keywords: by F. Warren McFarlan & Richard L. Nolan

August 2018 (Revised October 2019)
Case

C3.ai—Driven to Succeed

By: Robert Simons and George Gonzalez

CEO Tom Siebel navigates his artificial intelligence (ai) startup through a series of pivots, market expansions, and even an elephant attack to become a leading platform ad service provider. The case describes his unusual management approach emphasizing employee... View Details

17 Nov 2020
Research & Ideas

Why a Blended Workforce May Be Key to Lasting Competitive Advantage

In recent years, companies have been anxious about the lack of skilled workers to fill pivotal jobs. But then came COVID-19 and a subsequent recession. The ensuing business turmoil and record-high unemployment may have temporarily distracted companies from their... View Details

Keywords: by Joseph B. Fuller

October 2021 (Revised June 2022)
Case

PittaRosso: Artificial Intelligence-Driven Pricing and Promotion

By: Ayelet Israeli

PittaRosso, a traditional Italian shoe retailer, is implementing an AI system to provide pricing and promotion recommendations. The system allows them to implement changes that would affect both the top of funnel and bottom of funnel activities for the company: once... View Details

August 2020 (Revised September 2020)
Case

Facelift at Olay (A)

By: Sunil Gupta, Rajiv Lal and Olivia Hull

By October 2017, Procter & Gamble’s skincare brand Olay has been struggling with declining sales for several years. The team has tried many remedies, but none has returned the brand to growth. As pressure grows from Olay’s competitors, including hundreds of new... View Details

Keywords: Advertising; Advertising Campaigns; Demographics; Age; Brands and Branding; Marketing Channels; Competitive Advantage; Competitive Strategy; Digital Marketing; Transformation; Marketing Strategy; Social Marketing; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; United States; Ohio

22 May 2017
Lessons from the Classroom

A Luxury Industry Veteran Teaches the Importance of Aesthetics to Budding Business Leaders

including the potential to transform a business sector. The top-rated teams have the chance to present their ideas in front of a panel of judges, each of whom has achieved aesthetic star power in their own professional domain. This year’s... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Beauty & Cosmetics; Apparel & Accessories; Auto; Tourism

20 Oct 2010
Op-Ed

Export Competitiveness: Reversing the Logic

(Porter et al., 2008). Empirical work has confirmed the high correlation between strong performance on these conditions and prosperity levels across countries (Porter et al., 2008). Exports have a dual role in this framework; they (and a... View Details

Keywords: by Christian Ketels

20 Oct 2003
Research & Ideas

Gaps in the Historical Record: Development of the Electronics Industry

the late 1980s, the most successful producers of computers were those that produced and marketed IBM personal computer clones. In 1963 IBM's revenues were three times those of its major U.S. competitors combined. In 1984 they were six times those of its nearest... View Details

Keywords: by Alfred D. Chandler Jr.; Consumer Products

14 Jul 2020
Research & Ideas

Restarting Under Uncertainty: Managerial Experiences from Around the World

As economies reopen after forced shutdowns caused by COVID-19, managers around the world are faced with a dual challenge: keep the workforce safe while preserving business viability in an evolving and volatile market. How should... View Details

Keywords: by Raffaella Sadun, Andrea Bertoni, Alexia Delfino, Giovanni Fassio, and Mariapaola Testa

June 2019 (Revised February 2020)
Supplement

Eric Hawkins Leading Agile Teams @ Digitally-Born AppFolio (B)

By: Tsedal Neeley, Paul Leonardi and Michael Norris

Supplements the (A) case, HBS No. 419-066, and provides information about what happened after the (A) case ends. View Details

Keywords: Agile; Values; Vision; Corporate Culture; Leadership; Transformation; Organizational Culture; Values and Beliefs; Digital Transformation; Technology Industry; United States; California

August 2004
Case

Microsoft.NET (Abridged)

By: Alan D. MacCormack and Kerry Herman

Set in the summer of 2000, following the unveiling of Microsoft's .NET initiative to the public. Three of the key figures in .NET's development are considering the next steps they would have to take to keep the initiative moving forward. Specifically, the challenges... View Details

Keywords: Transformation; Leadership; Management Skills; Organizational Structure; Digital Platforms