Publications

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19 Jul 2006
Research & Ideas

Political Turmoil and Mexico’s Economy

What happens to a country's economy when its government is politically unstable, such as has been the case historically in Mexico? Can business get done under a strong-arm dictatorship, or when a government is too weak to protect the... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna

March 2017
Case

A. Lange & Söhne

By: Stefan Thomke and Daniela Beyersdorfer

The case describes how A. Lange & Söhne became one of world's leading watch companies. Its obsession with quality and innovation were behind its initial rise in the 19th century and, after a 40-year involuntary hiatus under the East German regime, again at the end of... View Details

Keywords: Watches; Operational Excellence; Brand ＆ Product Management; Product Development; Leadership; Growth and Development Strategy; Marketing Strategy; Product Positioning; Brands and Branding; Management; Operations; Production; Innovation and Invention; Price; Business History; Germany

February 2012
Article

Management Practices across Firms and Countries

By: Nicholas Bloom, Christos Genakos, Raffaella Sadun and John Van Reenen

For the last decade we have been using double-blind survey techniques and randomized sampling to construct management data on over 10,000 organizations across 20 countries. On average, we find that in manufacturing American, Japanese, and German firms are the best... View Details

Keywords: Management Practices and Processes; Competency and Skills; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Organizations; Developing Countries and Economies; Economic Sectors; Performance; Business and Shareholder Relations; Private Equity; Multinational Firms and Management; United States; Germany; Japan; China; India

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20 May 2019
Research & Ideas

Activist CEOs Are Rising Up—and Their Customers Are Listening

the Washington Post headlined, If Howard Schultz runs for president, Starbucks will be on the ballot, too. Schultz’s political ambitions mark a growing wave of business leaders speaking out on social issues—termed “CEO activism” by... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

09 Mar 2020
Research & Ideas

Warring Algorithms Could Be Driving Up Consumer Prices

developed by the company’s marketers and strategists. “They want to react to changing demand and supply conditions,” says study author Alexander J. MacKay, an assistant professor of business administration at Harvard View Details

Keywords: by Kristen Senz; Retail

June 2025
Case

TagHive: Edtech Pricing and Distributor Decisions

By: Isamar Troncoso, Frank V. Cespedes and Stacy Straaberg

Education technology (edtech) company TagHive, founded in 2017, used a direct sales team and third-party distributors to sell its Class Saathi hardware and software solution to 300 clients, mainly primary and secondary schools in India. The product aimed to improve... View Details

30 Apr 2014
Research & Ideas

Venture Investors Prefer Funding Handsome Men

of entrepreneurial pitching," says Alison Wood Brooks, an assistant professor at Harvard Business School who coauthored the paper with Laura Huang, an assistant professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania; Sarah... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Financial Services

February 2005
Article

European Integration and Corporate Restructuring: The Strategy of Unilever c1957-c1990

By: Geoffrey Jones and Peter Miskell

This article examines the role of the large Anglo-Dutch consumer products company in promoting European integration. It shows that Unilever contributed financially to campaigns to support the creation of the European Union, and its subsequent expansion, despite a... View Details

Keywords: Horizontal Integration; Organizations; Policy; Expansion; Market Transactions; Geographic Location; Restructuring; Competition; Brands and Branding; Production; Capital Structure; Value; Consumer Products Industry; European Union; United States

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01 Nov 2024
In Practice

Layoffs Surging in a Strong Economy? Advice for Navigating Uncertain Times

burnout. Amid the uncertainty, Harvard Business School faculty share some research-backed insights for leaders, people managers, and job seekers. Sandra Sucher: Tech layoffs—It doesn’t have to be this way Tesla earned a Wall Street... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne; Technology; Information Technology

24 Feb 2009
First Look

First Look: February 24, 2009

Cuts Harvard Business School Case 709-037 As his inauguration approached, President-elect Obama faced a financial sector meltdown, a costly bailout, and massive government deficits. With the economy in recession, interest rates near zero,... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

February 2024
Case

Continuity & Change at Boston Consulting Group

By: David G. Fubini, Suraj Srinivasan and David Lane

As the new CEO of Boston Consulting Group (BCG) since autumn 2021, Christoph Schweizer had big shoes to fill—his predecessor, Rich Lesser, had tripled the partnership’s total revenues and created digital initiatives that contributed 40+% of 2021 revenues, more than... View Details

Keywords: Business Organization; Change Management; Talent and Talent Management; Governance; AI and Machine Learning; Environmental Sustainability; Leading Change; Risk Management; Organizational Culture; Partners and Partnerships; Revenue; Growth and Development Strategy; Management Succession; Consulting Industry

June 2010 (Revised October 2014)
Teaching Note

Enterprise Risk Management at Hydro One (A)

By: Anette Mikes

Teaching Note for 109-001 View Details

Keywords: SWOT Analysis; Risk Management; Climate Change; Renewable Energy; Technology Adoption; Strategy; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Perspective; Goals and Objectives; Capital Budgeting; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Energy Industry

March 2008 (Revised March 2009)
Case

The Home Depot, Inc.

For its first 20 years, Home Depot was known for its entrepreneurial spirit and focus on customer service. Merchandising, purchasing, and store operations were all decentralized. When the company hit $45 billion in sales, many believed that a more disciplined approach... View Details

Keywords: Customer Focus and Relationships; Profit; Leading Change; Six Sigma; Service Operations; Business Processes; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Retail Industry

April 1996 (Revised June 2001)
Case

Partners HealthCare System, Inc. (B): Cardiac Care Improvement

By: Gary P. Pisano and Maryam Golnaraghi

Explores the challenges confronting the CEO at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in the wake of radical changes in the health care environment. As pressures have risen for cost containment in health care, the hospital has embarked on a series of reengineering efforts to... View Details

Keywords: Consolidation; Health Care and Treatment; Mergers and Acquisitions; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Change Management; Management Teams; Operations; Innovation and Invention; Cost Management; Health Industry; Massachusetts

28 Aug 2012
First Look

First Look: August 28

M. Perkins, and Mark Weick Publication: Journal of Applied Corporate Finance 24, no. 2 (spring 2012) Abstract Dow Chemical Company, which was founded in 1894, is now the second‐largest chemical company in the world. From the outset, the... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

April 1991 (Revised December 1997)
Case

Southland Corp. (A)

By: Richard S. Ruback

Examines the Thompson's $4.9 billion leveraged buyout of the Southland Corp. in 1987. As the original founders of Southland, the Thompsons were concerned about losing control over the company upon learning of the Belzberg family's acquiring interest. The teaching... View Details

Keywords: Leveraged Buyouts; Governance Controls; Corporate Governance; Bids and Bidding; Valuation; Forecasting and Prediction; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Strategy; Cash Flow