Publications

November 1997
Case

National Pork Producers Council

By: Ray A. Goldberg and Tom Clay

Al Tank, CEO of the National Pork Products Council, is facing an environmental and structural crisis in the U.S. pork industry. Can he resolve the environmental and image problems of his industry in time? Can he receive the support of both his growers and the... View Details

Keywords: Decision Choices and Conditions; Situation or Environment; Crisis Management; Environmental Sustainability; Business and Community Relations; Animal-Based Agribusiness; Industry Structures; Reputation; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; United States

January 2015 (Revised August 2016)
Case

Chateau Pontet-Canet

By: Daniel Malter

This case discusses the situation of Chateau Pontet-Canet in early 2000. Alfred Tesseron was the director and son of the owner of Chateau Pontet-Canet, a red wine producing estate in Pauillac (Bordeaux, France) and member of the fifth class of the ancient grand cru... View Details

Keywords: Plant-Based Agribusiness; Alignment; Strategy; Competition; Food and Beverage Industry; France

01 Mar 2014
News

The Solution to the Global Food Crisis Just Might Come from Nigeria

factories that produce fertilizer, to investors like Masha working directly with farmers, to retail-focused suppliers rebuilding local appetite for food grown in their country. Universal among these agribusiness entrepreneurs is a core... View Details

Keywords: Francis Storrs; John H. Davis; Michael Halse; Crop Production; Agriculture; Administration of Economic Programs; Government; Food Manufacturing; Manufacturing

1992
Book

Agroindustrial Project Analysis: Critical Design Factors

By: J. E. Austin

Keywords: Agribusiness; Projects; Design

March 2020
Teaching Plan

C16 Biosciences: Lab-Grown Palm Oil

By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang, Olivia Hull and Mel Martin

Teaching Plan for HBS No. 820-008. View Details

December 2012 (Revised April 2013)
Case

Olam: On a New Course

By: David E. Bell, Forest Reinhardt and Mary Shelman

From modest beginnings as a cashew trader in Nigeria, Olam, founded by Indian nationals in 1989, has grown into a leading global agricultural trading company, with annual revenues of $14 billion. The company recently has begun investing in farms and in the production... View Details

Keywords: Risk Management; Leadership; Customer Value and Value Chain; Corporate Strategy; Organizational Culture; Environmental Sustainability; Expansion; Competitive Advantage; Agribusiness; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Nigeria

October 1998 (Revised December 1999)
Case

Gene Research, the Mapping of Life and the Global Economy

By: Ray A. Goldberg and Juan Enriquez-Cabot

A new firm is being created to speed up the process of mapping humans, animals, and plants by combining gene technology with rapid gene identification to improve the health and well being of the human population and the productivity of crops and animals. How does one... View Details

Keywords: Information Technology; Organizational Structure; Technological Innovation; Business Processes; Health Care and Treatment; Performance Productivity; Welfare; Agribusiness; Genetics; Science-Based Business; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry

October 2016
Case

Yili Group: Building a Global Dairy Company

By: William C. Kirby and Nancy Hua Dai

From its humble beginnings as a local Chinese dairy company, the Inner Mongolia Yili Group has become one of the largest dairy companies in the world. To achieve this, Yili has aggressively expanded its footprint overseas including building the world’s largest... View Details

December 2009 (Revised October 2015)
Case

Diamond Foods

By: David E. Bell and Mary Louise Shelman

CEO Michael Mendes has transformed a grower-owned cooperative into a publicly traded top marketer of snack foods. Diamond's organization, culture, product development process, advertising and promotion strategy, and specifically its marketing department have been built... View Details

Keywords: Agribusiness; Business Model; Customer Focus and Relationships; Leadership; Marketing Strategy; Consumer Behavior; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Cooperative Ownership; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; United States

Keywords: Sustainability; Sustainability Management; Sustainability Reporting; Sustainable Supply Chains; Sustainable Operations; Environment; Environmental And Social Sustainability; Environmental Management; Environmental Operations; Environmental Performance; Environmental Policy; Environmental Protection; Environmental Strategy; Environmental Regulation; Operations Management; Operations Strategy; Supply Chain Management; Operations; Supply Chain; Business Processes; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Performance Evaluation; Performance Improvement; Safety; Social Enterprise; Quality; Production; Working Conditions; Animal-Based Agribusiness; Buildings and Facilities; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry

March 2014
Module Note

Implementing Environmentally Sustainable Operations

By: Michael W. Toffel

August 2023 (Revised January 2024)
Supplement

Arla Foods: Data-Driven Decarbonization (A)

By: Michael Parzen, Michael W. Toffel, Amram Migdal and Susan Pinckney

Arla implemented a data-based price incentive system to measure, track, and influence climate friendly changes to reduce CO2 emissions across the world’s fourth largest dairy cooperative. View Details

Keywords: Dairy Industry; Business Earnings; Earnings Management; Environmental Accounting; Agribusiness; Animal-Based Agribusiness; Acquisition; Mergers and Acquisitions; Decision Making; Decisions; Voting; Environmental Management; Climate Change; Environmental Regulation; Environmental Sustainability; Green Technology; Pollution; Moral Sensibility; Values and Beliefs; Financial Strategy; Price; Profit; Revenue; Food; Geopolitical Units; Global Strategy; Ownership Type; Cooperative Ownership; Performance Efficiency; Performance Evaluation; Problems and Challenges; Natural Environment; Science-Based Business; Business Strategy; Commercialization; Cooperation; Corporate Strategy; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Europe; United Kingdom; European Union; Germany; Denmark; Sweden; Luxembourg; Belgium

December 2002 (Revised May 2003)
Case

Fonterra: Taking on the Dairy World

By: Ray A. Goldberg and Jose M. M. Porraz

Fonterra was a cooperatively owned dairy company--New Zealand's largest company and the world's largest exporter of dairy products. To maintain its leadership, Fonterra had to respond to increased competition, new consumer tastes, consolidation of its customers, and... View Details

Keywords: Cooperative Ownership; Animal-Based Agribusiness; Trade; Global Strategy; Food; Business Model; Developing Countries and Economies; Competitive Strategy; Demand and Consumers; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; New Zealand

November 2009 (Revised May 2010)
Case

Red Tomato: Keeping It Local

By: Jose B. Alvarez, Mary Louise Shelman and Laura Winig

This case describes the operating model and history of Red Tomato, a non-profit organization dedicated to branding and logistical support for locally grown produce farmers in the northeast U.S. The case highlights the challenges involved in making locally grown produce... View Details

Keywords: Agribusiness; Trends; Food; Local Range; Consumer Behavior; Logistics; Supply Chain; Nonprofit Organizations; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Northeastern United States

01 Dec 2013
News

Faculty Opinion: Making It Better

products with various levels of cost and provider choice. Its impressive organic growth also has many lessons on how to train and evaluate people. Modeled after HBS professor emeritus Ray Goldberg's highly successful Agribusiness Program,... View Details

Keywords: Herzlinger, Regina; Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services; Ambulatory Health Care Services; Health, Social Assistance

November 2000 (Revised April 2001)
Case

Grupo Beta San Miguel (A)

By: Ray A. Goldberg, Carin-Isabel Knoop and Hal Hogan

The World Trade Organization and NAFTA are reviewing the sweetener system and governmental sugar programs and their impact on world trade. What position should Jose Pinto take, and how will this affect his company, Mexico, and the global sugar players? View Details

Keywords: Plant-Based Agribusiness; Government and Politics; System; Competitive Advantage; Management Teams; Mexico

December 2017
Case

Mondelēz International

By: David Bell, Kerry Herman and Amram Migdal

Mondelēz International is a packaged foods company competing primarily in “snacks” around the globe. The case describes how and why the Kraft Inc. CEO, and later Mondelēz CEO, Irene Rosenfeld, created Mondelēz and how she positioned it as a growth company at a time... View Details

Keywords: Agribusiness; Food; Growth and Development Strategy; Food and Beverage Industry; Europe; Asia; China; Latin America; Middle East

November 2000 (Revised January 2001)
Case

Commercial Capital SA (A)

By: Ray A. Goldberg, Carin-Isabel Knoop and Laure Mougeot Stroock

Keywords: Agribusiness; Privatization; Venture Capital; Financial Services Industry; Greece; Romania

November 2010 (Revised July 2012)
Teaching Note

Arcadia Biosciences: Seeds of Change (TN)

By: Arthur A. Daemmrich and Forest L. Reinhardt

Teaching Note for 709019. View Details

Keywords: Biotechnology Industry

October 2003 (Revised January 2004)
Case

BSE in Canada

By: Ray A. Goldberg and Kevin Allison

A cow was determined to have Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy in Canada, which closed its beef exports to the United States and 39 other countries. What future action should be taken, and how will country of origin specification and traceability take place in the... View Details

Keywords: Animal-Based Agribusiness; Trade; Food; Globalized Markets and Industries; Health; Food and Beverage Industry; Health Industry; Canada