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- 2007
- Working Paper
Modularity, Transactions, and the Boundaries of Firms: A Synthesis
This paper constructs a unified theory of the location of transactions and the boundaries of firms. It proposes that systems of production can be viewed as networks of tasks. Transactions, defined as mutually agreed-upon transfers with compensation, are located... View Details
- 2007
- Working Paper
What Causes Industry Agglomeration? Evidence from Coagglomeration Patterns
By: Glenn Ellison, Edward Glaeser and William R. Kerr
Many industries are geographically concentrated. Many mechanisms that could account for such agglomeration have been proposed. We note that these theories make different predictions about which pairs of industries should be coagglomerated. We discuss the measurement of... View Details
- May 2007
- Article
Location Strategies and Knowledge Spillovers
By: Juan Alcacer and Wilbur Chung
Given the importance of proximity for knowledge spillovers, we examine firms' location choices expecting differences in firms' strategies. Firms will locate to maximize their net spillovers as a function of locations' knowledge activity, their own capabilities, and... View Details
- April 2007 (Revised October 2007)
- Background Note
An Overview of Project Finance & Infrastructure Finance - 2006 Update
By: Benjamin C. Esty and Aldo Sesia
Provides an introduction to the fields of project finance and infrastructure finance, and gives a statistical overview of project-financed investments over the years from 2002 to 2006. Examples of project-financed investments include the $4 billion Chad-Cameroon... View Details
- 2007
- Working Paper
Global Competitors as Next-Door Neighbors: Competition and Geographic Concentration in the Semiconductor Industry
By: Minyuan Zhao and Juan Alcacer
Despite the many advantages offered by technology clusters, firms located in them face the risk of losing valuable knowledge to nearby competitors. In this study, we argue that multi-location firms strategically organize their R&D activities to appropriate the value of... View Details
- October 2006 (Revised March 2009)
- Case
Clifford Chance: Repotting the Tree
By: Arthur I Segel, A. Eugene Kohn and Nhat Minh Nguyen
Clifford Chance, LLP, a global law firm headquartered in London, needs to make a decision whether to stay in the central business district of London or move to a redeveloped business park at Canary Wharf, three miles outside of central London. Peter Charleton, head of... View Details
- October 2006
- Article
Location Choices across the Value Chain: How Activity and Capability Influence Collocation
By: Juan Alcacer
There has been a recent revival of interest in the geographic component of firm strategy. Recent research suggests that two opposing forces—competition costs and agglomeration benefits—determine whether firms collocate in a given geographic market. Unexplored is (1)... View Details
- August 2006
- Article
Extending the Faultline Concept to Geographically Dispersed Teams: How Colocated Subgroups Can Impair Group Functioning
By: Jeffrey T. Polzer, Brad Crisp, Sirkka L. Jarvenpaa and Jerry W. Kim
We theorize that in geographically dispersed teams, members' geographic locations are likely to activate "faultlines" (hypothetical dividing lines that split a group into subgroups) that impair team functioning. In a study of 45 teams comprised of graduate students... View Details
- May 2006 (Revised May 2009)
- Case
De Beers: Addressing the New Competitiveness Challenges
By: Michael E. Porter, Sonia D. Marciano and Alyson Warhurst
Traces the development of De Beers and the diamond industry from its inception in the mid-1800s to the year 2000. Discusses De Beer's history and strategy as the industry leader and its role in industry development. Enables deep examination of the interdependence of... View Details
- March 2006
- Module Note
Managing Innovation in an Uncertain World: Module 4: Sensing Opportunity
Describes the fourth module of the 30-session Harvard Business School elective course Managing Innovation in an Uncertain World. The course helps students understand the challenges that uncertainty implies for innovation and how to overcome them. The course emphasizes... View Details
- March 2006
- Case
Cabo San Viejo: Rewarding Loyalty
By: Youngme E. Moon, Gail J. McGovern and Seth Schulman
In 2005, Cabo San Viejo, a premier health and fitness spa resort located in Palm Springs, California, is debating whether to introduce a Customer Rewards Program. Describes the customer management challenges the firm is facing and outlines the various ways in which a... View Details
- March 2006 (Revised November 2006)
- Case
China: To Float or Not To Float? (C)- Esquel Group and the Chinese Renminbi
By: Laura Alfaro, Rafael M. Di Tella and Ingrid Vogel
In July 2005, China revalued its currency by 2.1% and adjusted its exchange rate regime toward a more market-based system. Esquel Group, a family-run, privately held textiles firm specializing in high-quality cotton shirts with its most significant manufacturing base... View Details
- February 2006 (Revised November 2012)
- Case
Corporate Responsibility & Community Engagement at the Tintaya Copper Mine (A)
By: V. Kasturi Rangan, Brooke Barton and Ezequiel Reficco
Located in the highlands of Peru, the Tintaya copper mine has long been a source of intense conflict between local community members and mine operators. The mine, which was owned and managed first by the Peruvian state and later by BHP Billiton, stands on 2,300... View Details
- January 2006 (Revised December 2006)
- Module Note
Introduction to International Strategy
By: David J. Collis and Jordan I. Siegel
Provides an overview framework for understanding international strategy. Observes that international strategy draws on much of the same theory as corporate strategy. The same tests that can be applied to justify expansion across businesses--the better off and ownership... View Details
- Article
Knowledge Spillovers, Geographic Location, and the Productivity of Pharmaceutical Research
By: Jeffrey Furman, Margaret K. Kyle, Iain Cockburn and Rebecca M. Henderson
- 2006
- Article
The End of Nationality? Global Firms and 'Borderless Worlds'
By: G. Jones
This article provides a historical perspective to current debates whether large global firms are becoming "stateless" and whether this is a historically new phenomenon. It shows that a great deal of international business in the nineteenth century was not easily fitted... View Details
- December 2005 (Revised August 2006)
- Case
Bloemenveiling Aalsmeer
By: Felix Oberholzer-Gee, Vincent Marie Dessain, Daniela Beyersdorfer and Anders Sjoman
The Dutch "Verenigde Bloemenveiling Aalsmeer Cooperative" (VBA) was on of the world's largest flower exchanges. Around 6,300 flower growers, one half of them located in the Netherlands, used the auction to sell cut flowers and plants to more than 1,000 wholesalers. In... View Details
- December 2005 (Revised September 2007)
- Case
Canyon Johnson Urban Fund
By: Felix Oberholzer-Gee and Alexa Arena
Basketball star Earvin "Magic" Johnson and K. Robert Turner, managing partner of Canyon Johnson Urban Fund (CJUF), raised $271.7 million for investments in urban real estate. The fund considered two projects, both located in Hollywood, CA. The first was located on... View Details
- May 2005 (Revised September 2015)
- Case
Hans Wilsdorf and Rolex
By: Geoffrey Jones and Alexander Atzberger
Explores the creation of the Rolex watch by Hans Wilsdorf. Provides a case study of how one of the world's leading luxury brands was created and, more generally, provides a vehicle for exploring the competitive advantage of Switzerland in watchmaking (and other... View Details
- April 2005 (Revised April 2005)
- Background Note
An Overview of Project Finance - 2004 Update
By: Benjamin C. Esty and Aldo Sesia
Introduces the field of project finance and provides a statistical overview of the project-financed investments over the last five years. Defines project finance and contrasts it with other well-known financing structures. Describes the evolution of project finance,... View Details