Publications

26 May 2009
Research & Ideas

Improving Market Research in a Recession

most firms are reducing spending on the market research that would help manage that uncertainty. In the United States, spending on market research has dipped for four consecutive quarters, View Details

Keywords: by John Quelch

19 Jul 2011
First Look

First Look: July 19

imperfections, government policies, and entrepreneurial ambition in their creation, as well as the organizational challenges posed by managing such diversified firms owned by a... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

Career Coach

Philippe Taieb

internationally. He was a consultant at Braxton Associates, a strategy consulting firm, in London and Paris and then led business units for Swiss company SGS, the world leader in certification View Details

Keywords: Consulting; Consumer Products; Education; Emerging Markets; Entrepreneurship; Government; Health Care; Manufacturing; Social Enterprise; Sports; Clean Technology; Energy

15 Oct 2012
Research & Ideas

Why Business IT Innovation is so Difficult

and Operations Management Unit at HBS. "The longer we take to figure this out, the more likely we're going to have a few of the best firms pulling way ahead based on this... View Details

Keywords: by Maggie Starvish

05 Apr 2016
Blog Post

Summer Internships in the JD/MBA Program

LLP, a multinational corporate law firm headquartered in New York City. While there, I divided my time between their Private Equity/Mergers and Acquisitions group View Details

August 2008 (Revised November 2015)
Supplement

Yataro Iwasaki: Founding Mitsubishi (B)

By: Geoffrey G. Jones, Masako Egawa and Mayuka Yamazaki

This brief (B) case documents the fate of Mitsubishi and the shipping company NYK after the death of Yataro Iwasaki in 1885. The case supplements case 808-158, “Yataro Iwaski: Founding Mitsubishi (A).” View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Globalized Firms and Management; Business History; Leadership; Japan

01 Dec 2011
News

A Modest Tax Proposal

"How about 'No new taxes after these new taxes'?" © James Stevenson/The New Yorker Collection/www.cartoonbank.com As Congress starts the next round of debt ceiling negotiations, the US Chamber of Commerce and other business groups are... View Details

Keywords: Robert C. Pozen; tax holidays

09 Feb 2016
First Look

February 9, 2016

The firm has also innovated in sourcing capital from a variety of limited partners. Blackstone's culture of centralized investment processes and risk management coupled with... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

25 May 2010
First Look

First Look: May 25

an innovative methodology to measure management practices in over 300 manufacturing firms in the U.K. We then match this management data to production View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

01 Mar 2003
News

All in a Day's Work

through a day on the job to find out: Mardie Oakes, an HBS Service Leadership Fellow at Boston Community Capital, a community development financial institution, and Paul Sternhell, an entry-level manager at... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna; Boston Community Capital; Samsung; Management of Companies and Enterprises; Management of Companies and Enterprises; Management of Companies and Enterprises

December 2008 (Revised September 2009)
Case

Cola Wars: Going Global

By: Frank V. Cespedes

This case is meant to be used in conjunction with the extant "Cola Wars" case studies. It outlines the global positions of Pepsi and Coca-Cola as of 2008 in the soft drink market, and then provides an overview of their competitive situations in three markets: Mexico,... View Details

Keywords: Global Strategy; Globalized Firms and Management; Industry Structures; Competitive Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Food and Beverage Industry; China; India; Mexico

01 Oct 2001
News

Making a World of Difference

having been promoted to partner, Slifka founded Alan B. Slifka and Company, an asset management firm that specializes in event investing. Today, the View Details

Keywords: Young, Susan; Management of Companies and Enterprises; Management of Companies and Enterprises

November 2007 (Revised August 2009)
Case

Iceland: Small fish in a global pond

By: Michael E. Porter and Christian H.M. Ketels

Describes the economic development of Iceland since 1945, focusing in particular on the years since 2000, when Iceland experienced strong growth and Icelandic companies aggressively internationalized. View Details

Keywords: Globalized Firms and Management; Competition; Macroeconomics; Iceland

August 2008
Case

The Chubb Corporation in China

By: Li Jin, Michael Shih-ta Chen and Aldo Sesia

The Chubb Corporation, headquartered in the U.S., was the holding company for a number of property and casualty insurance companies which operated in 29 countries. In 1979, the Chinese government, as part of its "reform and open" policy invited a delegation of Chubb... View Details

Keywords: Insurance; Globalized Firms and Management; Growth and Development Strategy; Emerging Markets; Market Entry and Exit; Business and Government Relations; Insurance Industry; China; United States

Find at Harvard

March 2007 (Revised June 2007)
Case

Wal-Mart, 2007

By: David B. Yoffie and Michael Slind

In 2007, Wal-Mart faced challenges to its historically high growth rate. Lagging same-store sales and setbacks overseas led the company to consider strategic shifts. Wal-Mart was the world's largest retailer, but competition had become particularly acute as the company... View Details

Keywords: Competition; Management Practices and Processes; Rural Scope; Human Resources; Problems and Challenges; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Globalized Firms and Management; Marketing Strategy; Growth Management; Urban Scope; Retail Industry; United States

11 May 2010
First Look

First Look: May 11

firm, minority shareholders fare poorly after listing. Parent firms often repurchase subsidiaries at large discounts to valuations at the time of listing and experience positive abnormal returns when... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

01 Dec 2003
Research & Ideas

Sometimes Success Begins at Failure

discovered these negative results, some firms might have thrown in the towel and moved on to other projects. But Pfizer's scientists picked up on—and decided to pursue—what they thought might be an... View Details

Keywords: by Henry Chesbrough; Health; Pharmaceutical

March 2009
Case

Putting Sparkle Into Soda-Club's European Partnerships

Daniel Birnbaum, new CEO of Soda-Club, has taken charge of a company with significant market penetration, brand equity, and revenues in certain European markets. The company is also plagued with hostile relationships with major distributors. He needs to decide how to... View Details

Keywords: Globalized Firms and Management; Partners and Partnerships; Distribution; Entrepreneurship; Crisis Management; Distribution Industry; Europe