Publications

March 2000 (Revised August 2000)
Background Note

Transition to General Management Website

By: David A. Garvin and Jeffrey Berger

Describes the transition from functional to general management. Describes the distinctive challenges of the general manager's job as well as how best to manage the short-term results of assuming a position as general manager. View Details

Keywords: Transition; Business or Company Management; Managerial Roles; Outcome or Result; Problems and Challenges

March 1993 (Revised July 2008)
Case

Liability Management at General Motors

By: Peter Tufano

An analyst at General Motors charged with managing the structure of the automaker's debt must decide whether and how to modify the interest rate exposure of the firm's most recent debt offering. The analyst must take into consideration GM's liability management policy... View Details

Keywords: Borrowing and Debt; Capital Structure; Financial Management; Interest Rates; Risk Management; Auto Industry; North America

Time management is a group endeavor. Harvard Business School Professor Leslie Perlow shares how the payoff goes far beyond morale and retention. View Details

2011
Module Note

Suppliers to Dealers: Stakeholders' Management at TVS Motor Company Ltd.

By: Shashank Shah, Shashank Shah and A. Sudir Bhaskar

Keywords: Supply Chain Management; Supplier Relationships; Dealer Network; Auto Industry; India

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1992
Article

Management Information and Accounting Information: What Do Managers Want?

By: W. J. Bruns Jr. and S. M. McKinnon

Keywords: Management; Accounting

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June 2010
Case

Managing the Client Portfolio

By: Nitin Nohria and Ashish Nanda

The German country managing partner of a global law firm must decide how to respond to a corporate mandate to restructure its client portfolio. The case enables a discussion of different types of clients in a global professional service firm in terms of relative... View Details

Keywords: Attorney and Client Relationships; Management Style; Corporate Governance; Business Subsidiaries; Business Headquarters; Conflict and Resolution

2023
Working Paper

Can Digitalization Improve Public Services? Evidence from Innovation in Energy Management

By: Robyn C. Meeks, Jacquelyn Pless and Zhenxuan Wang

This paper examines how digitalization impacts public service provision through a study of the U.S. power sector. We exploit the staggered timing of electric utilities’ investments in “smart” meters and find that electricity losses per unit sold decrease by 3.6%. This... View Details

Keywords: Electric Utility; Energy Management; Smart Meters; Energy; Climate Change; State Ownership; Private Ownership; Technology Adoption; Energy Industry; Utilities Industry; United States

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November 1988 (Revised January 1996)
Case

Note on Management of Crisis

By: Rosabeth M. Kanter

Intended to be used in cases dealing with crisis management and gives students a more theoretical perspective on leadership during volatile periods of business activity. Written to accompany the Lucky Stores case series. View Details

Keywords: Crisis Management; Leadership; Management; Theory

March 2021
Article

Provider Teams Outperform Solo Providers in Managing Chronic Diseases and Could Improve the Value of Care

By: Maximilian J. Pany, Lucy Chen, Bethany Sheridan and Robert S. Huckman

Scope-of-practice regulations, including prescribing limits and supervision requirements, may influence the propensity of providers to form care teams. Therefore, policy makers need to understand the effect of both team-based care and provider type on clinical... View Details

Keywords: Disease Management; Team-based Care; Health Care and Treatment; Groups and Teams; Performance

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Teaching Interest

Risk Management for Corporate Leaders

As companies adapt to the aftershocks of the global recession, risk management is a top priority for their senior executives and boards—and for those of nonprofit and public-sector enterprises as well. The financial crisis revealed that risk management processes cannot... View Details

June 1991 (Revised September 1996)
Case

Human Resource Management at American Airlines

American Airlines' strategy calls for continued growth, improvements in customer service, and cost reduction. This case examines the Human Resource Management system at American Airlines and its role in the airline's past and continued success. May be used with... View Details

Keywords: Air Transportation; Management Systems; Human Resources; Business Strategy; Air Transportation Industry; United States

June 2001 (Revised May 2002)
Case

Spir-It, Inc. (B): Managing People

When Jack Sindler founded Spir-it, Inc. in 1934, he was the company's sole employee. By 1999, Sindler's firm more than survived its first 55 years. Employment was up to nearly 200, with facilities in two states and work done in three shifts. The product line--which had... View Details

Keywords: Growth Management; Production; Business Growth and Maturation; Interpersonal Communication; Logistics; Human Resources; Diversity Characteristics; Manufacturing Industry

September 1996
Background Note

Some Thoughts on Career Management

By: William A. Sahlman

A view of career management for people interested in starting or playing a major role in an entrepreneurial venture is presented. View Details

Keywords: Business Ventures; Entrepreneurship; Personal Development and Career

July 2002 (Revised December 2002)
Case

Mercer Management Consulting (A)

By: Thomas J. DeLong and Michael Echenberg

Insurance giant Marsh & McLennan acquires management consulting firms Temple, Barker & Sloane (TBS) in 1987 and Strategic Planning Associates (SPA) in 1990 and sets out to merge the two. The merger proceeds slowly and painfully. Following the February 1990 merger,... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Model; Decision Making; Organizational Culture; Personal Development and Career; Horizontal Integration; Consulting Industry

14 May 2009
Sharpening Your Skills

Sharpening Your Skills: Managing Teams

Sharpening Your Skills dives into the HBS Working Knowledge archives to bring together articles on ways to improve your business skills. Questions To Be Answered How does a team leader win the confidence of the group? What's the best method for developing team goals?... View Details

Keywords: Re: Multiple Faculty

January 1993 (Revised September 1993)
Background Note

Managing Information: The IT Architecture

Information is a critical resource in the information economy and Information Technology (IT) enables information to be managed as a strategic resource. However, IT is extremely complex and fast-changing. As a result, the general manager cannot leave IT decisions... View Details

Keywords: Strategy; Information Technology

Research Summary

The Strategic Management of Technology

Clayton M. Christensen's research on the management of technological innovation suggests that for leading firms in a wide variety of industries, developing advanced technologies per se is rarely the constraining challenge in technological innovation. Rather, the... View Details

April 1996 (Revised April 1996)
Case

Activity-Based Management at Stream International

By: Robert S. Kaplan and Norman Klein

Stream International's Crawfordsville, Indiana facilities undertake the design and implementation of an activity-based costing project. After analyzing the costs assigned to 161 work activities, Crawfordsville managers present five proposals for change based on ABM... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Change Management; Activity Based Costing and Management; Indiana