Publications

October 2018
Case

American Family Insurance and the Artificial Intelligence Opportunity

By: Rajiv Lal and Scott Johnson

29 Sep 2008
Research & Ideas

Financial Crisis Caution Urged by Faculty Panel

and the de facto regulator became the credit rating agencies," said Retsinas, arguing that regulation became essentially outsourced and privatized. The credit rating agencies weren't able to perform their function whether due to the... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Financial Services

16 Dec 2014
First Look

First Look: December 16

two tier-2 vendors to work with its primary tier-1 vendor, a large Indian outsourcing firm that it had worked with closely for over a decade. The management of the multi-sourcing arrangement is posing a number of challenges. The chief... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

24 May 2011
First Look

First Look: May 24

in terms of price and cutting edge products. Should they outsource some of their production to Eastern Europe? Market their products to new customers like non-governmental organizations? Diversify into new shelter product areas? So far... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

16 Apr 2013
First Look

First Look: April 16

LaSalle (JLL) faced at the turn of the millennium. Until then, JLL sold piecemeal commercial real estate services to its corporate clients, who maintained relationships with a variety of vendors. In 2000, JLL's large corporate clients started globalizing their... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

December 2024 (Revised January 2025)
Case

Balancing Returns and Responsibilities at Raya Partners

By: Arthur Segel, Ephraim Mernick, Derek C. M. van Bever and Olivia Barba

Raya Partners, a private equity firm, faces a crucial decision regarding Asa Specialty Coatings Company (ASCC). The dilemma involves shifting ASCC's manufacturing operations to Mexico, a move that would boost profitability and reduce emissions but result in significant... View Details

Keywords: Factories, Labs, and Plants; Communication Strategy; Private Equity; Job Cuts and Outsourcing; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Environmental Sustainability; Values and Beliefs; Financial Services Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Mexico; Vermont

23 Feb 2010
First Look

First Look: Feb. 23

supplying superior bottleneck components while outsourcing non-bottleneck components. I show that a firm pursuing this strategy will have a higher return on invested capital (ROIC) than competitors with a less modular design. Over time,... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

26 Nov 2013
First Look

First Look: November 26

botsourcing for jobs that do require emotion if robots appear to convey more emotion; and (4) people prefer to outsource cognition-oriented versus emotion-oriented jobs to other humans who are perceived as more versus less robotic. These... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

30 May 2019
What Do You Think?

Is There a Distinctive West Coast Style of Management?

growth. It’s achieved by, among other things, concentrating on nonfinancial as well as financial outcomes, outsourcing and “renting” everything from assets to talent, using information and innovation from everywhere (not just internally)... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Education

27 Oct 2009
First Look

First Look: October 27

School Case 910-008 eBay considers adjustments to the structure and rules of its affiliate marketing program, eBay Partner Network (ePN). In particular, eBay reevaluates affiliate compensation structure, the role of bonuses for especially productive affiliates, and the... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

18 Nov 2008
First Look

First Look: November 18, 2008

client relations. Infosys' strategy is evolving to build transformational partnerships from its original position as an outsourcer of end-to-end IT projects. A transformational partner helps clients to devise and implement strategies that... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

07 Feb 2012
First Look

First Look: February 7

companies in the United States and Europe, divided the work up into small pieces (called microwork), and then sent it to delivery centers in developing regions of the world for completion through a web-based interface. Different from traditional business process View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

April 2024 (Revised July 2024)
Case

Unleashing Human Magic at Best Buy

By: Leonard A. Schlesinger, Sunil Gupta and Amram Migdal

The case examines the transformation of Best Buy under CEO Hubert Joly's leadership from 2012. Facing significant business challenges, including competition from online and physical retailers, Joly implemented the "Renew Blue" turnaround strategy, which focused on... View Details

10 Feb 2003
Research & Ideas

Women at Work

By Even with such diverse stories, the panelists had surprisingly similar advice for balancing their lives: Outsource. Outsource as much as you can afford. Time together with your family is more important than doing errands. "Think... View Details

Keywords: by Wendy Guild

January 2009 (Revised June 2010)
Case

Cisco Systems (2001): Building and Sustaining a Customer-Centric Culture

By: Ranjay Gulati

Customer centricity has been an important part of the culture at Cisco Systems since its inception. While part of this is attributable to values put in place by the founders and retained by subsequent management, it is also closely interwoven with its organizational... View Details

Keywords: Customer Satisfaction; Organizational Design; Organizational Structure; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Change Management; Organizational Culture; Research and Development; Job Cuts and Outsourcing; Employees; Brands and Branding; Customer Relationship Management; Business Units