Publications

Article

MIT Roundtable on Corporate Risk Management

By: Robert C. Merton

Against the backdrop of financial crisis, a distinguished group of academics and practitioners discusses the contribution of financial management and innovation to corporate growth and value, along with the pitfalls and unintended consequences of such innovation.... View Details

Keywords: Financial Crisis; Market Participation; Finance; Innovation and Invention; Growth and Development Strategy; Value; Distribution; Capital Structure; Risk Management; Business Ventures; Business Model; Strategy

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Program

Families in Business

and distribute wealth optimally to benefit the family and the business Evaluate estate planning options Determine if a family office is right for you and how to manage it Establish a foundation for long-term business View Details

12 Aug 2008
First Look

First Look: August 12, 2008

Coty. When Beetz was hired as chief executive, it was still a fragmented collection of recently acquired brands. The case describes how Beetz re-ignited the dormant celebrity fragrance business with the successful launch of a new Jennifer... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

Program

Rising Generation in the Family Enterprise

responsibility to society? This program focuses specifically on the choices facing the rising generation in the context of a successful family enterprise. Some members of the new generation will decide to pursue leadership roles in... View Details

2014
Book

Can China Lead? Reaching the Limits of Power and Growth

By: Regina M. Abrami, William C. Kirby and F. Warren McFarlan

At the time of the American Revolution, China was the strongest, richest, and most powerful civilization in the world. The Great Qing Empire ruled China and dominated East Asia by a combination of power and cultural prestige. China's economy was the world's largest.... View Details

Keywords: Economic Systems; Leadership; Power and Influence; China

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June 2015 (Revised October 2015)
Case

High Liner Foods, 2015

By: John R. Wells and Galen Danskin

In 2015, Canadian-based High Liner Foods Ltd was one of North America's largest frozen fish processors with extensive shares of both the food service and retail channels in Canada, the USA and Mexico. With over C$1 billion in revenues, the company had grown four fold... View Details

Keywords: Strategic Analysis; Strategic Decision Making; Family Business; Commodities; Strategic Planning; Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Food and Beverage Industry; North America; Canada

11 Jul 2016
Blog Post

Career Resources to Consider Before You Arrive at HBS

As you consider embarking on an MBA Program at HBS or elsewhere, it is important to become familiar with the resources that will be beneficial to a successful job search. Even before you get access to the plethora of resources available... View Details

02 Nov 2020
Blog Post

2+2 Where Are They Now Spotlight: Tyler Teykl (MBA 2017)

the academic mindset to be competitive with the GMAT and my application, and 2) it provided clarity on my career planning for the next 4-5 years. How long was your deferral (2,3, or 4 years)? I chose to defer for three years. The... View Details

May 2025
Case

IQanat: Empowering Rural Youth in Kazakhstan

By: Boris Groysberg and Maxim Pike Harrell

In June 2025, IQanat CEO Aliya Salikova considered scaling opportunities for the foundation, which provided educational opportunities for children from rural regions of Kazakhstan. Established by Kazakhstani businessman and philanthropist Aidyn Rakhimbayev, IQanat... View Details

Keywords: Mission and Purpose; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Leadership; Social Enterprise; Social Entrepreneurship; Growth and Development Strategy; Growth Management; Rural Scope; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Equality and Inequality; Education Industry; Central Asia; Kazakhstan

14 Feb 2011
Research & Ideas

Clay Christensen’s Milkshake Marketing

Updated to clarify a failure rate figure included in an earlier version. When planning new products, companies often start by segmenting their markets and positioning their merchandise accordingly. This segmentation involves either... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Retail; Service; Consumer Products; Food & Beverage

February 2005 (Revised June 2006)
Case

JCDecaux

By: John R. Wells and Vincent Dessain

Describes how JCDecaux, the second largest global outdoor advertising company, became the world leader in street furniture advertising in a fast consolidating business environment. Also explains why, in the late 1990s, JCDecaux diversified its activities into... View Details

Keywords: Advertising; Global Strategy; Leadership Style; Family Ownership; Strategic Planning; Competitive Strategy; Diversification; Advertising Industry

Program

Family Office Wealth Management—Virtual

approaches for managing and preserving family wealth through a live online platform. You may also be interested in the related program: Building a Legacy: Family Office Wealth Management. Key Benefits Successful family offices are adept... View Details

November 2015 (Revised February 2016)
Case

Allianz Turkey: Focus on the Customer (A)

By: W. Earl Sasser and Gamze Yucaoglu

At the age of 39, Solmaz Altın took over the helm at Allianz Turkey. Solmaz quickly realized that, although the insurance market was thinly penetrated in Turkey, the company was operating in a very competitive environment with pressure on prices and, hence, cost... View Details

Keywords: Service Excellence; Customer Experience; Customer Service; Emerging Market; Customer Focus; Net Promoter Score; Customer Relationship Management; Competition; Leading Change; Service Operations; Emerging Markets; Customer Satisfaction; Insurance Industry; Turkey

February 2013 (Revised February 2014)
Case

Phu My Hung

By: John Macomber and Dawn H. Lau

Privately held city development promoters decide whether to partner on next phase or go it alone in a 20-year, 4000-acre project. Set outside of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, this decades-long project led by two Taiwanese families reshaped and built the economic... View Details

Keywords: Urban Development; Infrastructure; Real Estate Industry; Viet Nam

Career Coach

Layla A. Ramirez

leaders get unstuck. Layla takes pride in helping her clients define success on their own terms and then helping them stay accountable to achieving that success. Presently, Layla is a DEIB practitioner at Justworks, a company on a mission... View Details

Keywords: Education; Entrepreneurship; Financial Services (All); Social Enterprise; Technology

05 Feb 2008
First Look

First Look: February 5, 2008

Cohen and Breno Schmidt Abstract We explore a new channel for attracting inflows using a unique dataset of corporate 401(k) retirement plans and their mutual fund family trustees. Families secure substantial inflows by being named trustee... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

10 Sep 2024
Blog Post

Leading with Creative Problem Solving: Ron Kurtz (MBA 1967)

making. As I progressed in my career, taking on positions with more responsibility and leadership, I learned that I loved the challenge of leading through change and building things from scratch, rather than holding an already successful... View Details

Keywords: All Industries

April 2017 (Revised July 2017)
Case

ISRO: Explore Space or Exploit CubeSats?

By: Prithwiraj Choudhury, Tarun Khanna, Karim Lakhani and Rachna Tahilyani

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) achieved global acclaim by launching successful missions to the moon and Mars at a fraction of the cost of prior Western missions. It is now faced with an important strategic dilemma—whether to continue exploring deep space... View Details

Keywords: Strategic Planning; Decision Choices and Conditions; Aerospace Industry; India