Publications

July 2005 (Revised December 2005)
Case

General Motors U.S. Pension Funds

By: Luis M. Viceira and Helen Tung

In June 2003, General Motors Corp. (GM) successfully marketed the largest corporate debt offering in U.S. history, worth $17.6 billion. The offering included $13.6 billion worth of debt denominated in dollars, euros, and pounds and $4 billion dollars denominated in... View Details

Keywords: Decisions; Bonds; Investment Return; Policy; Borrowing and Debt; Corporate Finance; Auto Industry; United States

June 2005
Case

CarMax

By: Rajiv Lal and David Kiron

Carmax is the largest multi-market used car dealer in the U.S., and has no format-to-format competitor in the $375 billion used car market. CarMax is trying to do what some analysts believed to be impossible: sell used cars profitably on a national scale, and at the... View Details

Keywords: Profit; Brands and Branding; Digital Platforms; Segmentation; Auto Industry

February 2005
Case

Mahindra & Mahindra: Creating Scorpio

By: Tarun Khanna, Rajiv Lal and Merlina Manocaran

Details the emergence of a private sector automobile manufacturer in India that has created globally competitive and cheap versions of an SUV commonly available worldwide. Asks us to think about the parent corporation's next steps in leveraging this success. In... View Details

Keywords: Developing Countries and Economies; Global Range; Multinational Firms and Management; Emerging Markets; Commercialization; Expansion; Auto Industry; India

December 2004 (Revised February 2006)
Case

Executive Decision Making at General Motors

By: David A. Garvin and Lynne Levesque

Describes the evolution of General Motors' strategy, organizational structure, and management processes from its founding to the present day. Focuses on the role of GM's management committee—the senior-decision-making body at the company, now called the Automotive... View Details

Keywords: Globalized Firms and Management; Management Practices and Processes; Organizational Structure; Competitive Strategy; Decision Making; Management Teams; Auto Industry

July 2003 (Revised August 2005)
Teaching Note

Future of Hybrid Electric Vehicles, The (TN)

By: John T. Gourville

Teaching Note for (9-502-025). View Details

Keywords: Natural Environment; Customers; Behavior; Energy; Auto Industry; United States

April 2003
Teaching Note

Firestone/Ford Trie Controversy (TN) (A) and (B), The

By: V.G. Narayanan

Teaching Note for (9-101-034) and (9-101-087). View Details

Keywords: Auto Industry

March 2003
Teaching Note

BMW AG: The Digital Car Project (A) and (B) (TN)

By: Stefan H. Thomke

Teaching Note for (9-699-044) and (9-699-045). View Details

Keywords: Auto Industry

February 2003 (Revised February 2006)
Teaching Note

BMWFilms (TN)

By: Youngme E. Moon

Teaching Note for (9-502-046). View Details

Keywords: Auto Industry; United States

November 2001
Case

Naming the Edsel (Condensed)

Reveals the interesting and unusual story behind Ford's selection of "Edsel" as the new brand name for its ill-fated 1957 new product launch. Noteworthy as perhaps the most extensive, creative, and politically charged naming stories on record. Although both... View Details

Keywords: Customers; Marketing Strategy; Brands and Branding; Auto Industry

August 2001 (Revised March 2003)
Background Note

Comments on the Second Toyota Paradox: With appendix on modularity for managing complex-systems design

Two groups of people start out with the same task, equipped with the same resources and the same initial conditions. One, however, consistently beats the other. What are the differences between what the two groups are doing, and what can we adopt from the better... View Details

Keywords: Management; Product Design; Auto Industry; Japan

Find at Harvard

March 2001
Case

Firestone/Ford Tire Controversy (B), The

By: V.G. Narayanan and Roger Orosman Nieves

Supplements the (A) case. View Details

Keywords: Auto Industry

March 1999 (Revised November 2001)
Case

Honda-Rover (B): Honda Draws the Line

By: Ashish Nanda, James K. Sebenius and Ron Fortgang

Supplements the (A) case. View Details

Keywords: Business Exit or Shutdown; Joint Ventures; Alliances; Knowledge Sharing; Strategy; Contracts; Negotiation Process; Change Management; Negotiation Tactics; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Auto Industry; United Kingdom

October 1985
Case

General Motors: Inflation Accounting

By: David F. Hawkins

Keywords: Accounting; Inflation and Deflation; Auto Industry