Publications

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July 2005 (Revised April 2008)
Case

The Rise of Kmart Corporation 1962-1987

By: John R. Wells and Travis Haglock

Tracks the development of the Kmart discount store chain from its inception in 1961 to its peak in 1990 and examines the contribution of each Kmart chief executive to the chain's success. In, parallel, compares the performance of Wal-Mart over the same period along a... View Details

Keywords: History; Strategic Planning; Leadership; Competitive Strategy; Performance Evaluation; Retail Industry; United States

2 Mar 2011
Other Presentation

The Future of Corporate Citizenship: Creating Shared Value

By: Michael E. Porter

This presentation draws on ideas from Professor Porter's books and articles, in particular, Competitive Strategy (The Free Press, 1980); Competitive Advantage (The Free Press, 1985); "What is Strategy?" (Harvard Business Review, Nov/Dec 1996); and On Competition... View Details

Keywords: Society; United States

19 Dec 2005
Research & Ideas

The Regional Slice of Your Global Strategy

Harvard Business School professor Pankaj Ghemawat has long argued that the best international strategy also includes recognition of differences in local markets. In the December 2005 issue of Harvard Business Review, Ghemawat highlights... View Details

Keywords: by Pankaj Ghemawat

December 2023
Case

Davivienda Bank's Upskilling and Reskilling Strategy in Colombia

By: Jorge Tamayo, Raffaella Sadun and Jenyfeer Martinez Buitrago

Set in 2022, this case describes the digital transformation strategy of Davivienda— a leading player in Colombia’s commercial banking and one of the companies belonging to Grupo Bolívar, a major Colombian financial conglomerate—and the bank’s upskilling and reskilling... View Details

March 1995 (Revised June 1995)
Supplement

The Black & Decker Corporation (B): "Operation Sudden Impact"

By: Robert J. Dolan

Describes Black & Decker's strategy for the tradesmen market. View Details

Keywords: Brands and Branding; Product Positioning; Competition; Globalization; Construction Industry; Consumer Products Industry

1994
Comment

Exchange Rates and Corporate Strategic Management

By: K. A. Froot

Keywords: Currency Exchange Rate; Corporate Strategy; International Finance

September 2005 (Revised January 2006)
Case

Yum! Brands, Inc: A Corporate Do-Over

By: Frances X. Frei, Amy C. Edmondson, James Weber and Eliot Sherman

Describes the successful turnaround of the restaurant company Yum! Brands after its spin off from PepsiCo and covers how the company's leadership planned and executed on virtually every dimension of the employee experience. The main dilemma centers on what the company... View Details

Keywords: Product; Brands and Branding; Service Operations; Expansion; Trade; Leadership Development; Business or Company Management; Food and Beverage Industry; Retail Industry

October 2014
Article

Do Analysts Add Value When They Most Can? Evidence from Corporate Spinoffs

By: Emilie Feldman, Stuart C. Gilson and Belen Villalonga

This paper investigates how securities analysts help investors understand the value of diversification. By studying the research that analysts produce about companies that have announced corporate spinoffs, we gain unique insights into how analysts portray diversified... View Details

Keywords: Analysts; Spin-offs; Diversification Discount; Information Asymmetry; Value Creation; Business Subsidiaries; Diversification; Corporate Strategy; Investment

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June 10, 2022
Article

Does Your Company’s Culture Reinforce Its Strategy and Purpose?

By: Hubert Joly

Good strategy has traditionally been seen as the key to business success. More recently, purpose has become an essential element of doing business. But something else is missing: culture, or the essential elements of how an organization and its employees behave, as... View Details

Keywords: Success; Mission and Purpose; Organizational Culture; Corporate Strategy

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04 Dec 2019
Working Paper Summaries

Intelligent Design of Inclusive Growth Strategies

Keywords: by Robert S. Kaplan, George Serafeim, and Eduardo Tugendhat

Research Summary

The Evolution of Corporate Structure, Internal Governance, and Leadership

My research documents the evolution of the internal governance of senior management in large US firms over a 20-year period and explores, via multiple methods, the causes and consequences of these changes. My findings suggest that... View Details

Winning in Emerging Markets: A Roadmap for Strategy and Execution

Most books thus far on emerging markets are either investing-oriented (Mobius, Pereiro), or country - or market-specific (Farrell, Lindahl), or descriptive (Friedman, van Agtmael). No book has definitively targeted the corporate strategists who need a practical... View Details

Web

Course Overview - Institute For Strategy And Competitiveness

some adjustments based on the actual mix of participants and their circumstances: Defining a strategic direction - setting appropriate corporate goals - defining the appropriate portfolio of businesses - creating a distinctive View Details

28 Jun 2010
Other Presentation

Reflections on a Hypothesis: Lessons for Policy, Research, and Corporate Practice

By: Michael E. Porter

Reflections on a Hypothesis: Lessons for Policy, Research, and Corporate Practice View Details

Keywords: Society; Strategy; Canada

2011
Working Paper

Historical Trajectories and Corporate Competences in Wind Energy

By: Geoffrey Jones and Loubna Bouamane

This working paper surveys the business history of the global wind energy turbine industry between the late nineteenth century and the present day. It examines the long-term prominence of firms headquartered in Denmark, the more fluctuating role of U.S.-based firms,... View Details

Keywords: Business History; Renewable Energy; Competitive Advantage; Technology Adoption; Policy; Business and Government Relations; Energy Industry; United States; Denmark

December 1993 (Revised November 2009)
Case

Manville Corporation Fiber Glass Group (A)

By: Lynn S. Paine and Sarah Gant

Manville Corp.'s senior managers must decide how to respond to a new scientific study suggesting that fiberglass, the source of 75% of the company's profits, may be another asbestos and must act under conditions of great uncertainty. In particular, when should a... View Details

Keywords: Communication Strategy; Decision Choices and Conditions; Ethics; Health Disorders; Risk Management; Marketing Communications; Product; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Safety; Consumer Products Industry; Industrial Products Industry