Publications

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December 2011 (Revised April 2012)
Case

Transforming Verizon: A Platform for Change

By: Rosabeth Moss Kanter and Matthew Bird

A new CEO steps into the shoes of his long-time predecessor who had created the U.S. telecommunications giant via a series of acquisitions and, before departing, had initiated the company's strategic repositioning. The new CEO reflected on Verizon's recent successes,... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Globalized Firms and Management; Groups and Teams; Telecommunications Industry

November 1989 (Revised February 1992)
Case

Ford Motor Co.: Dealer Sales and Service

By: Leonard A. Schlesinger

Since Henry Ford founded Ford Motor Co., Ford vehicles have been sold and serviced the same way. By the late 1980s Ford began to consider making changes in its sales and service process. Two developments forced Ford to reconsider these processes. First, Ford found... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Change Management; Distribution Channels; Customer Focus and Relationships; Service Industry; Auto Industry; Retail Industry; United States

10 Dec 2020
News

Creating Space for Religious Diversity at Work

12 Nov 2020
News

3 Ways Companies Can Retain Working Moms Right Now

05 Jul 2016
First Look

July 5, 2016

practical use by managers or teaching by instructors of MBAs and executive MBAs. Download working paper: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=51126 The Climate Custodians By: Eccles, Robert G., and Tim Youmans Abstract—Can... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

June 2021
Teaching Note

Michael Phelps: 'It's Okay to Not Be Okay'

By: Boris Groysberg, Carin-Isabel Knoop and Michael Norris

Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 421-044. In 2020, Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time, with 28 medals in various swimming events, was now retired. As he looked back on his 20+ year athletic career, he considered what had gone into making him the... View Details

Keywords: Mental Health; Talent and Talent Management; Training; Health; Success; Performance Improvement; Personal Development and Career; Family and Family Relationships; Sports; Competition; Sports Industry; United States; Baltimore; Arizona; Sydney; Athens; Beijing; London

September 2022 (Revised April 2023)
Case

Cesaro e Associati

By: Christina R. Wing and Amram Migdal

This case describes the leadership succession planning process at Cesaro e Associati (Studio Cesaro), founded in 1986 by Franco Cesaro in the northeastern Italian state of Veneto. In 2022, Franco was contemplating retirement and passing leadership of his firm, which... View Details

August 1992 (Revised September 2002)
Case

Star Distributors, Inc. (A)

By: David A. Thomas

Depicts the conflict and organizational problems that emerged in a franchise operation owned by Paul Logan, an African American, and John Heyman, a white American. Provides the opportunity to examine the ways in which race influences managerial behavior and... View Details

Keywords: Conflict Management; Performance Effectiveness; Franchise Ownership; Race; Management Style; Conflict and Resolution; Business and Stakeholder Relations

19 Jul 2004
Research & Ideas

Your Customers: Use Them or Lose Them

her course for Harvard MBA students, Managing Service Operations, which explores interactions between firms and customers. Defy Conventional Wisdom Commerce Bank entered a mature industry where the overall level of customer satisfaction... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

04 Sep 2019
News

Ask the Expert: Bounce Back

of PowerInbox, says it’s too soon to call it quits on email—far from it, in fact. PowerInbox, which manages targeted ads within subscriber-based newsletters for publishers like Crain Communications and the Seattle Times, has enjoyed 7,500... View Details

Keywords: Jen McFarland Flint

31 Jul 2019
News

Skydeck Live: The Rise of the FOMO Sapiens

onstage during Spring Reunions, McGinnis and I discuss the broad span of these ideas. Namely, how these forces at work in our social lives can also impact our professional lives—and how we can manage them. READ MORE Dan Morrell: I think... View Details

27 Sep 2006
Research & Ideas

Report From Egypt: Studying Global Influences

group of managers heading every function but also spoke with a cross-section of employees (with translators) and even several customers and partners. Since one of the companies—an IT giant—has been partnering with a major government... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

12 Jan 2004
Research & Ideas

Does Your HQ Operation Fit With Corporate Strategy?

b) determine if there were any significant differences in headquarter size between countries, c) determine if there was any relationship between the size of corporate headquarters and the financial performance of the company, d) try to... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

April 2001 (Revised January 2003)
Case

Robert Shapiro and Monsanto

Traces Monsanto's efforts to become a global biotech powerhouse under Shapiro's leadership. Examines how his crusade to save the world through genetic modification foundered. View Details

Keywords: Genetics; Supply Chain Management; Alliances; Global Strategy; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Biotechnology Industry