Publications

01 Nov 1999
Research & Ideas

Companies, Cultures and the Transformation to the Transnational

authority of running the business. Chandler described this management culture as "managerial capitalism. "Owners' delegation of responsibility to professional managers established a corporate norm... View Details

Keywords: by Christopher A. Bartlett & Sumantra Ghoshal

November 2022 (Revised April 2023)
Supplement

HTC and Virtual Reality (B)

By: Andy Wu and Matt Higgins

In April 2023, Cher Wang, CEO and Chairwoman of HTC, reflected on her time as a leader in the virtual reality industry from her office high above Taoyuan City, Taiwan. It had been a roller coaster ride of new product introductions and unexpected challenges for HTC and... View Details

Keywords: VR; Virtual Reality; Strategy; Metaverse; Market Entry and Exit; Competition; Technology Industry; Taiwan; China; United States

February 1998 (Revised November 2002)
Case

Meadowlands

By: Arthur I Segel and William J. Poorvu

In February 1998, developers Ted Leonard and Charlie Sexton are attempting to acquire and develop a large multifamily site in Maryland, north of Washington, D.C. They are attempting to win financing and government approvals to develop a new kind of product for the... View Details

Keywords: Urban Development; Real Estate Industry; Maryland

July 2007
Case

Kroger Union Negotiations 2005

By: Dennis A. Yao and Mary L. Shelman

A stylized version of the negotiations between Kroger Company and its local unions during 2005. Management faces a sequence of individual negotiations with local unions in addition to meeting the new competitive challenges presented by Wal-Mart's expansion in the... View Details

Keywords: Labor and Management Relations; Labor Unions; Reputation; Wages; Management; Negotiation Participants; Negotiation Style; Competitive Strategy; Retail Industry

April 1998 (Revised September 1998)
Case

Jan Eriksson at Novartis Indonesia (A)

By: Carin-Isabel Knoop and Anthony St. George

Jan Eriksson is the country manager of the Novartis AG joint venture in Indonesia. At the time of the case, Novartis is the world's largest pharmaceutical company. The case describes the steps Eriksson took to merge the Indonesian operations of Novartis' parents,... View Details

Keywords: Multinational Firms and Management; Joint Ventures; Financial Crisis; Pharmaceutical Industry; Indonesia

20 Apr 2021
Book

A Simple Question That Can Guide Companies to Epic Success

New Video: Books@Baker Interview with Felix Oberholzer-Gee Click to watch. Some companies gain advantage by commanding premium prices. Others lean on their world-class talent. But, a small slice of companies View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost

March 2001 (Revised September 2005)
Case

Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, The

By: Sandra J. Sucher and Stacy McManus

In just seven days, the Ritz-Carlton transforms newly hired employees into "Ladies and Gentlemen Serving Ladies and Gentlemen." The case details a new hotel launch, focusing on the unique blend of leadership, quality processes, and values of self-respect and dignity,... View Details

Keywords: Customer Satisfaction; Innovation and Invention; Leadership; Brands and Branding; Product Launch; Service Operations; Performance Improvement; Problems and Challenges; Quality; Status and Position; Culture; Value Creation; Accommodations Industry; Service Industry

April 1995
Case

Minnetonka Corporation: From Softsoap to Eternity

Minnetonka Corp. which was founded in 1964, began as a niche player in the gift soap and novelty toiletries markets. In 1980, it entered--and managed to capture a piece of--the mass bar-soap market with pump-dispensed Softsoap liquid soap. In 1984, the company took on... View Details

Keywords: Innovation Strategy; Consumer Products Industry

February 1998 (Revised November 1998)
Case

Novartis (A): Being a Global Leader

By: Srikant M. Datar and Carin-Isabel Knoop

For the Novartis leaders, the decision to "use stretch budgets again next year" highlights the tension between candor and empowerment and command-and-control, between the new and the old, between high performance and business as usual, between Ciba and Sandoz.... View Details

Keywords: Goals and Objectives; Leading Change; Organizational Culture; Performance; Budgets and Budgeting

November 1994 (Revised October 2011)
Background Note

Innovation: A Customer-Driven Approach

By: Marco Iansiti, Thomas J. Kosnik and Ellen Stein

Provides a selection of methodologies for the investigation of user needs, concept development, and product design. View Details

Keywords: Customer Relationship Management; Product Design

23 Feb 2011
News

Low Risk, High Reward

05 Sep 2008
What Do You Think?

Is Case Method Instruction Due for an Overhaul?

were nevertheless raised for our further consideration. For example, Joe Violette left us with the assertion that "The Case Method ... develops a structured management approach ... not ... leaders." Others, such as Jacoline... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett; Education

23 Jul 2014
News

Harvard Business School Appoints Matt Segneri Director of Its Social Enterprise Initiative

Career Coach

Parul Singh

As the president of HBS Tech Club, Parul can help point students to resources and opportunities available at HBS for preparing for interviews with technology companies, and new job opportunities. Parul can also provide insight as to what... View Details

2023
Working Paper

Networking Frictions: Evidence from Entrepreneurial Networking Events in Lomé

By: Stefan Dimitiadis and Rembrand Koning

Spatial proximity between firms plays a crucial role in entrepreneurship by creating knowledge spillovers, enabling resource sharing, and sparking productivity gains. Building on these insights, research has explored whether institutions and organizations can engineer... View Details

Keywords: Local Range; Knowledge Sharing; Performance Productivity; Togo

SSRN

04 Feb 2014
What Do You Think?

Has Listening Become a Lost Art?

up, consuming only about ten seconds of the two minutes. Having studied and written about the value of "listening posts" in business, I concluded that the company's management wasn't interested in listening. In his View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

May 16, 2016
Article

Food Safety Economics: The Cost of a Sick Customer

By: Dina Gerdeman and John A. Quelch

Chipotle Mexican Grill’s ongoing struggle to win customers back months after a contaminated food crisis highlights the challenges companies face with keeping food safe.

Chipotle has seen its shares tumble and recently reported its first-ever quarterly loss... View Details

Read Now

December 2001 (Revised April 2002)
Case

Synthes

By: John T. Gourville

Synthes is the recognized leader in the U.S. orthopedic implant market, with a 50% market share in the metallic plates, rods, and screws used to fix severe bone fractures. Synthes' marketplace strength lies in the strength of its sales force and in the quality and... View Details

Keywords: Innovation and Invention; Risk Management; Marketing Strategy; Product Launch; Market Entry and Exit; Product Development; Problems and Challenges; Competition; Manufacturing Industry; United States

2009
Working Paper

Taking a 'Deep Dive': What Only a Top Leader Can Do

By: Howard H. Yu and Joseph L. Bower

Unlike most historical accounts of strategic change inside large firms, empirical research on strategic management rarely uses the day-to-day behaviors of top executives as the unit of analysis. By examining the resource allocation process closely, we introduce the... View Details

Keywords: Leading Change; Management Practices and Processes; Resource Allocation; Business Processes; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Organizational Structure