Publications

June 2016 (Revised May 2017)
Case

FANUC Corporation: Reassessing the Firm's Governance and Financial Policies

By: Benjamin C. Esty, Nobuo Sato and Akiko Kanno

In February 2015, Daniel Loeb (a U.S.–based activist investor) announced his firm had a large investment in FANUC Corporation, a leading producer of industrial robots and software for machine tools. Loeb was demanding that the Japanese firm change its financial and... View Details

Keywords: Hedge Funds; Economic Policy; Investments; Government Policy; Deregulation; Financial Management; Valuation; Investment Funds; Policy; Corporate Governance; Macroeconomics; Investment Activism; Change Management; Financial Strategy; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Japan; United States

23 Apr 2001
Research & Ideas

Brand Power from Wedgwood to Dell: Part Two

Starbucks Coffee Company; and Michael Dell—all successfully navigated the transition from "garage" to global business. ... No Detail Too Small All three of them made that transition very successfully, but my research suggests it... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

Web

Alumni

Rush Vinyl and new co-owner of Waterloo Records, with ambitions of preserving the local music scene and supporting the careers of indie artists Forward Thinking Saving Giraffes from Silent Extinction Mothers of Invention How three HBS alumnae are building a View Details

05 Aug 2008
First Look

First Look: August 5, 2008

Prior to 1992, college football teams were matched for post-season play up to several weeks before the end of the regular season. Since 1992, the market has reorganized to postpone this matching. We show that the matching of View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

30 Jan 2012
Research & Ideas

Measuring the Efficacy of the World’s Managers

seven years, large teams of affiliated WMS analysts have interviewed managers at some 10,000 organizations in 20 countries, setting out to determine how and why management practices differ vastly in style and quality. Best Practices The... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

November 1997
Case

Polygram Classics

There has been no growth in classical recorded music sales from 1991 to 1996. Polygram Classics, the market leader, has appointed a new management team to revive growth. All areas of marketing are analyzed as the basis for a new strategy. View Details

Keywords: Marketing Strategy; Music Entertainment; Global Strategy; Music Industry

Find at Harvard

March 2024 (Revised September 2024)
Case

Supercell 2.0: Clash of Plans

By: Jeffrey F. Rayport and George Gonzalez

Founded in 2010, Supercell was a Helsinki, Finland-based mobile gaming company that had developed and launched five global hit mobile games: Clash of Clans, Clash Royale, Hay Day, Brawl Stars, and Boom Beach. The company’s early philosophy was that it could produce... View Details

Keywords: Business Growth and Maturation; Restructuring; Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Organizational Structure; Corporate Strategy; Video Game Industry; Finland

September 2020 (Revised January 2021)
Case

Catalys Pacific

By: Joshua Lev Krieger

In 2019, BT Slingsby founds Catalys Pacific, the first biotech “venture creation” fund in Tokyo. After convincing some of the biggest Japanese pharmaceutical firms to invest, BT hopes the fund can make a big splash and transform biotechnology innovation in Japan. After... View Details

Keywords: Pharmaceutical Companies; Biotech; Health Care; Entrepreneur; Innovation; International Business; Entrepreneurial Finance; Entrepreneurship; Finance; Innovation Strategy; Venture Capital; Strategy; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Pharmaceutical Industry; Biotechnology Industry; Tokyo

David Thomas is H. Naylor Fitzhugh Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. His research addresses issues related to executive development, cultural diversity in organizations, leadership and organizational change. He recently served as a... View Details

Keywords: biotechnology; consulting; consumer products; education industry; financial services; media

October 2023 (Revised May 2024)
Case

JSW Steel: Balancing Growth While Decarbonizing

By: Vikram S Gandhi and Radhika Kak

Sajjan Jindal, Chairman & Managing Director of JSW Steel, India's largest steel producer by market capitalization, was facing a dilemma. Steel demand in India was expected to grow exponentially over the next decade. However, given its traditional reliance on carbon,... View Details

Keywords: Decisions; Environmental Sustainability; Investment; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Growth and Development; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Pollutants; Pollution; Production; Steel Industry; India

September 2012 (Revised January 2013)
Case

SMARTBITES (A)

By: Michael Roberts, Jeronimo Silva and Amar Bhide

The case describes a Turkish brother-sister team who are evaluating the option of acquiring and operating a franchise of a US bakery/cafe in Turkey. They are comparing this option to that of simply starting a similar business. View Details

Keywords: Franchising; Start-up; Franchise Ownership; Family Ownership; Business Startups; Cost vs Benefits; Multinational Firms and Management; Food and Beverage Industry; Retail Industry; Turkey; United States

February 2017 (Revised April 2018)
Case

Kameda Seika: Cracking the U.S. Market

By: Elie Ofek, Nobuo Sato and Akiko Kanno

In spring 2016, Kameda’s CEO, Michiyasu Tanaka, is facing difficult questions from board members over the lackluster performance of the company’s U.S. subsidiary. Kameda was the leading player in the Japanese rice cracker market and was looking to expand overseas to... View Details

Keywords: Marketing Strategy; Growth and Development Strategy; Adaptation; Performance Improvement; Food and Beverage Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Japan; United States

19 Apr 2017
Blog Post

7 Ways MBA Students Use Baker Library

As members of the Curriculum & Learning Services (CLS) team at Baker Library, we have the opportunity to work closely with MBA students: in the library, online, and in the classroom. In a typical year we answer over 2,000 research... View Details

June 1988
Supplement

General Electric Co.: Jack Welch Question and Answer Session, October 28, 1987, Video

By: James L. Heskett

Jack Welch updates an MBA class on events which have taken place since 1984. Answers questions about his job and the task of leading a global company. View Details

Keywords: Management Teams; Leadership; Globalized Firms and Management

02 Jan 2008
Research & Ideas

Most Popular Stories 2007

Think Team Stars don't shine alone. As Harvard Business School's Boris Groysberg and Linda-Eling Lee reveal in new research, it is imperative that top performers as well as their managers take into account the quality of colleagues.... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

24 Feb 2015
First Look

First Look: February 24

ICSS Journal Making Boston Stronger By: Leonard, Dutch, Arnold M. Howitt, Christine M. Cole, and Philip B. Heymann Abstract—In the wake of the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, a team from Harvard University carried out extensive... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

05 Feb 2024
Research & Ideas

The Middle Manager of the Future: More Coaching, Less Commanding

need for good social skills.” But, Zhang also notes, social skills can have varied definitions, particularly in a global economy. What’s successful in one company or country might not be successful in the next one. "A lot of these come... View Details

Keywords: by Ben Rand

May 2013
Teaching Plan

High Wire Act: Credit Suisse and Contingent Capital

By: Clayton Rose and David Lane

Late in 2010, Credit Suisse CEO Brady Dougan and his team considered whether or not to issue contingent capital, which Swiss regulators would require by 2019. They faced a number of substantial issues, including: Would contingent capital actually work as conceptualized... View Details

Keywords: Financial Institutions; Capital Markets; Financial Crisis; Decision Choices and Conditions; Leadership; International Finance; Financial Liquidity; Risk and Uncertainty; Competitive Strategy; Financial Services Industry; Switzerland