Publications

January 2007
Case

AMD: A Customer-Centric Approach to Innovation

By: Elie Ofek and Lauren Barley

AMD's launch of the Opteron microprocessor in 2003 has allowed the company to make inroads into the lucrative server segment. A long-time follower to Intel, AMD management felt it was in a position to lead the microprocessor industry in new directions. However, in 2006... View Details

Keywords: Customer Focus and Relationships; Price; Leadership; Brands and Branding; Product Launch; Product Development; Competitive Strategy; Customization and Personalization; Semiconductor Industry

07 Mar 2023
Blog Post

Deconstructing LEGO’s Decarbonization

In January 2023, Professors Willy Shih and Mike Toffel led more than 40 HBS MBA students on site visits to witness the energy transition and innovative sustainable production activities throughout Denmark and the Netherlands, in their new... View Details

2012
Working Paper

Learning by Supplying

By: Juan Alcacer and Joanne Oxley

Learning processes lie at the heart of our understanding of how firms build capabilities to generate and sustain competitive advantage: learning by doing, learning by exporting, learning from competitors, users, and alliance partners. In this paper we focus attention... View Details

Keywords: Learning; Supply Chain; Competitive Advantage; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Competency and Skills; Relationships; Telecommunications Industry

Read Now

January 2017 (Revised February 2018)
Case

Godiva Japan: Think Local, Scale Global

By: Rohit Deshpandé, Esel Cekin and Akiko Kanno

This case tracks Jerome Chouchan’s strategies and execution for a successful turnaround of Godiva Japan’s operations, which were experiencing a decline in sales when he became the managing director of the company in 2010. Through various initiatives and innovations,... View Details

22 Apr 2024
Research & Ideas

When Does Impact Investing Make the Biggest Impact?

large as you might think.” Both traditional and impact investors had similar portfolio sizes, with roughly 24 companies with 31 investments each, and had operated for about a decade on average. Impact investor deals averaged about $5... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

May 2020 (Revised December 2022)
Case

Soofa: Displaying the Right Path?

By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang, Amy Klopfenstein and Amram Migdal

In November 2019, Sandra Richter, co-founder and CEO of Soofa, a network of advertising-supported digital bulletin boards, must decide between two different fundraising and expansion plans for her company. One plan entails raising $15 million in a Series A round and... View Details

June 2008 (Revised October 2008)
Case

AREVA T&D

By: Ananth Raman, Vincent Marie Dessain, Ane Damgaard Jensen and Gudrun Urfalino Kristinsdottir

The case explores the rapid and highly effective turnaround at AREVA's transmission and distribution (T and D) business by focusing on the division's operations. The division was struggling in 2004 when newly-appointed CEO Philippe Guillemot and his team improved... View Details

Keywords: Business Divisions; Customer Focus and Relationships; Product Development; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Performance Improvement; Environmental Sustainability

15 Apr 2014
First Look

First Look: April 15

reporting (information and transformation) and why currently isolated financial and sustainability reporting are not likely to perform those functions effectively. We describe the concept of integrated reporting and why integrated... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

Web

Food & Agriculture - Business & Environment

, including drought-resistant and flood-resistant seeds and sustainable agricultural practices Spotlights Rachel Raymond HBS MBA 2014 Chief Operating Officer, Indigo Ag “Farmers intimately experience the... View Details

Web

Profiles - MBA

J.P. Morgan's new sustainable investing growth fund, focused on startups with Climate Tech. The simultaneous exposure to daily calls with founders and formal investment committee meetings painted a holistic picture of the entrepreneurial... View Details

Profile

Soltan Bryce

of large data sets in complex systems alongside the formation of a business case could be applied to my interest in sustaining public goods, like agricultural activities.” Throughout his college years, Soltan also worked on an organic,... View Details

05 Feb 2007
Research & Ideas

Business and the Global Poor

who the customer is. Traditionally, leading companies—both in the West and in developing countries—have operated under the assumption that the world's poor majority—those four billion people on the planet with a disposable income of $5 a... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

January 2025
Teaching Note

Vytal: Packaging-as-a-Service

By: George Serafeim, Michael W. Toffel and Stacy Straaberg

Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 124-007. The Germany-based startup Vytal operated the largest digital-native reusable packaging-as-a-service network globally, having raised nearly €15 million, established a large network of restaurant partners, and prevented the use of... View Details

Research Summary

Overview of Research

My research examines approaches to improving the performance of our health care delivery system with a primary focus on health information technology. Reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of my program, my dissertation draws upon theories and insights from... View Details

12 Oct 2006
First Look

First Look: October 12, 2006

http://www.hbsp.harvard.edu/b01/en/common/item_detail.jhtml?id=806086 Comergent Technologies Inc.: Enterprise E-Commerce Harvard Business School Case 505-016 BP's IR director has begun a program to use information regarding external views of BP and the industry as part... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

2014
Article

An Analysis of the Competitive Advantage of the United States of America in Commercial Human Orbital Spaceflight Markets

By: Greg Autry, Laura Huang and Jeff Foust

The “Public/Private Human Access to Space” / Human Orbital Markets (HOM) study group of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) has established a framework for the identification and analysis of relevant factors and structures that support a global human... View Details

Keywords: Air Transportation; Infrastructure; Emerging Markets; Analysis; Competitive Advantage; Aerospace Industry; United States