Publications

May 1988
Article

Management Dilemmas in Securities Firms

By: Robert G. Eccles Jr. and Dwight B. Crane

Keywords: Problems and Challenges; Management; Business Ventures; Financial Instruments; Financial Services Industry

April 1988 (Revised May 1992)
Case

Gaz de France

By: W. Carl Kester

The treasurer of Gaz de France is an aggressive, proactive manager of his company's liability structure, running one of the largest swap books of any non-financial corporation in the world. Currency futures, interbank forwards, and currency options are also frequently... View Details

Keywords: Decisions; Borrowing and Debt; Currency Exchange Rate; Credit Derivatives and Swaps; Policy; Management; Organizational Structure; Energy Industry; Europe

spring 1988
Article

Product Market Competition and Managerial Slack

By: David S. Scharfstein

Keywords: Product; Markets; Competition; Management

Read Now

March 1988 (Revised September 1988)
Case

Friendly Competitors: The Amalgamated Aluminum Succession

By: Benson P. Shapiro

Keywords: Management Succession; Mining Industry; Manufacturing Industry

January–February 1988
Article

Dynamic Strategies for Asset Allocation

By: André Perold and William F. Sharpe

Keywords: Strategy; Assets; Resource Allocation

1988
Article

Relevance: Putting 'Management' Back into Management Accounting

By: Robert S. Kaplan

Keywords: Management; Cost Accounting

December 1987 (Revised January 1988)
Background Note

Managing Information Technology: Telecommunications and Computer Networks

By: Lynda M. Applegate

Keywords: Information Technology; Management; Information Infrastructure

December 1987
Case

Putnam Companies: Crash Communications--1987

By: Stephen A. Greyser

Keywords: Crisis Management

November 1987 (Revised June 1988)
Case

ServiceMaster Industries, Inc.

By: James L. Heskett

The CEO of ServiceMaster Industries has convened an internal task force to come up with ideas for reorganizing the company to accommodate unusually fast growth. In developing both alternatives and criteria for appraising them, the task force has to keep in mind the... View Details

Keywords: Restructuring; Leading Change; Growth and Development Strategy; Organizational Culture

November 1987 (Revised March 1993)
Background Note

Global Semiconductor Industry--1987

By: David B. Yoffie

In 1987, the global semiconductor industry was coming out of the deepest recession in its 40 year history. The note examines the competitive dynamics of this industry over time, the nature of its technology, and the sources of competitive advantage. The role of buyer... View Details

Keywords: Financial Crisis; Globalization; Crisis Management; Consumer Behavior; Competitive Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Technology; Semiconductor Industry

1987
Book

Accounting and Management: Field Study Perspectives

By: Robert S. Kaplan and William J. Bruns

Keywords: Accounting; Management; Perspective

fall 1987
Article

Managing through Networks in Investment Banking

By: D. B. Crane and R. G. Eccles

Keywords: Management; Networks; Banks and Banking; Banking Industry

1987
Chapter

Planning, Control, and Uncertainty: A Process View

By: R. Simons

Keywords: Planning; Governance; Risk and Uncertainty; Risk Management

September 1987 (Revised October 1987)
Background Note

The Job of the General Manager

By: James L. Heskett

Describes elements of the job of the general manager that are addressed in the Management Policy and Practice course at the Harvard Business School. These include: 1) establishing strategic direction, 2) setting goals and managing standards of performance, 3)... View Details

Keywords: Experience and Expertise; Policy; Recruitment; Working Conditions; Managerial Roles; Resource Allocation; Mission and Purpose; Performance Evaluation; Strategy; Value

September–October 1987
Article

Manage Customers for Profits (Not Just Sales)

By: Benson P. Shapiro, V. K. Rangan, Rowland T. Moriarty and Elliot Ross

Keywords: Customers; Profit; Management; Sales

Article

Managing Across Borders: New Organizational Responses

By: Christopher A. Bartlett and S. Ghoshal

Keywords: Management; Organizations

September 1987
Background Note

What Do Venture Capitalists Do?

By: William A. Sahlman

Presents the results derived from 49 responses to a questionnaire mailed to 100 venture capitalists in late 1984. The purpose of the survey was to shed light on the relationship between venture capitalists and their portfolio companies. The survey revealed that the... View Details

Keywords: Borrowing and Debt; Venture Capital; Investment Portfolio; Recruitment; Surveys; Managerial Roles; Service Operations; Relationships; Service Industry

July 1987 (Revised October 2009)
Background Note

A Method For Valuing High-Risk, Long-Term Investments: The "Venture Capital Method"

By: William A. Sahlman and Daniel R Scherlis

Describes a method for valuing high-risk, long-term investments such as those confronting venture capitalists. The method entails forecasting a future value (e.g., five years from the present) and discounting that terminal value back to the present by applying a high... View Details

Keywords: Forecasting and Prediction; Entrepreneurship; Venture Capital; Investment; Risk Management; Valuation