Publications

January 2023
Case

Rentokil: The Terminix Acquisition

By: Ted Berk, Emily R. McComb and Julia Kelley

When announcing their agreement to merge in December 2021, creating a clear leader in global pest control, UK-based Rentokil and Tennessee-based Terminix described extensive benefits of the cross-border combination. The companies touted the advantages of their combined... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Valuation; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Business and Shareholder Relations

October 2023 (Revised November 2023)
Case

Rheaply: Circularity For Every Business

By: Rembrand Koning and Alicia Dadlani

In March 2023, Garry Cooper, cofounder and CEO of Chicago-based Rheaply, needed to demonstrate that Rheaply’s expanded vision could translate into building cash flows and metrics needed to raise a Series B and turn the business into a model for financial and... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Social Entrepreneurship; Technological Innovation; Environmental Sustainability; Entrepreneurial Finance; Technology Industry; Green Technology Industry; United States; Illinois; Chicago

January 2011
Supplement

Interview with John Smith, CEO, BBC Worldwide

By: John A. Quelch

In an interview conducted by Professor John Quelch, Harvard Business School, October, 2007, BBC Worldwide CEO, John Smith, discusses formation of BBC Worldwide's Global Strategy Plans. View Details

Keywords: Brands and Branding; Global Strategy; Media and Broadcasting Industry

Career Coach

Phillip Andrews

industries globally. He provides guidance on U.S. immigration and work authorization to help international students and alumni navigate the U.S. job search. As a coach, Phillip... View Details

Keywords: Emerging Markets; Emerging Markets; Emerging Markets; Emerging Markets; Emerging Markets; Emerging Markets; Emerging Markets; Emerging Markets; Emerging Markets; Emerging Markets; Emerging Markets; Emerging Markets; Emerging Markets; Emerging Markets; Emerging Markets; Emerging Markets; Emerging Markets; Emerging Markets

24 Mar 2017
HBS Seminar

Francine Blau, ILR School, Cornell University

May 2013
Case

Wendy Peterson

By: Linda A. Hill and Alisa Zalosh

Wendy Peterson was recently promoted to Vice President of Sales at the Plano, Texas, office of AccountBack, an accounting software and services company. To penetrate a perceived market niche, Peterson hires Fred (Xing) Wu, whose familiarity with and access to Chinese... View Details

Keywords: Leadership; Conflict Management; Salesforce Management; Rank and Position; Performance Evaluation; Management Teams; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Accounting Industry; Texas

September 1976 (Revised March 1981)
Case

Minolta Camera Co. Ltd.

Management of one of the leading Japanese camera manufacturers is faced with the problem of unauthorized shipments from the low-price markets of Hong Kong and Japan to high-price markets of Europe and North America. Control of distribution, change of prices, model... View Details

Keywords: Globalized Firms and Management; Distribution; Price; Manufacturing Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Japan

December 1999 (Revised June 2000)
Case

Smithfield Foods, Inc.

By: Ray A. Goldberg, Carin-Isabel Knoop and David Lane

Smithfield has become the number-one pork producer and processor in the world--given all the changes in the global agribusiness industry. How does the company develop its future strategy? A rewritten version of an earlier case. View Details

Keywords: Economy; Globalized Economies and Regions; Agribusiness; Globalization; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Strategic Planning; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry

16 Apr 2007
Research & Ideas

Delivering the Digital Goods: iTunes vs. Peer-to-Peer

the Market for Digital Information Goods," is among the first efforts to study the interactions of two entirely new and radical business models operating in the same market. Sean Silverthorne: What... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Music

Person Page

Positions

dollarDEX (1998-2007)

Retired chief executive, non-executive chairman

One of world's top 30 in online finance (Institutional Investor, March 2003). Wealth management firm in Asia, and has... View Details

21 Jul 2015
First Look

First Look: July 21, 2015

(the exogenous component of the variation in industry imports from China and changes in federal spending) and two supply-side ones (TFP shocks View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

December 2009 (Revised October 2015)
Case

Diamond Foods

By: David E. Bell and Mary Louise Shelman

CEO Michael Mendes has transformed a grower-owned cooperative into a publicly traded top marketer of snack foods. Diamond's organization, culture, product development process, advertising and promotion strategy, and specifically its marketing department have been built... View Details

Keywords: Agribusiness; Business Model; Customer Focus and Relationships; Leadership; Marketing Strategy; Consumer Behavior; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Cooperative Ownership; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; United States

August 2020 (Revised September 2020)
Case

Facelift at Olay (A)

By: Sunil Gupta, Rajiv Lal and Olivia Hull

By October 2017, Procter & Gamble’s skincare brand Olay has been struggling with declining sales for several years. The team has tried many remedies, but none has returned the brand to growth. As pressure grows from Olay’s competitors, including hundreds of new... View Details

Keywords: Advertising; Advertising Campaigns; Demographics; Age; Brands and Branding; Marketing Channels; Competitive Advantage; Competitive Strategy; Digital Marketing; Transformation; Marketing Strategy; Social Marketing; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; United States; Ohio

Marco Iansiti, David Sarnoff Professor of Business Administration,is a codirector of the Laboratory for Information Science at Harvard and of the Digital Initiative at HBS.

Prof. Iansiti's research examines the digital transformation of companies and... View Details

Keywords: e-commerce industry; e-commerce industry; e-commerce industry; e-commerce industry; e-commerce industry; e-commerce industry; e-commerce industry; e-commerce industry; e-commerce industry; e-commerce industry; e-commerce industry; e-commerce industry; e-commerce industry

22 Aug 2012
Research & Ideas

Advertising: It’s Not ‘Mad Men’ Anymore

the United States has changed over the past few decades following several M&A waves. Concern has been raised that the industry has become highly concentrated, dominated by a handful of large holding companies. In the paper "How... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Advertising

July 1984 (Revised April 1997)
Case

British Airways

By: John A. Quelch

British Airways (BA) has recently introduced a global advertising campaign. The development of the campaign and its implementation are discussed. BA and advertising agency executives must renew the campaign and resolve issues pertaining to its future direction. View Details

Keywords: Air Transportation; Globalization; Advertising Campaigns; Air Transportation Industry; England

June 2001
Case

Competitive Dynamics in Home Video Games (I): The Sony PlayStation

Describes Sony's entry into the home video-game market and its strategy for gaining market share. A rewritten version of an earlier case. View Details

Keywords: Competition; Market Entry and Exit; Video Game Industry