Publications

November 2006 (Revised November 2007)
Case

Strategy in the Twenty First Century Pharmaceutical Industry: Merck & Co. and Pfizer Inc.

By: David J. Collis and Troy Smith

The global pharmaceutical industry has gone through substantial changes in the last few decades and pharmaceutical firms face major challenges including headline-grabbing litigation, imminent patent expirations, new technologies, rising drug development costs, generic... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Growth and Development Strategy; Product Development; Research and Development; Corporate Strategy; Pharmaceutical Industry; United States

February 1990 (Revised July 1992)
Case

Whistler Corp. (A)

By: Gary P. Pisano

Describes the circumstances surrounding Whistler Corp.'s decision whether or not to continue manufacturing operations in the United States. The company had been experiencing severe problems in its domestic manufacturing operations and was thus unable to compete with... View Details

Keywords: Job Cuts and Outsourcing; Production; Problems and Challenges; Competitive Strategy; Apparel and Accessories Industry; United States

December 1992 (Revised October 1993)
Case

BMW: The Ultimate Driving Machine Seeks to De-Yuppify Itself

By: Stephen A. Greyser and Wendy Smith Schille

Tracks changes in the luxury auto market during the 1980s and early 1990s. Shifts in target consumer behavior--particularly the yuppie lifestyle--serve as the basis for manufacturer modifications of product line, positioning, and advertising. The climax of the case is... View Details

Keywords: Advertising; Change Management; Transformation; Brands and Branding; Product Positioning; Production; Luxury; Segmentation; Auto Industry

March 2024
Module Note

Accounting Standards for the 21st Century

By: Jonas Heese

Over the past two decades, accounting standards have evolved to meet the demands of a rapidly changing business environment. This module note focuses on understanding the impact of these standards on measuring firm performance and financial position in the context of a... View Details

Keywords: Financial Statements; Standards; Performance Evaluation; Change Management

04 Feb 2020
Video

Murat Vargı

Murat Vargı, founder of MV Holding and the mobile phone provider Turkcell, describes how Turkey changed in the 1980s under President Özal and his policies of liberalization. View Details

December 2008 (Revised December 2010)
Case

Hema Hattangady and Conzerv (A)

By: Michael L. Tushman and David Kiron

This case describes the evolution of a fast-growing Indian energy firm. It illustrates both leadership change as Hema is evolving as a leader, as well as how organization architecture (culture, systems, incentives, and human resources) is evolving. The case highlights... View Details

Keywords: Change; Decision Choices and Conditions; Leadership Development; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Organizational Structure; Energy Industry; India

04 Jul 2016
Research & Ideas

Is Your Org Chart Stuck in a Rut? Try a Scientific Experiment

Professor of Business Administration at HBS. “The fact that they keep doing it that way means that there’s not a theory of the organization. Nobody can say, ‘In this situation,... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

March 2013
Article

Breaking Them in or Eliciting Their Best? Reframing Socialization around Newcomers' Authentic Self-expression

By: Daniel M. Cable, Francesca Gino and Brad Staats

Socialization theory has focused on enculturating new employees such that they develop pride in their new organization and internalize its values. Drawing on authenticity research, we propose that the initial stage of socialization leads to more effective employment... View Details

Keywords: Socialization; Authenticity; Self-Expression; Best Self; Outsourcing; Employee Retention; Organizational Culture; Retention; Identity; Customer Satisfaction

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2010
Book

Denial: Why Business Leaders Fail to Look Facts in the Face--and What to Do About It

By: Richard S. Tedlow

This book deals with two of the biggest problems in business: Why do sane, smart leaders often refuse to accept the facts that threaten their companies? And how do they find the courage to resist denial when facing new trends, changing markets, and tough new... View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Leadership; Problems and Challenges; Personal Characteristics; Competition

Find at Harvard

Web

Live from Klarman Hall - Alumni

changed by AI and the core processes of sciences, like biology and physics, can be accelerated to where we could get a hundred years of development in a decade? What is likely... View Details

September 2023
Teaching Note

Patagonia: 'Earth Is Now Our Only Shareholder'

By: Brian Trelstad, Nien-hê Hsieh, Michael Norris and Susan Pinckney

Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 323-057. Patagonia’s change of ownership from a privately held company to a perpetual purpose trust and 501(c)(4) nonprofit in order to use the company’s profit to fight the environmental crisis and be a model for future businesses. View Details

Clubs

Social Impact Club

Keywords: Nonprofit / Government

January 2008 (Revised May 2014)
Case

Kazuo Inamori, a Japanese Entrepreneur

By: Anthony J. Mayo, Masako Egawa and Mayuka Yamazaki

The case provides insight into a business leader whose cognizance of contextual forces (social, economic, and political) allowed him to drive significant change in an industry and Japanese society in the second half of the twentieth century. View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Business History; Leading Change; Management Style; Personal Development and Career; Telecommunications Industry; Japan

02 Apr 2024
What Do You Think?

What's Enough to Make Us Happy?

The result is measured in terms of outcomes that may be more or less than we expected, just as customer satisfaction is measured in terms of whether our expectations were met or exceeded. But how many View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

2019
Working Paper

Design Rules, Volume 2: How Technology Shapes Organizations: Chapter 15 The IBM PC

By: Carliss Y. Baldwin

The IBM PC was the first digital computer platform that was open by as a matter of strategy, not necessity. The purpose of this chapter is to understand the IBM PC as a technical system and set of organization choices in light of the theory of how technology shapes... View Details

Keywords: IBM; Personal Computer; Digital Platforms; System; Strategy

SSRN

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June 1985
Case

Henkel Group: Umbrella Branding and Globalization Decisions

By: Robert J. Dolan

Henkel's adhesive group is considering a major change in the international selling of its two major adhesives products for households. The proposed strategy is based on two concepts: umbrella branding and global standardization. View Details

Keywords: Brands and Branding; Marketing Strategy; Globalization; Expansion; Consumer Products Industry