Publications

16 Nov 2016
Research & Ideas

Turning One Thousand Customers into One Million

Few companies in the past few years have rocketed to success faster than Uber, Airbnb, and Etsy, which together have transformed the way we hail a cab, plan a vacation, and shop for handmade gifts,... View Details

Keywords: by Thales S. Teixeira and Michael Blanding; Retail; Transportation; Accommodations

27 Jun 2005
Research & Ideas

Asian and American Leadership Styles: How Are They Unique?

business leaders adopted already, and which styles are likely to be most successful in the future? In a talk in Kuala Lumpur on June 15 at the invitation of The Star/BizWeek publication and the Harvard Club of Malaysia, Mills explained... View Details

Keywords: by D. Quinn Mills

July 1984 (Revised September 1986)
Case

CML Group, Inc.: Going Public (A)

By: William A. Sahlman

Describes a series of decisions confronting Charles Leighton, co-founder and chairman of the CML Group. CML is a successful participant in the leisure time industry with two lines of business: specialty retailing and recreational consumer products. The key issues in... View Details

Keywords: Valuation; Going Public; Strategy; Business or Company Management; Cost vs Benefits; SWOT Analysis; Investment Banking; Financing and Loans; Planning; Corporate Finance; Retail Industry; Consumer Products Industry

Find at Harvard

June 2020 (Revised October 2020)
Case

What Went Wrong with Boeing's 737 Max?

By: William W. George and Amram Migdal

This case describes the development of the Boeing 737 Max airplane model and the events leading up to two tragic plane crashes, in which a total of 346 people died: the crash of Lion Air flight 610 on October 29, 2018, in Indonesia, and the crash of Ethiopian Airlines... View Details

Keywords: Communication; Communication Intention and Meaning; Communication Strategy; Forms of Communication; Announcements; Decision Making; Decision Choices and Conditions; Judgments; Ethics; Moral Sensibility; Values and Beliefs; Globalization; Global Strategy; Governance; Corporate Accountability; Governance Controls; Human Resources; Resignation and Termination; Leadership; Leadership Style; Management; Business or Company Management; Crisis Management; Management Practices and Processes; Management Skills; Management Style; Management Systems; Risk Management; Time Management; Markets; Demand and Consumers; Digital Platforms; Supply and Industry; Duopoly and Oligopoly; Industry Structures; Operations; Product Development; Organizations; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Outcome or Result; Failure; Success; Planning; Strategic Planning; Problems and Challenges; Relationships; Business and Community Relations; Business and Government Relations; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Risk and Uncertainty; Safety; Strategy; Transportation; Air Transportation; Aerospace Industry; Air Transportation Industry; Africa; Ethiopia; Asia; Indonesia; North and Central America; United States; Seattle; Chicago

Web

Technology & Operations Management Curriculum - Faculty & Research

development Information technology Technology and operations strategy MBA Elective Curriculum (SECOND YEAR) Course Title Faculty Name Term Quarter Credits Building and Sustaining a Successful Enterprise (also listed under General... View Details

08 Mar 2021
In Practice

COVID Killed the Traditional Workplace. What Should Companies Do Now?

A year ago, COVID-19 forced many companies to send employees home—often with a laptop and a prayer. Now, with COVID cases subsiding and vaccinations rising, the prospect of returning to old office routines appears more possible. But will employees want to flock back to... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

22 Nov 2016
First Look

November 22, 2016

centuries of animosity. The “shadow of the law” relevant to the substance of the negotiation may be ill-defined or easily misunderstood. Finally, significant cultural differences may obscure common ground that could facilitate a View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

25 Jul 2006
First Look

First Look: July 25, 2006

paper: http://www.hbs.edu/research/pdf/06-061.pdf Cross Functional Alignment in Supply Chain Planning: A Case Study of Sales & Operations Planning Authors:Rogelio Oliva and Noel Watson Author's Abstract In 2002, Leitax, a niche... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

07 Jul 2022
HBS Case

How a Multimillion-Dollar Ice Cream Startup Melted Down (and Bounced Back)

filing for bankruptcy? And more importantly, how did Smith and Cuscuna rebound from their first failed venture to open another successful ice cream shop? The startup, like many others, was a victim of its own success, says Harvard... View Details

Keywords: by Pamela Reynolds

18 Oct 2010
Lessons from the Classroom

Venture Capital’s Disconnect with Clean Tech

business is one way to assure future success as a venture capitalist-especially in the clean-tech field. Actually effecting policy change is another way. That's why he's pushing would-be VCs at Harvard Business School to spend some time... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Energy; Utilities; Financial Services

10 Apr 2012
First Look

First Look: April 10

Corstjens and Rajiv Lal Publication:Harvard Business Review 90, no. 4 (April 2012) Abstract Most companies assume that the easiest way to grow is by investing overseas and that the developing world offers the best opportunities for boosting revenues and profits today.... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

04 Oct 2010
Research & Ideas

Introverts: The Best Leaders for Proactive Employees

known as a "fixer." Both types of leaders, the extraverts and the introverts, can be equally successful or ineffectual, but with different groups of employees. “Often the leaders end up doing a lot of the talking and not... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

Web

Entrepreneurship - Faculty & Research

the probabilities of success are low, extremely skewed, and unknowable until an investment is made. At a macro level, experimentation by new firms underlies the Schumpeterian notion of creative destruction. However, at a micro level,... View Details

Web

Asia Pacific - Global

dinner discussion, Mr. Kalliarekos traced the origins and evolution of private equity in the US, explored the unique opportunities for PE firms across Asia, and discussed the critical importance of global managerial and operational talents for View Details

31 Oct 2023
Research & Ideas

Beyond the 'Business Case' in DEI: 6 Steps Toward Meaningful Change

cites: Meta’s goal to raise the representation of people of color, including Black leadership, by 30 percent between 2020 and 2025; Hartford Prudential Financial’s goal to have 20 percent people of color in senior leadership roles by 2030, and Procter & Gamble’s... View Details

Keywords: by Katherine Hutt Scott and Barbara DeLollis

Web

Entrepreneurship - Recruiting

Planning 13% Locations United States: 86% Mid-Atlantic 3% Midwest 2% Northeast 39% South 5% Southwest 5% West 32% International: 14% Asia 5% Europe 5% Latin America 3% Founding a Business 138 Number of Founders Have a Cofounder 54%... View Details

Web

HBS - The year in Review

HBS. RISE Fellows As part of the School’s Action Plan for Advancing Racial Equity , 20 MBA students were selected as the inaugural recipients of the Recognizing Individuals Seeking Equity (RISE) Fellowship. The fellows were chosen for... View Details

February 2013 (Revised December 2015)
Case

Groom Energy Solutions: Selling Efficiency

By: Michael W. Toffel, Kira R. Fabrizio and Stephanie van Sice

Groom Energy Solutions helps organizations reduce their energy use and costs through the implementation of energy efficiency measures, which create long-term financial and environmental benefits. With early success serving customers in the cold storage and industrial... View Details

Keywords: Groom Energy Solutions; Jon Guerster; Salem, MA; Energy Management; Energy Efficiency Paradox; Sustainability Management; Manufacturing; Cold Storage; Commercial Real Estate; Enterprise Smart Grid; Carbon Accounting; LED Lighting; Sustainability Research; Entrepreneurship; Environmental Entrepreneurship; Energy Entrepreneurship; Energy Services; Electricity; Startup; Expansion; Growth; Sustainability; Business Startups; Forecasting and Prediction; Energy Conservation; Revenue; Geographic Location; Human Resources; Management; Growth and Development Strategy; Market Entry and Exit; Operations; Service Delivery; Strategic Planning; Science; Environmental Sustainability; Climate Change; Society; Social Issues; Technology Adoption; Energy Industry; Green Technology Industry; Technology Industry; Utilities Industry; United States; Boston

August 1994 (Revised May 1995)
Case

Engineering Inspection & Insurance Company

By: Robert H. Hayes

Engineering Inspection & Insurance Co. (EIIC) is a small but highly successful company that offers machinery and boiler inspection and insurance services. After years of above-average growth and profits, both are retreating toward the industry average, policy delivery... View Details

Keywords: Service Operations; Business Strategy; Organizational Design; Organizational Structure; Insurance; Strategic Planning; Problems and Challenges; Insurance Industry; United States