Publications

April 2012 (Revised March 2013)
Case

Social Strategy at Harvard Business Review

By: Mikolaj Jan Piskorski and David Chen

The Harvard Business Review (HBR) Group was an early adopter of social media, boasting a robust presence on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Now the company is seeking to evolve the Group's efforts from social media to social strategy—and start moving both revenue... View Details

Keywords: Competitive Advantage; Social and Collaborative Networks; Web; Publishing Industry; United States

January 2008 (Revised March 2008)
Supplement

Bidding on Martha's Vineyard (B)

By: James Sebenius

To buy a desirable Martha's Vineyard property, Robert and Sally Franklin must craft a bidding strategy informed by their assessment of their competitor. The "A" case sets up the situation and bidding history to date, describes how they assessed their valuations and... View Details

Keywords: Bids and Bidding; Property; Competitive Strategy; Real Estate Industry; Martha's Vineyard

April 1992 (Revised August 1994)
Case

Apple Computer--1992

By: David B. Yoffie

In 1992, Apple received the only profitable standard other than IBM/Microsoft/Intel in the PC industry. The case examines Apple's dilemma of how to retain its profitability as the structure of the industry deteriorates. Apple's CEO poses the critical question: Can... View Details

Keywords: Competitive Strategy; Industry Structures; Computer Industry

February 1992
Background Note

Resources: The Essence of Corporate Advantage

By: Cynthia A. Montgomery

Introduces the idea that a firm's resources are at the heart of corporate advantage. Identifies six characteristics of a resource that together describe its potential for creating value for the firm. View Details

Keywords: Resource Allocation; Competitive Advantage; Value Creation

June 1994 (Revised September 1994)
Background Note

Beating the Commodity Magnet

By: V. Kasturi Rangan and George T. Bowman

All markets follow a cycle of growth and maturity, then commoditization and decline. This note argues that while commoditization of an industry may seem inevitable, the better managed firms find a way to make money in the commodity cycle. These firms know how and when... View Details

Keywords: Goods and Commodities; Financial Markets; Competitive Strategy; Financial Services Industry

April 1994
Supplement

Disposable Diaper Industry in 1984

By: Stephen P. Bradley and Pankaj Ghemawat

Updates the Disposable Diaper Industry in 1974. Intended as an in-class handout. View Details

Keywords: Competition; Markets; Consumer Products Industry; Retail Industry

February 1982 (Revised June 1985)
Case

U.S. Retail Coffee Market (B)

Describes the corporate portfolio of General Foods, Procter & Gamble, and Nestle, thereby placing in context their coffee activities in the United States. The objective of this case is to allow students to evaluate each competitor's commitment to the U.S. retail coffee... View Details

Keywords: Competition; Markets; Retail Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; United States

January–March 2002
Article

Competing Over The Airwaves

By: Bharat Anand

Keywords: Media; Competition

Find at Harvard

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09 Sep 2015
News

Entrepreneurship: Increasingly, the Province of the Wealthy

20 Jun 2013
News

The Jobs of the Knowledge Economy Are Not What You Think

10 Sep 2012
News

Join the Insurgency Against the Jobs Crisis

24 Jan 2017
News

Trump Nominee McMahon Vows to ‘Revitalize’ Entrepreneurship

February 2008
Case

Monitor's Opportunities in India (A)

By: Juan Alcacer and Jan W. Rivkin

The CEO of a strategy consulting firm must decide which of the firm's functions, if any, to move to India. In particular, he wonders whether business research--currently conducted by highly paid consultants in developed countries--can be conducted more efficiently and... View Details

Keywords: Developing Countries and Economies; Job Cuts and Outsourcing; Business Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Consulting Industry; India

07 Sep 2020
Research & Ideas

How to Help Small Businesses Survive COVID's Next Phase

America small-business owners moved quickly when COVID-19 started shuttering shops in March. Fine dining restaurants shifted to takeout. Book shops introduced curbside pickup. Gyms offered classes online. Business owners, it seemed, just needed to face this... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost; Food & Beverage; Service

November 1983 (Revised October 1988)
Case

Canon Inc.: Worldwide Copier Strategy

By: Michael E. Porter

Describes Canon's worldwide strategy in the copier business. Designed to be used to explore strategy formulation in a worldwide industry, and the principles of international competition. View Details

Keywords: Values and Beliefs; Global Strategy; Marketing Strategy; Business Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Manufacturing Industry