Industry Dynamics - Publications - Faculty & Research

2014
Working Paper

Management Practices, Relational Contracts and the Decline of General Motors

General Motors was once regarded as one of the best managed and most successful firms in the world, but between 1980 and 2009 its share of the US market fell from 62.6 to 19.8 percent, and in 2009 the firm went bankrupt. In this paper we argue that the conventional... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Management Practices and Processes; Organizational Structure; Decision Making; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Manufacturing Industry; Manufacturing Industry

Citation

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19 Apr 2004
Research & Ideas

Birth of the American Salesman

Walter A. Friedman's new book Birth of a Salesman chronicles the rise and development of modern sales management from the 18th century to the present day. Its fascinating cast of dynamic business figures and academic leaders includes John... View Details

Keywords: by Laura Linard

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Antitrust & Competition Policy - Institute For Strategy And Competitiveness

HBS ISC Research Areas Research Areas Antitrust & Competition Policy CEO Leadership Environmental Quality Innovation & Innovative Capacity Philanthropy Social Progress Index Antitrust & Competition ... Antitrust & Competition Policy Innovation and View Details

2025
Working Paper

How to Choose Among Technologies with Learning Curves: Making Better Investment Decisions

By: Christian Kaps and Arielle Anderer

Learning curves, the fact that technologies improve as a function of cumulative experience or investment, are desirable-think inexpensive solar panels or higher performing semiconductors. But, for firms that need to pick one technology among several candidates, such as... View Details

Keywords: Learning Curve; Technology; Innovation; Batteries; Energy Storage; Sequential Decision Making; TELCO; Exploration; Exploitation; Problems and Challenges; Cost vs Benefits; Technology Adoption; Battery Industry

Citation

SSRN

21 Aug 2000
Research & Ideas

Inside the OR: Disrupted Routines and New Technologies

organizations successfully integrate new technologies into their operations. "In an industry context in which individual heroism and skill are assumed to be critical determinants of important outcomes," they write, "this... View Details

Keywords: by Hilah Geer

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Social Enterprise - Faculty & Research

Digital ; Business Ventures ; Change ; Decision Making ; Growth and Development ; Management ; Media ; Social Enterprise ; Journalism and News Industry ; Media and Broadcasting Industry ; Publishing View Details

31 Jul 2023
News

Striving for Imperfection

Subscribe on iTunes Subscribe on Spotify More Skydeck episodes Since he left HBS in 1990, Charles Conn (MBA 1990) has built a full and varied portfolio career. Early on, he was a partner at McKinsey and then a tech executive, founding Ticketmaster-Citysearch. Today,... View Details

Keywords: Management of Companies and Enterprises; Management

21 Sep 2021
Office Hours

Readers Ask: How Can I Gain Power and Influence?

The global COVID-19 pandemic has shifted power dynamics not only within today’s historically tight job market, where workers have an unprecedented level of choice and control, but also within households, organizations, and society as a... View Details

Keywords: by Kristen Senz

20 Sep 2019
Research & Ideas

Solving the Riddle of How Companies Grow Over Time

years ago, he found the last serious analysis on firm growth was conducted in 1959, in Edith Penrose’s book The Theory of the Growth of the Firm. “I’d like to think we’ve learned a lot since then,” Pisano says. Getting a better understanding into the View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Manufacturing

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Generative AI - Alumni

Careers Generative AI Careers Generative AI In today's dynamic job market, Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) stands out as a powerful ally for job seekers, offering personalized insights into View Details

06 Dec 2011
First Look

First Look: Dec. 6

identity work, we reveal the gender dynamics involved in becoming a leader, offer a theoretical rationale for teaching leadership in women-only groups, and suggest design and delivery principles to increase the likelihood that women's... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

01 Mar 2024
News

Vital Signs

Image by Edmon De Haro Illustration by Edmon De Haro The signs of strain were there long before the pandemic: Health care workers had been managing under tremendous pressures while working long hours in understaffed hospitals. Then COVID unleashed an unprecedented... View Details

Keywords: Jen McFarland Flint; Hospitals; Health, Social Assistance

12 Mar 2006
Research & Ideas

New Research Explores Multi-Sided Markets

Andrei Hagiu is on the vanguard of a new field of business research that explores the dynamics of multi-sided markets. Although these markets have been around a long time, they have not really been recognized as entities unique from other... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Technology

Research Summary

Overview

The overarching goal of my research is to produce works that are influential and informative to both academics and practitioners in the field of operations management. To accomplish this, I collaborate with industry partners who provide knowledge about their field,... View Details

21 Dec 2010
First Look

First Look: December 21

PublicationsHas the Shift to Stronger Intellectual Property Rights Promoted Technology Transfer, FDI, and Industrial Development? Authors:Lee Branstetter, C. Fritz Foley, and Kamal Saggi Publication:The WIPO Journal: Analysis and Debate... View Details

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Executive Education - Entrepreneurship

Executive Education Given the importance of innovation and entrepreneurship within organizations, our programs are designed to help seasoned executives transform their thinking and vision in a dynamic global environment. Using the vaunted... View Details

Fast Answer

Resources for Investment Management and Financial Analysis

- Financial models and company benchmarking data Mosaic - Build leveraged buyout and discounted cash flows models, dynamically incorporate special transaction situations Practical Financial Modelling: A Guide to Current... View Details

15 Jan 2008
First Look

First Look: January 15, 2008

explore the role of assumptions underlying knowledge creation within the field of organizational studies, and investigate how incompatible assumptions across subgroups may inhibit the generation of multidisciplinary knowledge. While organizational studies research... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

12 Aug 2019
Research & Ideas

How Scale Changes a Manager's Responsibilities

grows, not only do new teams form and new managers lead, but there can also be cross-team dynamics that create tension. Product and engineering teams often fail to align or face sales/marketing/support challenges. Pay attention to how... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Austin

08 Feb 2022
Research & Ideas

Silos That Work: How the Pandemic Changed the Way We Collaborate

lifted.” Zuzul teamed up with 11 other researchers—including network scholars, theoretical statisticians, and computer scientists at the University of Washington, John Hopkins University, and Microsoft—to author the 2021 working paper, View Details

Keywords: by Jay Fitzgerald

Publications