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Quality
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- 25 Aug 2005
- Conference Presentation
The Health and Safety of Quality Programs: An Empirical Evaluation
- May 2005 (Revised September 2015)
- Case
Hans Wilsdorf and Rolex
By: Geoffrey Jones and Alexander Atzberger
Explores the creation of the Rolex watch by Hans Wilsdorf. Provides a case study of how one of the world's leading luxury brands was created and, more generally, provides a vehicle for exploring the competitive advantage of Switzerland in watchmaking (and other... View Details
- March 2005 (Revised March 2006)
- Background Note
Activity-Based Costing and Capacity
By: Robert S. Kaplan
Discusses the use of budgeted rather than historical data in an activity-based costing (ABC) model and argues for calculating rates using practical capacity, not actual utilization. An ABC model need not be limited to analysis of historical data. When cost driver rates... View Details
- December 2004 (Revised May 2005)
- Case
Nestle: Sustainable Agriculture Initiative
Swiss food giant Nestle attempts to improve the performance of its suppliers of agricultural commodities to raise quality, lower costs, and contribute to sustainable development. Its initiatives focus first on coffee, cocoa, and milk. Nestle managers assert that the... View Details
- December 2004 (Revised February 2005)
- Case
Exporting Spanish Olive Oil to the U.S. Market
By: Ray A. Goldberg, Hal Hogan and Miguel Angel Llano Irusta
Spain is the largest olive oil producer, yet it sells much of its product to Italy, where it is repackaged as Italian olive oil. The decision maker in the case wants to develop Spain as the olive oil leader not just in production but in quality and value added. He... View Details
Keywords: Plant-Based Agribusiness; Trade; Goods and Commodities; Demand and Consumers; Supply and Industry; Brands and Branding; Decisions; Customization and Personalization; Product Design; Product Development; Marketing Strategy; Product Marketing; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Spain; United States; Italy
- August 2004 (Revised July 2006)
- Case
PROPECIA TM: Helping Make Hair Loss History
By: Marta Wosinska and Youngme E. Moon
In late 1997, Tom Casola, brand manager for Propecia, debates the best approach to market this breakthrough one-a-day pill for hair loss. This launch would be atypical for a prescription drug because of the key position of the consumer. As a result, the team's... View Details
- March 2004 (Revised April 2004)
- Background Note
Seeing What's on Red Auerbach's Mind
Analysis of an interview with Red Auerbach, HBR No. 87201. Alan M. Webber, who conducted the interview, probed for the lessons that Auerbach has learned from a long and productive career coaching and managing the Boston Celtics, a professional basketball team in the... View Details
- March 2004 (Revised August 2004)
- Case
Restricting Foods of Minimal Nutritional Value in Texas Public Schools
By: Ray A. Goldberg and Hal Hogan
The Commission of Agriculture in Texas wants to improve the nutritional quality of the school lunch program to help fight obesity in students. It needs the cooperation of the soft drink industry to change their products and the manner in which they provide financial... View Details
- February 2004 (Revised March 2006)
- Case
Pratt & Whitney: Engineering Standard Work
By: H. Kent Bowen and Courtney Purrington
As the engineering of state-of-the-art jet engines becomes more and more complex, Pratt & Whitney leaders face major competitive problems. Product development projects are not meeting the cost, quality, and lead-time targets. The leadership develops a design,... View Details
- January 2004 (Revised November 2004)
- Case
Rwandan Tea Industry, The: Looking into the Future
By: Debora L. Spar
In 2003, the Rwandan government was focused on transforming the nation's tea industry into a world-class competitor. To accomplish this objective and stave off the downward prices that plagued the international tea market, the government believed that the industry... View Details
- December 2003 (Revised April 2004)
- Case
Dragon's Teeth Vineyards
By: Alan D. MacCormack, Marius Leibold, Sven Voelpel and Kerry Herman
Dragon's Teeth Vineyards (DTV) is a South African wine producer that is considering whether to use genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in its wine-making process. GMOs promise to lower the costs of wine production significantly through increased yields and reduced... View Details
- Article
Trade-offs between Productivity and Quality in Selecting Software Development Practices
By: Alan MacCormack, Chris F. Kemerer, Michael A. Cusumano and Bill Crandall
- Article
A Research Agenda for Bridging the 'Quality Chasm'
By: Rushika Fernandopulle, Timothy Ferris, Arnold Epstein, Barbara McNeil, Joseph Newhouse, Gary Pisano and David Blumenthal
- Article
The Role of Lockups in Initial Public Offerings
By: Alon Brav and Paul A. Gompers
In a sample of 2,794 initial public offerings (IPOs), we test three potential explanations for the existence of IPO lockups: lockups serve as (i) a signal of firm quality, (ii) a commitment device to alleviate moral hazard problems, or (iii) a mechanism for... View Details
- February 2003
- Background Note
Leading Teams
This note which describes the architecture and processes that characterize effective teams, begins by detailing the steps involved in designing a team, from diagnosing the complexity, interdependence, and objectives of the task to harnessing the key resources teams... View Details
- January 2003
- Background Note
Institutions for Collaboration: Overview
Provides an overview of the wide variety of organizations other than firms, government ministries and regulatory agencies, and universities that may have significant effects on competitiveness. These intermediary entities, referred to as institutions for collaboration... View Details
- December 2002
- Case
National Economic Accounting: Past, Present, and Future
By: David A. Moss and Sarah A. Brennan
Presents the fundamentals of GDP accounting (including definitions, etc.), examines the history of national accounting, and surveys the international debate over "Green GDP." The first section explains the basic rules and definitions of national economic accounting and... View Details
- December 2002
- Other Article
The Competitive Advantage of Corporate Philanthropy
By: Michael E. Porter and Mark R. Kramer
When it comes to philanthropy, executives increasingly see themselves as caught between critics demanding ever higher levels of "corporate social responsibility" and investors applying pressure to maximize short-term profits. Increasingly, philanthropy is used as a... View Details
Keywords: Strategy
- October 2002 (Revised April 2007)
- Case
Dell Computers (A): Field Service for Corporate Clients
By: Frances X. Frei, Amy C. Edmondson and Corey B. Hajim
Explores the highly successful PC and low-end server manufacturer's entry into the large-scale server market in the United States. A key difference of this new market is the intense service element required to support the larger hardware. Specifically, the industry... View Details