Publications

19 Sep 2012
Research & Ideas

Book Excerpt: “The Architecture of Innovation”

investment team, and the rewards can be scaled down accordingly. "One frequent manifestation of these confused objectives is a difficulty in killing projects” But in most programs, the demands on the... View Details

Keywords: by Josh Lerner; Financial Services

29 May 2013
Blog Post

It’s going to be a beautiful summer…

This past weekend I was at a BBQ where techie entrepreneurs from around the valley mingled over beers and hot dogs. Someone would approach, and ask me what I did, to which I would reply that I am a business... View Details

Keywords: Consumer Products / Retail

15 Jan 2019
Blog Post

Interning in the Retail Sector

Jasmyn Beausejour, MBA 2019, describes his summer at Wayfair. As a native from Montreal and having worked in management consulting, Jasmyn was excited by the opportunity to analyze Wayfair’s expansion and... View Details

Keywords: Consumer Products / Retail

23 Mar 2010
First Look

First Look: March 23

(forthcoming) An abstract is unavailable at this time. Download the paper: http://www.people.hbs.edu/bvillalonga/VillalongaAmit_FM_Final.pdf Working Papers Banking Market Concentration and Consumer Credit... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

21 Jul 2015
First Look

First Look: July 21, 2015

driver of macroeconomic fluctuations. We first exposit that in the presence of Cobb-Douglas production functions and consumer preferences there is a specific pattern of economic transmission whereby... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

13 Jan 2015
First Look

First Look: January 13

Online Sales By: Teixeira, Thales S. Abstract—Consumers have become avid media multitaskers, moving seamlessly between their TVs and digital devices. Shorter TV commercials have reduced both the quantity and... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

06 Jun 2005
Research & Ideas

Microsoft vs. Open Source: Who Will Win?

actions that the model suggests Microsoft could do to remain competitive are: Increase its own demand-side learning. Listen to the demands of the user community to better exploit the benefits of demand-side learning. Microsoft must... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Technology

01 Mar 2014
News

Cutting Edge

Steve Silk (MBA 1978), shown here with his Smith Brothers actors, is a master at fashioning turnarounds. SILK & HIS BROS: "Iconic brands like Smith Brothers get instantaneous consumer and media respect."... View Details

Keywords: Food and Beverage Stores; Food and Beverage Stores; Food and Beverage Stores

14 May 2015
Blog Post

Venture Capitalist Returns to HBS to Mentor MBA Students

at HBS. It is not just the absolute desire and determination to start a business that I enjoy; it is also how diverse the set of ideas are. For example, during my last office hours, one student was working on a View Details

06 Dec 2011
First Look

First Look: Dec. 6

2011) Abstract In a vitally important relationship famously caricatured as the "Mad Mullahs" v. the "Great Satan," the fraught negotiating history and future of Iran and the United States... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

March 1983 (Revised January 1989)
Case

American Home Products Corp.

American Home Products is a company with virtually no debt. Students are asked to analyze the company's debt policy and make a recommendation to the CEO. It is likely that adding debt to the capital structure would create some value for shareholders; the CEO is firmly... View Details

Keywords: Value Creation; Business Strategy; Borrowing and Debt; Consumer Products Industry

February 2008 (Revised September 2008)
Case

Indesit Company: Does Global Matter?

By: Joseph L. Bower

In 2007, the leadership of the Indesit Company is focused on long-term corporate strategy. After 3 decades, the company has emerged as the number 2 home appliance producer in Europe. Should they invest further to be number 1, or should they focus on the global market,... View Details

Keywords: Decision Choices and Conditions; Global Strategy; Growth and Development; Business or Company Management; Brands and Branding; Markets; Problems and Challenges; Corporate Strategy; Consumer Products Industry

29 Jan 2025
Blog Post

Finding professional purpose: Building an impactful career that reflects your values with Lisa Tanzer (MBA 1993)

one of the Big Four accounting firms (PwC), focusing on strategic planning in financial services, business services, telecommunications, and consumer products. It was during a product line analysis for a pet... View Details

June 1987 (Revised May 1990)
Case

John Deere Component Works (B)

By: Robert S. Kaplan

Having installed an activity-based system, the division is now exploring the insight provided by that system. In particular, it is studying the economics of lot-size process planning and product mix management. View Details

Keywords: Activity Based Costing and Management; Production; Business or Company Management; Planning; Cost Accounting; Cost Management; Product Marketing; Management Practices and Processes; Consumer Products Industry; Consumer Products Industry

20 Mar 2012
First Look

First Look: March 20

consumers and producers, and such changes typically required the mobilization of political power to overcome resistance to such changes. In order to support such developmental... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

February 2023 (Revised February 2025)
Case

Doing Business in Nairobi, Kenya

By: Archie L. Jones, Leonard A. Schlesinger, Pippa Tubman Armerding and Kuria Kamau

This case examines the challenges and opportunities of doing business in Nairobi, Kenya. It highlights Kenya's economic transformation in the decades leading up to 2024 in the context of its history, culture, and politics. The case gives an overview of some of the main... View Details

Keywords: Business History; Business and Government Relations; Technological Innovation; Foreign Direct Investment; Economic Growth; Financial Crisis; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Kenya; Nairobi; Africa