Publications

September 2017
Case

Sensing (and Monetizing) Happiness at Hitachi

By: Ethan Bernstein and Stephanie Marton

Inspired by research linking happiness and productivity, Hitachi had invested in developing new “people analytics” technologies to help companies increase employee happiness. Hitachi had begun manufacturing high-tech badges that quantify a wearer’s activity patterns.... View Details

Keywords: People Analytics; Japan; Sociometers; Wearables; Interpersonal Communication; Human Resources; Happiness; Technology Industry; Japan

17 Apr 2019
Research & Ideas

How Managers Stifle Creativity

they're clearly oriented toward maintaining the status quo. They're suspicious of new ideas. Sometimes the organization has a culture where new ideas are evaluated harshly, and people see that. It speaks... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost

December 2009
Case

Philips versus Matsushita: The Competitive Battle Continues

By: Christopher A. Bartlett

Describes the development of the global strategies and organizations of two major competitors in the consumer electronics industry. Over four decades, both companies adapt their strategic intent and organizational capability to match and counter the competitive... View Details

Keywords: Competitive Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Organizational Culture; Multinational Firms and Management; Restructuring; Consumer Products Industry; Electronics Industry

01 Dec 2019
News

Remix

community after their respective accusations against Clarence Thomas and Mike Tyson. It’s one of the factors that helps explain why women of color report sexual assault at rates far below that of white women... View Details

Keywords: Jen McFarland Flint; photographed by Chris Sorensen; #MeToo; DefJam; Arts, Entertainment

December 2002 (Revised January 2003)
Case

Four Seasons Goes to Paris: '53 Properties, 24 Countries, 1 Philosophy'

By: Roger H. Hallowell, David Bowen and Carin-Isabel Knoop

Illustrates how Four Seasons manages hotels in countries with strong and distinct national cultures. Focuses on how the chain meets its exacting service standards in a variety of settings worldwide, with special attention on France. View Details

Keywords: Service Delivery; Organizational Culture; Global Range; Global Strategy; Standards; Accommodations Industry; Paris

January 2021
Supplement

What Went Wrong with Boeing’s 737 Max? (B)

By: William W. George and Amram Migdal

Following the March 10, 2019, crash of Ethiopian Airlines flight 302, en route to Nairobi, Kenya and the October 29, 2018, downing of Lion Air flight 610 as it took off from Jakarta, Indonesia, Boeing’s 737 Max jet, the model flown in both instances, was grounded by... View Details

April 2023 (Revised September 2023)
Case

Levels: The Remote, Asynchronous, Deep Work Management System

By: Joseph B. Fuller and George Gonzalez

Levels is a highly innovative startup in the health care space. They intend to revolutionize health by linking behavior—eating, exercise, sleeping, etc.—to changes in metabolism. They believe metabolic health can be managed through careful monitoring of changes in... View Details

Keywords: Applications and Software; Business Startups; Organizational Culture; Management Style; Technology Industry; United States

29 Oct 2020
Blog Post

Delving Deeper into Development with the MBA/MPA-ID Program – a Q+A with Zainab Raji (MBA/MPA-ID 2022)

African countries. I feared that during and after the outbreak populations living in poverty would be much worse-off and new populations would fall into poverty because the outbreak was taking away lives,... View Details

29 Aug 2018
What Do You Think?

What Should Harley-Davidson’s Management Do?

strong culture and dedicated customer base helped it avoid larger declines. Its customers organized rallies attended by as many as 50,000 Harley owners, whose average age had risen into the 50s View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Auto

01 May 2020
Blog Post

5 Reasons to Join a Club at HBS

community has been on full display. In the last three weeks alone, clubs have hosted community-wide virtual events with Gabrielle Union, LL Cool J, Rich Gotham (President of the Boston Celtics), and Joe... View Details

11 May 2022
Blog Post

MoMBAs: The Inspiring Student Mothers of HBS

Year: Second Mom of: Mia (3.5 years old), Leo (4 months) Pre-HBS Industry: Banking Post-HBS Industry: eCommerce What is the best part about being a mom at HBS? HBS is probably one of the best places on earth to raise children! The View Details

12 Apr 2022
Blog Post

The Many Languages of Medicine to Impact Care Delivery

alongside physicians and students alike who believed there was a dire need to leverage technology to address the social needs of the patients we cared for. Our mission for the DIH is to support innovation that addresses social... View Details

12 Sep 2024
Blog Post

4 Things You Need to Know about Immersive FIELD Courses at HBS

IFC and the FIELD experience is that it gets students out of the classroom and into the field. Additionally, they are given the opportunity to continue building on the cultural... View Details

May 1998 (Revised May 1999)
Case

Biopure Corp.

By: John T. Gourville

It is early 1998 and Biopure Corp., a small biopharmaceutical firm with no sales revenues in its ten-year history, has just received government approval to release Oxyglobin, a revolutionary new "blood substitute" designed to replace the need for donated animal blood... View Details

Keywords: Segmentation; Marketing Strategy; Engineering; Budgets and Budgeting; Sales; Transformation; Markets; Debates; Product Launch; Pharmaceutical Industry

September 2012
Teaching Note

Stryker Corporation: Capital Budgeting (TN)

By: Timothy A. Luehrman

This case examines some parts of Stryker Corporation's systems and procedures for approving and authorizing capital spending of many different types, including buildings, machinery, and working capital for existing businesses, as well as transactions with third parties... View Details

Keywords: Capital Expenditures-equipment; Capital Expenditures-machinery; Internal Rate Of Return; Discounted Cash Flows; Net Present Value; Cost of Capital; Valuation; Cash Flow; System; Organizational Culture; Policy; Business Processes; Capital Budgeting