Publications

July 1996
Case

Williams-Sonoma, Inc.--1990

By: Nancy F. Koehn and Michael Dearing

Howard Lester, chairman and CEO, has just completed a second offering of common stock in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. ($218.2 million 1989 sales). Having targeted $500 million in retail sales, Lester's challenge is to: 1) prioritize growth investments in five existing catalog... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Strategy; Alignment; Customer Value and Value Chain; Competitive Strategy; Retail Industry

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01 Oct 2001
News

Porter Directs New Institute at HBS

A new Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness (ISC), directed by Michael E. Porter, opened at HBS in July. The interdisciplinary ISC is dedicated to enlarging and disseminating the body of research on View Details

Keywords: Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services

Profile

Sid Shenai

Faso. Their five-year plan reached the finals of the JPMorgan Good Venture Competition in New York City, helping Paper For All attract publicity and new donors. Forming strategic alliances Today, Sid is cooperating with six MBA candidates... View Details

Web

Blog | Social Enterprise | Harvard Business School

Risk... A Day in the Life of a Social Entrepreneur and First-Year HBS Student: Jerren Chang (MBA/MPP 2021) Jerren Chang 24 Mar 2020 This post is part of our “Day in the Life” series, which features HBS students engaged in social ... NEW VENTURE View Details

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Blog | Social Enterprise | Harvard Business School

Debuts New Offering Exploring the Pu... New Venture Competition Announces 2023 Social Enterprise Track Semifinalists 22 Feb 2023 In February 2023, the HBS New Venture Competition received 57 entries to the... View Details

Web

Blog | Social Enterprise | Harvard Business School

Alumni for Imp... The Power of Relationships: Leveraging Mentoring for Greater Educational Outcomes Max Polaner 09 Mar 2018 Mentoring is one of oldest ways that people have found to connect with each other and be changed ... NEW VENTURE View Details

Web

Approaching Business with an Artistic Eye - Global Activities 2020

helped him understand the company’s potential. The Arthur Rock Center for Entrepreneurship also provided resources and support to develop the company, and this past spring, Darza tied for second place in the business track of the Rock Center’s 20th annual New Venture... View Details

01 Jun 2014
News

Feedback

companies/initiatives highlighted is the lack of focus on sustainability. Trying to mimic the 20th-century farming techniques of the West is unnecessary and environmentally irresponsible. There have been recent developments in sustainable farming technology and... View Details

2023
Working Paper

Crowding in Private Quality: The Equilibrium Effects of Public Spending in Education

By: Tahir Andrabi, Natalie Bau, Jishnu Das, Asim Ijaz Khwaja and Naureen Karachiwalla

We estimate the equilibrium effects of a public-school grant program administered through school councils in Pakistani villages with multiple public and private schools and clearly defined catchment boundaries. The program was randomized at the village-level, allowing... View Details

Keywords: Product Differentiation; Public Sector; Private Sector; Spending; Education; Competition

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November 2010 (Revised June 2011)
Case

La Fageda

By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell, Joan Enric Ricart and Jordan Mitchell

La Fageda is a manufacturer of high-quality, naturally-made yogurts in northern Catalonia, Spain. La Fageda is substantially different from its main competitors such as multinational Danone in that it is a 270-person workers' cooperative with 60 percent of its... View Details

Keywords: Agribusiness; Business Model; Production; Cooperative Ownership; Quality; Competition; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Spain

February 2009 (Revised December 2010)
Case

Windows Vista

By: Benjamin Edelman

Microsoft designs, modifies, publicizes, and distributes Windows Vista—against a backdrop of consumers already largely satisfied with their existing Windows XP systems. Microsoft must decide what features to include and what to drop, how to compete with its own... View Details

Keywords: Product Launch; Demand and Consumers; Partners and Partnerships; Competition; Software; Computer Industry

April 2007 (Revised June 2008)
Background Note

USG

By: Elie Ofek and Kerry Herman

Serves as a background note for purposes of class discussion around next-generation innovation at USG. Describes the company, its products, and competitors. Of relevance is the fact that it recently filed for Chapter 11 due to litigation over asbestos-related claims.... View Details

Keywords: Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Innovation and Invention; Lawsuits and Litigation; Competition

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November 2006 (Revised February 2007)
Case

Microsoft Xbox: Changing the Game?

By: Andrei Hagiu

In September 1999, the Microsoft Xbox team was wondering which strategic choices would give it the best chance against the upcoming Sony PlayStation 2. Initially called "Project Midway" within Microsoft, the console project was intended to counter the perceived threat... View Details

Keywords: Customers; Recruitment; Leadership; Management Teams; Multi-Sided Platforms; Two-Sided Platforms; Production; Strategy; Competition; Expansion; Video Game Industry; Texas

August 2005 (Revised July 2014)
Case

Can Bollywood Go Global?

By: Geoffrey Jones, Namrata Arora, Surachita Mishra and Alexis Lefort

Considers the opportunities and challenges facing Indian film producers in accessing the global film market. Provides a historical context by describing the history of the cinema and the rise of Hollywood to global dominance by the 1920s. Although film industries... View Details

Keywords: History; Competition; Film Entertainment; Globalized Markets and Industries; Product Development; Motion Pictures and Video Industry; India

December 2002 (Revised October 2006)
Case

Commerce Bank

By: Frances X. Frei and Corey B. Hajim

Commerce Bank has become one of the fastest growing banks in the country, despite having defied conventional wisdom about how to grow deposits. Banks historically have grown either by competing on deposit rates or through acquisitions that expand their deposit base.... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Design; Growth and Development Strategy; Service Operations; Competition; Banking Industry