Publications

June–July 2019
Article

A Methodology for Operationalizing Enterprise IT Architecture and Evaluating Its Modifiability

By: Robert Lagerström, Alan MacCormack, David Dreyfus and Carliss Y. Baldwin

Recent contributions to information systems theory suggest that the primary role of a firm’s information technology (IT) architecture is to facilitate, and therefore ensure the continued alignment of a firm’s IT investments with a constantly changing business... View Details

Keywords: Enterprise Architecture; Modularity; Information Systems; Modifiability; Design Structure Matrix

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May 1982 (Revised April 1987)
Case

IT Corp. (A)

April 1987
Supplement

IT Corp. (C)

By: Richard H.K. Vietor

01 Jun 2004
News

Runner-Up and Lovin’ It

Meanwhile, what about the HBS experience? Did it help? “Without a doubt,” Jackson told Alan Murray of CNBC (April 16, 2004). “What you learn there is how to present yourself in a succinct fashion and really be articulate and know that you... View Details

Keywords: The Apprentice; Corporate Services

30 Dec 2010
News

Shrink It, Cure It

September 2007 (Revised November 2008)
Case

Sinopec: Refining its Strategy

By: Richard H.K. Vietor and Julia Galef

China's oil industry, with majority ownership vested in the government, had engaged in an "equity oil" strategy for the past few years-acquiring equity interests in oil producing nations including Sudan, Angola, and Iran. Outside critics, however, suggested that the... View Details

Keywords: Non-Renewable Energy; Equity; Foreign Direct Investment; Growth and Development Strategy; Demand and Consumers; State Ownership; Energy Industry; China

Purchase

11 May 2009
Research & Ideas

The IT Leader’s Hero Quest

Rising star Jim Barton has decidedly mixed feelings after being selected as the new chief information officer at the fictional IVK Corporation. On the one hand, he lacks an IT background; on the other, he's ambitious and up for a... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

14 Jun 2022
News

HBS Announces Its 2022-2023 Blavatnik Fellows

2009
Working Paper

Integrity: Without It Nothing Works

By: Michael C. Jensen

There is confusion between integrity, morality and ethics. In our much longer paper on the topic (see "Integrity: A Positive Model that Incorporates the Normative Phenomena of Morality, Ethics and Legality" (available at http://ssrn.com/abstract=920625)) my co-authors,... View Details

Keywords: Trust; Moral Sensibility; Legal Liability; Behavior

1997
Working Paper

Competitive Advantage: Whence It Came, and Where It Went

By: Clayton M. Christensen

01 Jun 2022
News

Making It Count

by 2025, which would amount to a third of all assets under management around the world. But sandwiched somewhere between the high hopes and higher stakes of sustainable investing looms the big question: Will it ever be enough to solve the... View Details

Keywords: Jen McFarland Flint

17 Dec 2009
Working Paper Summaries

Integrity: Without It Nothing Works

Keywords: by Michael C. Jensen

29 May 2020
News

G.E., Which Traces Its Roots to Thomas Edison, Sells Its Lighting Business

06 Jul 2023
News

HBS Announces Its 2023-2024 Blavatnik Fellows

January 1993 (Revised September 1993)
Background Note

Managing Information: The IT Architecture

Information is a critical resource in the information economy and Information Technology (IT) enables information to be managed as a strategic resource. However, IT is extremely complex and fast-changing. As a result, the general manager cannot leave IT decisions... View Details

Keywords: Strategy; Information Technology

Purchase

September 16, 2022
Article

Bored at Work? Learn to Manage It by Putting It to Work

By: Katherine Connolly Baden, Boris Groysberg and Heather Poco

Do you often feel bored at work or in life? Do you want to feel less bored? If so, what can you do to make that happen? Boredom has a bad rap, but is it really so bad? View Details

Keywords: Time Management; Emotions; Motivation and Incentives; Jobs and Positions

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September 2004 (Revised August 2007)
Case

Enterprise IT at Cisco (2004)

By: Andrew P. McAfee, F. Warren McFarlan and Alison Berkley Wagonfeld

Illustrates the challenges associated with centralizing IT decisions at Cisco after a decade of decentralized planning and project funding. When Brad Boston became Cisco's new CIO in 2001, he found that managers were starting to get frustrated with the results of their... View Details

Keywords: Management; Resource Allocation; Information Technology; Problems and Challenges; Business Ventures; Change Management; Entrepreneurship; Projects; Planning; Corporate Finance; Information Technology Industry

Purchase

July 2020
Article

Tell It Like It Is: When Politically Incorrect Language Promotes Authenticity

By: J. Schroeder, M. Rosenblum and F. Gino

When a person’s language appears political—such as being politically correct or incorrect—it can influence fundamental impressions of him or her. Political correctness is “using language or behavior to seem sensitive to others’ feelings, especially those others who... View Details

Keywords: Language; Interpersonal Communication; Perception