Publications

15 Nov 2010
Lessons from the Classroom

Connecting Goals and Go-To-Market Initiatives

In some respects, developing strategy is the easy part. Executing that strategy in alignment with strategic priorities is where real mastery of management takes place. We asked Harvard Business School senior lecturer Frank V. Cespedes,... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Retail

August 2002 (Revised February 2005)
Case

Gillette Company (C): Strategies for Change

By: Rosabeth M. Kanter and James Weber

Examines the strategic change agenda set by a new CEO as the initial priorities in the turnaround of this leading global consumer products company. View Details

Keywords: Business History; Global Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Competitive Strategy; Leading Change; Change Management; Retail Industry

January 2024 (Revised May 2024)
Case

Uncle Nearest: Creating a Legacy

By: Hise Gibson, Archie L. Jones, Nicole Gilmore and Ai-Ling Jamila Malone

Fawn Weaver, as a Black woman and industry outsider in a capital-intensive, highly regulated, competitive and male-dominated spirits industry, successfully overcame numerous obstacles to launch a premium American whiskey brand, Uncle Nearest in 2017, which became the... View Details

2013
Working Paper

The Dirty Laundry of Employee Award Programs: Evidence from the Field

By: Timothy Gubler, Ian I. Larkin and Lamar Pierce

Many scholars and practitioners have recently argued that corporate awards are a "free" way to motivate employees. We use field data from an attendance award program implemented at one of five industrial laundry plants to show that awards can carry significant... View Details

Keywords: Motivation and Incentives; Service Delivery; Performance Productivity; Failure; Service Industry

SSRN

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Summer 2017
Article

Measuring Consumer Preferences for Video Content Provision via Cord-Cutting Behavior

By: Jeffrey Prince and Shane Greenstein

The television industry is undergoing a generational shift in structure; however, many demand-side determinants are still not well understood. We model how consumers choose video content provision among over-the-air (OTA), paid subscription to cable or satellite, and... View Details

Keywords: Information Technology; Service Delivery; Consumer Behavior; Television Entertainment; Service Industry; Service Industry

Find at Harvard

February 2000 (Revised October 2000)
Case

CarPoint in 1999

By: Thomas R. Eisenmann and Gillian Morris

Updates events in Microsoft CarPoint through the end of 1999, focusing on CarPoint's strategic alliance with Ford and on competitive developments. View Details

Keywords: History; Business Model; Transportation Networks; Alliances; Emerging Markets; Entrepreneurship; Growth and Development Strategy; Auto Industry

May 2007 (Revised September 2008)
Case

Biocon Limited

By: Krishna G. Palepu and Ananth Chepuri

Biocon Limited was facing significant pricing pressure in their cash cow business, that primarily consisted of manufacturing Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs). To combat this commoditization, Biocon's leadership had chosen an innovation-led strategy. This new... View Details

Keywords: Globalized Firms and Management; Innovation and Management; Leading Change; Growth and Development Strategy; Risk Management; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Biotechnology Industry; India

Program

Competing in the Age of AI—Virtual

industry or business model, you cannot afford to ignore this exciting, highly disruptive trend. In this live online program, you will delve into new AI-based business models and operational approaches while exploring the possibilities of... View Details

January 1995 (Revised March 1995)
Supplement

Apple Computer 1995 (A)

By: David B. Yoffie and Takia Mahmood

Updates Apple Computer--1992. Summarizes the key strategic actions from 1992 to 1995 regarding PCs, the PowerMac, multimedia, OS licensing, and alliances with IBM. View Details

Keywords: Competitive Strategy; Information Infrastructure; Alliances; Rights; Computer Industry

Program

General Management Program

organization, the program delivers the tools you need to capitalize on technological disruption and digital transformation and play a more strategic role in corporate success. This includes: Read More Considering global and View Details

March 2019 (Revised March 2023)
Case

Accion's Fintech Strategy

By: V. Kasturi Rangan, Michael Chu and Tricia Gregg

Accion, an NGO, had been a pioneer in microfinance since its entry into that sector in the early 1970s. Its investments in Banco Compartamos paid off, when the microfinance bank went IPO in 2007, leaving an influx of $138 million for Accion. Under a new CEO, Michael... View Details

Keywords: Fintech; Impact Investing; Financial Inclusion; Technological Innovation; Strategy; Strategic Planning; Performance Effectiveness; Non-Governmental Organizations; Microfinance; Financial Institutions; Business Growth and Maturation; Customer Focus and Relationships; Industry Growth

15 Jan 2008
First Look

First Look: January 15, 2008

and vertical mergers. Our model highlights a collective action problem: what is good for an individual firm is often not good for the cluster. We speculate that this conflict may be a source of strategic tension in platform firms.... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

Luis M. Viceira

Luis M. Viceira is the George E. Bates Professor in the Finance Unit and a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. His research, course development, and teaching focus on the areas of investment management... View Details

Keywords: education industry; education industry; education industry; education industry; education industry

March 1996 (Revised October 1997)
Case

Dewar's (B): Preliminary Results of the Repositioning Campaign

By: Alvin J. Silk and Lisa Klein Pearo

Reports the strategic choices made by Dewar's and briefly describes the implementation of the campaign from its launch in September 1993 through September 1995. View Details

Keywords: Product Positioning; Marketing Strategy; Advertising Campaigns; Food and Beverage Industry

Teaching Interest

Strategy and Technology

Overview

This course explores the unique aspects of creating effective management and investment strategies for technology-intensive businesses. What are effective strategies for winning in markets with strong network effects? How should... View Details

Keywords: Strategy; Technology

March 2017
Supplement

Donna Dubinsky, Numenta and Artificial Intelligence

By: David B. Yoffie

Donna Dubinsky, CEO of Numenta, discusses her views of the future of artificial intelligence and the strategic challenges of building a new platform. View Details

Keywords: Artificial Intelligence; Strategy; Technological Change; AI and Machine Learning; Technology Industry

2015
Book

Strategy Rules: Five Timeless Lessons from Bill Gates, Andy Grove, and Steve Jobs

By: David B. Yoffie and Michael A. Cusumano

The authors of the bestselling Competing on Internet Time (a Business Week top 10 book) analyze the strategies, principles, and skills of three of the most successful and influential figures in business—Bill Gates, Andy Grove, and Steve Jobs—offering... View Details

Keywords: Management; Strategy; Leadership; Information Technology; Entrepreneurship; Information Technology Industry

September 2009 (Revised June 2011)
Case

Mercury Athletic: Valuing the Opportunity

By: Timothy A. Luehrman and Joel L. Heilprin

In January 2007, West Coast Fashions, Inc., a large designer and marketer of branded apparel, announced a strategic reorganization that would result in the divestiture of their wholly owned footwear subsidiary, Mercury Athletic. John Liedtke, the head of business... View Details

Keywords: Mergers ＆ Acquisitions; Sensitivity Analysis; Cost of Capital; Restructuring; Valuation; Cash Flow; Mergers and Acquisitions; Corporate Finance; Apparel and Accessories Industry