Publications

November 2018 (Revised February 2019)
Teaching Plan

Gimlet Media: A Podcasting Startup

By: John Deighton and Leora Kornfeld

When digital distribution becomes an option for an analog industry, the effects on the incumbents can be devastating. Is podcasting the beginning of the end of radio? Can it do what streaming video did to television and websites did to print? Two former public radio... View Details

Keywords: Platforms And Ecosystems; Startup; Creative Industries; Digital Marketing; Podcasting; Business Startups; Media; Entertainment; Growth and Development Strategy; Digital Platforms; United States

13 Jun 2025
News

Set Goals That Are Meaningful and Will Keep You Motivated

November 1995 (Revised November 1999)
Case

National Power and the Privatization of the British Power Generation Industry

By: Willis M. Emmons III and Ed Simnett

The British government privatized the nation's electric utility sector in 1991 through a complex process involving the restructuring of the industry as well as the creation of a new regulatory oversight body. National Power plc, the largest of the privatized power... View Details

Keywords: Restructuring; Trade; Energy Generation; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Markets; Monopoly; Privatization; Opportunities; Diversification; Expansion; Energy Industry; Utilities Industry

17 Jan 2020
News

Review: Competing in the Digital Age

December 2011 (Revised June 2013)
Case

Bananas (A)

By: Eric Van den Steen

As owner and CEO, Wim Van der Borght had grown Bananas in 8 years from a 4.5 million euro company into a 40 million euro group of companies with a range of field marketing activities in Belgium and the Netherlands. The core of the group consisted of two companies —... View Details

Keywords: Sustainable Competitive Advantage; Growth Strategy; Strategic Analysis; PVA; Culture As Commitment; Competitive Advantage; Organizational Culture; Growth and Development Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Mergers and Acquisitions; Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Belgium

Educators

2025
Working Paper

Magnetic Resonance Imaging—High Quality and Radiation Free: Case Histories of Transformational Advances

By: Srikant M. Datar, Amar Bhidé and Katherine Stebbins

This case history describes how Magnetic Resource Imaging (MRI) came to complement – and partially replace -- computed tomography (CT) imaging of soft tissue. Specifically, we chronicle 1) the development of foundational techniques and prototypes (through the 1970s);... View Details

Keywords: Health Care and Treatment; Technological Innovation; Innovation Strategy; Technology Adoption; Collaborative Innovation and Invention; Innovation and Invention; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms

SSRN

Read Now

October 2023 (Revised January 2024)
Case

McDonald's Board of Directors (A)

By: Lynn S. Paine and Will Hurwitz

In October 2019, the McDonald’s Corporation board of directors, chaired by Enrique Hernandez, Jr., gathered to learn the results of their outside counsel’s investigation into the conduct of the CEO. On the surface, the iconic fast-food chain was thriving as growing... View Details

Educators

February 2024
Case

Does “Matter” Matter? Amazon and Open Standards in the Smart Home Industry

By: Frank Nagle

In early 2023, the smart home industry stood at a pivotal juncture. The recent launch of “Matter” version 1.0, an ambitious interoperability standard developed by the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA), promised to unify a fragmented market plagued by incompatible... View Details

Keywords: Digital Platforms; Resource Allocation; Standards; Business Strategy

Educators

Article

Modes of Experimentation: An Innovation Process - and Competitive - Variable

By: S. Thomke, E. von Hippel and R. Franke

Keywords: Innovation and Invention; Competition

June 1995
Case

Northern Telecom and Tong Guang Electronics (A1): Getting to Know Each Other

By: Rosabeth M. Kanter and Pamela A. Yatsko

In its second year of operation, the joint venture between Northern Telecom (Nortel) of Canada and Tong Guang Electronics of China to manufacture telecommunications equipment in China has hit a crisis. The Chinese partner has asked Northern Telecom to replace its... View Details

Keywords: Mobile and Wireless Technology; Joint Ventures; Change Management; Organizational Culture; Crisis Management; Financial Crisis; Job Cuts and Outsourcing; Leadership; Telecommunications Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Canada; China

Former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Best Buy
Author of The Heart of Business– Leadership Principles for the Next Era of Capitalism

Hubert Joly is a senior lecturer in the General Management unit and... View Details

Web

Innovation and Renovation: Optimizing Product Line Architecture - Course Catalog

longevity. Craft strategies that not only drive adoption but also sustain relevance in evolving competitive landscapes. Manage a product life cycle. Lead offerings through continuous renovation to ensure they stay fresh View Details

April 2018
Article

Scope versus Speed: Team Diversity, Leader Experience, and Patenting Outcomes for Firms

By: Prithwiraj Choudhury and Martine R. Haas

How does the organization of patenting activity affect a firm’s patenting outcomes? We investigate how the composition of patenting teams relates to both the scope of their patent applications and the speed of their patent approvals by examining the main effects of... View Details

Keywords: Leader Experience; Micro-foundations Of Innovation; Scope; Speed; Team Diversity; Within-firm Data; Groups and Teams; Diversity; Patents; Leadership; Experience and Expertise; Outcome or Result

17 Jun 2016
Working Paper Summaries

Management as a Technology?

Keywords: by Nicholas Bloom, Raffaella Sadun, and John Van Reenen

September 1987 (Revised January 1992)
Case

Semiconductor Industry Association and the Trade Dispute with Japan (C), The

By: David B. Yoffie and John J. Coleman

Keywords: Trade; Competition; Semiconductor Industry; Japan; United States

June 1987 (Revised February 1988)
Case

Semiconductor Industry Association and the Trade Dispute with Japan (B), The

By: David B. Yoffie and John J. Coleman

Keywords: Trade; Competition; Semiconductor Industry; Japan; United States

18 Dec 2006
Lessons from the Classroom

Grooming Next-Generation Leaders

a good follower, a team member; when should I lead from the front?' Those are the kinds of skills that we want to build in our PLD program. "Many a time strategy gets set [several] levels above and has... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

February 2011
Article

The Underdog Effect: The Marketing of Disadvantage and Determination Through Brand Biography

By: Neeru Paharia, Anat Keinan, Jill Avery and Juliet B. Schor

We introduce the concept of an underdog brand biography (UBB) to describe an emerging trend in branding in which firms author an historical account of their humble origins, lack of resources, and determined struggle against the odds. We identify two essential... View Details