Publications

31 Aug 2010
First Look

First Look: August 31

innovation and strategy formulation. As the company grows, managers must decide how to scale the Vision Community process so that it retains its spirit of employee involvement and engagement while... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

May 2011 (Revised January 2013)
Case

Nike Football: World Cup 2010 South Africa

By: Elie Ofek and Ryan Johnson

Nike's Football division needs to devise a strategy to excel at the 2010 World Cup games in South Africa. Nike has gone from a niche player in the market for football apparel and footwear in 1994 to a formidable competitor to Adidas in 2008 (with revenues of over $1... View Details

Keywords: Digital Marketing; Business Divisions; Communication; Brands and Branding; Marketing Channels; Marketing Communications; Marketing Strategy; Product Launch; Planning; Competition; Apparel and Accessories Industry; South Africa

December 1993 (Revised November 2009)
Case

Manville Corporation Fiber Glass Group (A)

By: Lynn S. Paine and Sarah Gant

Manville Corp.'s senior managers must decide how to respond to a new scientific study suggesting that fiberglass, the source of 75% of the company's profits, may be another asbestos and must act under conditions of great uncertainty. In particular, when should a... View Details

Keywords: Communication Strategy; Decision Choices and Conditions; Ethics; Health Disorders; Risk Management; Marketing Communications; Product; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Safety; Consumer Products Industry; Industrial Products Industry

November–December 2023
Article

Network Centralization and Collective Adaptability to a Shifting Environment

By: Ethan S. Bernstein, Jesse C. Shore and Alice J. Jang

We study the connection between communication network structure and an organization’s collective adaptability to a shifting environment. Research has shown that network centralization—the degree to which communication flows disproportionately through one or more... View Details

Keywords: Network Centralization; Collective Intelligence; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Structure; Communication; Decision Making; Networks; Adaptation

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April 2010 (Revised November 2011)
Case

Soren Chemical: Why Is the New Swimming Pool Product Sinking?

By: V. Kasturi Rangan and Sunru Yong

Topics include distribution channels, pricing, and new product marketing. Jen Moritz, the marketing manager for Soren Chemical Co. is struggling with the poor sales performance of Coracle, a new clarifier for residential swimming pools. The performance is puzzling... View Details

Keywords: Marketing Mix; New Product Marketing; Pricing; Branding; Price; Marketing Strategy; Marketing Channels; Product Launch; Brands and Branding; Communication Strategy; Chemical Industry

September 2009 (Revised September 2012)
Case

United Way

By: Allen S. Grossman and Cathy Ross

After United Way CEO Brian Gallagher began shifting the organization's focus from old-school fundraising to community impact, Gallagher and local leaders like Elise Bulk, CEO of the United Way of Greater Los Angeles, faced a series of challenges regarding how to best... View Details

Keywords: Investment Funds; Business or Company Management; Problems and Challenges; Civil Society or Community; Social Issues; Alignment; Los Angeles

March 2023 (Revised June 2023)
Case

Metaverse Wars

By: Andy Wu, David B. Yoffie and Matt Higgins

In 2023, the term metaverse — a combination of “meta” and “universe” — had become a catch-all for a diverse set of expectations about online virtual worlds and the future of the internet. To some, the metaverse conjured images of a massive participatory videogame... View Details

Keywords: Metaverse; Technology; Virtual Reality; Facebook; Social Media; Technological Innovation; Internet and the Web; Technology Adoption

03 Aug 2009
Research & Ideas

Corporate Social Responsibility in a Downturn

societal issues and at the same time enhance business success, yielding a "double bottom line." And there's no time like the present, he adds. "Effective programs that serve the community in a compelling way, and that also... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

December 2016
Background Note

Cross-sector Collaborations for Shared Prosperity

By: Jan Rivkin

In cities and towns across America, leaders in local governments, businesses, nonprofits, educational institutions, faith-based organizations, labor unions, and other organizations are coming together in new ways to help their communities prosper. Why are such... View Details

Keywords: Leadership; Business and Community Relations; Cooperation; United States

April 2005 (Revised August 2008)
Case

Crisis at Japan Communications, Inc.

In 2001, Seiji Frank Sanda is facing his worst crisis since founding Japan Communications Inc. (JCI) in 1996. His planned IPO was stopped, leaving JCI with a large organization and strong revenues, but losses and a dwindling balance sheet. He is seriously considering... View Details

Keywords: Diversification; Entrepreneurship; Crisis Management; Communications Industry; Japan

March 2007 (Revised March 2009)
Case

Cherrypicks

By: William R. Kerr

Cherrypicks is a Hong Kong communications start-up approaching a large Korean mobile operator for a partnership to take the operator's products to markets outside of Korea. SK Telecom's (SKT) Ring Back Tones (RBT) product is a spectacular success in South Korea, but... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Business Startups; Communication Strategy; Entrepreneurship; Partners and Partnerships; Communications Industry; China; Hong Kong; South Korea

June 2000 (Revised September 2000)
Case

Amazon.com: Exploiting the Value of Digital Business Infrastructure

By: Lynda M. Applegate and Meredith Collura

Enables a thorough analysis of Amazon.com and the company's value proposition, in terms of its business concept, digital business capabilities, and community and shareholder value. Examines the company's complex set of business models and web of business relationships,... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Asset Pricing; Capital; Financial Management; Technological Innovation; Business or Company Management; Growth and Development Strategy; Relationships; Competitive Strategy; Information Technology Industry; Web Services Industry

16 Jun 2009
First Look

First Look: June 16

Cases & Course MaterialsChina Mobile's Rural Communications Strategy Harvard Business School Case 309-034 China Mobile was the world's leading mobile communications service... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

Web

HBS Working Knowledge – Harvard Business School Faculty Research

expect? Harvard Business School faculty members highlight four trends to watch. Popular Rapport: The Hidden Advantage That Women Managers Bring to Teams by Kara Baskin 25 JUN 2024 | Research & Ideas Lack of communication between managers... View Details

Web

Admissions & Financial Support - Doctoral

Harvard Business School Statement of Purpose Recommendation Letters Standardized Tests Research Community Anil Doshi Technology & Operations Management Filippo Mezzanotti Business Economics Sarah Wolfolds View Details

24 Jan 2012
News

Helping Companies do the Right Thing

September 2008 (Revised May 2010)
Supplement

GE's Imagination Breakthrough: The EVO Project

By: Christopher A. Bartlett, Brian J. Hall and Nicole Bennett

This video features interviews with case protagonists John Dineen, Brett Begole, and Pierre Compte expressing their views on the decision framed by the case. In a second part of the tape the protagonists describe what they decided to do. A third segment features John... View Details

Keywords: Communication Strategy; Decision Choices and Conditions; Innovation and Management; Leading Change; Growth and Development Strategy; Outcome or Result; Green Technology Industry

28 Apr 2015
First Look

First Look: April 28

Publications April 2015 HarperBusiness Strategy Rules: Five Timeless Lessons from Bill Gates, Andy Grove, and Steve Jobs By: Yoffie, David B., and Michael A. Cusumano Abstract—The authors of the bestselling Competing on Internet Time (a... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

February 2015
Supplement

MedCath Corporation (C)

By: Regina E. Herzlinger, Kevin Schulman and F. Fallon Upke

MedCath is a horizontally integrated chain of heart hospitals that partners with local cardiologists. It claims that its focus leads to better and cheaper results than those of an everything-for-everybody general hospital. Community hospitals generally vehemently... View Details

Keywords: Medical Specialties; Market Entry and Exit; Service Delivery; Conflict and Resolution; Horizontal Integration; Health Industry