Publications

November 2004
Case

Deere & Company

By: Ray A. Goldberg and Hal Hogan

John Deere & Co. wants to improve shareholder value and provide incentives to do so. The task is difficult in a volatile agriculture and construction industry. It also wants to be more global and provide machinery that traces commodities from the field to the consumer. View Details

Keywords: Factories, Labs, and Plants; Volatility; Machinery and Machining; Multinational Firms and Management; Goods and Commodities; Goals and Objectives; Strategic Planning; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry

January 1990 (Revised October 1993)
Case

Monsanto's March into Biotechnology (A)

By: Gary P. Pisano

Very early in the history of biotechnology (about 1979), Monsanto made a major commitment to move into this field. This case recounts the history from the point of view of the eminent scientist hired to head up corporate R&D. He took Monsanto from a very traditional... View Details

Keywords: History; Transition; Biotechnology Industry; Biotechnology Industry

03 Oct 2017
First Look

First Look at Research and Ideas, October 3, 2017

sustained, recipients will flee these threats or otherwise reshape their network to attenuate the negative psychological effects of the threat. Analyzing four years of peer feedback and social network data from an agribusiness company in... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

January 2016 (Revised February 2016)
Course Overview Note

The Sustainable Core: Operations Management

By: Michael W. Toffel and L. Beril Toktay

This note is designed to help faculty embed environmental sustainability content into their core Operations Management course at the MBA or undergraduate level. It can also be used to identify cases with environmental content that can be used in operations electives... View Details

Keywords: Environmental Management; Operations Management; Sustainable Operations; Environmental Regulation; Operations; Supply Chain; Supply Chain Management; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Biotechnology Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Construction Industry; Forest Products Industry; Retail Industry

August 2012 (Revised November 2014)
Case

Intuit Inc.: Project AgriNova

By: Thomas Eisenmann and Tanya Bijlani

In late 2008, a team from Intuit's office in Bangalore, India, is evaluating an opportunity to launch a new venture that would use SMS to deliver crop price information to farmers in India. The case describes the structure of Indian agriculture and the problems... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Venturing; Entrepreneurship; Research; Business Ventures; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Bangalore

June 1987 (Revised May 1990)
Case

John Deere Component Works (B)

By: Robert S. Kaplan

Having installed an activity-based system, the division is now exploring the insight provided by that system. In particular, it is studying the economics of lot-size process planning and product mix management. View Details

Keywords: Activity Based Costing and Management; Production; Business or Company Management; Planning; Cost Accounting; Cost Management; Product Marketing; Management Practices and Processes; Consumer Products Industry; Consumer Products Industry

January 1971 (Revised May 1984)
Case

Vlasic Foods, Inc.

The chairman of a successful pickle company is concerned with the organizational implications of continued growth. Affords an opportunity to analyze the corporate strategy and the management style of the chief executive. View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Management Style; Growth Management; Corporate Strategy; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry

February 1981 (Revised June 1993)
Case

Harris Seafoods, Inc.

By: William E. Fruhan Jr. and William A. Sahlman

Presents data relevant to a major capital expenditure--the construction of a shrimp plant. Designed to test student's ability to identify relevant cash flows, to estimate the cost of capital, and to decide whether or not to invest. View Details

Keywords: Decision Making; Cash Flow; Cost of Capital; Factories, Labs, and Plants; Food and Beverage Industry; Food and Beverage Industry

February 2019 (Revised February 2020)
Case

Koita Foods

By: Lynda M. Applegate, Elie Ofek and Michael Norris

In 2018, Mustafa Koita, Founder and CEO of Dubai-based organic milk company Koita has to decide whether or not to pursue an investment from a potential competitor who is coming into his local market. View Details

Keywords: Organic Milk; Mom Blog; Entrepreneurship; Cash Flow; Food; Growth Management; Investment; Social Marketing; Ownership Stake; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; United Arab Emirates; Dubai

June 2013
Supplement

Parmalat Uruguay (A) & (B) (Video Supplement)

By: Jim Sharpe

This is the Video Supplement for Parmalat Uruguay (A) & (B) (HBS Cases #807103 and 807119). View Details

Keywords: Global Business; Turnaround; Distressed Debt; Bank Loans; Bank Debt; Search; Acquisitions; Cash Flow Analysis; Liquidation; Careers; Unions; Government And Business; Acquisition; Borrowing and Debt; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Operations; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Uruguay

December 2011 (Revised May 2016)
Case

Marine Harvest: Leading Salmon Aquaculture

By: David E. Bell and Ryan Johnson

Marine Harvest has the leading position in salmon aquaculture. Aquaculture is very much a growth business, many believing it could play a major role in solving the world's growing need for protein. The CEO is considering three alternatives for taking advantage of his... View Details

Keywords: Growth and Development Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry

November 1999 (Revised December 1999)
Case

U.S. Government and Food Safety, The

By: Ray A. Goldberg, Carin-Isabel Knoop and Hal Hogan

Keywords: Business and Government Relations; Food; Safety; Food and Beverage Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; United States

1985
Chapter

Food Policy

By: James E. Austin

Keywords: Food; Policy; Government and Politics; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry

September 1988 (Revised November 1988)
Case

American Rice: A Farmers Cooperative Goes Public

By: Ray A. Goldberg

Keywords: Cooperative Ownership; Restructuring; Competitive Strategy; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry

September 1974 (Revised April 1975)
Case

Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc. (A)

At the conclusion of a small-scale pilot survey, management must decide whether to invest in a larger survey or terminate the project. The objective of the study is to use psychographic measurement techniques to study the alternative positions of cranberry sauce.... View Details

Keywords: Surveys; Product Positioning; Mathematical Methods; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry

April 1990 (Revised February 1994)
Case

Standard Fruit Co. in Nicaragua (A) (Abridged)

By: James E. Austin

Keywords: Business and Government Relations; Developing Countries and Economies; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Nicaragua

2015
Book

The Impact of Globalization on Argentina and Chile: Business Enterprises and Entrepreneurship

By: Geoffrey Jones and Andrea Lluch

This book compares the effects of globalization on two Latin American countries, Argentina and Chile, over time. The chapters examine the impact of multinationals, the growth of business groups, and the conflicted relations between business and government. The book... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurs; Business Groups; Entrepreneurship; Business History; Globalization; Growth and Development; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Latin America; Argentina; Chile

November 2010
Supplement

Esquel Group: Building a Sustainable Partnership with Cotton Farmers in Xinjiang (B)

By: James K. Sebenius and Jason Cheng Qian

Details and evaluates results in Esquel's 2002 initiative to negotiate long-term partnerships with often-exploited farmers in Xinjiang (western China) to procure a superior cotton variety. View Details

Keywords: Contracts; Agreements and Arrangements; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Outcome or Result; Leasing; Business and Community Relations; Business and Government Relations; Partners and Partnerships; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Hong Kong; Xinjiang Uygur Zizhiqu