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- Faculty Publications (719)
- September 1997
- Case
Information at the World Bank: In Search of a Technology Solution (A)
By: W. Earl Sasser, Josep Valor and Carin-Isabel Knoop
Information Technology Services Director Mohamed Muhsin planned to restructure the World Bank's information technology in response to President Jim Wolfensohn's call to build a knowledge bank. Several reorganization efforts taken by the bank in the 1980s led to a... View Details
- September 1997 (Revised May 1999)
- Case
Automated Intelligence Corporation
By: James K. Sebenius and David T. Kotchen
Precision Controls is a Minnesota-based manufacturer of electronic control devices. To enhance its product line, Precision would like to establish an artificial intelligence research group, either through internal development or, preferably, by merging with or... View Details
- September 1997 (Revised May 1999)
- Case
Precision Controls, Inc.
By: James K. Sebenius and David T. Kotchen
Precision Controls is a Minnesota-based manufacturer of electronic control devices. To enhance its product line, Precision would like to establish an artificial intelligence research group, either through internal development or, preferably, by merging with or... View Details
- Article
How Much Does Industry Matter, Really?
By: A. M. McGahan and M. E. Porter
In this paper, we examine the importance of year, industry, corporate-parent, and business-specific effects on the profitability of U.S. public corporations within specific 4-digit SIC categories. Our results indicate that year, industry, corporate-parent, and... View Details
- February 1997 (Revised July 2004)
- Case
Walden Woods
By: William J. Poorvu and Arthur I Segel
In 1984, Mortimer Zuckerman and Ed Linde, through their firm, Boston Properties (BP), acquired land in Concord, MA to build a 147,000-square-foot, first-class suburban office building. BP proceeded to go through the permitting and approval process with the town and was... View Details
- November 1996
- Case
Del Webb Corporation (B), The
By: Jay W. Lorsch and Samanta Graff
On November 16, 1987, the Del Webb board appointed Phil Dion chairman and CEO. This case outlines the development and implementation of a strategy to focus exclusively on real estate development and to liquidate all other assets. Discusses the appointment of two new... View Details
- September 1996 (Revised November 1999)
- Case
GLSTN 1996
By: James E. Austin, Willis M. Emmons III and David Maue
The Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Teachers Network (GLSTN), which aims to create respect for all within schools regardless of sexual orientation, faces significant challenges stemming from its rapid growth into a 30-chapter national organization. Issues include... View Details
- September 1996 (Revised April 1998)
- Case
Mobil USM&R (B): New England Sales and Distribution
By: Robert S. Kaplan
The general manager of a local gasoline/distillate sales and distribution business unit must communicate a new strategy to the unit's 300 employees. An initial strategic planning exercise identified a high-priority list of opportunities that blended the parent... View Details
- September 1996 (Revised May 1997)
- Case
Mobil USM&R (C): Lubricants Business Unit
By: Robert S. Kaplan
The general manager of a Lubricants Business Unit in Mobil's U.S. Marketing and Refining division launched a project to develop a Balanced Scorecard (BSC) for his unit. The purpose was to provide focus for all employees of the unit, enabling it to operate on an... View Details
- September 1995 (Revised June 2002)
- Case
Intel Pentium Chip Controversy (A), The
By: V.G. Narayanan and James D Evans
Following Intel Inc.'s decision to replace flawed Pentium chips, the company faces revenue recognition choices. Events leading up to IBM's decision to halt shipment of computers that have Intel's microprocessor inside and Intel's decision to replace all the flawed... View Details
- June 1995
- Case
Polaroid Corporation: European Distribution System
By: Janice H. Hammond and Afroze A Mohammed
Describes distribution operations in Polaroid Europe. In the late 1980s, Polaroid senior management in the United States proposed moving from a system of 12 decentralized warehouses to a centralized distribution system in which all inventory for European retailers... View Details
- April 1995 (Revised November 1995)
- Case
Human Resources at Hewlett-Packard (A)
By: Michael Beer and Gregory C. Rogers
Provides an overview of the human resource policies and practices applied by Hewlett-Packard (HP). Discusses HP's reactions as an organization to changes in its business environment. As such, it is an opportunity to analyze HP's practices, and how they have been... View Details
- November 1994 (Revised August 1997)
- Case
TV Guide (A)
TV Guide is the largest magazine in the United States and is attaining record profitability. This case details the economics of TV Guide's success by studying its advertiser and reader relationships. Presents a detailed look at how a large magazine manages all aspects... View Details
- August 1994 (Revised May 2001)
- Case
ITT Automotive: Global Manufacturing Strategy (1994)
By: Gary P. Pisano and Sharon L. Rossi
ITT Automotive is in the process of developing a new-generation antilock brake system (ABS), designated the MK-20. The case focuses on the level of automation to be used in the production of this new system, and whether all plants should use the same process... View Details
- June 1994 (Revised September 1994)
- Background Note
Beating the Commodity Magnet
By: V. Kasturi Rangan and George T. Bowman
All markets follow a cycle of growth and maturity, then commoditization and decline. This note argues that while commoditization of an industry may seem inevitable, the better managed firms find a way to make money in the commodity cycle. These firms know how and when... View Details
- May 1994 (Revised August 1994)
- Case
Motorola-Penang
By: Shoshana Zuboff and Janis Lee Gogan
S.K. Ko managed Motorola's Penang, Malaysia factory, producing telecommunications components and equipment. As a female manager of a multi-ethnic and labor-intensive plant in Asia, Ko faced a number of challenges. She had already promoted quality circles and quality... View Details
- May 1994
- Background Note
Reorienting Channels of Distribution
Traditionally, distribution channels have been viewed as vertical marketing systems where responsibility was transferred from one layer to the next, like passing a baton in a relay race. Distribution channels in the future are likely to look more like horizontal... View Details
- May 1994 (Revised July 1995)
- Case
Taco Bell--1994
Taco Bell CEO, John Martin, boldly proclaims a growth goal of 200,000 points of access by the year 2000 (the company had approximately 3,600 in 1991). To realize such growth, Martin embraces a philosophy of continual change. The implications for Taco Bell are dramatic... View Details
Keywords: Information Technology; Food; Organizational Structure; Organizational Culture; Human Resources; Brands and Branding; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Goals and Objectives; Change Management; Expansion; Business Growth and Maturation; Communication; Growth and Development Strategy; Retail Industry; Retail Industry; United States
- March 1994 (Revised September 1995)
- Case
Enron Gas Services
By: Peter Tufano
The CEO of Enron Gas Services (EGS), a subsidiary of the largest U.S. integrated natural gas firm, considers the risks and opportunities of selling a variety of natural gas derivatives, both embedded in gas delivery contracts and as free-standing financial contracts.... View Details
- February 1994 (Revised February 1996)
- Case
Union Carbide Corporation: Interest Rate Risk Management
By: Peter Tufano
Union Carbide's board of directors is asked to evaluate a proposal from the staff treasurer's that would articulate policies to manage its debt portfolio. The staff proposes that shareholder value will be maximized if the firm manages its exposure to interest rates by... View Details