Publications

29 Mar 2022
News

Five Qualities That Help Companies Thrive for Decades—Even Centuries

September 2005 (Revised April 2006)
Background Note

Market Segmentation, Target Market Selection, and Positioning

By: Miklos Sarvary and Anita Elberse

Elaborates on the prerequisites for designing a successful marketing strategy: market segmentation, target market selection, and product positioning. View Details

Keywords: Marketing Strategy; Product Positioning; Markets

01 Oct 2021
Research & Ideas

Dying to Lead: How Reaching the Top Can Kill You Sooner

A warning to CEOs and other top executives in high-pressure positions: Job stress could shave years off your life, causing you to die younger than lower-level workers, new research suggests. After all, modern CEOs face taxing work schedules. And, lifespan tends to drop... View Details

Keywords: by Jay Fitzgerald

06 Sep 2011
Research & Ideas

Cheese Moving: Effecting Change Rather Than Accepting It

innovators, problem solvers, entrepreneurs, and leaders that instead of wasting their time wondering why things are the way they are, they should simply accept their world as given” "I Moved Your Cheese is based on the idea that View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

08 Jul 2019
Research & Ideas

Are Paywalls Saving Newspapers?

uniqueness of content were driving factors in the likelihood of sales success post-paywall. The study and its findings are detailed in the new working paper, The Comprehensive Effects of a Digital Paywall Sales Strategy. To understand the... View Details

Keywords: by Kristen Senz; Journalism & News; Media & Broadcasting

23 Jul 2001
Research & Ideas

Sam Walton: Great From the Start

rules which did not make sense to him—which meant almost all of them. —Richard S. Tedlow Walton seemed to have a lot of strikes against him. But he was a spectacular success in his first store. Why? Much of what was to make him... View Details

Keywords: by Richard S. Tedlow; Retail

Feb 23 2017
Testimonial

Leading, Learning, and Growing—Together

14 Aug 2006
HBS Case

On Managing with Bobby Knight and “Coach K”

"Is it better to be loved or feared?" Machiavelli asked. At Harvard Business School, Professor Scott Snook uses this classic quote to help students become more effective leaders. Using two of the most successful college... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Sports

22 Nov 2010
Research & Ideas

Seven Strategy Questions: A Simple Approach for Better Execution

their planning processes and make smart choices. Here's an excerpt outlining the seven questions every manager should ask. 1. Who Is Your Primary Customer? The first imperative—and the heart of every successful strategy implementation—is... View Details

Keywords: by Robert Simons

25 Apr 2016
Book

A Three-Box Solution to Managing Innovation

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

24 Apr 2023
HBS Case

What Does It Take to Build as Much Buzz as Booze? Inside the Epic Challenge of Cannabis-Infused Drinks

industry compared to other sectors. “The level of uncertainty is so high for cannabis entrepreneurs. The challenges are quite unique. ” Though entrepreneurial success stories abound in the nascent market of cannabis products, the sector... View Details

Keywords: by Jay Fitzgerald; Consumer Products; Food & Beverage

02 Jun 2010
What Do You Think?

How Do You Weigh Strategy, Execution, and Culture in an Organization’s Success?

hope the comments were as helpful and thought-provoking to you as they were to me. Those of you willing to venture to place weights on the determinants of success gave the nod to culture by a wide margin. As Mouaz AlZayyat put it,... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

10 Jan 2022
News

How to Get Companies to Make Investments that Benefit Everyone

2022
Book

From Strength to Strength: Finding Meaning, Success, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life

By: Arthur C. Brooks

Many of us assume that the more successful we are, the less susceptible we become to the sense of professional and social irrelevance that often accompanies aging. But the truth is, the greater our achievements and our attachment to them, the more we notice our... View Details

Keywords: Aging; Meaning In Life; Purpose; Personal Development and Career; Success; Happiness; Satisfaction

Find at Harvard

December 2004 (Revised April 2014)
Case

Stan Lapidus: Profile of a Medical Entrepreneur

By: Robert F. Higgins and Sophie LaMontagne

Describes the career path and insights of Stanley Lapidus, a successful serial entrepreneur in the medical and life sciences industry. Lapidus is the founder of Cytyc Corp. (NASDAQ: CYTC) and EXACT Sciences (NASDAQ: EXAS) and is currently the CEO of his third start-up,... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Experience and Expertise; Entrepreneurship; Venture Capital; Managerial Roles; Health Industry

09 Apr 2001
Research & Ideas

Marketing a Country: Promotion as a Tool for Attracting Foreign Investment.

primary objectives of screening investment or negotiating with investors. These agencies had the flexibility to attract personnel with the marketing expertise successful investment promotion requires. In addition, they were able to obtain... View Details

Keywords: by Louis T. Wells & Alvin G. Wint

October 2020 (Revised March 2021)
Case

Pete Carroll: Building a Winning Organization through Purpose, Caring, and Inclusion

By: Ranjay Gulati, Matthew Breitfelder and Monte Burke

Competing at the highest levels of the National Football League (NFL) requires tremendous skill, dedication and persistence. The most successful coaches in the NFL know how to draw out a higher level of performance and consistency from their players. This is typically... View Details

Keywords: National Football League; Leadership Style; Organizational Culture; Mission and Purpose; Relationships; Performance; Success; Sports; Sports Industry

04 Feb 2019
Book

Green Businesses Are Incredibly Difficult to Make Profitable. Try It Anyway

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Green Technology; Energy

September 2012
Case

Sir Alex Ferguson: Managing Manchester United

By: Anita Elberse and Thomas Dye

Sir Alex Ferguson, the most successful manager in British football history, is preparing for the 2012–2013 season—his record-setting 26th as manager of one of the world's most decorated professional football clubs and one of sport's biggest franchises. Over the years... View Details

Keywords: Managing Teams; Leading Teams; European Football; Sports; Leadership; Sports Industry; England; United Kingdom; Europe