Publications

01 Mar 2006
News

Faculty Books

From Resource Allocation to Strategy by Joseph L. Bower and Clark G. Gilbert (Oxford University Press) Drawing on thirty years of research on resource allocation, Professor Bower and Assistant Professor Gilbert discuss the structural... View Details

Keywords: Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services

18 Sep 2014
News

Room to grow: global expansion in the middle ground

Israeli companies have pursued novel and successful growth strategies that provide valuable lessons to others. In his research, Elie Ofek, the T. J. Dermot Dunphy Professor of Business Administration,... View Details

May 2003 (Revised November 2005)
Case

Marks & Spencer: The Phoenix Rises

By: Joseph L. Bower

The great U.K. retailer fell on hard times in 1998. In 2001, a new CEO was recruited who appears to have succeeded in turning around this world-renown company. This case examines the steps he took (strategic, structural, and recruiting key people) and highlights a... View Details

Keywords: Global Strategy; Recruitment; Leadership Development; Crisis Management; Supply and Industry; Business Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Segmentation; Retail Industry

Web

Marketing - HBS Online

Certificate Courses (3) Digital Marketing Strategy Professor Sunil Gupta Craft data-driven digital marketing strategies that effectively reach, convert, and retain customers in a dynamic online environment.... View Details

20 Aug 2018
Research & Ideas

Bargain Hunters Beware: A Store's 'Original Price' Might Not Be After All

tells them so. What if those “original prices” stores base their discounts on aren’t real? That’s the question Donald Ngwe asks in his new working paper, Fake Discounts Drive Real Revenues in Retail. An assistant professor in Harvard View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Advertising; Retail

01 Dec 2022
News

I Gave at the Office

funds for her local animal shelter—and found it surprisingly difficult. Much later, in the second year of her PhD program, she discovered the field of behavioral economics and folded her non-academic interests into her research. For his part, Zlatev arrived at his PhD... View Details

Keywords: Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations; Personal Services

June 2010 (Revised June 2010)
Case

Virginia Mason Medical Center (Abridged)

By: Richard M.J. Bohmer

In 2000, Dr. Gary Kaplan became CEO of the Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle, Washington. The hospital was facing significant challenges: it was losing money for the first time in its history, staff morale had plummeted, and area hospitals presented ardent... View Details

Keywords: History; Competition; Operations; Leadership Style; Problems and Challenges; Change Management; Health Care and Treatment; Business Strategy; Growth and Development Strategy; Health Industry; Seattle

April 2005 (Revised March 2007)
Case

eAccess, Ltd.

By: Thomas R. Eisenmann, Masako Egawa and Ariko Ota

The managers of eAccess, Japan's third largest provider of digital subscriber line (DSL) service, must decide whether to enter the mobile communications business. Japan's mobile services are among the world's most expensive, and incumbent carriers' profits are high. To... View Details

Keywords: Information Infrastructure; Diversification; Policy; Business Startups; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Communications Industry; Telecommunications Industry; Japan

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June 2004 (Revised November 2004)
Case

Birth of the Swatch, The

By: Youngme E. Moon

In 1993, the Swatch is the best-selling watch in history. Traces the history of the watch industry up to the early 1980s, when the Swatch was introduced. Describes the various elements that made the Swatch different from any watch the industry had ever seen. Also... View Details

Keywords: History; Management; Product Positioning; Marketing Strategy; Business Startups; Brands and Branding; Manufacturing Industry

October 1984
Case

NIKE (F1)

Concerns a specific strategic decision--should the apparel division expand rapidly? The teaching plan would highlight the pros and cons of such a move. View Details

Keywords: Decisions; Cost vs Benefits; Expansion; Business Divisions; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Sports Industry

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14 Nov 2005
Research & Ideas

How Can Start Ups Grow?

intangible resources may be best acquired by following a road of conformity in how your company is organized and presented to the outside world. In start-ups in established industries, conventional business titles such as Marketing... View Details

Keywords: by Sarah Jane Gilbert; Advertising

October 1993 (Revised September 1996)
Case

BANC ONE - 1993

By: Hugo Uyterhoeven and Myra M. Hart

From a small local bank, Banc One has grown to one of the largest and most profitable banks in the United States under the leadership of its CEO, John B. McCoy. It has an impressive track record of improving the performance of its acquisitions while retaining the... View Details

Keywords: Leadership; Acquisition; Organizational Culture; Policy; Adaptation; Business Growth and Maturation; Strategy; Performance Improvement; Industry Structures; Banking Industry; United States

October 1987 (Revised October 1998)
Case

CVD, Inc. vs. A.S. Markham Corp. (A)

Describes the legal odyssey of two engineers who left their old employer to start a company that was directly competitive. The issues include employment contracts, technology licenses, antitrust, trade secrets, and confidential information. Provides a good opportunity... View Details

Keywords: Business Strategy; Human Resources; Contracts; Knowledge Use and Leverage; Intellectual Property; Ethics; Legal Liability; Business Startups; Monopoly

March 1999 (Revised May 1999)
Case

Apple Computer--1999

By: David B. Yoffie and Mary Kwak

In 1980, Apple was the leader of the PC industry, but by 1999, it had suffered heavy losses at the hands of the Wintel camp. This case examines Apple's efforts to create sustainable competitive advantage as the PC industry evolves. After discussing Apple's history and... View Details

Keywords: Competitive Advantage; Competitive Strategy; Growth and Development Strategy; Technological Innovation; Information Technology; Business or Company Management; Management Practices and Processes; Corporate Strategy; Information Technology Industry

01 Apr 2000
News

Porter's Paradox

prosperity depends on innovation." On Competition, a collection of Porter's seminal Harvard Business Review articles about competitive advantage -- which also includes two new articles on clusters and competition and global competitive... View Details

October 2022
Supplement

Beam Dental (A): Pitch Deck Supplement 2

By: Rembrand Koning and Alicia Dadlani

Early pitch deck (two of two). This case is a supplement to Beam Dental (A) 723-355. View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Business Strategy; Entrepreneurship; United States; Kentucky; Ohio