Publications

30 Jun 2003
Research & Ideas

Computer Security is For Managers, Too

but they will inform the process by asking questions like "How do we keep suppliers from accessing the payroll data?" Just as companies keep an eye on their equipment and supplies by conducting scheduled audits and random spot... View Details

Keywords: by Robert D. Austin & Christopher A.R. Darby

April 2013
Teaching Note

Konys, Inc. (TN)

By: Deishin Lee and Tunay Tunca

This case describes the sourcing policy for a consumer electronics company. The company must decide how to structure contracts with their supplier—using a purchase contract, an option contract, or combination of the two. The company can also buy from the spot market.... View Details

Keywords: Contracts; Option Contract; Uncertainty; Sourcing; Supplier Relationship; Supply Chain

20 Feb 2018
First Look

First Look at New Research and Ideas, February 20, 2018

bonds generates a crowding out of corporate lending. For a given domestic firm, new debt is less likely to be a loan—i.e., the loan supply contracts—when local banks have purchased more domestic sovereign debt and when that debt is risky... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

July 2023
Supplement

Sian Flowers: Fresher by Sea? – PowerPoint Supplement

By: Willy C. Shih and Michael W. Toffel

11 Sep 2012
First Look

First Look: September 11

effect of efficiency wages on employee behavior and social norms. Working PapersSpatial Organization of Firms: Internal and External Agglomeration Economies and Location Choices Through the Value Chain Authors:Juan Alcácer and Mercedes... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

March 2005 (Revised August 2005)
Case

Procurement at Betapharm Corp. (A)

Presents a move by Betapharm to centralize procurement and e-sourcing and the many control and incentive issues that arose subsequently. View Details

Keywords: Motivation and Incentives; Governance Controls; Supply Chain Management; Biotechnology Industry; Pharmaceutical Industry

23 Aug 2004
Research & Ideas

Strategy for Small Fish

rules and purchase orders, and can optimize supply chains across different systems. Niche leverage: Power over keystones. Finally, the emergence of loosely coupled technology interfaces has another critical... View Details

Keywords: by Marco Iansiti & Roy Levien

April 2005 (Revised October 2006)
Case

David Berman

By: Ananth Raman, Vishal Gaur and Saravanan Kesavan

Examines the decision of a hedge fund manager who is considering investing in a retail stock. The protagonist is concerned about the retailer's inventory level. Explores the relationship between the retailer's inventory and future earnings--and, hence, the relationship... View Details

Keywords: Business Earnings; Stocks; Price; Supply Chain Management; Investment

13 Oct 2010
First Look

First Look: October 13, 2010

and Stephanie van SiceHarvard Business School Case 611-002 Having begun improving the environmental performance of its own operations, Aspen Skiing Company is considering "greening" its supply View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

November 2012 (Revised January 2014)
Case

The LEGO Group: Envisioning Risks in Asia (A)

By: Anette Mikes and Dominique Hamel

On January 1, 2012, the LEGO Group announced a major new initiative to enhance its market penetration in Asia. Later in the year, a cross-functional group of senior managers gathered at company headquarters to discuss the status of the Asian initiative and the risks... View Details

Keywords: LEGO; Toy Industry; Fashion And Creative Industries; Organizational Structure; Risk Management; Supply Chain Management; Organizational Design; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Denmark; Asia

March 2016 (Revised June 2016)
Case

Gotong Royong: Toward Sustainable Palm Oil

By: Rebecca Henderson, Hann-Shuin Yew and Monica Baraldi

In late 2015, Jeff Seabright, chief sustainability officer at Unilever, had to report to Unilever CEO Paul Polman on the effort to transform palm oil cultivation. Historically, palm oil was produced using unsustainable methods that included burning large tracts of... View Details

Keywords: Sustainability; Environment; Industry Self-regulation; Corporate Image; Corporate Strategy; Indonesia; Malaysia

February 2002 (Revised May 2002)
Background Note

That's a Wrap: The Dynamics of the Video Rental Industry

By: V.G. Narayanan and Lisa Brem

The history, current dynamics, and future trends of the $10 billion home video rental industry provides a platform to discuss revenue-sharing contracts between suppliers of home videocassettes and retailers. View Details

Keywords: Contracts; Motivation and Incentives; Supply Chain Management; Revenue; Financial Strategy; Motion Pictures and Video Industry

21 Aug 2018
First Look

New Research and Ideas, August 21, 2018

multiple business contexts, the field of operations and supply chain management have not yet explored the possibilities it offers in improving firms' operational decisions. This study attempts to do that by... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

06 Mar 2007
First Look

First Look: March 6, 2007

operations. And through Arbitrage, they exploit disparities between national or regional markets, often by locating different parts of the supply chain in different places—for instance, call centers in... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

March 2007
Supplement

IKEA's Global Sourcing Challenge

By: Christopher A. Bartlett

Keywords: Problems and Challenges; Supply Chain; Retail Industry; Consumer Products Industry

September 2015
Teaching Note

Sustainability at IKEA Group

By: Michael W. Toffel

Can IKEA Group double its global sales within a decade by expending in emerging markets while implementing on its ambitious sustainability strategy that included focusing on raw material sourcing and suppliers’ production processes? The case focuses on IKEA Group’s... View Details

Keywords: Supply Chain Management; Emerging Markets; Environmental Sustainability; Globalized Markets and Industries; Consumer Products Industry

2016
Working Paper

Signaling without Certification: The Critical Role of Civil Society Scrutiny

By: Susan A. Kayser, John W. Maxwell and Michael W. Toffel

In response to stakeholders' growing concerns, companies are joining voluntary environmental programs to signal their superior environmental management capabilities. In contrast to the literature's focus on certification programs that require a third-party audit, we... View Details

Keywords: United Nations; Labor Standards; Supplier Relationship; Procurement; Sustainability; Sustainability Management; Quality And Safety; Risk; Globalization; Globalized Markets and Industries; Governance; Working Conditions; Supply Chain Management; Supply Chain; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Quality; Risk and Uncertainty; Safety; Reputation

SSRN

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March 2012 (Revised January 2015)
Case

Leadership at Echoing Green (A)

By: Julie Battilana, Thomas DeLong and James Weber

Keywords: Leadership