Publications

08 Dec 2008
Research & Ideas

Thinking Twice About Supply-Chain Layoffs

increasing the amount of labor at a store is associated with an increase in profit margin. This did not come about through the impact of more labor on service quality, but through its impact on conformance quality—those "boring... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Retail

August 2019 (Revised August 2020)
Case

Magrabi: Fulfilling the Vision for the Future

By: John Beshears, Alpana Thapar and Boris Tsimerinov

In 2018, Magrabi was the leading retailer of eyeglasses, sunglasses, and other optical products in the Middle East, and it was embarking on a major shift in strategy, transitioning from a brand focused on clinical expertise to a brand that combined technical excellence... View Details

Keywords: Brands and Branding; Transition; Luxury; Sales; Service Delivery; Strategy; Employees; Recruitment; Consumer Products Industry; Retail Industry; Middle East

November 1997 (Revised December 2000)
Case

Corn Products International, Inc.

By: Ray A. Goldberg and Tom Clay

A firm that started in corn processing and moved up the value-added food chain decides to spin-off the original commodity part of the business. How does the new spin-off survive and how does it develop a strategy? Firms in the food system are separating out their... View Details

Keywords: Transformation; Growth and Development Strategy; Brands and Branding; Marketing Strategy; Product Development; Service Delivery; Vertical Integration; Food and Beverage Industry

Web

Apostille & Certification Support | MBA

Apostille & Certification Support The Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the only authorized body that can issue an Apostille/Certification . In support of this process, diplomas, transcripts, and certificates of attendance can be notarized by MBA... View Details

January 2025
Teaching Note

Vytal: Packaging-as-a-Service

By: George Serafeim, Michael W. Toffel and Stacy Straaberg

Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 124-007. The Germany-based startup Vytal operated the largest digital-native reusable packaging-as-a-service network globally, having raised nearly €15 million, established a large network of restaurant partners, and prevented the use of... View Details

September 1976 (Revised January 1977)
Case

Del Norte Paper Co. (C)

By: William A. Sahlman

Designed to serve two roles: first, it provides a reasonably comprehensive description of an ongoing capital budgeting system for the international operations of a large American company. Second, it allows the student to focus upon and critically analyze a series of... View Details

Keywords: Capital Budgeting; International Relations; Globalized Markets and Industries; Goals and Objectives; Service Delivery; Business Subsidiaries; Performance Evaluation; Performance Expectations; Financial Services Industry; Financial Services Industry

April 2021
Supplement

Buy Online, Pickup in Store: Vice President of E-Commerce Supplement

By: Antonio Moreno, Santiago Gallino and Amy Klopfenstein

In April 2019, Sylvarella VP of E-Commerce Charla Limont must review an analysis of her department’s sales data to determine the impact of the company’s Buy Online, Pickup in Store (BOPS) program. The program implementation created significant problems for the... View Details

Keywords: Operations; Service Delivery; Logistics; Infrastructure; Distribution Channels; Order Taking and Fulfillment; Analysis; Retail Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; United States; Canada

September 2006
Teaching Note

OfficeTiger (TN)

By: Joseph B. Lassiter III

Teaching Note to (804-109). View Details

Keywords: Innovation and Invention; Job Cuts and Outsourcing; Service Delivery; Mergers and Acquisitions; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; India; Europe; United States; Asia

September 2003 (Revised January 2005)
Case

Bridges to Excellence: Bringing Quality Health Care to Life

By: Richard M.J. Bohmer, Ingrid Marie Nembhard and Robert Galvin

General Electric launched Bridges to Excellence Diabetes Care Link, a program through which enrolled physicians receive bonuses of up to 10% of their salary for delivering quality care to diabetic patients covered by a participating employer or health plan. A day... View Details

Keywords: Health Care and Treatment; Motivation and Incentives; Programs; Ethics; Quality; Moral Sensibility; Service Delivery; Compensation and Benefits; Health Industry

01 Dec 2002
News

Books

managerial capitalism, its chronic “inward focus,” and its tendency toward “organizational narcissism” as fatal limitations that prevent traditional corporations from understanding and addressing the needs of this new population. Today's individuals want more than... View Details

01 Mar 2015
News

Case Study: The Speed of Light

sure everyone understands that the business exists to deliver solutions using this “hands-on, engineering- heavy” approach. Repeat it over and over and over. (4) Get the model right in New Jersey—number of people, skill mix, client acquisition process, View Details

Keywords: Electric Power Generation, Transmission, Distribution; Utilities

07 Sep 2021
News

One Degree of Difference

women’s health in the United States, which has the worst rate of maternal mortality of any industrialized nation. Women of color are four times more likely to die in the delivery room. “People theorize that 50 percent to 75 percent of... View Details

Keywords: Jen McFarland Flint; Ambulatory Health Care Services; Ambulatory Health Care Services

01 Sep 2011
News

Student Trio Advance Health Payment Reform

Related Links Read about other efforts in healthcare delivery Three HBS students spent much of the last academic year helping a leading Boston hospital answer one of the most important questions in health-care management: how to create a... View Details

Keywords: bundling; Health, Social Assistance

01 Sep 2009
News

Noted & Quoted

Tom Coburn (R-OK), writing on health-care reform (Huffington Post, April 27, 2009). “True reform will require both moving toward universal insurance coverage and restructuring the care delivery system. These two components are profoundly... View Details

Keywords: Educational Services; Educational Services; Educational Services

Web

SMS Terms - HBS Online

your use of the Services is at all times subject to the Harvard Business School Online Terms of Use Terms of Use which incorporate these SMS Terms. If you elect to receive Messages, we will send you recurring Messages to the mobile number... View Details

19 Feb 2019
First Look

New Research and Ideas, February 19, 2019

was not clear that the business was profitable. Rapid scale had come at a cost. In June 2016, BlackBuck had $5 million in the bank and two months of runway. BlackBuck’s focus had been on raising capital and hiring operational staff to manage the complex View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

October 1997 (Revised May 1998)
Supplement

Asda (B)

By: Michael Beer and James Weber

Describes Archie Norman's efforts over a five-year period to turn around the company by regaining financial control, delivering management, creating experimental projects where individuals felt free to innovate, instituting a back-to-roots strategy that put customers... View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Customer Relationship Management; Governance Controls; Innovation and Invention; Management; Service Delivery; Organizational Culture; Strategy; Food and Beverage Industry; Retail Industry