Publications

22 Aug 2018
Blog Post

The National Park Services: A Mini-Business with a Twist

Visitor and Resource Protection (i.e. Law Enforcement), Interpretation (i.e. Visitor Services) and Administration. The inter-working of these divisions is not distinct from how business functions might... View Details

Keywords: Nonprofit / Government

February 1999
Case

PDVSA & Citgo (A): Seeking Stability in an Uncertain World

By: Ashish Nanda

In order to secure demand for its heavy oil, PDVSA buys 50% of the U.S. refining and retail company Citgo. In 1990, it buys the remaining 50% ownership of Citgo. The case describes the challenges faced by PDVSA and Citgo managements as they try to make their... View Details

Keywords: Business or Company Management; Business Subsidiaries; Mergers and Acquisitions; Energy Sources; Mining Industry; Energy Industry

August 2000 (Revised June 2001)
Case

Fsas: Fujitsu Support and Service Inc.

Fsas was created as a spinoff subsidiary of Fujitsu to service PC networks. As the company succeeded, it became listed on Japan's stock exchange--second tier. Now the Internet is causing Fsas to decide how to structure itself again. Should it spinoff a new company? View Details

Keywords: Business Subsidiaries; Internet; Business Growth and Maturation; Innovation and Invention; Information Technology Industry; Japan

March 1983 (Revised January 1984)
Case

Merloni Group

By: Christopher A. Bartlett

The general manager of the recently-established French subsidiary of an Italian appliance company is in conflict with headquarters about unexpectedly poor financial performance. Headquarters management believes it should be able to exert more control over the... View Details

Keywords: Business Subsidiaries; Trade; Organizational Structure; Performance Evaluation; Power and Influence; France; Italy

September 1994 (Revised April 1995)
Case

Banque Paribas: Paribas Derives Garantis

In March 1993, the management of Paribas Capital Markets is making a final review of the proposal to set up Paribas Derives Garantis (PDG), a special-purpose subsidiary of Compagnie Financiere de Paribas (CFP), that would guarantee derivative products offered by Banque... View Details

Keywords: Credit Derivatives and Swaps; Business Subsidiaries; Banks and Banking; Financial Services Industry

Web

Radiator Shells - The Human Factor – Baker Library | Bloomberg Center, Historical Collections

HBS Home HBS Index Contact Us Harvard Business School Baker Library Historical Collections The Human Factor Introducing the Industrial Life Photograph Collection at the Baker Library Introduction The Exhibition The Request The Response... View Details

2023
Working Paper

Centralization and Organization Reproduction: Ethnic Innovation in R&D Centers and Satellite Locations

By: William R. Kerr

We study the relationship between firm centralization and organizational reproduction in satellite locations. For decentralized firms, the ethnic compositions of inventors in satellite locations mostly resemble their host cities, with little link to the inventor... View Details

Keywords: Ethnicity; Business Offices; Research and Development; Innovation and Invention; Organizational Design

Read Now

December 1999
Case

Avon Products China (B)

By: Lynn S. Paine and Jennifer Gui

Supplements the (A) case. View Details

Keywords: Factories, Labs, and Plants; Business Ventures; Ethics; Government and Politics; Globalization; Global Strategy; China

February 1986 (Revised March 1990)
Supplement

Copeland Corp.: Evolution of a Manufacturing Strategy--1975-82 (B)

By: David A. Garvin

In the (A) case, Copeland had to choose between focusing its Sidney plant by product line or by manufacturing process. Now that it has made that decision, a plant layout must be selected from two alternatives. View Details

Keywords: Factories, Labs, and Plants; Decisions; Product; Production; Design; Strategy; Manufacturing Industry; Ohio

01 Dec 2018
News

Research Is the Foundation

divisiveness in their geographically dispersed colleagues. Yet she couldn’t find a single article of the hidden-in-plain-sight impact of language on the promise of global collaboration. “In my view,” says Neeley, now a full professor in... View Details

September 1976
Case

Del Norte Paper Co. (A)

By: William A. Sahlman

Deals with a transfer pricing problem in a complex, international situation. A broad range of issues are present in the case, or are needed for a thorough case analysis. Such issues include: relevant costs; the appropriateness of profit centers; the appropriateness of... View Details

Keywords: International Accounting; Cost Management; Business Divisions; Profit Sharing; Profit

2013
Working Paper

What Do We Know About Corporate Headquarters? A Review, Integration, and Research Agenda

By: Markus Menz, Sven Kunisch and David J. Collis

During the past five decades, scholars have studied the corporate headquarters (CHQ)—the multidivisional firm's central organizational unit. The purpose of this article is to review the diverse and fragmented literature on the CHQ and to identify the variables of... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Headquarters; Corporate Parent; Corporate Center; Multidivisional Firm; Multibusiness Firm; Multinational Corporation; Multinational Firms and Management; Corporate Strategy; Business Divisions; Business Headquarters

SSRN

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December 2010 (Revised February 2012)
Case

Vodafone in Japan (A)

By: Juan Alcacer, Mary Furey and Mayuka Yamazaki

Despite a rough start in the Japanese telecom market, by late 2003, Vodafone seemed to have weathered the storm, largely based on the strength of their mobile phone unit. But was it simply the calm before the storm? View Details

Keywords: Business Subsidiaries; Global Strategy; Knowledge Acquisition; Adaptation; Diversification; Expansion; Telecommunications Industry; Japan

August 2010 (Revised February 2012)
Case

Cosmeticos de Espana, S.A. (A)

By: David F. Hawkins

Management must decide which exchange rate to use to consolidate the company's Venezuelan subsidiary. View Details

Keywords: Financial Statements; Business Subsidiaries; Inflation and Deflation; Currency Exchange Rate; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Spain; Venezuela

11 Mar 2013
Research & Ideas

Marissa Mayer Should Bridge Distance Gap with Remote Workers

Marissa Mayer's decision to ask Yahoo! employees to work from offices rather than at home has at least two potentially negative consequences, one for her and one for her employees. But she can mitigate both by linking personal and professional identity for herself and... View Details

Keywords: by Lakshmi Ramarajan; Publishing; Web Services

April 2007
Compilation

AOL/Time Warner: To Merge or Demerge?

By: David J. Collis and Troy Smith

This is a compilation of four analyst reports about the AOL/Time Warner merger of 2001. The first half cites three reports released in 2000, around the time the merger was announced, which give the logic and justifications for the merger. The second half is taken from... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Reports; Business Divisions; Media and Broadcasting Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry