Publications
Publications
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- All HBS Web
(3,946)
- Faculty Publications (985)
- September 2003 (Revised September 2004)
- Case
Hearthside Homes
By: Jason R. Barro, Brian J. Hall and Aaron Zimmerman
Investigates the "controllability problem" inherent in bonus systems. Ideally, an incentive system accurately measures performance in areas that the individual can control. But most measures are either too broad, including factors outside the influence of the employee,... View Details
- 2003
- Working Paper
The Pricing and Profitability of Modular Clusters
By: Carliss Y. Baldwin, Kim Clark and C. Jason Woodard
- July 2003 (Revised October 2018)
- Case
Starbucks: Delivering Customer Service
By: Youngme Moon and John Quelch
Starbucks, the dominant specialty-coffee brand in North America, must respond to recent market research indicating that the company is not meeting customer expectations in terms of service. To increase customer satisfaction, the company is debating a plan that would... View Details
- June 2003
- Case
In-N-Out Burger
By: Youngme E. Moon, Lucy Cummings, Sonali Sampat, Sam Thakarar and Kerry Herman
In-N-Out Burger is a fast-food chain with 171 company-owned locations in three states--California, Nevada, and Arizona. It has an extremely hardcore customer base and the company appears to be in good financial health. The primary issue in this case concerns expansion:... View Details
- June 2003 (Revised November 2003)
- Case
Siemens Medical Solutions: Strategic Turnaround
By: D. Quinn Mills and Julian Kurz
Describes how Siemens Medical Solutions (MED) accomplished a remarkable turnaround from a money-losing operation to one of Siemens' most profitable divisions. By late 1996, a challenging market environment in the health care industry as well as inefficiencies in the... View Details
- May 2003
- Case
Sun Hydraulics: Leading in Tough Times (A) (Abridged)
By: Linda A. Hill and Jennifer Suesse
Sun Hydraulics, 32-year-old global hydraulics engineering and manufacturing company headquartered in Sarasota, Florida; confronts tough choices due to the economic downturn in 2001. The company leadership debates how to maintain profitability and reduce labor costs... View Details
- April 2003 (Revised September 2005)
- Case
Celebrity Cruises, Inc.: A Taste of Luxury
By: Frances X. Frei, Corey B. Hajim and Christian Hempell
Describes the complex operations of the cruise industry. Positioned between luxury cruise lines and mass market lines, Celebrity struggles to find ways to create customer loyalty and increase profitability. View Details
- April 2003
- Tutorial
ABC Pen Factory Tutorial
By: Robert S. Kaplan
To preview this online product, Authorized Faculty can call our customer service department at 1-800-545-7685 or 617-783-7600. Illustrates, via a guided audio tour accompanied by dynamically changing spreadsheets, the role for activity-based cost systems. The numerical... View Details
Keywords: Factories, Labs, and Plants
- March 2003
- Background Note
Linking Customer Management Effort to Profits
By: Das Narayandas
Describes the link between a vendor's customer management effort and customer profitability. View Details
- March 2003 (Revised March 2004)
- Case
P&G Japan: The SK-II Globalization Project
Traces changes in P&G's international strategy and structure, culminating in Organization 2005, a reorganization that places strategic emphasis on product innovation rather than geographic expansion and shifts power from local subsidiary to global business management.... View Details
- February 2003 (Revised May 2003)
- Case
Bombardier: Canada versus Brazil at the WTO
By: Rawi E. Abdelal, Laura Alfaro and Brett Laschinger
In less than a decade, Bombardier had grown from a medium-size Canadian company to a highly profitable global player largely on the strength of the introduction of a new generation of regional jet and successfully marketing its product to airlines around the world.... View Details
- February 2003 (Revised October 2003)
- Case
Cable Data Systems
By: Paul W. Marshall and Todd H Thedinga
Describes the operating challenges of Cable Data Systems (CDS), a minority-owned cable installation company with a dual mission of maximizing profits and providing employment opportunities to minorities in urban markets. Following the merger of two cable installation... View Details
- February 2003 (Revised March 2007)
- Case
Internet Customer Acquisition Strategy at Bankinter
By: Francisco de Asis Martinez-Jerez, V.G. Narayanan and Lisa Brem
Bankinter, a relatively small Spanish bank, has a large presence as an Internet financial services provider. Leading the way to profitability through the Internet will give Bankinter a major competitive advantage over the larger, more established Spanish banks. Ann... View Details
- February 2003 (Revised April 2003)
- Case
Brioni
By: David E. Bell
Should Brioni, an internationally known, exclusive men's suit manufacturer and retailer extend its line to include women's apparel? The opportunity is to enter a much larger and profitable market. The dangers are: 1) compromising the existing image, and 2) failing to... View Details
- February 2003
- Other Article
The Emergence and Sustainability of Abnormal Profits
By: Michael E. Porter and Anita M. McGahan
In this paper, we examine the emergence and the sustainability of abnormal profits among businesses that were part of U.S. public corporations between 1981 and 1994 and that reported financial results for at least six years. Our results reveal strong asymmetries... View Details
- January 2003 (Revised April 2003)
- Case
Sun Hydraulics: Leading in Tough Times (A)
By: Linda A. Hill and Jennifer Suesse
Sun Hydraulics, 32-year-old global hydraulics engineering and manufacturing company headquartered in Sarasota, Florida, confronts tough choices due to the economic downturn in 2001. The company leadership debates how to maintain profitability and reduce labor costs... View Details
- January 2003 (Revised March 2005)
- Case
Planning in Professional Service Firms
By: Ashish Nanda
In this case, four consultants discuss business planning issues that they are each having within their respective consulting firms. The case addresses how professional compensation, project staffing, hours worked, overhead costs, and billing rates impact profitability. View Details
- December 2002 (Revised January 2004)
- Case
Basel II: Assessing the Default and Loss Characteristics of Project Finance Loans (A)
By: Benjamin C. Esty and Aldo Sesia
In June 1999, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision announced plans to revise the capital standards for banks. The Basel Committee believed that project loans were significantly riskier than corporate loans and, therefore, warranted higher capital charges under... View Details
- November 2002 (Revised May 2003)
- Case
ConAgra Foods
By: Ray A. Goldberg and Ingrid Vargas
In 2002, ConAgra Foods CEO Bruce Rohde was deliberating the next steps in the process of transforming the company from an agribusiness giant to a value-added food processor. ConAgra had become the second largest food company and number one food service supplier in the... View Details