Publications

March 1979 (Revised June 1985)
Case

Chain Saw Industry in 1974

By: Michael E. Porter

Describes the structure of the chain saw industry in 1974, when it is on the threshold of a major period of growth. Data are provided on each significant competitor. The discussion should center around strategies in a growing market for differently situated... View Details

Keywords: Industry Growth; Corporate Strategy; Industry Structures; Growth and Development Strategy; Manufacturing Industry

March–April 1979
Article

Managing the Crises in Data Processing

By: R. L. Nolan

Keywords: Management; Data and Data Sets

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1979
Chapter

Research Methods and Data Analysis: The Challenge of Knowing How to Do What About Why

By: T. M. Amabile and W. DeJong

Keywords: Mathematical Methods; Knowledge Acquisition; Knowledge Management; Knowledge Use and Leverage

1977
Book

Management Accounting and Control of Data Processing

By: R. L. Nolan

Keywords: Management; Cost Accounting; Data and Data Sets

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July 1976 (Revised April 1983)
Case

Corning Glass Works: The Electronic Products Division (A)

By: Michael Beer

Describes a division of Corning Glass Works that finds itself with deep financial and organizational problems. Severe conflict and lack of coordination exist between functional groups. Employees do not have a sense of direction and morale is low. Provides sufficient... View Details

Keywords: Business Divisions; Change Management; Transformation; Employees; Working Conditions; Business or Company Management; Organizational Change and Adaptation

February 1976 (Revised November 1983)
Case

EG&G, Inc. (B)

By: Michael E. Porter

Raises the dilemmas of making strategic decisions within an organizational construct. The divestment of a division of the company raises not only strategic issues but organizational and interpersonal ones as well. The decision is framed through the strategic planning... View Details

Keywords: Business Divisions; Decisions; Business or Company Management; Organizations; Strategic Planning; Strategy; Service Industry

September 1972 (Revised February 1984)
Case

Blanchard Importing and Distribution Co., Inc.

By: Paul W. Marshall

Illustration of the two main types of errors resulting from use of the economic order quantity (EOQ) as a tool in production scheduling. Designed to permit class discussion to begin with a consideration of one common type of mistake, errors in calculation of the EOQ... View Details

Keywords: Mathematical Methods; Production; Debates; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques

Research Summary

Current Research

By: Leslie K. John

Professor John is a behavioral scientist who uses both laboratory and field experiments to investigate questions that are at the intersection of marketing, organizational behavior, and public policy.

Professor John’s work has been published in leading... View Details

Teaching Interest

Data Science for Managers

By: Dennis Campbell

Data science has become the new language of business. Many roles across the enterprise in finance, marketing, human resources, operations, innovation, and strategy now rely heavily on data science for important managerial decisions. Given the increasing ubiquity and... View Details

Teaching Interest

Data Science for Managers

By: Chiara Farronato

This new course is taught as a required course in the first year MBA curriculum as of a.y. 2023-2024. It provides students with the foundations of data science to become effective data-driven managers. The course covers the basics of visualization, statistical and... View Details

Keywords: Data Science; Data Science And Analytics Management; Data Analytics; Data Analysis

Research Summary

Designing Productive Zones of Privacy

By: Ethan S. Bernstein

A common theme that integrates my research and course development is how increasingly transparent workplaces can improve productivity and performance by putting up certain boundaries to observation. While the research above empirically and theoretically explores the... View Details

Keywords: Transparency; Privacy; Field Experiments; Design; Organizational Design; Performance

Teaching Interest

Empirical Technology and Operations Management Course

By: Himabindu Lakkaraju

I taught a set of lectures on "Introduction to Machine Learning for Social Scientists" as part of this required course for first year PhD students. This module familiarizes students with all the basic concepts in machine learning, their implementations, as well as the... View Details

Teaching Interest

Harvard Business Analytics Program: Operations and Supply Chain Management

By: Dennis Campbell

Digital technologies and data analytics are radically changing the operating model of an organization and how it connects to its broader supply chain and ecosystem. This course emphasizes managing product availability, especially in a context of rapid product... View Details

Research Summary

Managing Customer Information

By: Frances X. Frei

After a service offering is implemented, firms routinely collect significant amounts of data, including customer, employee, and firm financial data. However, service firms are not nearly as effective as they could be in taking advantage of these data. This research... View Details

Teaching Interest

Managing Service Operations - MBA Elective Curriculum

By: Ryan W. Buell

World-class service organizations deeply understand the needs and behaviors of their customers, and design, manage, and improve their operating models accordingly. This course investigates the distinct challenges inherent in leading service operations, which make up... View Details

Keywords: Service Delivery; Customer Satisfaction; Customer Loyalty; Quality; Employees; Service Models; Service Industry

Teaching Interest

Managing the Future of Work (MBA Education—Elective Curriculum)

By: Christopher T. Stanton

The nature and scope of work is changing rapidly, creating massive business challenges in the shadow of broader political and social shifts. HBS launched a major initiative in 2017 on Managing the Future of Work to define these workplace issues and... View Details

Research Summary

Mastering Strategy Execution

By: Robert Simons

Professor Robert Simons’ research encompasses three areas of management accountability that are the foundation for successful strategy execution: organization design, performance measurement and control, and risk management. In addition, Simons is interested in the... View Details

Forthcoming
Article

No Line Left Behind: Assortative Matching Inside the Firm

By: Achyuta Adhvaryu, Vittorio Bassi, Anant Nyshadham and Jorge Tamayo

How do firms pair workers with managers, and which constraints affect the allocation of labor within the firm? We characterize the sorting pattern of managers to workers in a large readymade garment manufacturer in India and then explore potential drivers of the... View Details

Keywords: Assortative Matching; Productivity; Global Buyers; Readymade Garments; Labor; Organizational Design; Performance Productivity; Fashion Industry

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