Publications

April 2000 (Revised April 2004)
Case

Infosys: Financing an Indian Software Start-Up

Describes the financing and growth of Infosys, an Indian software start-up. Infosys defies a number of stereotypes about barriers to entrepreneurship in India. The company was founded by a small group of entrepreneurs with little equity and without backing from a large... View Details

Keywords: Business Growth and Maturation; Applications and Software; Financing and Loans; Business Startups; Growth and Development Strategy; Information Technology Industry; India

03 Dec 2020
Research & Ideas

Cut Payroll Costs with Transparency, Fairness, and Compassion

ways in which organizations met the challenges of 2020. What strategies and actions worked better than others? What can we learn from these? While many companies reduced payor headcount, some pledged at the outset of the crisis to do... View Details

Keywords: by Boris Groysberg and Sarah Abbott

05 Feb 2007
Research & Ideas

Business and the Global Poor

default. Finally, companies are challenged to find ways to bring BOP initiatives to scale and sustainability within the time frames dictated by traditional corporate targets. In many BOP ventures, the true... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

May 1994 (Revised January 1995)
Case

Warner Cable (A) and (B) (Condensed)

The new general manager of Warner Cable's Medford, Massachusetts complex faces a number of turnaround challenges in 1985, including service deficiencies, customer complaints, high turnover, and low employee morale. By 1988 he has turned the situation around, but some... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Management Style; Change Management; Performance Improvement; Telecommunications Industry; Massachusetts

28 Jul 2015
Blog Post

Recruiting in the U.S. for International Students: 101

deadlines. I even remember thinking: “I’ll do my summer internship in this company, get a full time offer and then stay for a couple years, go back home, start working for this other company and someday I’ll... View Details

Keywords: All Industries

06 Jul 2020
Research & Ideas

The Right Way to Manage Customer Churn for Maximum Profit

unhappy with customer service, or your prices went up, or a competitor offered a better deal. But if a company lets too many customers show themselves the door, then they’ll waste too much of their time... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Retail; Service; Financial Services

13 Dec 2019
Blog Post

All Is Well in Texas: How Julia Cheek Founded Her At-Home Lab Testing Startup, EverlyWell

decision to focus on her academics, ultimately leading to her Baker Scholar distinction at Commencement, an honor only bestowed upon the top 5% of each graduating class. By the time she finished her two years at HBS, the seeds to start a... View Details

24 Apr 2020
News

How to Make Furloughs More Humane

July 2012
Case

Owen's Precision Machining

By: Ramana Nanda and James McQuade

For the second time in fourteen months, Christopher Owen, the second-generation owner of Owen's Precision Machining (OPM), found himself running out of cash. Owen wondered what he was doing wrong. How much additional money would he need to raise to get OPM through the... View Details

Keywords: Family Business; Cash Flow; Mergers and Acquisitions; Decision Making; Problems and Challenges; Business Strategy; Corporate Finance; Manufacturing Industry; Massachusetts

01 Apr 2013
Research & Ideas

First Minutes are Critical in New-Employee Orientation

The first few minutes of new employee orientation, if done right, can lead to happier and more productive workers and, ultimately, increased customer satisfaction. Unfortunately, a lot of companies do it wrong. In many firms, employee... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Web Services; Service; Telecommunications

Business of Platforms

The Business of Platforms is an in-depth look at platform strategy and digital innovation. In this book, we explore how a small number of companies have come to exert extraordinary influence over every dimension of our personal, professional and political... View Details

06 Nov 2012
First Look

First Look: November 6

companies can set the right incentives and time horizons for investments and create a robust innovation infrastructure in the process. Buy the book: View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

20 Jul 2021
Research & Ideas

Bankruptcy Spells Death for Too Many Businesses

a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has hit many companies hard—some to the point of considering bankruptcy—Antill’s research findings may help business leaders make important decisions to avoid the high price... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

June 2024
Supplement

Legacy Partners (B)

By: Richard S. Ruback and Royce Yudkoff

Pre-abstract: Instructors should consider the timing of making videos available to students, as they may reveal key case details.

Abstract: Stephen Holbrook and Austin Pulsipher (both HBS '19) had been leading Nutrishare since acquiring the company six... View Details

September 2018
Article

Assembling the Sales Team

By: Frank V. Cespedes

Data and analytical tasks have lengthened productivity ramp-up times in many sales contexts, making each hire a bigger sunk cost for a longer time. Most companies adopt two common practices: They hire on the basis of “experience” and/or look at their best reps and try... View Details

Keywords: Sales; Selection and Staffing

April 2016
Teaching Note

Flipkart: Transitioning to a Marketplace Model

By: Sunil Gupta and Das Narayandas

In 2015, Sachin and Binny Bansal, co-founders of India's largest e-tailer, Flipkart, announced that the company would switch to a marketplace model and move its logistics arm into a separate company. At the time of the announcement, Snapdeal already claimed to be... View Details

Keywords: India; Marketplaces; Digital Platforms; Internet and the Web; Market Entry and Exit; E-commerce; Retail Industry; India

2011
Case

China Merchants Bank in Transition

By: F. Warren McFarlan, Guoqing Chen and Ziqian Zhao

This case depicts China Merchants Bank's second strategic transformation. In the 90's, China Merchants Bank creatively introduced an all-in-one-card and an all-in-one-net based on IT systems and network, enabling itself to expand nationwide. By successfully entering... View Details

Keywords: Commercial Banks; Credit Cards; Strategy; Transformations; Information Technology; Banking Industry; China

December 2008
Case

Taylor Fresh Foods

By: David E. Bell, Natalie Kindred and Mary Louise Shelman

In 13 years, Bruce Taylor had built Taylor Fresh Foods into a $1 billion company and the top supplier of salads to the U.S. food service industry and to supermarket deli departments. In 2008, he was convinced that the time was right to make a big push in the fresh food... View Details

Keywords: Food; Brands and Branding; Demand and Consumers; Supply Chain Management; Competition; Expansion; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; United States