Publications

16 Dec 2014
First Look

First Look: December 16

Publications December 2014 Management Science When Performance Trumps Gender Bias: Joint Versus Separate Evaluation By: Bohnet, Iris, Alexandra van Geen, and Max Bazerman Abstract—We examine a new intervention to overcome gender biases in... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

03 Feb 2010
Working Paper Summaries

Accountability and Control as Catalysts for Strategic Exploration and Exploitation: Field Study Results

Keywords: by Robert L. Simons

27 Mar 2007
First Look

First Look: March 27, 2007

Japanese competition. In the second research stream, conducted with Wheelwright, Bruce Chew, Takahiro Fujimoto, Kent Bowen and Marco Iansiti, Clark made the case that product development could be managed in new ways that would lead to... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

April 1986 (Revised May 1988)
Case

Sun Microsystems, Inc. (B)

By: Kim B. Clark

Dissects the manufacturing process and procedures of a high-end computer manufacturer. The main issue is how to introduce new products and ramp them up quickly in a competitive environment where time-to-market is crucial. Focuses on engineering change orders--how they... View Details

Keywords: Factories, Labs, and Plants; Time Management; Product Launch; Production; Business Processes; Competitive Strategy; Computer Industry

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February 2003 (Revised March 2003)
Case

Large Scale Change at The WSSC

By: Amy C. Edmondson and Corey B. Hajim

Describes the organizational transformation occurring at the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC), a public utility. Faced with the possibility of privatization after decades of providing service in the absence of competition or performance pressures, the... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Mission and Purpose; Change Management; Restructuring; Privatization; Resignation and Termination; Utilities Industry

14 Jan 2022
Blog Post

Embracing Activism for Social Change

intervention training for the 90 call takers, establishing new protocols and role-playing exercises that enabled them to identify and correctly triage calls over to a clinician on site,” she explains. “That had a big impact on improving... View Details

February 2015 (Revised August 2016)
Case

Nokia's Bridge Program: Redesigning Layoffs (A)

By: Sandra J. Sucher and Susan J. Winterberg

"Not another Bochum." Nokia Board Chairman Jorma Ollila was clear in the goals he set for the 2011 restructuring that Nokia's new CEO, Stephen Elop, had decided was necessary to address the dramatically changed competitive environment the company faced in smartphones... View Details

Keywords: Layoffs; Plant Closure; Outplacement; Shared Value; Business or Company Management; Job Cuts and Outsourcing; Restructuring; Employee Relationship Management; Telecommunications Industry

July 2020 (Revised January 2021)
Case

Pattern Brands

By: Sunil Gupta, Elie Ofek and Julia Kelley

In March 2020, direct-to-consumer (DTC) company Pattern Brands needed to decide how to allocate resources across its different brands. Pattern Co-Founders Nick Ling and Emmett Shine hoped to avoid the pitfalls faced by some DTC companies—such as inability to scale and... View Details

WILLIAM (WILLIS) EMMONS is Senior Lecturer and Director of the C. Roland Christensen Center for Teaching and Learning at Harvard Business School, a position he has held since 2004. As Director of the Christensen Center, Emmons oversees programs to... View Details

Keywords: airline; infrastructure industry; pharmaceuticals; telecommunications; utilities

22 Jun 2009
Research & Ideas

“Too Big To Fail”: Reining In Large Financial Firms

system to an entirely new level," he warns. But Moss has a fix: The federal government should slap tough new regulations on all firms that pose "systemic risk" —the risk that a failure of one institution... View Details

Keywords: by Roger Thompson; Banking; Financial Services

August 2002 (Revised December 2002)
Case

AOL Europe vs. Freeserve (A)

By: David B. Yoffie and Mary Kwak

AOL Europe must decide how to respond to Freeserve, a free Internet Service Provider (ISP) that has signed up 1.6 million British customers in its first six months. After becoming the leading ISP in the United States, AOL has formed a joint venture with Bertelsmann to... View Details

Keywords: Competition; Internet; Web Services Industry; Telecommunications Industry; France; Germany; United Kingdom; United States

12 Apr 2011
First Look

First Look: April 12

Abstract This book presents new research on the historical impact of globalization on Argentina and Chile. The authors focus on the role of entrepreneurs and firms. The Role of Venture Capitalists in the... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

04 Dec 2006
Research & Ideas

The Money Connection—Understanding VC Networks

Most of us have experienced the power of networks. There's the job found through a friend's sister's boyfriend, or the lifelong partner met through a neighbor's cousin. But how do networks play into business—particularly the relationship-rich industry of View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Financial Services

17 Jun 2008
First Look

First Look: June 17, 2008

RCA's Sarnoff Lab, and the Rockwell Science Center, and as it built its capabilities and ventured into new application areas, it discovered a "killer app" for optical communications which led to... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

July 1996 (Revised January 1997)
Case

Northwest Airlines: Strategic Alliance and Strategic Position--May 1996

By: Leonard A. Schlesinger and Davis Dyer

Describes the strategic position of Northwest Airlines in 1996 and discusses its financial rebound and changes and improvements since the 1993 restructuring agreement. Describes the company's new strategy and its management of principal strategic assets, focusing at... View Details

Keywords: Air Transportation; Restructuring; Alliances; Competitive Strategy; Government Administration; Cooperation; Business Strategy; Air Transportation Industry; United States; Netherlands

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February 2000 (Revised December 2001)
Case

Kmart Inc. and Builders Square

In 1997, Kmart received an offer from retail buyout specialists Leonard Green & Partners for the purchase of its ailing 162-store home improvement chain, Builders Square. Green's offer included a $10 million cash payment, a warrant to purchase a 28% stake in the new... View Details

Keywords: Business Subsidiaries; Valuation; Leveraged Buyouts; Construction Industry; Retail Industry; United States

28 Oct 2009
Lessons from the Classroom

HBS Begins Teaching Consumer Finance

management, financial markets, private equity, venture capital, financial engineering (which I also coteach), and a host of other topics. Retail financial services are also occasionally the subject of cases in other areas. But we didn't... View Details

Keywords: by Roger Thompson; Financial Services; Education

August 2019 (Revised April 2021)
Case

Zillow Offers: Winning Online Real Estate 2.0

By: Luis Viceira, Marco Di Maggio and Allison Ciechanover

Founded in 2005, Zillow had become the leading online real estate and home-related marketplace. The brand was recognized as a trusted resource for players in the real estate market, providing information and transparency on home prices. Revenue, which was historically... View Details

Keywords: Real Estate; Corporate Culture; Intermediation; Brokerage; Startup; Evaluating Business Investments; Property; Information Technology; Business Model; Expansion; Business Startups; Real Estate Industry; Media and Broadcasting Industry; United States