Publications

April 2008
Case

Campbell and Bailyn's Boston Office: Managing the Reorganization

By: Anne Donnellon and Dun Gifford Jr

Ken Winston, the regional sales manager at a securities brokerage firm, has reorganized his generalist salespeople into Key Account Teams (KAT) to increase sales of specialized, higher-margin fixed income products. Winston is also implementing a new corporate... View Details

One of the most popular mantras for innovation is “avoid criticism.” The underlying assumption is that criticism kills the flow of creativity and the enthusiasm of a team. Aversion to criticism has significantly spread in the last 20 years, especially through the... View Details

April 1978 (Revised October 1994)
Case

Cumberland Metal Industries (A): Model Year 1978 Negotiations with Beta Motors

By: Benson P. Shapiro

Provides the background on Cumberland Metal Industries' entry into the automotive components market as a supplier of emission control equipment parts. Cumberland Metal must decide what bid to quote on Beta Motor's 1978 model year business. The company previously had a... View Details

Keywords: Decisions; Bids and Bidding; Market Participation; Negotiation; Competitive Strategy; Manufacturing Industry

02 Feb 2015
News

Hard-Charging Uber Tries Olive Branch

August 2006 (Revised October 2012)
Case

Natura: Global Beauty Made in Brazil

By: Geoffrey G. Jones and Ricardo Reisen de Pinho

Explores the globalization strategies of Natura, Brazil's largest cosmetics company. Founded in 1969, Natura grew using a direct selling model. Led by its three founders, the firm made distinctive use of Brazil's diversity and became characterized by high ethical and... View Details

Keywords: Global Strategy; Globalized Firms and Management; Globalized Markets and Industries; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Brazil

07 Sep 2018
Video

Laila Tyabji CEM Full Interview (Private Link)

09 Jan 2024
In Practice

Harnessing AI: What Businesses Need to Know in ChatGPT’s Second Year

Three years later, Netflix announced the grand prize of $1 million to a team besting it by 10.06 percent. “Generative AI’s strength is to develop ideas that will resonate with a broad audience and garner wide View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne; Information Technology

April 2000
Supplement

BRL Hardy: Globalizing an Australian Wine Company

By: Christopher A. Bartlett

Interviews alternating the country subsidiary and corporate headquarters views of Christopher Carson, marketing director of BRL Hardy Europe and Steve Millar, marketing director and CEO of BRL Hardy Ltd. In four segments focusing on the source of... View Details

Keywords: Business Subsidiaries; Business Headquarters; Management Teams; Conflict and Resolution; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Food and Beverage Industry

December 2012 (Revised April 2025)
Case

AmTran Technology Ltd.

By: Willy Shih, Jyun-Cheng Wang and Karen E. Robinson

As an original design manufacturer (ODM) of television sets and leading supplier to Vizio, a market leader in the U.S. for LCD flat panel TVs, AmTran Technology Ltd. uses what founder Alpha Wu describes as a "WE" model in which western companies perform sales,... View Details

June 1997
Case

VeriFone: The Transaction Automation Company (A) Abridged

By: F. Warren McFarlan

Describes VeriFone's new organizational model and its role in catapulting VeriFone to a market leadership position. Examines the impact of information technology and information access on the ability to leverage global resources, market responsiveness, and... View Details

Keywords: Information Technology; Organizational Structure; Globalized Markets and Industries; Information Management; Strategic Planning; Resource Allocation; Leadership Development; Information Technology Industry

Find at Harvard

July 2021 (Revised February 2022)
Case

Mary Kay Inc.: Enriching Women's Lives while Embracing Change

By: Elie Ofek, K. Shelette Stewart and Julia Kelley

In December 2020, Mary Kay Inc. Chief Marketing Officer Sheryl Adkins-Green considered several strategic dilemmas. Founded in 1963 by Mary Kay Ash, Mary Kay was a direct sales company whose Independent Beauty Consultants purchased its beauty and cosmetics products at... View Details

12 PM – 1 PM EST, 09 Dec 2015
Webinars: Career

How to Stay Current in the Tech Space

Are you currently working in the tech industry? Or, are you thinking of exploring a new career within the space? In an industry that is constantly changing, it can be difficult to keep up with current trends. Mark Hardie, a product innovator with years of experience... View Details

03 Jun 2014
Blog Post

Springing Forward on Social Enterprise Career Paths

Hello from HBS Social Enterprise Initiative! We apply innovative business practices and managerial disciplines to drive sustained, high-impact social change at HBS and beyond. Spring is one of the most... View Details

Web

Admissions & Financial Support - Doctoral

Shunyuan Zhang Marketing Student Research Tax Elasticities of Top Donors: Evidence from Family Foundations By: Simon Essig Aberg 02 JUN 2025 | Faculty & Research Are ESG Improvements Recognized? Perspectives... View Details

May–June 2021
Article

Eliminate Strategic Overload

By: Felix Oberholzer-Gee

As companies respond to intensifying competitive pressures and challenges, they ask more and more of their employees. But organizations often have very little to show for the efforts of their talented and engaged workers. By selecting fewer initiatives with greater... View Details

Keywords: Strategic Initiatives; Value-based Strategy; Organizational Effectiveness; Strategy; Value Creation