Publications

August 2008 (Revised July 2011)
Case

Consumer Payment Systems — United States

By: Benjamin Edelman and Andrei Hagiu

In 2008, the U.S. consumer payments landscape was characterized by the ongoing prevalence of credit and debit card networks, the decline of checks, the rise of stored value cards, and the growth of new payment methods such as PayPal, Bill Me Later, and decoupled debit.... View Details

Keywords: Borrowing and Debt; Financial Management; Personal Finance; Digital Platforms; Motivation and Incentives; Competitive Strategy; Internet and the Web; United States

March 1993 (Revised April 1995)
Case

IBM After-Sales Service

By: Janice H. Hammond

IBM has established a service delivery system to provide service and maintenance parts for its installed base of computers. The case outlines the competitive pressures IBM faces from alternative providers of maintenance services (e.g. other OEMs, third-party... View Details

Keywords: Service Delivery; Service Operations; Supply Chain; Supply Chain Management; Logistics; Operations; Distribution; Customer Focus and Relationships; Competitive Strategy; Computer Industry

28 Jun 2012
News

How Does the US Health Care Decision Affect Employers?

Keywords: Professor Bill George; Ambulatory Health Care Services; Health, Social Assistance

December 1999 (Revised September 2000)
Case

Excite@Home: Betting on a Broadband Revolution

By: Stephen P. Bradley and Matthew Sandoval

In January 1999, @Home, a high-speed Internet access provider, announced the $6.7 billion purchase of Excite, the second largest of the major Internet "portals." This purchase marked a continuing consolidation of companies in the Internet "content" and "access"... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Joint Ventures; Technological Innovation; Growth and Development Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Internet and the Web; Information Technology Industry; Web Services Industry

Find at Harvard

12 Nov 2019
News

Seismic Shift

years ago that the approach to inclusion in business was flawed. As a former marketing expert and growth strategist who helped clients find new business opportunities—largely in nonwhite, affluent markets—she was called in to create View Details

Keywords: Maureen Harmon

16 Jul 2021
Op-Ed

For Entrepreneurs, the Benefits of Slowing Down

LinkedIn. Follow Jeffrey Bussgang on LinkedIn to read more of his posts. About the Author Jeffrey J. Bussgang is a senior lecturer in the Entrepreneurial Management Unit at the Harvard Business School as well as co-founder and general... View Details

Keywords: by Jeffrey Bussgang

December 2015 (Revised May 2017)
Case

Corning, 2002

By: Malcolm Baker

Corning, with large investments in fiber optic technology, was hit particularly hard by the collapse of the telecommunications industry in 2001. With over $4 billion in debt, the firm's survival appears to rest on raising additional equity capital. James Flaws, the... View Details

Keywords: Financial Strategy; Financial Condition; Financial Instruments; Valuation; Capital; Public Equity; Stock Shares; Business or Company Management; Strategy; Manufacturing Industry; Industrial Products Industry

August 2024
Case

Iogen: Decarbonizing Hard-to-Abate Sectors

By: George Serafeim, Charlotte Foody and John Mulliken

Brian Foody, CEO of Iogen Corporation, was an early leader in advanced biofuels, developing a range of technologies to transform agricultural waste into transportation fuel. With $100 million in revenue and 350 patents across various biofuel technologies, Iogen was... View Details

Keywords: Technology; Biofuel; Market Attractiveness; Decarbonization; Technological Innovation; Climate Change; Energy; Environmental Sustainability; Transformation; Market Entry and Exit; Strategy; Energy Industry; United States; United Kingdom

17 Feb 2003
Research & Ideas

Tales of the Newly-minted MBA

accompanies most jobs. "Networking and building relationships are key—pay attention to those 'softer' skills," advised Gonsalves, sector head of Goldman, Sachs & Co.'s Aerospace & Defense Group and a managing director in... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna

10 Dec 2015
Blog Post

Working with Professors at HBS

Prior to joining the HBS Class of 2014, I worked in strategy and planning at HBO and spent a summer at Univision in the office of the CEO. Media has been my industry of choice ever since I was exposed to it in high school through the... View Details

14 Jan 2022
Blog Post

Embracing Activism for Social Change

first post-HBS year managing the pilot. Resolving Crisis Situations Mendu and other members of the partnership developed a three-part initiative informed by the best practices they gathered from local stakeholders and officials across the... View Details

November 1992 (Revised December 1994)
Case

BEA Associates: Enhanced Equity Index Funds

By: Andre F. Perold

BEA's enhanced index fund product uses derivatives and cash market securities to find the most efficient way to "track an index." The considerations involve transaction costs, custodial fees, withholding taxes on dividends, and fees from securities lending. In this... View Details

Keywords: Credit Derivatives and Swaps; Investment Portfolio; Management; Investment Banking; Competitive Advantage; Cost Management

March 2011
Case

Grand Circle Travel: Where Risk Comes with the Territory

By: Herman B. Leonard

A worldwide travel company is intrinsically exposed to risks of natural and man-made disasters. How do you organize a business for success when it must on a nearly daily basis cope with hazards ranging from minor mishaps to large-scale catastrophes? Alan and Harriet... View Details

Keywords: Crisis Management; Risk and Uncertainty; Safety; Transportation; Organizational Design; Decision Choices and Conditions; Organizational Structure; Mission and Purpose; Competitive Advantage; Travel Industry

October 2008 (Revised December 2008)
Supplement

Gillette Company (E): Procter & Gamble

By: Rosabeth M. Kanter and Matthew Bird

After arriving in 2001 as the first outsider Chairman and CEO in Gillette history, Jim Kilts led a remarkable turnaround. But by late 2004 he had to make a difficult decision. To better position the 104-year-old, Boston-based company, he opted to sell it to... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Decision Choices and Conditions; Leading Change; Growth and Development Strategy; Managerial Roles; Organizational Change and Adaptation

19 May 2014
Research & Ideas

Why Companies Should Compete for Your Privacy

information to provide." “Focusing on a single revenue source is the most profitable strategy when firms compete for consumer information” It's clear from their research that the marketplace has plenty of room for two types of Internet... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Consumer Products

07 Mar 2005
Research & Ideas

The Rise of Innovation in Asia

last two years, spending not only on a potentially huge customer base, but also as a source of cutting-edge manufacturing, said Dhananjaya Dvivedi, senior managing executive officer of Shinsei Bank. HBS professor McFarlan said it is clear... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

01 Mar 2019
News

A Wider Net

putting his ideas into action. At a high level, he has led a restructuring of the organization’s all-volunteer board, creating technical and commercial committees to focus on strategy and better involve the board members in the goal of... View Details

Keywords: Dan Morrell; Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries; Arts, Entertainment

May 2003
Background Note

How to Induce Retailers to Reduce Stockouts?

By: V.G. Narayanan

Describes how the lack of incentive alignment between retailers and their vendors can lead to stockouts. Also describes various means to reduce incentive misalignment and hence stockouts. View Details

Keywords: Motivation and Incentives; Supply Chain Management; Order Taking and Fulfillment; Distribution; Alignment; Business Strategy; Consumer Products Industry; Industrial Products Industry; Retail Industry