Publications

February 2020
Supplement

Indigo Agriculture: Harnessing Nature

By: Michael W. Toffel and James Barnett

Indigo Agriculture used a digital-enabled research and development (R&D) process to launch its initial product, microbial coatings for agricultural seeds, which increase crop yields while reducing the need for fertilizers. In doing so, the company developed direct... View Details

Keywords: Operations; Supply Chain; Social Enterprise; Product Development; Distribution Channels; Business Strategy; Digital Platforms; Environmental Sustainability; Science-Based Business; Climate Change; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Green Technology Industry; United States; Massachusetts

April 2020
Teaching Note

Indigo Agriculture: Harnessing Nature

By: Michael W. Toffel and James Barnett

Teaching Note for HBS No. 620-024. Indigo Agriculture used a digital-enabled research and development (R&D) process to launch its initial product, microbial coatings for agricultural seeds, which increase crop yields while reducing the need for fertilizers. In doing... View Details

Keywords: Operations; Supply Chain; Social Enterprise; Product Development; Distribution Channels; Business Strategy; Digital Platforms; Science-Based Business; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Green Technology Industry; United States; Massachusetts

Teaching Interest

Overview

By: Michael W. Toffel

Professor Toffel teaches the required first-year MBA course Technology and Operations Management (TOM).

He also coordinates and teaches the Doctoral Seminar in Technology and Operations Management to help... View Details

Keywords: Environmental Sustainability; Operations; Supply Chain Management; Government Legislation; Non-Governmental Organizations; Multinational Firms and Management

20 Mar 2000
Research & Ideas

No Place Like Home: America’s Housing Crisis and Its Impact on Business

recent study estimates that between 1990 and 1997, two hundred thousand more people moved out of the state than into it, in large part due to housing prices. Poorvu: Analyzing a mix of socioeconomic factors. (photo: Richard Chase) At HBS, William J. Poorvu, the View Details

Keywords: by Garry Emmons; Construction; Real Estate

September 1983 (Revised July 1998)
Case

Heather Evans

By: Howard H. Stevenson and Michael J. Roberts

Focuses on the efforts of Heather Evans, a second-year MBA student, and her attempts to start her own dress business. Examines the business plan and the process of acquiring control over the financial and human resources necessary to implement the plan. View Details

Keywords: Business Plan; Business Startups; Investment; Human Resources; Strategic Planning; Apparel and Accessories Industry

20 Feb 2001
Research & Ideas

What’s Next for Japan

In the opening panel of the conference, titled "Japan Towards the 21st Century: How Should Japan Compete?" moderator and Harvard University professor Michael Porter laid a framework for experts from Japanese business,... View Details

Keywords: by Hilah Geer

January – February 2011
Article

Creating Shared Value

By: Michael E. Porter and Mark R. Kramer

The capitalist system is under siege. In recent years business has been criticized as a major cause of social, environmental, and economic problems. Companies are widely thought to be prospering at the expense of their communities. Trust in business has fallen to new... View Details

Keywords: Customer Value and Value Chain; Economic Growth; Economic Systems; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Environmental Sustainability; Trust; Human Needs; Welfare; Competitive Advantage; Value Creation

Find at Harvard

18 Aug 2008
Research & Ideas

How Disruptive Innovation Changes Education

book, coauthored with Michael B. Horn (HBS MBA '06) and Curtis W. Johnson, shows how the theory of disruptive innovation-which in a nutshell explains why organizations experience difficulty with particular... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Education

10 May 2011
First Look

First Look: May 10

PublicationsNonsimultaneous Chains and Dominos in Kidney Paired Donation—Revisited Authors:Itai Ashlagi, Duncan S. Gilchrist, Alvin E. Roth, and Michael A. Rees Publication:American Journal of Transplantation 11, no. 5 (May 2011)... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

January 2002 (Revised March 2002)
Case

Virtualis Systems (Condensed)

By: Michael J. Roberts and Jay O. Light

Focuses on a graduating HBS MBA who has been working part-time with a Web-hosting firm in California. Discusses the question of which of several "business models" make the most sense for the company to pursue. View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Business Model; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Growth and Development Strategy; Business Strategy; Cost vs Benefits; SWOT Analysis; Management Practices and Processes; Web Services Industry; California

13 Jul 2010
First Look

First Look: July 13

their distribution activities. After beta testing the TSCC for one year, VM's Daniel Borunda and O&M's Michael Stefanic believed that TSCC was a better and more cost-effective pricing model, but could they convince their companies to... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

21 Jul 2009
First Look

First Look: July 21

stronger. Download the paper: http://www.hbs.edu/research/pdf/09-051.pdf Quality Management and Job Quality: How the ISO 9001 Standard for Quality Management Systems Affects Employees and Employers (revised) Authors:David I. Levine and View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

26 Oct 2010
First Look

First Look: October 26, 2010

PublicationsSelling to Many Countries—Within the U.S. Authors:Frank V. Cespedes and Michael Wong Publication:MIT Sloan Management Review 52, no. 1 (fall 2010) Abstract In pursuing growth, many companies have plans to sell to emerging... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

18 May 2010
First Look

First Look: May 18

Khurana Publication:Harvard Magazine, May-June 2010 An abstract is unavailable at this time. Read the article: http://harvardmagazine.com/2010/05/the-pay-problem Working PapersMen as Cultural Ideals: How Culture Shapes Gender Stereotypes Authors:Amy J.C. Cuddy, Susan... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

January 2000 (Revised March 2001)
Teaching Note

Competition & Strategy: Course Structure TN

By: Michael E. Porter and Jan W. Rivkin

Provides an overview of the Competition & Strategy course, a first course on business strategy, as taught at Harvard Business School during the summer of 1999. Describes the role of the course in the overall MBA curriculum, the superstructure of the course, and the... View Details

Keywords: Curriculum and Courses; Higher Education; Management; Business or Company Management; Growth and Development Strategy; Management Practices and Processes; Competitive Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Corporate Strategy; Education Industry

August 2018 (Revised August 2019)
Technical Note

A Note on Compensation

By: Ethan Bernstein and Michael Norris

This note provides an overview of the important terms, concepts, and frameworks that a manager should know about compensation—whether it be their own or that of an employee. Because compensation in practice is fraught with pitfalls, this note presents an overview of... View Details

Keywords: Compensation Design; Benefits; Perks; Variable Compensation; Compensation and Benefits; Executive Compensation; Stock Options; Profit Sharing; Job Design and Levels; Labor Unions; Wages; United States

April 2016
Teaching Note

Cree Inc.: Introducing the LED Light Bulb

By: John Gourville and Michael Norris

This case is taught as part of the first year required marketing course in the Harvard Business School's MBA program. This course is built around the "Four Ps," with modules focusing on product, promotion, place, and pricing. The Cree case is used in the product policy... View Details

Keywords: Lighting Industry; Marketing; Pricing; Promotion; Technological Innovation; Energy Conservation; Product Marketing; Consumer Products Industry; Energy Industry