Publications

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01 Mar 2018
News

March 2018 Alumni and Faculty Books

an in-depth analysis of the opportunities and challenges, both traditional and contemporary, of doing business in India. Great Service Made... View Details

26 Aug 2015
News

The Company We Keep

04 Aug 2006
What Do You Think?

What Happens When the Economics of Scarcity Meets the Economics of Abundance?

Summing Up There's no need to rethink important economic constructs just because of the growth of the Long Tail phenomenon and its impact on demand View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

Article

Leadership Tips for Today to Stay in the Game Tomorrow: The Ambidextrous Leader

By: Michael Tushman

This article summarizes research by the author into why some organizations fail in the face of "punctuated change," while others are reborn, adapt and survive. The key, he finds, involves embracing paradox. Continuing to exploit current business success is a must, but... View Details

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March 2016 (Revised November 2021)
Teaching Note

T-Mobile in 2013: The Un-Carrier

By: John Beshears and Francesca Gino

By 2013, the U.S. wireless industry was in the midst of a costly transition. As consumers began to embrace more sophisticated mobile devices, the industry's four main players spent heavily to improve their infrastructures for providing reliable high-speed data... View Details

Keywords: Wireless Industry; Telecommunications; Mobile; Service Contracts; Behavioral Economics; Add-on Fees; Shrouded Attributes; Contracts; Competitive Strategy; Consumer Behavior; Infrastructure; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Telecommunications Industry; United States

Keywords: Arts, Sports, Language, Driving, and Other Schools; Arts, Sports, Language, Driving, and Other Schools; Arts, Sports, Language, Driving, and Other Schools; Arts, Sports, Language, Driving, and Other Schools

Brand-new markets are like the wormholes of science fiction, where the usual rules of time and space do not apply. When a market has just been born, the forces of competition there are constantly in flux, it's unclear who your customers really are, and conventional... View Details

01 Mar 2011
News

The Check Is in the Mail

the glimpses into lost business structures and lost lives.” Organized by Baker Library Historical Collections, “Buy Now, Pay Later: A History of Personal Credit” is on display... View Details

August 1988 (Revised August 1989)
Case

Poletown Dilemma, The

By: Thomas R. Piper

Senior management of General Motors must select a site for a new assembly plant to replace two plants located in Detroit. The economics strongly favor a site in an adjacent state. However, a relocation would have substantial, negative impact on the existing work force,... View Details

Keywords: Factories, Labs, and Plants; Business and Government Relations; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Business Offices; Management Teams; Restructuring; Economics; Auto Industry; Michigan

July 2020
Case

The Second City: The Future of ‘Yes, and…’

By: Francesca Gino and Jeff Huizinga

Leaders from The Second City, the legendary Improv comedy company, reflect on its broad portfolio of activities through the lens of future opportunities and growth. In particular, they discuss ways in which Second City can further invest in its professional arm, Second... View Details

Keywords: Workplace; Collaboration; Growth and Development; Opportunities; Communication; Organizational Culture

December 2023
Case

Raízen: Helping to Decarbonize the World?

By: Gunnar Trumbull, Pedro Levindo, Daniel Tong and Rafaella Mazza

Raízen, the world’s largest sugar and ethanol producer, strived to find ways to expand the second-generation ethanol (E2G) market, which it pioneered. The company planned to invest R$24 billion (around $4.6 billion) in 20 production plants, with a total capacity to... View Details

Keywords: Plant-Based Agribusiness; Factories, Labs, and Plants; Renewable Energy; Environmental Sustainability; Production; Expansion; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Energy Industry; Brazil; Europe; North America; United States; Argentina; Paraguay

November 2020 (Revised March 2023)
Case

Zipline: The World's Largest Drone Delivery Network

By: Tarun Khanna and George Gonzalez

Zipline established the world's largest logistics network in Rwanda and Ghana by delivering medical supplies to hospitals via automated drones. The company is now looking to expand in the U.S. and partnered with Walmart to expand into home delivery. Zipline must... View Details

Keywords: Drones; Business Startups; Expansion; Growth and Development Strategy; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry; United States; Africa

13 May 2003
Other Presentation

The Competitive Advantage of Regions

By: Michael E. Porter

This presentation draws on ideas from Professor Porter's articles and books, in particular, The Competitive Advantage of Nations (The Free Press, 1990), "The Microeconomic Foundations of Economic Development," in The Global Competitiveness Report 2001,... View Details

Keywords: Economics; Growth and Development; United States

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01 Mar 2025
News

On The Case: The Base Factor

In her research as a marketing modeler, Professor Eva Ascarza focuses on understanding customers—and predicting, in particular, who will be a good one and how best to retain them. Without customers, obviously, there is no business. That could also be the tagline for... View Details

Keywords: Jen McFarland Flint

10 Jun 2002
Research & Ideas

Disruption: The Art of Framing

are allocated to respond. The dilemma: Create a response that is neither overreaction (threat) nor insufficient (opportunity). In this excerpt from their Harvard Business Review article, Harvard View Details

Keywords: by Clark Gilbert & Joseph L. Bower

June 2010
Case

The Shaw Group Inc.: Entrepreneurial Innovation

By: Lynda M. Applegate and Edward Watson

The case describes the founding and evolution of the Shaw Group through acquisition. The case is set at the time that the company is redesigning its business processes, organization, and information technology infrastructure to support aggressive growth and increased... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Entrepreneurship; Innovation and Invention; Leadership; Growth and Development Strategy; Infrastructure; Business Processes; Organizational Design; Information Technology

Find at Harvard

17 Oct 2012
News

Small Ways to Ignite Creativity and Joy at Work

23 Mar 2003
Research & Ideas

AIDS in Africa—What’s the Solution?

illneses take a financial and emotional toll on businesses operating in Africa. "This is not just a disease we're talking about. This is a disease that has the power to... View Details

Keywords: by Julie Jette

2008
Working Paper

Learning Processes in Environmental Policy Making and Implementation

By: Alnoor Ebrahim

This paper explores how "learning" occurs in the context of environmental policy formulation and implementation. Rather than viewing policy learning as a rational and technocratic process, the emphasis here is on the political and institutional contexts within which... View Details

Keywords: Policy; Business and Government Relations; Natural Environment; Power and Influence; South Africa; Brazil

November 1990 (Revised November 1991)
Case

Apple Computer (A): Industry, Strategy, and Organization

Explores how the human resource (HR) function at Apple Computer can best support the company's strategy. Provides an overview of the company's history, industry, competitive position, strategy, and organization. Written at a time when the company faces a very... View Details

Keywords: Attitudes; Organizational Culture; Employees; Business Strategy; Computer Industry; United States