Publications

06 Jun 2005
Research & Ideas

Don’t Listen to “Yes”

outlines concrete steps that managers at all levels can take to spark positive conflict and make sure that all views get a fair hearing, and he outlines as well a fair and open process for making more effective decisions. "Keeping conflict constructive helps to... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

29 May 2006
Research & Ideas

Why CEOs Are Not Plug-and-Play

and the needs of his or her new employer.Not all managers are equally suited to all business situations. The strategic skills required to control costs in the face of fierce price competition are not the same as those required to improve... View Details

Keywords: by Boris Groysberg, Andrew N. McLean & Nitin Nohria; Employment

August 2003 (Revised October 2003)
Case

Harvard Business School Social Enterprise Initiative at the Ten-Year Mark, The

By: James E. Austin, Stacey M. Childress and Cate Reavis

In mid-2003, as the 10-year anniversary of Harvard Business School's Social Enterprise Initiative approached, the group's faculty and staff decided to analyze its past performance and to formulate its future strategy. View Details

Keywords: Decisions; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Performance Evaluation; Strategic Planning; Social Enterprise

04 May 2020
Research & Ideas

Predictions, Prophets, and Restarting Your Business

“Predictions are risky, especially about the future,” according to a popular expression. Still, business is inescapably about the future—that’s what managers’ decisions are about. In the current crisis, we have daily grand predictions... View Details

Keywords: by Frank V. Cespedes

03 Feb 2003
What Do You Think?

Can Business Schools Teach the Craft of Getting Things Done?

students) with real-world experience, one-on-one coaching relationships, a project-oriented curriculum, and time—appear to make it much less economically practical and effective to do it outside the job. Given the natural allure and accessibility of topics in View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

31 Jul 2006
Research & Ideas

When Not to Trust Your Gut

limit and we naturally shift away from System 2 thought toward System 1 thought. Clearly, a complete System 2 thought process is not necessary for every managerial decision or for every small negotiation you may face. When you're... View Details

Keywords: by Max H. Bazerman & Deepak Malhotra

07 Apr 2003
Research & Ideas

Three Steps for Crisis Prevention

are never too old to be surprised." Welch is a famously hard-nosed executive, and if anyone could have been expected to do his homework, it would have been him. But was Welch correct in viewing the decision as a true surprise, an... View Details

Keywords: by Michael D. Watkins & Max H. Bazerman

October 2000 (Revised March 2007)
Case

Nick Fiore: Healer or Hitman? (A)

By: Clayton M. Christensen and Tara Donovan

Many general managers face this predicament at one time or another: if I don't deliver the numbers, senior management won't invest in our growth. But what it takes to deliver the desired numbers may include layoffs and other undesirable solutions. Is it better to back... View Details

Keywords: Risk Management; Job Cuts and Outsourcing; Strategic Planning; Decision Choices and Conditions

October 2000 (Revised June 2002)
Supplement

Nick Fiore: Healer or Hitman? (B)

By: Clayton M. Christensen and Tara Donovan

Supplements the (A) case. View Details

Keywords: Risk Management; Job Cuts and Outsourcing; Strategic Planning; Decision Choices and Conditions

September 1991 (Revised December 1991)
Case

USA Today Decision, The: Making Headlines Across the Nation (A)

This two-part case series describes how the option of launching USA Today was defined and evaluated by the Gannett Corp. This case supports a broad discussion of whether the concept of a national, general interest daily fits with the changing external environment and... View Details

Keywords: Strategic Planning; Decision Making; Product Launch; Product Development; Journalism and News Industry; Publishing Industry; United States

October 1995
Case

Groupe Danone Prepares for the Next Century

By: Ray A. Goldberg and Elizabeth Ashcroft

Danone is the largest food company in France and is in the top ten in the world, but most of its activity is in France, Spain, and Italy. How does it become a global company? Should it? How does it leverage its leadership in yogurt, biscuits, and mineral water? View Details

Keywords: Decision Choices and Conditions; Global Strategy; Goods and Commodities; Marketing Strategy; Strategic Planning; Expansion; Food and Beverage Industry

June 2016 (Revised May 2017)
Case

Searching for a New CEO: TiVo 2016

By: David B. Yoffie

In 2015, TiVo initiated a search for a new CEO. This case provides a profile of the CEO search and background on the company. View Details

Keywords: Technological Change; Succession Planning; Information Technology; Strategy; Strategic Planning; Management Succession; Forecasting and Prediction; Change; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Media and Broadcasting Industry

March 1986 (Revised November 1990)
Case

Valerie Morgan

By: Howard H. Stevenson

Presents interviews and conversations with a woman who recently started a publishing house. Primarily concerns her immediate future regarding harvesting options: IPO, sell out, step up to chairman, venture capital, etc. Also deals with the excitement and thrill of... View Details

Keywords: Interactive Communication; Decision Choices and Conditions; Entrepreneurship; Cash; Initial Public Offering; Business or Company Management; Strategic Planning; Publishing Industry

March 2020 (Revised July 2022)
Case

Levi Strauss (A): A Pioneer Lost in the Wilderness

By: Joshua Margolis, Ashish Nanda, Margaret Cross, Imran Manji and Bismah Rahmat

In 2011, newly appointed CEO Chip Bergh needed to urgently turn around the iconic but floundering denim apparel firm, Levi Strauss & Co. (LS&Co.) Famous for its blue jeans, LS&Co. had suffered a decline in revenue of 29% from $6.8 billion in 1997 to $4.8 billion in... View Details

Keywords: Turnarounds; Transformation; Strategy; Decision Choices and Conditions; Decision Making; Strategic Planning; Brands and Branding; Product Positioning; Product Marketing; Apparel and Accessories Industry

February 2001
Case

ALWAYSi

By: Paul A. Gompers and Sergio Rattner

Anthony Soohoo, COO at ALWAYSi, an independent film distributor, is preparing projections for the company. Soohoo must decide which revenue streams the company should pursue. The firm is faced with a variety of attractive opportunities. View Details

Keywords: Forecasting and Prediction; Business Strategy; Revenue; Film Entertainment; Strategic Planning; Business Startups; Entertainment and Recreation Industry

Find at Harvard

February 2010
Supplement

Marketing Analysis Toolkit: Market Size and Market Share Analysis (CW)

By: Thomas J. Steenburgh and Jill Avery

This Excel worksheet contains sample problems, prebuilt Excel models to run market sizing and market share analyses, and charts and graphs which help visualize the results. It is designed to accompany Marketing Analysis Tookit: Market Size and Market Share Analysis.... View Details

Keywords: Mathematical Methods; Marketing Strategy; Decisions; Strategic Planning; Market Participation; Sales; Forecasting and Prediction; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques

February 2000 (Revised May 2001)
Case

eBricks.com

By: Thomas R. Eisenmann

eBricks.com is developing an online marketplace for construction materials. The start-up company faces two decisions: 1) whether to merge with BluelineOnline.com, a firm providing project management solutions for the construction industry; and 2) whether to develop an... View Details

Keywords: Strategic Planning; Digital Platforms; Internet and the Web; Marketplace Matching; Decision Choices and Conditions; Business Startups; Construction Industry