Publications

19 Dec 2017
First Look

New Research and Ideas, December 19, 2017

working paper: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=53636 Scale versus Scope in the Diffusion of New Technology: Evidence from the Farm Tractor By: Gross, Daniel P. Abstract—Using the farm tractor as a case study, I show that... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

13 Oct 2015
Research & Ideas

Does Business Get Done the Same Way in Emerging and Developed Countries?

televisions. But Koç expanded the scope of the brand to include white goods also. That’s an attempt to break into markets that are firmly dominated by companies that have good reputations. Why would a Turkish business (Yildiz Holding) buy... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

07 Aug 2012
First Look

First Look: August 7

MNCs and purely domestic companies; and as the geographic scope of an MNC increases, two offsetting phenomena occur-headquarters decrease their influence over operational units that, ceteris paribus, reduces the size of headquarters, but... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

February 2005
Case

Mahindra & Mahindra: Creating Scorpio

By: Tarun Khanna, Rajiv Lal and Merlina Manocaran

Details the emergence of a private sector automobile manufacturer in India that has created globally competitive and cheap versions of an SUV commonly available worldwide. Asks us to think about the parent corporation's next steps in leveraging this success. In... View Details

Keywords: Developing Countries and Economies; Global Range; Multinational Firms and Management; Emerging Markets; Commercialization; Expansion; Auto Industry; India

17 Jun 2014
First Look

First Look: June 17

Publications August 2013 California Management Review What Impact? A Framework for Measuring the Scale & Scope of Social Performance By: Ebrahim, Alnoor, and V. Kasturi Rangan Abstract—Organizations with social missions, such as... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

16 Apr 2007
Research & Ideas

Delivering the Digital Goods: iTunes vs. Peer-to-Peer

(i.e., information about the files) Fast downloads Works well with iPod We built an economic model to improve our understanding of how both forms of digital distribution interact. While this methodology restricts somewhat the scope... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Music

10 Nov 2011
HBS Case

HBS Cases: Making Lincoln Center Cool Again

Lincoln Center is mind-boggling in its scope and prestige. Eleven resident organizations in arts and education share the campus: the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Film Society of Lincoln Center, Jazz at Lincoln Center, the... View Details

Keywords: by Kim Girard; Entertainment & Recreation

01 Mar 2004
Lessons from the Classroom

Mission to Mars: It Really Is Rocket Science

project variables that can be changed are therefore the cost of the mission and its scope (or complexity). These two variables, in turn, influence the level of risk in the mission (i.e., the likelihood of errors). Cut cost significantly... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

July–September 2012
Article

The (Un)Hidden Turmoil of Language in Global Collaboration

By: Tsedal Neeley, Pamela J. Hinds and Catherine D. Cramton

Companies are increasingly relying on a lingua franca, or common language (usually English), to facilitate cross-border collaboration. Despite the numerous benefits of a lingua franca, our research reveals myriad challenges that disrupt collaboration and contribute to... View Details

Keywords: Strategy; Loss; Spoken Communication; Performance Productivity; Research; Global Range; Problems and Challenges; Diversity; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues

Read Now

12 Mar 2012
Research & Ideas

Crowded at the Top: The Rise of the Functional Manager

to become less diversified. The paper notes that many US firms have narrowed the scope of their operations since the 1980s, in efforts to compete better in the global economy-winnowing their product portfolio and focusing on a particular... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

June 2008
Article

The Multiunit Enterprise

By: David A. Garvin and Lynne C. Levesque

A multiunit enterprise is a geographically dispersed organization built from standard units (stores, restaurants, or branches) that are aggregated into larger geographic groupings (districts, regions, and divisions). Although this organizational structure has become... View Details

Keywords: Globalized Firms and Management; Organizational Structure; Global Range; Research; Business Ventures; Problems and Challenges; Business or Company Management; Business Headquarters; Organizational Design; Talent and Talent Management; Goals and Objectives

Find at Harvard

June 1986 (Revised July 1990)
Case

OTISLINE (A)

By: F. Warren McFarlan and Donna B. Stoddard

Describes the company's use of information technology to strengthen its position in the elevator sales and service market. Also demonstrates how information technology can be used to better manage and control a large geographically dispersed service organization. View Details

Keywords: Information Technology; Technology Adoption; Sales; Marketing; Rank and Position; Salesforce Management; Service Operations; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Global Range; Accounting; Business Ventures; Industry Growth

26 Aug 2008
First Look

First Look: August 26, 2008

East market. Questions of scaling, institutionalization, and geographic scope are among those considered. Purchase this case: http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/ b01/en/common/item_detail.jhtml?id=809008 Arauco (B): 'Papel' in... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

15 Feb 2011
First Look

First Look: Feb. 15

destruction. Dominant incumbent firms, long successful in an existing technology, are often much less successful in new technological eras. This is puzzling, since a cursory analysis would suggest that incumbent firms have the potential to take advantage of economies... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

01 Feb 2011
First Look

First Look: Feb. 1

more academically and discipline-based orientation. We frame two questions in order to anchor the scope of our investigation: What are the structural characteristics of a dominant institution? What key behaviors do dominant institutions... View Details

June 2010 (Revised August 2010)
Case

State Grid: Corporate Social Responsibility

By: Christopher Marquis, Nancy Dai, Dongning Yang and Hong Wu

In October 2009, State Grid, the largest utility company in the world, and a pioneer and leader in CSR practices in China, was planning its 2009 CSR Report and long-term CSR implementation. Some of the specific challenges faced at the time include: How could the... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Management Systems; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Corporate Accountability; Behavior; Change Management; Global Range; Employees; Utilities Industry; China

06 Nov 2013
What Do You Think?

Is Top-Down Resource Allocation on the Rise?

is a limit to the scope of top management intervention. What do you think? To Read More: Michael Birshan, Marja Engel, and Olivier Siboney, Avoiding the quicksand: Ten techniques for more agile corporate resource allocation, McKinsey... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

September 20, 2004
Comment

How Consumers Value Global Brands

By: Douglas Holt, John A. Quelch and Earl L. Taylor

In 2002, we carried out a two-stage research project in partnership with the market research company Research International/USA to find out how consumers in different countries value global brands. First, we conducted a qualitative study in forty-one countries to... View Details

Keywords: Global Brands; Brand Value; Multi-national Brands; Social Responsibility; Global Range; Multinational Firms and Management; Globalized Markets and Industries; Brands and Branding; Social Marketing; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact