Publications

March 1992 (Revised April 2000)
Case

Joline Godfrey and the Polaroid Corporation (A)

By: Linda A. Hill and Nancy A Kamprath

Describes how Joline Godfrey, an intrapreneur at the Polaroid Corp., introduced and developed a project that could help Polaroid move to a more service- as opposed to product-oriented focus. Also depicts the mentor-protege relationship between Godfrey and Gerald... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Entrepreneurship; Rank and Position; Leading Change; Problems and Challenges; Change; Consumer Products Industry; Consumer Products Industry

November 1981 (Revised June 1989)
Case

Firestone Tire & Rubber Co.: The Industry Replacement Passenger Tire Forecast

By: Arthur Schleifer Jr.

Keywords: Consumer Products Industry; Consumer Products Industry

Find at Harvard

December 1985
Case

Water Meter Industry in 1982

By: Michael E. Porter

Keywords: Industrial Products Industry; Industrial Products Industry

Find at Harvard

Known for his autocratic and direct management style, Revson built Revlon into the second largest cosmetics company in the U.S. Revson's unique talent of grasping the female psyche, bolstered by his fiercely competitive nature, allowed Revlon to grow from a nail polish... View Details

Keywords: Personal Care & Home Products

John Pepper

Spending his entire private sector career with P&G, Pepper prides himself on heightening P&G’s commitment to customer satisfaction and to creating the “Organization 2005” initiative, which is intended to promote “speed, risk-taking, and entrepreneurialism”... View Details

Keywords: Personal Care & Home Products

Stuart K. Hensley

Through strategic acquisitions including Parke-Davis, American Optical Company, and Vister, Hensley significantly expanded Warner-Lambert’s business lines and international presence. Under his leadership, revenues and earnings more than doubled – sales grew from $650... View Details

Keywords: Personal Care & Home Products

Melvin R. Goodes

Goodes grew Warner-Lambert’s market value from $9 billion in 1991 to almost $60 billion in 1999. He helped the pharmaceutical company become a major player in the prescription drug industry and is responsible for striking a deal with Pfizer in 1996 to sell the... View Details

Keywords: Personal Care & Home Products

Richard R. Deupree

In 1930, Deupree was the first individual not of the Procter or Gamble names to head the company. Under Deupree’s leadership, the company became the country’s leading seller of consumer products. Deupree also put Procter & Gamble on the path toward becoming the... View Details

Keywords: Personal Care & Home Products

June 2012
Case

PV Technologies, Inc.: Were They Asleep at the Switch?

By: Frank V. Cespedes and Diane Badame

PV Technologies, Inc. is an industry-leading manufacturer of photovoltaic inverters used to convert the direct current output of solar panels into alternating current for the commercial power grid. In conjunction with a request for proposal, the company's largest... View Details

Keywords: Marketing Strategy; Customer Relationship Management; Competitive Strategy; Product Marketing; Energy Industry; Technology Industry; United States

Profile

Yaping Wang

"I wanted a job in an industry instead of a PhD." For more than eight years, Yaping worked for Mars in Beijing, conducting research for product innovation. "I probed for consumer insights, then helped translate those... View Details

Keywords: CPG; Healthcare/Biotech; Retail/Hospitality

July 2009
Teaching Note

Targanta Therapeutics: Hitting a Moving Target (TN)

By: Arthur A. Daemmrich

Teaching Note for [709002]. View Details

Keywords: Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Product Development; Business Strategy; Initial Public Offering; Mergers and Acquisitions; Policy; Selection and Staffing; Health Testing and Trials; Resource Allocation; Biotechnology Industry

15 Aug 2007
Op-Ed

3 Steps to Reduce Financial System Risk

and, second, a growing threat of politically motivated changes to regulatory regimes. There has been much talk recently about the extent to which the proliferation of derivative products has allowed banks to manage their balance sheets... View Details

Keywords: by Mohamed El-Erian; Financial Services; Banking

03 Mar 2003
Research & Ideas

The Basics of Consumer Marketing in Asia

Consumer product makers looking to sell in Asia cannot expect the relative homogeneity they find in the U.S. or European countries, according to the panelists at the "Consumer Marketing in Asia" panel at the HBS Asia Business... View Details

Keywords: by Julie Jette

Daniel F. Gerber

Gerber created the baby foods market as well as the company’s advertising campaign - the “Gerber Baby,” a symbol that became world-famous. By 1973, Gerber was the world’s largest supplier of baby foods with sales of $278 billion. Gerber also added non-baby food View Details

Keywords: Food & Tobacco

Desiderio A. Arnaz

In 1951, Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball first telecasted their situation comedy - “I Love Lucy,” which was an overnight sensation. Desilu Productions literally created the phenomenon of reruns. Selling the rerun rights of “I Love Lucy” to... View Details

Keywords: Entertainment & Broadcast Media

March 2010 (Revised February 2011)
Case

Cognizant 2.0: Embedding Community and Knowledge Into Work Processes

By: Robert G. Eccles and Thomas H. Davenport

Knowledge management has been a high priority for Cognizant Technology Solutions since its inception since its global delivery model requires the global sharing of knowledge. Its first major tool was called the Knowledge Management Appliance but as Web 2.0 tools came... View Details

Keywords: Knowledge Management; Knowledge Sharing; Knowledge Use and Leverage; Product Development; Service Delivery; Business Processes; Organizational Structure; Cooperation; Information Technology Industry

February 2009 (Revised April 2011)
Supplement

Mistry Architects (B)

By: Amy C. Edmondson, Robert G. Eccles and Mona Sinha

This case is a follow-up of Mistry Architects: Innovating for Sustainability (A) (Case 609-044). In Case (A) Sharukh and Renu Mistry found and run an architectural firm dedicated to being both client-oriented and environmentally responsible. The case uses a difficult... View Details

Keywords: Problems and Challenges; Emerging Markets; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Natural Disasters; Environmental Sustainability; Product Design; Innovation and Invention; Construction Industry