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- Faculty Publications (912)
- June 1991 (Revised April 1993)
- Case
General Electric: Jack Welch's Second Wave (A)
By the mid 1980's Jack Welch had completely transformed General Electric with more than 300 divestitures and acquisitions since the beginning of the decade. Welch insisted that his business units be number one or number two in their markets, and have the strength of... View Details
- March 1991 (Revised January 1996)
- Case
The General Mills Board and Strategic Planning
By: Jay W. Lorsch
Examines the General Mills Board of Directors' role in the General Mills joint venture with Nestle S.A. to sell cereals outside of North America. It raises the more general question of the appropriate role for the board of directors in strategy formulation. View Details
- February 1991 (Revised June 1993)
- Case
Ross Perot and General Motors
By: Jay W. Lorsch
In December, 1986 the General Motors Board of Directors must decide whether to accept the buyout agreement between GM and Ross Perot, a director of GM and its largest stockholder. The agreement called for GM to purchase all of Perot's GM shares in exchange for his... View Details
- January 1991 (Revised March 1992)
- Case
USA Today
By: Robert L. Simons
USA Today is a national newspaper struggling to achieve profitability. This case focuses on the use of management control systems to identify emerging opportunities and the formulation of new strategies. The interactive system used by top managers--the Friday... View Details
Keywords: Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Managerial Roles; Forecasting and Prediction; Growth and Development Strategy; Risk Management; Labor and Management Relations; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Risk and Uncertainty; Journalism and News Industry; United States
- November 1990 (Revised April 1999)
- Case
General Motors: Packard Electric Division
Packard Electric is the division of General Motors (GM) that does all of the electrical wiring and cabling for GM automobiles. They developed a new approach for passing the cables through the firewall between the engine and passenger compartments. The new technology... View Details
- September 1990 (Revised March 1993)
- Case
General Electric Plastics: Organizing the Marketing Function
Describes the rapid growth of General Electric Plastics for over the last decade to a $5 billion (sales) company. The accompanying organizational transitions are described. The task is to design a marketing organization for the coming decade given the anticipated... View Details
- September 1990 (Revised November 1991)
- Supplement
Procter & Gamble Japan (C)
Updates the (A) case. The issues facing P&G were two-fold. 1) General manager, Japan--how to keep both the business and organization growing; 2) President, international--what role should the Japanese operation play in the P&G worldwide business? View Details
- July 1990 (Revised August 1994)
- Case
U.S. Auto Industry: Scenarios and Choices for the 1990s
Asks students to prepare a capacity utilization scenario for the U.S. auto industry in 1992 and to propose proper courses of action for Ford and General Motors in the face of globalizing competition. The subject is "corporate strategy in an overcapacitized world."... View Details
- January 1990 (Revised June 1995)
- Case
Colliers International Property Consultants
By: Nitin Nohria
Describes the origins, organizational structure, management practices, and use of information technology (IT) in Colliers, a real estate network. Colliers provides local firms with a way to maintain local autonomy while gaining national and international coverage.... View Details
- January 1990 (Revised March 1994)
- Case
Royal Ahold NV
By: Richard F. Meyer
Contains a general description of a large international retailer. Focus is on the major financial risks facing the company: exchange rate risk and commodity price risk. This case is an introduction to financial risk management. It poses some of the major problem areas. View Details
- September 1989 (Revised April 1990)
- Case
Banc One Corp.--1989
Banc One Corp., an innovative and financially successful super-regional bank holding company, has a track record of upgrading performance of acquisitions while retaining previous management--doing better with the same people. In June 1989 Banc One made its first... View Details
- September 1989 (Revised July 1991)
- Case
Caterpillar, Inc.: George Schaefer Takes Charge
For over half a century, Caterpillar, Inc. (CAT) had been a world leader in the manufacture of earthmoving and construction machinery. In 1982, just months after it recorded the highest sales and profits in its history, CAT experienced its greatest crisis. Demand fell... View Details
Keywords: Machinery and Machining; Crisis Management; Labor Unions; Demand and Consumers; Management Teams; Problems and Challenges; Competitive Strategy; Business Strategy; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Manufacturing Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Industrial Products Industry
- April 1989 (Revised August 1989)
- Case
Burlington Northern (A)
Describes the forces that led to the development of a logistics analysis program by the Burlington Northern Railroad. The first half of the case describes changes in industrial structure, technology, demographics, shipper practices, and government regulation that led... View Details
- January 1989 (Revised June 1993)
- Case
General Electric: Compliance Systems
By: Robert L. Simons
After General Electric (GE) is indicted in 1985 for defrauding the Department of Defense, Chairman John F. Welch takes dramatic steps to prevent a recurrence. This case documents the new systems and procedures that are put in place to ensure that all GE employees are... View Details
- January 1989 (Revised April 1991)
- Case
General Electric: Valley Forge (A)
By: Robert L. Simons
A series of eight vignette cases designed to be taught in one classroom session. This case describes a potential problem in the way that General Electric has billed the government under a large defense contract. Designed to allow students to discuss what actions top... 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
- June 1988
- Supplement
General Electric Co.: Jack Welch Question and Answer Session, October 28, 1987, Video
By: James L. Heskett
Jack Welch updates an MBA class on events which have taken place since 1984. Answers questions about his job and the task of leading a global company. View Details
- April 1988 (Revised September 1992)
- Case
Frito-Lay, Inc.: The Backhaul Decision
Prior to the Motor Carrier Act of 1980, companies with private trucking fleets were generally prohibited from selling transportation services to other companies. The deregulation of the trucking industry in 1980 allowed private carriers to offer for-hire transportation... View Details
- January 1988 (Revised May 1988)
- Case
General Motors' Asian Alliances
Describes all of General Motors' major alliances with Asian firms. These include Toyota, Fanuc, Isuzu, Daewoo, Suzuki, Nissan, and Hitachi. Students can discuss the rationale of each alliance, their risks, their management problems, and their likely evolution. Also... View Details
- September 1987 (Revised October 1987)
- Background Note
The Job of the General Manager
By: James L. Heskett
Describes elements of the job of the general manager that are addressed in the Management Policy and Practice course at the Harvard Business School. These include: 1) establishing strategic direction, 2) setting goals and managing standards of performance, 3)... View Details