Publications

December 1998
Case

Pioneer Hi-Bred: Turning Seeds Into Factories

By: F. Warren McFarlan and Melissa Dailey

The agricultural sector is among the preeminent information technology users in our economy," exclaimed an August 1998 Forbes ASAP survey of the U.S. economy's best and worst users of information technology (IT). The survey designated Pioneer Hi-Bred International,... View Details

Keywords: Agribusiness; Multinational Firms and Management; Information Management; Infrastructure; Business Strategy; Information Technology; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Iowa

Find at Harvard

07 May 2025
Video

Climate Rising: Advancing the Circular Economy with Lauren Rodriguez of Closed Loop Partners

28 Jul 2023
Blog Post

How I Landed My Manufacturing Internship at HBS

fortunate to receive an offer of an interview during the winter break period and made use of the advice I’d learned in CPD-run behavioral interview seminars to prepare. A few days after the interview, I received a telephone call from HR... View Details

October 2018 (Revised July 2023)
Case

Innovation at Uber: The Launch of Express POOL

By: Chiara Farronato, Alan MacCormack and Sarah Mehta

Set in March 2018, the case follows ride-sharing company Uber as it develops and launches a new product called Express POOL. This product offers a reduced price to riders willing to carpool, walk a short distance to/from their pick-up and drop-off points, and wait a... View Details

Keywords: Innovation and Management; Innovation Leadership; Innovation Strategy; Technological Innovation; Information Technology; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Applications and Software; Digital Platforms; Decision Making; Technology Industry; California; San Francisco

27 Sep 2011
First Look

First Look: September 27

an honest, collective, and public conversation about their organization's alignment with espoused strategy and values. The research has identified a syndrome of six silent... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

14 Jul 2009
First Look

First Look: July 14

the broader field. Market Research and Innovation Strategy in a Duopoly Authors:Dominique Lauga and Elie Ofek Publication:Marketing Science 28, no. 2 (March-April 2009):... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

Program

Value Creation Through Effective Boards

improving corporate board effectiveness, the program helps you master global governance challenges, build productive relationships with the CEO and management team, and implement efficient processes that... View Details

October 2013 (Revised January 2017)
Case

Walmart around the World

By: Juan Alcácer, Abhishek Agrawal and Harshit Vaish

After reaching the limits of its successful expansion in the United States in the early 1990s, Walmart sought growth opportunities in markets abroad. This case describes Walmart's attempts to replicate its successful U.S. business model in Mexico, Canada, Brazil,... View Details

Keywords: Multinational Firms and Management; Success; Globalized Markets and Industries; Expansion; Market Entry and Exit; Failure; Retail Industry; Germany; China; Argentina; South Korea; Canada; Japan; Brazil; Africa; United Kingdom; United States; Mexico

Web

General Management - Faculty & Research

leaders; the philosophies, values, and strategies that inform successful enterprises; and the relation of enterprise to the broader community and... View Details

TeachingInterests

Competing with Social Networks

MBA EC 1217

Career Focus

Competing with Social Networks is a Strategy class targeted at students considering careers in high technology, entertainment, social media or consumer packaged goods. It will be useful... View Details

March 1996 (Revised February 1999)
Case

Vistakon: 1 Day Acuvue Disposable Contact Lenses

By: Alvin J. Silk, Bruce Issacson and Marie Bell

Vistakon, an independent and entrepreneurial subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, pioneered the production and marketing of disposable contact lenses with the 1987 launch of Acuvue, the first disposable extended-wear lens--a soft contact lens that patients wear for a... View Details

Keywords: Advertising Campaigns; Business Subsidiaries; Business Startups; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Price; Risk Management; Marketing; Product Positioning; Production; Performance Effectiveness; Consumer Products Industry; United States

Web

Faculty - Creating Emerging Markets

corporate governance , financial reporting , financial statement analysis , globalization Interviews Said Darwazah Anand Burman Brian L. Trelstad Senior Lecturer of Business Administration Research Interests : nonprofit , social change , social enterprise , social... View Details

April 2002
Case

Contingent Workforce Planning at Motorola, Inc.

Details the rationale for and design of a unique organizational response by Motorola to the challenges of contingent staffing at its semiconductor facility in Austin, Texas. The new outsourcing strategy is built on principles of supply chain management and business... View Details

Keywords: Selection and Staffing; Semiconductor Industry; Texas

26 Oct 2021
Research & Ideas

What Companies Want Most in a CEO: A Good Listener

period. “The demand for social skills is increasing in every category of the economy,” says Sadun, the Charles Edward Wilson Professor of Business Administration in the Strategy Unit at HBS. “[But] it’s not about schmoozing.” Instead,... View Details

Keywords: by Jay Fitzgerald

10 May 2022
Research & Ideas

Being Your Own Boss Can Pay Off, but Not Always with Big Pay

For generations, American workers have dreamed of striking out on their own, starting their own business, being their own boss—and ideally making a lot of money in the process. That sentiment appears to be alive and well today, amid an... View Details

Keywords: by Jay Fitzgerald

December 2009
Case

TruEarth Healthy Foods: Market Research for a New Product Introduction

By: V. Kasturi Rangan and Sunru Yong

Topics covered include: consumer marketing, market research, new product introduction, and quantitative analysis. TruEarth Healthy Foods, a maker of gourmet pastas, sauces, and meals, wants to build on its successful introduction of fresh whole grain pasta by... View Details

Keywords: Market Research; Consumer Marketing; Brands; Food; Marketing Strategy; Consumer Behavior; Forecasting and Prediction; Product Launch; Brands and Branding; Food and Beverage Industry; Food and Beverage Industry

Web

ハーバード - Global

年以上経現在東北訪機会設年月教授天野知道助教授 11回目 Japan IFC 47人学生率 10日間日本滞在 "Japan; Rising Sun Ventures: Exploring Entrepreneurship in Japan" 日本滞在中学生 1)東京企業対 2) 東北地方起業家会被災地学貢献活動 3)日本昔伝統新文化体験行 NOVEMBER 2023 In-Person Event:... View Details

January 2017 (Revised October 2023)
Case

Classtivity: Payal's Pirouette

By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang and Olivia Hull

A few months after launching a new fitness technology product, the small staff of New York startup Classtivity gathers on a Saturday in April 2013 to take stock. With one successful pivot under its belt, Classtivity is finally generating revenue and enthusiasm among... View Details