Publications

09 Nov 2006
Research & Ideas

Andy Grove: A Biographer’s Tale

edge. So these are all parts of Intel culture. Disagree and then commit. In other words, we'll listen to you. Let chaos reign and then reign in chaos. In other words, get as many ideas as you can—but once you do, come to a decision and... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Computer

August 2000
Exercise

Brand Report Card Exercise

Designed primarily to give students the opportunity to evaluate brands by breaking down individual attributes and analyzing performance in these areas. In doing so, students will be able to isolate a brand's distinct characteristics and decide which areas are the most... View Details

Keywords: Brands and Branding

November 2023 (Revised March 2024)
Case

Infarm: Betting the (Indoor) Farm on Food Security

By: Elie Ofek

In the summer of 2023, the co-founders of Infarm, a controlled environment agriculture (CEA) company, were contemplating a major pivot going forward. While Infarm had successfully shown it could grow over 75 products—mainly herbs, leafy greens and mushrooms—in modular... View Details

Keywords: Plant-Based Agribusiness; Business Model; Market Entry and Exit; Science-Based Business; Business Strategy; Transition; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Europe; North America; Toronto; Northeastern United States

August 2021
Supplement

Coats: Supply Chain Challenges: Spreadsheet Supplement

By: Willy C. Shih

Coats, the largest thread maker in the world, transformed its business to digital colour measurement so that it could respond better to customer demand in the garment industry for rapid product cycles and more fragmented colour choices. Its embrace of digital colour... View Details

Keywords: Inventory Management; Supply Chain; Inventory; Supply Chain Management; Operations; Growth and Development Strategy; Forecasting and Prediction; Demand and Consumers; Consolidation; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Asia

01 Jun 2016
What Do You Think?

When Business Performance Falters, is Culture Change the Fix?

organization culture, it prompted several executives and alumni to ask me if I had a comment on the subject. In typical business school fashion, I’m asking for yours. The article cites four case examples--Ecolab, Delta, Ford, and... View Details

Keywords: by James L. Heskett

June 2005 (Revised August 2010)
Case

Distrobot Systems, Inc.

By: William A. Sahlman

Distrobot is a start-up that has developed a new system for warehouse automation. The company is trying to raise money to finance the launch of the product. The founder must decide how much capital to raise, from whom, and on what terms. View Details

Keywords: Financing and Loans; Product Launch; Business Startups; Business Strategy; Distribution Industry; Service Industry

23 Dec 2002
Research & Ideas

Partnering and the Balanced Scorecard

ideas and approaches that promote growth. Employees can become inspired with their understanding of how their organization creates value and intends to be a healthy, growing entity. For example, at Duke... View Details

Keywords: by Robert S. Kaplan & David P. Norton

25 Aug 2020
Blog Post

Hikma Health + HBS MBAs Crowdsource Largest County-Level COVID-19 Dataset

well as a corresponding interactive map for empowering the public to directly interact with raw COVID-19 data. We caught up with project lead, Cray Noah (MD/MBA 2022) and one of the student volunteers, Daniel Ocampo (MBA 2020) to learn... View Details

02 Oct 2007
First Look

First Look: October 2, 2007

Working PapersDigital Interactivity: Unanticipated Consequences for Markets, Marketing, and Consumers Authors:John A. Deighton and Leora Kornfeld Abstract The digital interactive transformation in View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

February 2011
Case

Barceló Hotels and Resorts (A)

By: John T. Gourville and Marco Bertini

Barcelo Hotels and Resorts must decide whether to allow its many hotels to continue to undertake separate promotional campaigns or to run, for the first time, a broad corporate-level promotion. Complicating the decision is the fact that the many hotels in its portfolio... View Details

Keywords: Brand Management; Sales Promotions; Brands and Branding; Price; Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Accommodations Industry

08 Aug 2018
Blog Post

Hands-on Experience in Hospitality

Before I came to HBS, I worked in consulting. I knew that I wanted a different experience for my summer and looked at multiple leadership development programs. One stood out: Marriott’s Management Acceleration Program. With Marriott, I’m... View Details

Keywords: Hospitality

May 2004 (Revised October 2007)
Background Note

Best Practices: Decision Making Among Venture Capital Firms

By: G. Felda Hardymon, Josh Lerner and Ann Leamon

Describes investment decision-making processes, based on interviews with 56% of the top 38 venture capital firms in the country. Discusses some implications for the future growth of the industry. View Details

Keywords: Decision Making; Venture Capital; Investment; Industry Growth

31 Dec 2012
Research & Ideas

Most Popular Stories of 2012

Product Published: April 23, 2012 Upgrades to existing product lines make up a huge part of corporate research and development activity, and with every upgrade comes the decision of how to brand it. Harvard Business School marketing... View Details

Keywords: by Staff

08 Jun 2021
Research & Ideas

Tell Me What to Do: When Bad News Is a Big Relief

“might have a perverse incentive to allow underperforming employees to keep underperforming because it makes it easier to decide whom to lay off,” Hagerty says. Let the doctor decide The idea for the... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

30 Jan 2018
First Look

January 30, 2018

flash sales industry was created using this idea as a cornerstone of its business strategy. In this paper, we identify and investigate a new reason why frequent assortment rotations can be valuable to a retailer, particularly View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

November 1995 (Revised April 1998)
Case

National Insurance Corporation

The case visits the catastrophe insurance business at an interesting time in the history of the insurance markets. A major reinsurer, National Insurance, is taking a look at the new insurance derivatives being traded on the Chicago Board of Trade with a view to using... View Details

Keywords: Risk Management; Insurance; Capital Markets; Insurance Industry; United States

18 Jul 2005
Research & Ideas

Time to Rethink the Corporate Tax System?

characterize profits to tax authorities and capital markets separately). There is also much anecdotal evidence on the profusion of tax shelters and compensation incentives for managing effective tax rates.... View Details

Keywords: by Ann Cullen

September 1992 (Revised January 1993)
Case

Courtyard by Marriott

By: James L. Heskett and Roger H. Hallowell

Courtyard by Marriott, a chain of modestly priced hotels, weighs its future options regarding human resources, its service delivery system, and management structure. Fairfield Inn, another Marriott product, is discussed for contrast. View Details

Keywords: Human Resources; Service Operations; Brands and Branding; Management Systems; Decision Making; Service Industry; Accommodations Industry