Publications

1996
Chapter

Trends in University Patenting 1965-1992

By: Rebecca M. Henderson, Adam Jaffe and Manuel Trajtenberg

Keywords: History; Patents; Higher Education; Trends; Non-Governmental Organizations; Education Industry

April 2008 (Revised July 2011)
Background Note

This note first documents the facts around the sustainability of competitive advantage. It then observes that the demise of a previously successful strategy, in the first instance, often comes from some change in the external environment. It, therefore, characterizes... View Details

Keywords: Competitive Advantage; Strategy; Situation or Environment; Organizational Change and Adaptation

February 2005 (Revised May 2005)
Case

Nordstrom: The Turnaround

By: Rajiv Lal and Arar Han

After a period of turbulence, the fourth generation of Nordstroms are in control of the $7.1 billion apparel retailer. They have instituted a number of changes in buying and IT that have turned the business around. What can they do to ensure future growth? View Details

Keywords: Transformation; Crisis Management; Growth Management; Organizational Structure; Information Technology; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Retail Industry

May 2001
Supplement

Mike Levett, CEO Old Mutual

By: Tarun Khanna

Discusses issues related to the transformation of Old Mutual from a mutual company to a stock corporation, and from a South African insurer to a global financial institution. Emphasis is on understanding effects of South African institutional context. View Details

Keywords: Financial Institutions; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Globalized Firms and Management; Financial Services Industry; South Africa

June 1996 (Revised February 1998)
Case

Repositioning Ranbaxy

A leading Indian pharmaceutical company reacts to changes in its industry by trying to reposition along several dimensions from developing markets to developed ones, from bulk drugs toward pharmaceuticals in dosage forms, and from reverse-engineering products developed... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Expansion; Industry Structures; Pharmaceutical Industry; India

March 1994 (Revised March 2000)
Case

Cola Wars Continue: Coke vs. Pepsi in the 1990s

By: David B. Yoffie and Sharon Foley

The competition between Coke and Pepsi is a classic corporate battle that began in America at the turn of the century and has expanded into worldwide competitive warfare in the 1990s. This case examines the economics of the soft drink and bottling industries, and... View Details

Keywords: Globalization; Organizational Culture; Competition; Competitive Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Food and Beverage Industry; North and Central America

2004
Chapter

Genzyme's Gaucher Initiative: Global Risk and Responsibility

By: Christopher A. Bartlett and Andrew N. McLean

Keywords: Health Disorders; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Globalization; Risk and Uncertainty; Health Industry; Biotechnology Industry

January 1994 (Revised May 1996)
Background Note

Leading for Integrity: Corporate Purpose and Responsibility

By: Lynn S. Paine

Outlines several differing conceptions of corporate purpose and responsibility that emerged in the 1970s and 1980s. View Details

Keywords: Management; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Performance Evaluation; Corporate Strategy

25 Jun 2018
News

Incubating Ideas for the ‘Water Economy’

Tamin Pechet (MBA 2007) founded and manages a platform of firms that support and invest in innovative water and infrastructure resources. He is CEO of Upwell, chairman of Imagine H2O, and founder of Banyan Water. In this interview, he talks about developing what he... View Details

01 Apr 2000
News

Books

and professor Josh Lerner draw on their extensive research on venture capital organizations to illuminate the workings of this important industry. In a series of interpretative essays, the book expands on common themes in research they... View Details

Keywords: Amy E. Dean

01 Mar 2009
News

A Modern-Day Classic

“Pathbreaking.” That, in one word, is how HBS professor Ranjay Gulati describes the impact of Organization and Environment. The book was published in 1967, reissued by Harvard Business Press in 1987, and won the Academy of Management’s... View Details

Keywords: Publishing Industries (except Internet); Information

Fast Answer

Securitization process and credit rating agencies

Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO). Associations and Organizations Structured Finance Association European Covered Bond Council International Swaps and Derivatives Association View Details

July 2015 (Revised April 2016)
Case

Lomography: Analog in a Digital World

By: John T. Gourville, Karol Misztal and Emer Moloney

In spite of the world's move to digital photography, in 2013 Lomography continues to design and offer analog (film) cameras to a loyal following of artistic photographers. Now it must decide whether to stick to its traditional offerings, to expand into artistic lenses... View Details

Keywords: Positioning; Product Lines; Product Line Management; Mission and Purpose; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Technological Innovation; Brands and Branding; Fine Arts Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Technology Industry

April 2002 (Revised September 2003)
Case

Stephen Brown at John Hancock Financial Services

By: Robin J. Ely

Describes a major organizational transformation process at John Hancock Financial Services in which CEO Stephen Brown takes a series of measured steps to turn the old-line mutual insurance company into a competitive, performance-oriented financial services firm. At the... View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Leadership; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Alignment; Competitive Strategy; Financial Services Industry

2005
Class Lecture

Organizational Learning in the Face of Ambiguous Threats

By: Amy C. Edmondson, Michael A. Roberto and Richard M.J. Bohmer

Keywords: Learning; Risk and Uncertainty; Crisis Management; Organizational Culture; Organizational Structure; Groups and Teams

May 1993 (Revised May 1994)
Case

Managing for Integrity: Three Vignettes

By: Lynn S. Paine

Three situations are described. A branch manager for a retail brokerage firm must decide whether to change the branch's cash management techniques to increase interest earnings. An auto mechanic must decide whether to oversell parts and repairs to meet sales and... View Details

Keywords: Growth Management; Ethics; Decision Making; Organizational Culture; Financial Management; Sales; Organizational Change and Adaptation