Publications

05 Aug 2002
What Do You Think?

Is Platform Leadership Old Hat or the Wave of the Future?

In one recent case, Procter & Gamble purchased a company producing a low-cost, mass-produced disposable electric rotary toothbrush to be marketed under its famous Crest brand umbrella. As it turns out, its founders developed the... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

Research Summary

Consumer-Brand Relationships

Susan M. Fournier is conducting extensive research into the relationships consumers form with brands. Her work builds on the premise that, although marketers espouse the notion of relationships in current thought and practice, none have theoretically maximized the... View Details

July 2007 (Revised September 2009)
Case

CEMEX (A): Building the Global Framework (1985-2004)

By: Rosabeth M. Kanter, Pamela Yatsko and Ryan Raffaelli

CEMEX grew through acquisitions from a Latin American to a global company under the leadership of a CEO who believed in the importance of a "one enterprise" culture and benchmarking against world standards. As the CEO ponders an acquisition that would double the... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Competency and Skills; Globalized Firms and Management; Growth and Development Strategy; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Integration; Latin America

Web

Tools of the Trade | Social Enterprise | Harvard Business School

Tools of the Trade As executive director of Boston Collegiate Charter School (BCCS), Shannah Varón (MBA 2009) uses her MBA skillset “all day, every day,” whether the task at hand involves structuring a View Details

29 Nov 2004
Research & Ideas

Caves, Clusters, and Weak Ties: The Six Degrees World of Inventors

flows across these links—that that's the lifeblood of research and creativity. At the other extreme, we found two CEO managers in Silicon Valley who were vehemently opposed to these ideas and complained... View Details

Keywords: by Sara Grant; Publishing

February 2011 (Revised December 2012)
Case

The Ford Fiesta

By: John Deighton and Leora Kornfeld

Executives at Ford wondered if social media could be the marketing solution for the launch of the youth-oriented 2010 Fiesta. But with social media came a ceding of control. Some at the company believed that if Ford was going to move beyond its conservative brand image... View Details

Keywords: Advertising Campaigns; Digital Marketing; Leadership; Goals and Objectives; Brands and Branding; Marketing Strategy; Product Launch; Market Entry and Exit; Standards; Auto Industry

June 2014
Case

Going Social: Durex in China

By: Mikolaj Jan Piskorski and Aaron Smith

When Reckitt Benckiser (RB), a leading consumer goods company, first entered China, it encountered significant challenges. RB's strategy relied on selling high margin products supported by cost-effective advertising and distribution, but the highly competitive Chinese... View Details

Keywords: Distribution; Multinational Firms and Management; Internet and the Web; Marketing Communications; Brands and Branding; Consumer Products Industry; China

01 Jun 2021
What Do You Think?

Are Employers Ready for a Flood of 'New' Talent Seeking Work?

talent that we know is on the way. A personal experience, however anecdotal it is, may provide food for thought. Last month, a female acquaintance with a long work record, a positive attitude, a high level of motivation, and familiarity... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

07 Sep 2014
News

An MBA That Served up a Big Slice of the Snack Market

Keywords: Panera; Au Bon Pain; Food Services and Drinking Places; Food Services and Drinking Places

16 Mar 2003
Research & Ideas

At the Center of Corporate Scandal Where Do We Go From Here?

importance of values and standards in business and the role leaders play in articulating them. Fifteen years ago we began teaching a required course called Leadership, Values, and Decision Making. Last December, after a couple View Details

Keywords: by Kim B. Clark

March 2005 (Revised May 2009)
Case

Columbia's Final Mission

By: Michael Roberto, Amy C. Edmondson, Richard M.J. Bohmer, Laura Feldman and Erika Ferlins

On February 1, 2003, the Shuttle Columbia disintegrated upon re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere, and the seven astronauts onboard lost their lives. Explores Columbia's final mission from the perspective of six key managers and engineers associated with NASA's Space... View Details

Keywords: Decision Choices and Conditions; Leadership; Crisis Management; Management Teams; Organizational Culture; Aerospace Industry

06 Aug 2019
Cold Call Podcast

Super Bowl Ads Sell Products, but Do They Sell Brands?

managers to think about what they want to get out of this. And how do I measure the success of it? Do I want brand awareness? Do I want to drive... View Details

Keywords: Advertising; Sports; Entertainment & Recreation; Media & Broadcasting

01 Jan 2014
News

To Spot Financial Trouble Early, Use Three Circles: A conversation with Blythe McGarvie of Harvard Business School

13 Nov 2013
Research & Ideas

Should Men’s Products Fear a Woman’s Touch?

symbol of their masculinity or femininity, and the incursion of the other gender into the brand threatens that," explains Avery, who spent a decade View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Consumer Products; Food & Beverage; Auto

August 2018 (Revised February 2023)
Case

Hubble Contact Lenses: Data Driven Direct-to-Consumer Marketing

By: Jill Avery and Ayelet Israeli

As its Series A extension round approaches, the founders of Hubble, a subscription-based, social-media fueled, direct-to-consumer (DTC) brand of contact lenses, are reflecting on the marketing strategies that have taken them to a valuation of $200 million and debating... View Details