Publications

April 2001
Background Note

Exchange Rate Terminology and Analytics

An introduction to the concept of exchange rates, simple analytics regarding currency appreciation and devaluation, and real and nominal exchange rates. Concludes with a series of examples that illustrate how shifts in exchange rates and inflation can affect firms'... View Details

Keywords: Competition; Currency Exchange Rate; Inflation and Deflation

22 Sep 2009
First Look

First Look: September 22

show that (i) firms may become "more closed" in response to competition from an outside open source project; (ii) firms are more likely to open substitute, rather than complementary, modules to existing open source projects;... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

April 1995
Case

Toy Game, The

Companies sometimes issue rebate coupons entitling the holder to a certain amount off the price of their products. This case explores the effects of rebate coupons on the game between two companies that operate in a market where there is very little underlying customer... View Details

Keywords: Competitive Strategy

2018
Book

American Capitalism: New Histories

By: Sven Beckert and Christine Desan

The United States has long epitomized capitalism. From its enterprising shopkeepers, wildcat banks, violent slave plantations, huge industrial working class, and raucous commodities trade to its world-spanning multinationals, its massive factories, and the centripetal... View Details

Keywords: Economic Systems; History; Finance; Trade; Economy; Policy; United States

Find at Harvard

March 1993
Background Note

Note on Information Technology and Strategy

By: Richard L. Nolan and Katherine Seger

Provides a context for the evolution of information technology in business organizations, explains the emergence of information as an important resource to be managed, and provides a framework for assessing the strategic potential of information in the firm. View Details

Keywords: Information; Information Management; Information Technology; Business Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Cooperation; Adoption; Body of Literature; Archives; Annual Reports; Information Technology Industry

January 2007 (Revised October 2011)
Case

Roppongi Hills: City Within a City

By: Anita Elberse, Andrei Hagiu and Masako Egawa

Minoru Mori is the CEO of Mori Building, which has built Roppongi Hills, an ambitious large-scale, mixed-use development in Tokyo, Japan that includes high-end retail, restaurants, hotel, office, library, and art museum. A destination site for tourists and local... View Details

Keywords: Buildings and Facilities; Development Economics; Brands and Branding; Urban Development; Competition; Real Estate Industry; Tokyo

01 Aug 2018
What Do You Think?

Are Free Trade and Free Markets Quaint Ideas From the Past?

reality into the discussion by commenting that free trade and free markets, as described by economists in their theories, are both a delusion. “Trade today is pretty much an evil mixture of economics and... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

03 Aug 2009
Research & Ideas

Corporate Social Responsibility in a Downturn

Is the economic downturn affecting the willingness and readiness of companies to look at the economic, social, and environmental impact of their business practices? Or is this... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

22 Oct 2012
Research & Ideas

Not Your Father’s State-Run Capitalism

state-owned enterprises (SOEs) such as those in the Soviet Union and China, which were tightly controlled by government, packed with party apparatchiks, and stifled honest competition by introducing all kinds View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

19 Mar 2014
News

Canada Names New Finance Minister

Keywords: Canada; finance minister; natural resources; Administration of Economic Programs; Administration of Economic Programs

25 Jul 2011
Research & Ideas

How Disruptive Innovation is Remaking the University

and what subjects to teach, without concern for economic or political agendas. Responsibly exercised, this freedom is a great intellectual and competitive advantage. Traditional universities benefit society... View Details

Keywords: by Clayton M. Christensen & Henry J. Eyring; Education

20 Jan 2009
Research & Ideas

Risky Business with Structured Finance

become all too clear. The pooling and repackaging of economic assets such as loans, bonds, and mortgages resulted in enormous yields for many investors—until, one day, they didn't. "The View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Banking; Financial Services

23 Apr 2013
First Look

First Look: April 23

financial crisis of 2008 laid bare the hidden network of relationships in corporate governance: who owes what to whom, who will stand by whom in times of crisis, what governs... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

July 2011 (Revised August 2011)
Supplement

Renewing GE: The Africa Project (B)

By: David A. Thomas and Stephanie J. Creary

This case continues the story of the evolution of GE's business initiatives Africa. Between November 2010 and March 2011 several significant structural changes and leadership appointments were announced at GE, which reflected the company's commitment to global growth... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Restructuring; Multinational Firms and Management; Developing Countries and Economies; Consumer Products Industry; Hong Kong; Africa; Republic of Ireland

01 Jun 2014
News

School Ties

School's US Competitiveness Project. Because business leaders have a profound economic and moral stake in making that happen, Rivkin adds, "the most progressive of them are... View Details

Keywords: Garry Emmons; Elementary and Secondary Schools; Educational Services

December 2002 (Revised May 2003)
Case

Fonterra: Taking on the Dairy World

By: Ray A. Goldberg and Jose M. M. Porraz

Fonterra was a cooperatively owned dairy company--New Zealand's largest company and the world's largest exporter of dairy products. To maintain its leadership, Fonterra had to respond to increased competition, new consumer tastes, consolidation of its customers, and... View Details

Keywords: Cooperative Ownership; Animal-Based Agribusiness; Trade; Global Strategy; Food; Business Model; Developing Countries and Economies; Competitive Strategy; Demand and Consumers; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; New Zealand

Research Summary

Mastering Strategy Execution

By: Robert Simons

Professor Robert Simons’ research encompasses three areas of management accountability that are the foundation for successful strategy execution: organization design, performance measurement and control, and risk management. In addition, Simons is interested in the... View Details

December 2004 (Revised August 2006)
Case

Brcko and the Arizona Market

By: Bruce R. Scott and Edward Murphy

Explores the role of the U.S. military in facilitating the establishment of a spectacularly successful free trade area in one of the most devastated areas of Bosnia. NATO's imposition of law and order, plus protection from local political protection rackets, led to... View Details

Keywords: Developing Countries and Economies; Trade; Economic Growth; Industry Growth; Government Legislation; Emerging Markets; Bosnia and Hercegovina; United States