Benchmarking Performance - Publications - Faculty & Research

20 Oct 2010
Op-Ed

Export Competitiveness: Reversing the Logic

Some of these barriers are related to inefficiencies in the domestic business environment, for example those captured in the World Bank's Logistical Performance Index (Arvis et al., 2010). Others are related to market access abroad, for... View Details

Keywords: by Christian Ketels

26 Nov 2001
Research & Ideas

How Toyota Turns Workers Into Problem Solvers

American Big Three and many other auto companies had done major benchmarking studies, and they and other companies had tried to implement their own forms of the Toyota Production System. There is the Ford Production System, the Chrysler... View Details

Keywords: by Sarah Jane Johnston; Manufacturing; Transportation; Auto

14 Nov 2017
First Look

New Research and Ideas: November 14, 2017

trainees how to assemble an aircraft wing—and has cut the time it takes them to do that task by 35%. At GE, factory workers have achieved a similar gain in efficiency by using voice commands in AR experiences to perform complex wiring. AR... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

Research Summary

The Value of Family Ownership, Control, and Management

In collaboration with Professor Raphael Amit of Wharton, Belén Villalonga is investigating how family ownership, control, and management affect firm value. Their forthcoming Journal of Financial... View Details

Web

Business Economics Online Course | HBS Online

pricing strategies Benchmark costs compared to competitors through relative cost analysis Apply conjoint analysis to understand what features customers value most Understand the power of network effects to drive demand Identify sources of... View Details

Web

Launching Tech Ventures | HBS Online

Co-Founder & CEO Show Hide Details Concepts Welcome to Launching Tech Ventures Business Model Exploration Business Model Evaluation Business Model Alignment Featured Exercises Perform a business model quality assessment Characterize the... View Details

06 Aug 2019
Cold Call Podcast

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

compelling story was told in anticipation of a product launch, and that became sort of the benchmark going forward for must-see TV and what brand storytelling could look like on this phenomenal platform when you've got one out of every... View Details

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

14 Jul 2020
Research & Ideas

Restarting Under Uncertainty: Managerial Experiences from Around the World

benchmark and eventually create its own protocols. Second, it decided to ensure the use of effective safety practices by creating a simple principle: the clients’ protocols could not be less stringent than what was required by... View Details

Keywords: by Raffaella Sadun, Andrea Bertoni, Alexia Delfino, Giovanni Fassio, and Mariapaola Testa

03 Dec 2018
Research & Ideas

How Companies Can Increase Market Rewards for Sustainability Efforts

flavijus For the first time, a link has been drawn between public sentiment about a company’s sustainability practices and how that company is valued in the market. The results are important both for investors searching for under-valued, socially responsible companies,... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

31 Jan 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research: January 31, 2017

from the CEO—a process entailing the judicious selection of benchmarks for relative performance evaluation (RPE). We evaluate the efficacy of firms' chosen RPE benchmarks and... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

10 Jan 2005
Research & Ideas

Professors Introduce Valuation Software

financial data to perform accounting analysis, ratio analysis, forecasted financials, and valuation. It also provides benchmarking for comparable firms. It was created by Harvard Business School faculty... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

22 Nov 2016
First Look

November 22, 2016

predict that the board will design incentive contracts that filter out common shocks in performance to motivate costly effort from the CEO—a process that entails the judicious selection of benchmarks for... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

14 Nov 2011
Research & Ideas

Creating a Global Business Code

the same crucial questions as phase 2, but across a stratified sample of employees at several multinational companies. The researchers wanted the impressions of frontline workers as well as corporate executives. The goal was to develop a View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

23 Mar 2003
Research & Ideas

Putting the Project Puzzle Together

at it through different lenses.—F. Warren McFarlan Q: What is some of your basic advice for helping companies align their portfolios? A: Understand your portfolio by looking at it through different lenses; try to benchmark yourself... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

09 May 2017
First Look

New Research and Ideas, May 9

measures' informativeness about managerial effort and talent depends critically on the judicious selection of peer firms as performance benchmarks. By evaluating the efficacy of firms' chosen relative TSR View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

01 Mar 2013
News

Sizing Up Social Impact

increased expectations for hard, measurable results. Which seems only fair, right? The problem: Nonprofits can lose sight of their mission if a major funder's performance measurement priorities don't align with the necessary actions to... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna; Crop Production; Agriculture; Administration of Economic Programs; Government; Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development; Government; Water, Sewage and Supply Systems; Utilities

01 Feb 2001
News

The Third Force: Indispensable to Society, Nonprofits Should Redirect Oversight Efforts

"I'm a great believer in nonprofits," Herzlinger said, "but sometimes they don't achieve their mission. Nonprofit managers more than agree with me. Many grade their own performances as poor." Herzlinger ticked off a few examples:... View Details

Keywords: Health, Social Assistance

12 Jan 2004
Research & Ideas

Does Your HQ Operation Fit With Corporate Strategy?

The specter of "headquarters" usually looms large in the business world's imagination, but few managers—and few CEOs, especially new CEOs—understand how size, structure, and performance of headquarters interact. To investigate,... View Details