Publications

April 1993 (Revised September 1996)
Case

General Mills, Inc.: Analyzing an Annual Report

By: William J. Bruns Jr. and Marc H. Zablatsky

A directed analysis of the General Mills 1992 Annual Report. Focuses on the basics of reading an annual report including analysis of financial statements, calculations of financial ratios, and study of the layout and message of an annual report. View Details

Keywords: History; Cost Management; Activity Based Costing and Management; Financial Statements; Financial Strategy

01 Apr 2002
News

How-To Book for General Managers

modules; each focuses on a single process that is essential to general managers, such as strategy development, resource allocation, decision-making, or change. The cases include detailed process descriptions... View Details

Keywords: Publishing Industries (except Internet); Information

Web

General Management - Faculty & Research

General Management Overview Faculty Curriculum Awards & Honors Doctoral Students September 2025 Article Sticky Capital Controls By: Miguel Acosta-Henao, Laura Alfaro and Andrés Fernández There is much ongoing debate on the merits of... View Details

TeachingInterests

Driving Digital Strategy

By: Felix Oberholzer-Gee

Technology, like a relentless force of nature, is reshaping industries at an unprecedented pace. It poses a threat to those who resist and fail to adapt. But it also presents unparalleled opportunities to those audacious enough to harness its... View Details

Research Summary

Masters of Strategy

By: David B. Yoffie

Over the last two decades, Professor Yoffie has written numerous cases on Intel, Microsoft, and Apple. In a new research project with Professor Michael Cusumano of MIT, the authors are examining what made Andy Grove of Intel, Bill Gates of Microsoft, and Steve Jobs... View Details

May 2006 (Revised February 2012)
Case

General Electric's 20th Century CEOs (Abridged)

By: Nitin Nohria, Anthony J. Mayo and Mark Benson

General Electric thrived in every decade of the 20th century. Since its founding in 1892, GE has placed a high value on picking and training the best people. Staff members worked with other scientists in the company's research lab to design and manufacture new and... View Details

Keywords: Business History; Leadership Style; Growth and Development Strategy; Management Style

June 1992
Supplement

General Electric: Jack Welch's Second Wave (B)

By: Christopher A. Bartlett

In the annual report, Welch indicates a new priority for the company--developing a cadre of managers who can lead GE in implementing its strategy in a new organizational context. The question facing Welch is whether his bold new human resource vision is realistic and... View Details

Keywords: Human Resources; Leadership; Growth and Development Strategy; Organizational Design; Competitive Strategy

11 Aug 2008
Research & Ideas

Strategy Execution and the Balanced Scorecard

a company? A: The OSM is analogous to a military general's chief of staff. The general is responsible and accountable for developing the strategy to win wars and battles. But a View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

June 2015 (Revised September 2017)
Supplement

Generating Higher Value at IBM

By: Benjamin C. Esty and Scott Mayfield

This case analyzes IBM's financial performance and its capital allocation decisions over a 10-year period from 2004-2013, during which IBM returned more than $140B to shareholders through a combination of dividends and share repurchases. During this time, CEO Sam... View Details

Keywords: Dividends; Share Repurchases; Earnings Guidance; Financial Statement Analysis; Financial Ratios; Payout Policy; Earnings Per Share (EPS); Earnings Management; Change Management; Leadership; Transformation; Financial Strategy

November 2004
Case

Technology Commercialization at the Massachusetts General Hospital

The Department of Corporate Sponsored Research & Licensing (CSRL) at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) serves as the primary interface between the hospital and the private sector. Examines the range of issues related to the commercialization of MGH's... View Details

Keywords: Technological Innovation; Conflict of Interests; Commercialization; Higher Education; Health Care and Treatment; Education Industry; Health Industry; Massachusetts

23 Aug 2004
Research & Ideas

Strategy for Small Fish

series of ecosystems, they urge, with "keystone" companies such as Microsoft and Wal-Mart providing for the health of all who do business with them. What are the best strategies for companies living in these ecosystems? This... View Details

Keywords: by Marco Iansiti & Roy Levien

01 Apr 1996
News

Stewards of the Seventh Generation

text, four HBS alumni demonstrate what they and their companies are specifically doing to promote sustainable development. Their efforts show how environmental strategies can both enhance productivity and help to ensure that the earth... View Details

Keywords: Marguerite Rigoglioso, Garry Emmons, Linda Goodspeed, and Elaine Gottlieb

June 1991 (Revised April 1993)
Case

General Electric: Jack Welch's Second Wave (A)

By: Christopher A. Bartlett

By the mid 1980's Jack Welch had completely transformed General Electric with more than 300 divestitures and acquisitions since the beginning of the decade. Welch insisted that his business units be number one or number two in their markets, and have the strength of... View Details

Keywords: Business Conglomerates; Transformation; Employee Relationship Management; Planning; Corporate Strategy

June 2025
Article

Ideation with Generative AI—In Consumer Research and Beyond

By: Julian De Freitas, G. Nave and Stefano Puntoni

The use of large language models (LLMs) in consumer research is rapidly evolving, with applications including synthetic data generation, data analysis, and more. However, their role in creative ideation—a cornerstone of consumer research—remains underexplored. Drawing... View Details

Keywords: Large Language Model; AI and Machine Learning; Creativity; Innovation Strategy

Read Now

January 1982 (Revised November 1982)
Case

General Foods: Productivity Measurement Program

By: Robert H. Hayes and Kim B. Clark

Keywords: Performance Productivity; Performance Improvement; Strategy; Food and Beverage Industry

Find at Harvard

November 2023 (Revised January 2024)
Case

Votorantim: Uniting Family and Business Across Generations

By: Christina R. Wing, Carla Larangeira and Pedro Levindo

Over a 105-year span, the Ermírio de Moraes family built Votorantim, one of Latin America’s largest industrial conglomerates, and among Brazil’s topmost businesses, also credited for helping “build” the country over decades. By early 2023, Votorantim included... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Governance; Family Ownership; Business and Shareholder Relations; Family and Family Relationships; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Chemical Industry; Mining Industry; Financial Services Industry; Latin America