Publications

January 1998 (Revised April 1998)
Case

Lincoln Electric: Venturing Abroad

By: Christopher A. Bartlett and Jamie O'Connell

Lincoln Electric, a 100-year-old manufacturer of welding equipment and consumables based in Cleveland, Ohio, motivates its U.S. employees through a culture of cooperation between management and labor and an unusual compensation system based on piecework and a large... View Details

Keywords: Acquisition; Restructuring; Transformation; Construction; Compensation and Benefits; Management; Market Entry and Exit; Labor and Management Relations; Competitive Advantage; Expansion; Manufacturing Industry; Ohio

June 1991
Supplement

Philips Group--1990

Describes the strategic and organizational changes introduced by Cor Van Der Klugt as he becomes CEO. View Details

Keywords: Management Teams; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Strategy

June 1991 (Revised April 1993)
Case

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

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

Web

Resources - Christensen Center for Teaching & Learning

James L. Heskett, and Christopher A. Bartlett This document offers guidance and advice, including check lists, for the preparation and writing of both classroom cases and their... View Details

Web

Latin America - Global

competitiveness. Participants also identified a significant gap between corporate skill demands and academia, calling for greater collaboration between the private and public sectors with educational institutions to develop relevant curricula. Throughout this event led... View Details

Web

Faculty & Research - Entrepreneurship

industry is moving from hardware to software in the form of smart, connected elevators. But instead of laying off lega... More Research August 2025 Article Revenue Collapses and the Consumption of Small Business Owners in the COVID-19 Pandemic By: Olivia S. Kim ,... View Details

September 1989 (Revised July 1991)
Case

Komatsu: Ryoichi Kawai's Leadership

Highlights the role played by Ryoichi Kawai in building a company that was able to challenge industry leader Caterpillar. A rewritten version of an earlier case. View Details

Keywords: Leadership; Management; Growth Management; Competition; Manufacturing Industry

Find at Harvard

April 1999 (Revised May 2005)
Case

GE's Two-Decade Transformation: Jack Welch's Leadership

By: Christopher A. Bartlett and Meg Wozny

GE is faced with Jack Welch's impending retirement and whether anyone can sustain the blistering pace of change and growth characteristic of the Welch era. After briefly describing GE's heritage and Welch's transformation of the company's business portfolio of the... View Details

Keywords: Transformation; Global Strategy; Leadership Development; Goals and Objectives; Six Sigma; Management Succession; Service Operations; Quality; Corporate Strategy

Web

Globalization - Faculty & Research

School Working Paper, No. 25-038, February 2025. More Publications Faculty Geoffrey G. Jones Christopher A. Bartlett Tarun Khanna John A. Quelch... View Details

May 1992 (Revised August 1996)
Case

NIKE in Transition (A): The Ascendancy of Bob Woodell

Explores Bob Woodell's tenure as Nike's first COO. Describes development of Woodell's management style, his attempts to develop the organization, and his responses to unforeseen business problems. Changing market forces, new competitors, a build-up of low-end... View Details

Keywords: Conferences; Crisis Management; Management Style; Marketing Strategy; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Performance Evaluation; Competition

November 1981
Case

Questionable Payments Abroad: Gulf in Italy

Gulf Oil in Italy was confronted by the need to increase the authorized capacity at a refinery in the face of substantial opposition. Raises the issue of their use of "facilitating gratuities" to minor officials, payments to influence news reports, and the employment... View Details

Keywords: Ethics; Energy Industry; Mining Industry; Italy

December 2009
Case

Philips versus Matsushita: The Competitive Battle Continues

Describes the development of the global strategies and organizations of two major competitors in the consumer electronics industry. Over four decades, both companies adapt their strategic intent and organizational capability to match and counter the competitive... View Details

Keywords: Competitive Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Organizational Culture; Multinational Firms and Management; Restructuring; Consumer Products Industry; Electronics Industry

April 1982 (Revised September 1986)
Case

Ideal Standard France: Pat Paterson

A newly appointed country subsidiary manager must decide on action for an operation losing $1 million per month. He is constrained by price controls on one hand and sensitive union relations on the other. Furthermore a major loss-contributing plant has recently been... View Details

Keywords: Business Subsidiaries; Transition; Cost Management; Management; Crisis Management; Labor and Management Relations

Web

Finance Awards & Honors - Faculty & Research

from Wiley Publishing for Lazy Prices (Journal of Finance, June 2020) with Christopher Malloy and Quoc Nguyen. Shawn A. Cole : Winner of the 2021 Teaching Recognition Award for Excellence in Sustainable... View Details

July 1998 (Revised December 2001)
Case

Jollibee Foods Corporation (A): International Expansion

By: Christopher A. Bartlett and Jamie O'Connell

Noli Tingzon, newly-appointed international division VP at Jollibee, the Philippines-based hamburger chain, is faced with the challenge of expanding fast food operations in Asia in the face of stiff competition. The case describes Jollibee's six-year international... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Motivation and Incentives; Expansion; Global Range; Global Strategy; Food and Beverage Industry; Philippines

December 1994 (Revised May 1999)
Case

3M Optical Systems: Managing Corporate Entrepreneurship

By: Christopher A. Bartlett and Afroze A Mohammed

A middle-level division manager must decide whether he should support an investment request for a third attempt at launching a new product developed by a struggling business unit. Describes the long, difficult process by which the unit has developed the product--a... View Details

Keywords: Managerial Roles; Decision Choices and Conditions; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Product Launch; Problems and Challenges; Product Development; Consumer Products Industry