Publications

November 2004
Case

Deere & Company

By: Ray A. Goldberg and Hal Hogan

John Deere & Co. wants to improve shareholder value and provide incentives to do so. The task is difficult in a volatile agriculture and construction industry. It also wants to be more global and provide machinery that traces commodities from the field to the consumer. View Details

Keywords: Factories, Labs, and Plants; Volatility; Machinery and Machining; Multinational Firms and Management; Goods and Commodities; Goals and Objectives; Strategic Planning; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Construction Industry

August 2014 (Revised March 2015)
Case

Molycorp: Issuing the 'Happy Meal' Securities (B)

By: Benjamin C. Esty and E. Scott Mayfield

Molycorp, the Western hemisphere's only producer of rare earth minerals, was in the middle of a $1 billion capital expansion in its effort to become a vertically integrated supplier of rare earth minerals, oxides, and metals. After reporting lower than expected... View Details

07 Mar 2005
Research & Ideas

The Rise of Innovation in Asia

percent); Latin America (5 percent); Eastern Europe (4 percent); and the Caribbean/Mexico (2 percent). More and more, Lewin said, the work being outsourced goes beyond call centers and similar services to include research, HR functions, and View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

January 1980 (Revised August 1986)
Case

General Electric vs. Westinghouse in Large Turbine Generators (A)

By: Michael E. Porter

Describes the U.S. large turbine generator industry in early 1963, a period of severe price cutting and depressed industry conditions. Presents data to allow a structural analysis of the industry and an analysis of the strategies of the major players since 1946. The... View Details

Keywords: Transformation; Customer Focus and Relationships; Machinery and Machining; Cost Management; Price; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Marketing Strategy; Industry Structures; Competition; Manufacturing Industry; United States

27 Aug 2008
Research & Ideas

Creating Leaders for Science-Based Businesses

effort. "To maintain a leadership position globally, the United States needs high value-added products and services to be the engine of its economy," says HBS professor emeritus Kent Bowen, organizer of the colloquium. "One... View Details

Keywords: by Garry Emmons; Biotechnology; Health

12 Jul 2004
Research & Ideas

Michael Porter’s Prescription For the High Cost of Health Care

becomes the engine of progress and reform. Improvement feeds on itself. For that process to begin, however, the locus of competition has to shift from "Who pays?" to "Who provides the best value?" Getting there will... View Details

Keywords: by Michael E. Porter; Health

21 May 2001
Research & Ideas

From Tigers to Kaleidoscopes: Thinking About Future Leadership

engine for the extraordinary motivation and commitment demanded by creativity. As organizations become increasingly diverse and their boundaries flexible and amorphous, the notion of what brings people together to act as one body becomes... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

28 Aug 2012
First Look

First Look: August 28

after Transatlantic's failed effort at a merger of equals, and as several other unsuccessful bids for the company, one that was hostile. Purchase this case:http://hbr.org/search/313017-PDF-ENG Mekanism: Engineering Viral Marketing Thales... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

12 Aug 2008
Op-Ed

Google-Yahoo Ad Deal is Bad for Online Advertising

take the next-to-last slot. In Internet Advertising and the Generalized Second Price Auction 2 my coauthors and I develop this envy-free condition. In Optimal Auction Design in a Multi-unit Environment 3 my coauthor and I demonstrate that when a search View Details

Keywords: by Benjamin G. Edelman; Advertising; Publishing

September 2011
Supplement

TopCoder (B)

By: Karim R. Lakhani, Eric Lonstein and Stephanie Pokrywa

Metrology plays a key role in the manufacture of mechanical components. Traditionally it is used extensively in a pre-process stage where a manufacturer does process planning, design, and ramp-up, and in post-process off-line inspection to establish proof of quality.... View Details

Keywords: Industry Growth; Forecasting and Prediction; Change Management; Production; Machinery and Machining; Planning; Quality; Competition; Diversification; Technology Adoption; Measurement and Metrics; Product Design; Manufacturing Industry

October 1991 (Revised August 1993)
Case

Acid Rain: Burlington Northern, Inc. (A)

By: Forest L. Reinhardt

Burlington Northern (BN) hauls low-sulfur coal from the northern Great Plains to electric utilities in the Midwest. Acid rain legislation may affect the geographic scope of BN's markets. Railroad managers need to assess the economic effects of acid rain controls and... View Details

Keywords: Rail Transportation; Environmental Sustainability; Development Economics; Government Legislation; Natural Environment; Policy; Metals and Minerals; Industry Growth; Industry Structures; Rail Industry; United States

September 1989 (Revised July 1991)
Case

Caterpillar, Inc.: George Schaefer Takes Charge

By: Christopher A. Bartlett

For over half a century, Caterpillar, Inc. (CAT) had been a world leader in the manufacture of earthmoving and construction machinery. In 1982, just months after it recorded the highest sales and profits in its history, CAT experienced its greatest crisis. Demand fell... View Details

Keywords: Machinery and Machining; Crisis Management; Labor Unions; Demand and Consumers; Management Teams; Problems and Challenges; Competitive Strategy; Business Strategy; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Manufacturing Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Industrial Products Industry

November 1987 (Revised January 1988)
Case

Groen: A Dover Industries Company

By: Francis Aguilar

Describes the challenges facing the president of an old-line foodservice and food processing equipment manufacturing company as it attempted to accelerate sales and profit growth through the introduction of innovative products. The introduction of a "revolutionary"... View Details

Keywords: Business or Company Management; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Labor and Management Relations; Machinery and Machining; Management Style; Management Teams; Performance Efficiency; Technological Innovation; Product Development; Organizational Culture