Publications

September 1993 (Revised January 1997)
Case

Serengeti Eyewear: Entrepreneurship Within Corning, Inc.

By: David A. Garvin and Jonathan West

An entrepreneurial division within Corning, Serengeti Eyewear, has grown rapidly in its brief 10-year history. Now it must decide whether to launch a new line of sunglasses and take on the industry leader. The company has prospered by developing and cultivating... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Design; Management Style; Competitive Strategy; Customer Relationship Management; Employee Relationship Management; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Talent and Talent Management; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Manufacturing Industry

August 1986 (Revised May 1989)
Case

Timken Co.

Describes the efforts of the Timken Co., a major international producer of bearings and steel, to develop an effective employee communication program. The case examines the intense international competitive atmosphere, the recent record of job losses in related... View Details

Keywords: Employees; Communication Strategy; Manufacturing Industry; Manufacturing Industry

June 2004 (Revised November 2004)
Case

Birth of the Swatch, The

By: Youngme E. Moon

In 1993, the Swatch is the best-selling watch in history. Traces the history of the watch industry up to the early 1980s, when the Swatch was introduced. Describes the various elements that made the Swatch different from any watch the industry had ever seen. Also... View Details

Keywords: History; Management; Product Positioning; Marketing Strategy; Business Startups; Brands and Branding; Manufacturing Industry

Web

Scrapbooks & Collectibles- The Art of American Advertising

Clubs Faculty & Research Business & Environment Business History Christensen Center for Teaching & Learning Entrepreneurship Faculty & Research Global Healthcare HBS Working Knowledge Institute for Strategy & Competitiveness Leadership... View Details

February 1988
Case

Crown Cork & Seal Co., Inc. (Condensed)

By: Richard G. Hamermesh and Richard S. Rosenbloom

A condensed version of Crown Cork & Seal Co., Inc. The principal changes are the elimination of details about the early history of the company and condensation of the final section, Outlook for the Future. View Details

Keywords: Risk and Uncertainty; Industry Growth; Environmental Sustainability; Business Strategy; Trends; Manufacturing Industry

Keywords: GE; General Electric; Jack Welch; Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing; Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing; Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing; Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing; Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing; Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing

01 Jun 2025
News

Barbie: Reviving a Cultural Icon at Mattel

Creating Brand Value, Ofek and his co-authors look at the company’s evolution from toy manufacturer to IP franchise manager and the reinvigoration of the famous and famously fraught brand. It wasn’t just the considerable hype around the... View Details

Keywords: Christine Speer Lejeune; Illustrations by Miguel Porlan; Educational Services

01 Jun 2005
News

Cultural Revolution at GE

Jeffrey Immelt (MBA ’82) had a tough act to follow when he took over as GE chairman and CEO in September 2001 from the legendary Jack Welch. Ever since, Immelt has been on a mission to transform the $152 billion industrial and finance behemoth from one famously... View Details

February 2002 (Revised March 2004)
Case

Volvo Trucks (B): Acquisition of RVI

By: Michael E. Porter and Orjan Solvell

Supplements the (A) case. View Details

Keywords: Market Entry and Exit; Competitive Strategy; Five Forces Framework; Truck Transportation; Global Strategy; Globalized Markets and Industries; Manufacturing Industry; Manufacturing Industry; United States; Europe

01 May 2008
Research & Ideas

The Marketing Challenges of the China Olympics

Take Lenovo, for example. The fourth largest personal computer manufacturer in the world is the first and only Chinese company to be a global sponsor of an Olympics. Lenovo's investment in the Games is around $100 million. The company... View Details

Keywords: by John Quelch; Sports

31 May 2013
News

Meg Whitman Jolts HP as Its Reluctant Savior

Keywords: HP, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, Dell, eBay; Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing; Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing

21 Jul 2014
Research & Ideas

Is a Gap in Small-Business Credit Holding Back the American Economy?

micro-economic strategies that give small businesses and entrepreneurs the resources they need to grow and create more well-paying jobs. One of the most critical of these is capital. As the pace of the recovery continues to be slow, we... View Details

Keywords: by Karen Mills; Manufacturing

April 1970 (Revised December 1983)
Case

Norton Co. (A)

Introduces the "Norton Plan" designed to halt Norton's declining share of the grinding wheel market. View Details

Keywords: Machinery and Machining; Competitive Strategy; Sales; Manufacturing Industry; Manufacturing Industry

27 Mar 2025
Blog Post

IFC India 2025: Driving India's EV Future: Insights from Ather Scooter and Exponent Energy

reducing emissions. Our research focused on understanding the opportunities and hurdles faced by emerging 2-wheeler EV manufacturers and advancements in EV battery and charging technologies and infrastructure. As part of this research, we... View Details

August 2002
Background Note

Customer Benefit Stack

By: Das Narayandas

Describes a process to understand customer benefits created in industrial markets using the metaphor of a customer benefit stack. View Details

Keywords: Customer Satisfaction; Customer Value and Value Chain; Marketing Strategy; Product Marketing; Manufacturing Industry

13 Apr 2015
Research & Ideas

3 Ways Firms Can Profit From Environmental Investments

In the course of her work, Rebecca Henderson meets business executives who don't address the threat of climate change because they don't believe that it exists. Her recommendation: They should consider investments in environmental sustainability anyway, assuming that... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Energy; Utilities

01 Dec 2016
News

Carving a Niche

for a long time, the major ski manufacturers just kept doing what worked last year.” Meanwhile, snowboarding companies were pushing the limits of production technology and design. The Faction Collective, where Hoye is cofounder and CEO,... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna

September 2017 (Revised June 2021)
Supplement

Tempur Sealy International (C)

By: Benjamin C. Esty and Lauren G. Pickle

Analyzes the commercial relationship between Tempur Sealy and Mattress Firm following the events discussed in the (B) case. View Details