Publications

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February 2003 (Revised June 2003)
Case

Interface's Evergreen Services Agreement

In an attempt to reduce its ecological footprint, Interface Americas, a leading manufacturer of commercial carpet tile, has launched the Evergreen Services Agreement (ESA)--a lease agreement that provides would-be carpet purchasers with comprehensive floor-covering... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Product; Environmental Sustainability; Innovation and Invention; Leasing; Consumer Products Industry; Houston

September 2010 (Revised January 2012)
Case

OPOWER: Increasing Energy Efficiency through Normative Influence (A)

By: Amy J.C. Cuddy, Kyle Todd Doherty and Maarten W. Bos

The case profiles OPOWER, an energy efficiency software company that applies Cialdini's principles of social influence to successfully encourage consumers to reduce their energy usage. OPOWER was co-founded in 2008 by two young Harvard graduates, Dan Yates and Alex... View Details

Keywords: Mathematical Methods; Applications and Software; Attitudes; Entrepreneurship; Energy Conservation; Power and Influence; Growth and Development Strategy; Energy Industry; United States

February 2023 (Revised March 2025)
Case

Graphic Packaging: Project Cowboy (A)

By: Benjamin C. Esty and E. Scott Mayfield

In July 2019, Graphic Packaging CEO Michael Doss was proposing a $600 million investment in a new machine to produce coated recycled board (CRB), a type of paper packaging used for consumer products (cups, cereal boxes, beverage boxes, etc.) that utilized recycled... View Details

Keywords: Capital Budgeting; Growth Management; Demand and Consumers; Duopoly and Oligopoly; Competitive Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Expansion; Value Creation; Supply and Industry; Pulp and Paper Industry; Manufacturing Industry; United States; North America

21 Feb 2011
News

Society and the right kind of capitalism

Allison H. Mnookin

Allison Mnookin is a Senior Lecturer of Business Administration in the Technology and Operations Management (TOM) Unit at the Harvard Business School. She currently is the co-chair of the first-year MBA Technology and Operations Management course. In addition, she... View Details

Teaching Interest

MBA Required Curriculum-- Strategy Course

By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell

The objective of this course is to help students develop the skills for formulating strategy. It provides an understanding of:

A firm's operative environment and how to sustain competitive advantage.
How to generate superior value for customers... View Details

Keywords: Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Competitive Advantage

May 2017 (Revised September 2018)
Case

Hilti Fleet Management (A): Turning a Successful Business Model on Its Head

By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell, Oliver Gassmann and Roman Sauer

This case explores the introduction of fleet management in the construction industry by the premium power tools manufacturer Hilti in 2000. Following its customers’ needs, Hilti moved from selling power tools to leasing them as a service. The introduction of the new... View Details

June 2006 (Revised April 2007)
Case

Wendy Kopp and Teach For America (A)

By: William W. George, Diana Mayer and Andrew N. McLean

In 1995, Wendy Kopp, founder and president of Teach for America, faces a worsening budget shortfall and sharpening challenges from education experts concerning her organization's mission and effectiveness. Provides information on the leadership development of the... View Details

Keywords: Mission and Purpose; Leadership Development; Social Entrepreneurship; Education; Education Industry; North and Central America

March 2018
Case

Sachem Head's Activism at Autodesk

By: Suraj Srinivasan and Quinn Pitcher

In 2015, activist hedge fund Sachem Head Capital, led by founder Scott Ferguson, launched an activist campaign at computer aided design (CAD) software maker Autodesk. The activist campaign, waged mainly in private, was over Autodesk's lackluster financial performance,... View Details

Keywords: Shareholder Activism; Investing; Activist Investing; Technology; CEO Turnover; Hedge Fund Activism; Benchmarking; Corporate Governance; Information Technology; Investment Activism; Performance Improvement; Management Succession; United States

October 2019
Supplement

Harlem Capital: Changing the Face of Entrepreneurship (B)

By: George Serafeim

The (B) case describes Tingle and Pierre-Jacques’ decision to commit fully to Harlem Capital as their post-graduation job. The case explores the results of their fundraising efforts, new strategic partnerships, and how they plan to “build the market” in order to... View Details

Keywords: Impact Investing; Gender Bias; Gender Inequality; Minority Representation; Entrepreneurial Finance; Investment Management; Investing; Inequality; Venture Capital; Entrepreneurship; Diversity; Gender; Equality and Inequality; Equity; Mission and Purpose; Investment Funds; Financial Services Industry

July 2014 (Revised February 2015)
Teaching Note

Johnson & Johnson: The Promotion of Wellness

By: John A. Quelch

The chief medical officer of Johnson & Johnson (J & J) is reflecting on forty years of sustained efforts by the company to improve employee wellness. The case reviews J & J's multiple wellness initiatives and efforts to measure their effectiveness. It also invites... View Details

Keywords: Empoylee Wellness Programs; Human Resource Management; Corporate Management Strategy; Employee Engagement; Human Resources; Management; Organizations; Performance; Personal Development and Career; Programs; Strategy; Health Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry; Pharmaceutical Industry; North and Central America; Europe; Asia

February 1995
Case

Promus Companies, The: Harrah's Casinos

By: Stephen P. Bradley and Takia Mahmood

Provides an overview of the U.S. gambling industry and the rapid expansion of gambling beyond Nevada and New Jersey since 1988. Focuses on Harrah's, a traditional top-tier casino company, which was the first to aggressively expand into emerging gaming markets and that... View Details

Keywords: Emerging Markets; Competitive Advantage; Corporate Strategy; Expansion; Las Vegas; New Jersey

01 Nov 2010
News

Foreclosure Crisis Provides Opportunity for Bankruptcy Reform

January 2021
Article

Institutional-Political Scenarios for Anthropocene Society

By: Andrew J. Hoffman and P. Devereaux Jennings

Natural scientists have proposed that humankind has entered a new geologic epoch. Termed the “Anthropocene,” this new reality revolves around the central role of human activity in multiple Earth ecosystems. That challenge requires a rethinking of social science... View Details

Keywords: Institutional Change; Institutional Theory; Natural Environment; Society; Environmental Sustainability

Read Now

18 Apr 2016 - 19 Apr 2016
Other Presentation

Creating Shared Value in Health Care

By: Michael E. Porter

The overall purpose of the conference was to inspire CEOs to become more aware of their public health footprint, how they can improve the sustainability of their products and health of their workforce and their untapped power to influence change and progress in the... View Details

Keywords: Society; Health Care; Community Impact; Shared Value; Value Creation; Organizations; Civil Society or Community; Health Care and Treatment; Business and Community Relations