Publications

July 1998 (Revised October 1998)
Case

Jan Eriksson at Novartis Indonesia: Turmoil in the Indonesian Pharmaceutical Industry

By: Carin-Isabel Knoop and Anthony St. George

Jan Eriksson is the country manager of the Indonesian joint venture of Basel-based Novartis (Novartis Indonesia), the world's largest pharmaceutical company, formed by the 1996 merger between Sandoz and Ciba-Geigy. The case describes the actions he has taken since... View Details

Keywords: Joint Ventures; Mergers and Acquisitions; Crisis Management; Management Teams; Financial Crisis; Pharmaceutical Industry; Indonesia

November 1996 (Revised August 1997)
Case

Project "Dial-Tone"

By: William A. Sahlman and Andrew S. Janower

Bob Hellman, a partner in a West Coast middle-market buyout firm, is attempting to simultaneously acquire and merge three disparate firms in the rapidly consolidating telemarketing services industry. Hellman must value the individual companies as well as the combined... View Details

Keywords: Complexity; Private Equity; Integration; Mergers and Acquisitions; Negotiation Deal; Strategic Planning; Investment; Opportunities; Valuation; Service Industry

12 PM – 1:30 PM EDT, 28 Apr 2020
Career Events

New Paths Forward & How to Get There

Is there anything holding you back from taking that next step? Are you at an impasse? This session is designed to help to you honestly assess where you are now in your life. From there, we will craft potential new paths and create action plans to guide your immediate... View Details

24 Apr 2018
Op-Ed

Op-Ed: What Mark Zuckerberg Can Learn About Crisis Leadership from Starbucks

jumped into the spotlight the next day by apologizing for his employees’ handling of the incident and announcing plans for a companywide “lessons learned” meeting and training programs. He affirmed Starbucks’ True North, stating, “The... View Details

Keywords: by Bill George; Technology; Food & Beverage

08 Oct 2008
Research & Ideas

Book Excerpt: A Sense of Urgency

afraid that is they rushed into actions their decisions might accidentally create harm. So they held back just at a time when the CEO most needed their help to get the organization moving swiftly into a better future. [ ] Without needed... View Details

Keywords: by John P. Kotter

12 Nov 2010
Research & Ideas

One Report: Integrated Reporting for a Sustainable Strategy

time has come. The spread of integrated reporting will drive better understanding of how companies use resources to create value, improve governance and management, and engage stakeholders. Eccles has developed and is pursuing a plan to... View Details

Keywords: by Robert Eccles; Accounting

February 2015
Background Note

A Note on the Affordable Care Act and the U.S. Health Care System

By: Joseph L. Bower and Michael Norris

This note provides an overview of the U.S. health care system as it stood in 2014, including an overview of hospitals, doctors, insurance companies, and other health care providers. It also discusses the major political actions on health care in the 20th century,... View Details

Keywords: Health Care; Health Care Policy; Political Process; Health Care and Treatment; Health Industry; United States

29 Nov 2022
Research & Ideas

Is There a Method to Musk’s Madness on Twitter?

for misleading consumers on how they planned to use their personal information. On Friday Twitter executives who served on a governance board the FTC had ordered into existence left the company, prompting Senate Democrats to urge the FTC... View Details

Keywords: by Christina Pazzanese, Harvard Gazette; Technology

March – April 2010
Article

The Need for Ideological Consciousness

By: George C. Lodge

Every so often in American history a crisis comes along that requires Americans to inspect cherished assumptions and to act in a way that many find ideologically repulsive. Although our leaders insist that such actions are pragmatic-the only sensible way to deal with... View Details

Keywords: History; Leadership; Competition; Framework; Consumer Behavior; Business and Community Relations; Government and Politics; Financial Crisis; Planning; United States

Find at Harvard

11 Jun 2024
In Practice

The Harvard Business School Faculty Summer Reader 2024

As the vacation season looms, Harvard Business School faculty members share recommendations for a little light reading. Spoiler alert: Lessons in Chemistry tops two of their beach-read lists. For those whose brains can’t—or won’t—turn off, HBS faculty also suggest some... View Details

Keywords: by Avery Forman

2010
Book

The Battle: How the Fight Between Free Enterprise and Big Government Will Shape America's Future

By: Arthur C. Brooks

America faces a new culture war—one that threatens our long-standing culture of free enterprise. Free enterprise embodies the values that define us as a nation: individual liberty, equal opportunity, entrepreneurship, and self-reliance. But the recent economic crisis... View Details

Find at Harvard

24 Oct 2016
Research & Ideas

Bernie Madoff Explains Himself

recent events in the news. But that evening Soltes led the conversation with a specific question: How would you explain your actions and misconduct to a group of students? Audio File Interviewed in prison, Bernie Madoff reflects on his... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Financial Services

June 2003
Case

Peabody Elementary School (A)

By: Rosabeth M. Kanter and Kevin Morris

A new principal, Marty Pettigrew, has just joined this inner-city optional school--which offers special programs in international studies to attract children from all over the city. Entering mid-way through the school year, he observes a number of areas of concern,... View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Leading Change; Early Childhood Education; Education Industry

August 1996
Case

ThermoLase

By: William A. Sahlman and Andrew S. Janower

John Hansen, CEO of ThermoLase, must develop a plan of action to exploit the company's new development-stage revolutionary hair removal technology with negligible revenues and a $500 million market capitalization. This nascent public Thermo Electron spin out company... View Details

Keywords: Business or Company Management; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Venture Capital; Business Strategy; Growth and Development Strategy; Business Plan; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry

March 2010 (Revised October 2018)
Case

Toby Johnson (A): Leading After School

By: Boris Groysberg, Leslie Danford, Amy Lodge and Tereh Sayles

After completing her MBA in 2007, Toby Johnson, a former army pilot with the 18th Airborne Corps Rapid Deployment Force, joined PepsiCo's Leadership Development Program (LDP). For her first assignment with PepsiCo, Johnson accepted a position as a manufacturing-manager... View Details

Keywords: Leading Change; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Structure; Compensation and Benefits; Business or Company Management

October 1989
Case

Dennis Hightower and the Walt Disney Co. in Europe

Describes the initial entry challenges faced by Dennis Hightower after being assigned the task to revitalize and reposition Walt Disney Co. of Europe in preparation for 1992. Allows students to consider the challenges of cultural heterogeneity, Disney traditions, and... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; United States; Europe