Publications

August 2017
Case

Infection Control at Massachusetts General Hospital (Abridged)

By: Robert S. Huckman and Nikolaos Trichakis

The case explores the challenges facing Massachusetts General Hospital concerning the adoption of a new infection control policy, which promises to improve operational performance, patient safety, and profitability. The new policy requires coordination between... View Details

Keywords: Safety; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Integration; Health Care and Treatment; Policy; Health Industry; Boston

January 2010
Case

DR Corporation

By: Roy D. Shapiro

DR Corporation is a manufacturer of major appliances. The traffic manager is facing a decision of selecting a carrier for the inbound movement of motors. The primary case decisions are 1) what factors are critical to the decision; 2) how to calculate the tradeoffs... View Details

Keywords: Cost vs Benefits; Decision Choices and Conditions; Managerial Roles; Logistics; Supply Chain Management; Truck Transportation; Consumer Products Industry

15 Mar 2021
Blog Post

REFLECTIONS ON MY TIME AS BEI DIRECTOR

At the end of March, I will retire from my role as Director of the HBS Business and Environment Initiative and turn the reins to BEI’s new Director Lynn Schenk and Coordinator Elise Clarkson. What has changed since I started in the... View Details

April 2004 (Revised May 2005)
Case

ING DIRECT

By: James L. Heskett

The CEO of ING Direct (U.S.) has to decide: (1) whether and how to coordinate his organization's branding effort with its parent, ING Group, and (2) how fast to grow the business. Includes color exhibits. View Details

Keywords: Decision Choices and Conditions; Entrepreneurship; Leadership Style; Growth Management; Brands and Branding; Planning; Problems and Challenges; Financial Services Industry; United States

Carolyn Fu is an assistant professor of business administration in the Strategy Unit. She studies innovation strategy in the context of high degrees of social construction – where the value of an innovation is continuously redefined between firms and their... View Details

February 1975 (Revised April 1983)
Background Note

Note on the Boston Consulting Group Concept of Competitive Analysis and Corporate Strategy

Describes a method of competitive analysis used by the Boston Consulting Group to coordinate a portfolio of products at the corporate level. Construction and interpretation of product portfolio charts is an important aspect of the technique. View Details

Keywords: Corporate Strategy; Decision Making

Video

Amina Laraki Slaoui

Amina Laraki Slaoui, President of AMH Group, describes the organization's early days and how she coordinated a series of fundraisers to raise the capital needed to build a rehabilitation center (Noor Center for Physical and Functional Rehabilitation). View Details

March 2011
Case

United Cereal: Lora Brill's Eurobrand Challenge

By: Christopher A. Bartlett and Carole Carlson

The case, set within the European organization of a giant multinational breakfast foods company, describes a launch decision for a new cereal product. As the case evolves, the decision has major strategic and organizational implications for Lora Brill, European VP. The... View Details

Keywords: Subsidiaries; Market Entry; Multinational Corporations; Strategy; Business Subsidiaries; Managerial Roles; Multinational Firms and Management; Organizational Design; Organizational Structure; Marketing Strategy; Market Entry and Exit; Product Launch; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Retail Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Europe

January 1985
Case

Turning Around Alcan Europe (B): Patrick Rich's Two Years as CEO-Europe

Traces the efforts of Patrick Rich, CEO of Alcan Europe, to bring the company into a stable, profitable situation after having lost $120 million in 1982. Focuses on a wide variety of issues, including setting objectives and strategies for the region, creating... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Strategic Planning; Organizational Structure

Article

Trust and Collaboration in the Aftermath of Conflict: The Effects of Contract Structure

By: Deepak Malhotra and Fabrice Lumineau

Leveraging a longitudinal dataset concerning 102 inter-firm disputes, we evaluate the effects of contract structure on trust and on the likelihood of continued collaboration. We theoretically refine and empirically extend prior research by (a) distinguishing between... View Details

Keywords: Collaboration; Contract Structure; Contracts; Design; Trust; Conflict and Resolution

Find at Harvard

TALK examines the relentless challenges and opportunities presented by conversation. Who do we talk to? What are we trying to do? How can we coordinate from one moment to the next? And how can we bring our best selves to every... View Details

27 Oct 2016
Blog Post

Meet the Management Consulting Club

possible. Each year, we organize various events to educate students about career opportunities within the consulting industry, coordinate with employers to publicize open positions, and provide students with resources to prepare for... View Details

Keywords: Consulting

19 Jun 2019
News

Harvard Launches New MS/MBA Biotechnology: Life Sciences Joint Degree

April 1987 (Revised April 1987)
Case

Tiberg Co.

By: Michael Beer and Daniel J. Isenberg

Describes the efforts of a vice president of purchasing to coordinate and centralize purchasing procedures in a multinational company. He encounters a lack of active cooperation. A rewritten version of an earlier case by G. Lombard. View Details

Keywords: Cost Management; Multinational Firms and Management; Governance Controls; Managerial Roles; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Design; Power and Influence

Video

Jorge Cárdenas Gutiérrez

Jorge Cárdenas Gutiérrez, former General Manager of the FNC, describes how Colombia's coordination with Brazilian coffee producers paved the way for the International Coffee Agreement in the early 1960's. View Details

Summer 2014
Article

Delegation in Multi-Establishment Firms: Evidence from I.T. Purchasing

By: Kristina Steffenson McElheran

Recent contributions to a growing theory literature have focused on the tradeoff between adaptation and coordination in determining delegation within firms. Empirical evidence, however, is limited. Using establishment-level data on decision rights over information... View Details

Keywords: Management Practices and Processes; Adaptation; Cooperation

Find at Harvard

January 1994 (Revised February 2001)
Case

PepsiCo's Restaurants

By: Cynthia A. Montgomery

In 1992 PepsiCo is considering two opportunities to expand its restaurant business, Carts of Colorado, a $7 million manufacturer and merchandiser of mobile food carts, and California Pizza Kitchen, a $60 million chain in the casual dining segment. The discussion... View Details

Keywords: Management Systems; Organizational Structure; Opportunities; Business Strategy; Expansion; Food and Beverage Industry