Publications

October 1973 (Revised June 1987)
Background Note

Recreational Vehicle Industry

September 1990 (Revised June 1994)
Case

A department general manager has to decide whether or not to add a lightweight compressor to the line, what price to charge, and what volume to produce. The analysis requires maximizing contribution in a situation where one factor is constrained. As such, it takes into... View Details

Keywords: Cost vs Benefits; Capital Budgeting; Business Earnings; Cost Accounting; Cost Management; Asset Pricing

October 1992
Supplement

Cooper Industries Video

By: David J. Collis

Bob Gigile, Chairman and CEO of Cooper Industries, describes the company's philosophy behind acquisitions and his corporate strategy. He then answers questions raised by the case discussion. View Details

Keywords: Acquisition; Management Style; Corporate Strategy

June 1992 (Revised April 1995)
Background Note

Swiss Dyestuff Industry

August 1983 (Revised June 1985)
Supplement

Milford Industries (B)

By: Robert J. Dolan and Benson P. Shapiro

Supplements the (A) case. A rewritten version of part of an earlier series. View Details

Keywords: Managerial Roles; Salesforce Management; Resignation and Termination; Performance Evaluation

June 1975
Case

Grafton Industries (A)

By: Benson P. Shapiro

August 1988 (Revised August 1989)
Case

Industrial Systems, Inc.

By: Joseph L. Bower

1986
Book

Competition in Global Industries

By: Michael E. Porter

Keywords: Competition; Globalized Markets and Industries

March 2002 (Revised September 2005)
Case

Robert Mondavi and the Wine Industry

Examines the competitive challenges facing Robert Mondavi as the wine industry begins to consolidate globally. Mondavi faces challenges from foreign competitors entering the U.S. market as well as diversified global alcoholic beverage companies entering the wine... View Details

Keywords: Plant-Based Agribusiness; Competitive Strategy; Globalized Markets and Industries; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; United States

June 2020
Article

Start-up Inertia versus Flexibility: The Role of Founder Identity in a Nascent Industry

By: Tiona Zuzul and Mary Tripsas

Through an inductive, comparative study of four early entrants in the nascent air taxi market, we examine why start-ups, generally characterized as flexible, malleable entities, might instead exhibit inertial behavior. While two of the firms engaged in ongoing... View Details

Keywords: Founder Identity; Nascent Industries; Entrepreneurship; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Identity

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22 Oct 2007
Research & Ideas

Bringing ‘Lean’ Principles to Service Industries

Thanks to the pioneering success of Toyota, the concept of a "lean" operating system has been implemented in countless manufacturing companies and even adapted for industries as diverse as insurance and healthcare. With its... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Computer

July 2007 (Revised March 2010)
Case

Note on the Bus Industry

By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and Jordan Mitchell

Supplements the "Irizar in 2005" case. Briefly documents key points in the motor coach industry such as market size, categories of buses, reasons for purchasing, and the basis for competition amongst motor coach manufacturers. View Details

Keywords: Markets; Production; Strategy; Competition; Transportation Industry

May 1998
Background Note

Note on the Retailing Industry

By: David E. Bell and Ann Leamon

Presents a survey discussion of retailing and current issues. Examines the impact of changing consumer attitudes on the industry and outlines the industry's response: consolidation, adoption of technology, use of brands and private labels, and changing relationships... View Details

Keywords: Transformation; Debates; Customers; Surveys; Partners and Partnerships; Attitudes; Adoption; Consolidation; Retail Industry

Research Summary

Industry Dynamics Following Competitive Shocks

Robert E. Kennedy and Pankaj Ghemawat are using industrial organization theory to study industrial development in countries that have undergone major competitive shocks. Their goal is to develop a set of hypotheses regarding how industry factors effect change in entry... View Details

March 2023
Article

Not from Concentrate: Collusion in Collaborative Industries

By: Jordan M. Barry, John William Hatfield, Scott Duke Kominers and Richard Lowery

The chief principle of antitrust law and theory is that reducing market concentration—having more, smaller firms instead of fewer, bigger ones—reduces anticompetitive behavior. We demonstrate that this principle is fundamentally incomplete.

In many... View Details

SSRN

October 2014
Article

Industrial Policy and the Creation of New Industries: Evidence from Brazil's Bioethanol Industry

By: Santiago Mingo and Tarun Khanna

Industrial policy programs are frequently used by governments to stimulate economic activity in particular sectors of the economy. This study explores how an industrial policy program can affect the creation and evolution of an industry and, ultimately, the long-term... View Details

Keywords: Economic Sectors; Policy; Economic Growth; Government and Politics; Energy Sources; Green Technology Industry; Green Technology Industry; Brazil

October 2019 (Revised January 2020)
Background Note

Evolution of the Drone Industry

By: Rory McDonald, Andy Wu, Emilie Billaud and Ryan Bayer

This note focuses on the development of the drone industry in recent years and provides insights on the drone technology, regulations, applications, market size, top players, and ecosystem. This note was written in conjunction with the case study “Parrot: Navigating... View Details

Keywords: Drones; Information Technology; Disruption; Strategy; Entrepreneurship; Engineering; Product Development; Technology Industry; Asia; Europe; North America; United States

January 2008 (Revised January 2010)
Background Note

Finding Information for Industry Analysis

By: Jan W. Rivkin and Ann Cullen

This note provides detailed instructions on finding resources for conducting industry analysis, with a special focus on resources available at Harvard Business School. It allows students to transition from doing a Five Forces analysis on the basis of a case, where all... View Details

Keywords: Information; Five Forces Framework; Research; Competitive Strategy; Internet

September 1998
Case

Anheuser-Busch and the U.S. Brewing Industry

Presents an analytical report on the company's competitive position and on the industry structure in 1991. Used to show how a company can generate value through steady, incremental investment over a long period in a business model tailored to the industry context. Also... View Details

Keywords: Competition; Industry Structures; Growth and Development Strategy; Food and Beverage Industry; United States