Service Excellence - Publications - Faculty & Research

24 Feb 2022
Op-Ed

Want to Prevent the Next Hospital Bed Crisis? Enlist the SEC

billing rule that hospitals had ignored, it imposed a tangle of new requirements and directed the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to help prevent excess out-of-network charges. And consider the HHS’s multimillion dollar... View Details

Keywords: by Regina Herzlinger and Richard Boxer; Health

03 May 2010
Research & Ideas

What Is the Future of MBA Education?

teaching excellence and innovation. Also visit the book's Web site. Martha Lagace: What led you to identify and study gaps and opportunities in MBA education? David Garvin: To celebrate the 100th anniversary of Harvard Business School in... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Education

17 Dec 2008
Lessons from the Classroom

‘Ted Levitt Changed My Life’

manager.' Ted was embarrassed and afraid of hurting me, but the devotion and urgency he felt to take care of his student outweighed every other concern. This was the ultimate loving-kindness of a teacher." "As formidable as Ted could be in the classroom, he... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Education; Retail

16 Aug 2004
Research & Ideas

Luxury Isn’t What It Used to Be

of something else, Tranthi says: "I'm going to wear this shirt, and it's going to make me feel great. That's why luxury brands command a premium—it's an emotional buy." Luxury goods are in essence a highly creative field.— Thuy T. Tranthi, Thomas Pink USA... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Consumer Products

22 Jul 2019
Book

How to Be a Digital Platform Leader

and then simply copying it? Nonetheless, belonging to a platform is a way to engage in a platform market quickly at relatively low cost and learn the tools of the trade. In the book, we explore a number of “belong” strategies which have delivered View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

31 Jan 2005
Research & Ideas

Rethinking Marketing’s Conventional Wisdom

marketing and psychology. Moon is a recipient of the HBS Student Association Award for teaching excellence and has twice received a Hellman Faculty Fellowship, presented annually to a junior faculty member for outstanding research. Gary... View Details

Keywords: by Garry Emmons; Service

26 Aug 2024
Research & Ideas

Can AI Match Human Ingenuity in Creative Problem-Solving?

When ChatGPT and other large language models began entering the mainstream two years ago, it quickly became apparent the technology could excel at certain business functions, yet it was less clear how well artificial intelligence could... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Information Technology; Information; Technology

09 Jun 2003
Research & Ideas

The Benefits of “Not Invented Here”

invests significant resources in software such as Java and Linux that IBM does not own in order to integrate many companies' products and services for IBM's customers. Intel invests significant resources in university research (which it... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

12 Jul 2004
Research & Ideas

Michael Porter’s Prescription For the High Cost of Health Care

Under positive-sum competition, providers would not attempt to match competitors' every move. Instead, they would develop clear strategies around unique expertise and tailored facilities in those areas where they can become distinctive. Most hospitals would retain a... View Details

Keywords: by Michael E. Porter; Health

05 Jun 2006
Research & Ideas

Using Competition to Reform Healthcare

excellence in terms of patient value, given their particular patient mix, skills, and other circumstances. In each medical condition, providers must decide what roles they will play in the care cycle, and what View Details

Keywords: by Michael E. Porter; Health

09 Jul 2024
Research & Ideas

Are Management Consulting Firms Failing to Manage Themselves?

the need to work far harder and longer term to rebuild the trust of the associates who are rightfully wary of their true commitment to the apprenticeship model and employees’ future. To start, they should return to the mentorship model of the past. Reprioritize View Details

Keywords: by David Fubini; Consulting

09 Mar 2010
First Look

First Look: March 9

feasibility of permanent pricing changes, and the feasibility of a new product introduction. The note gives students a foundation for analyzing marketing cases, as well as providing an analytical structure and process for completing a marketing plan. The note is... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

09 Jan 2013
Sharpening Your Skills

Sharpening Your Skills: Understanding Customers

Questions To Be Answered What's the biggest obstacle to excellence in service organizations? Should I do what my customers tell me to do? How can I understand my customers better? After the screw-up, what... View Details

Keywords: Re: Multiple Faculty

26 Jul 2006
Research & Ideas

The Strategic Way to Go to Market

more vehicles than they can sell and—unable to make money from new cars—turn to service and trade-ins to eke out margins. And at the bottom of the chain are customers trapped in high-pressure negotiations for a car that isn't the exact... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

17 Jun 2019
Research & Ideas

What Hospitals Must Learn to Compete

holds true in most health care service markets in the United States: You should think about what market position you occupy, how it is differentiated from others’, and whether you are fulfilling the needs of your target market. It’s... View Details

Keywords: by Alumni Bulletin Staff; Health

10 Apr 2019
HBS Case

How Entrepreneurs Can Turn Lead Into Gold

a young boy he met begging for money during a trip to Peru. “That experience authentically changed how he and his wife viewed the world,” Wu says. He launched the business with a dual goal of creating excellent outdoor equipment and... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Financial Services

08 Nov 2016
First Look

November 8, 2016

competition law and, where appropriate, suggest remedies to right the violations we uncover. Publisher's link: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=51875 2016 Transformational Change in Environmental and Natural Resource Management: Guidelines for Policy... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

03 Aug 2016
What Do You Think?

How Can We Hold the “Leadership Industry” Accountable?

do all they can to uplift the performance of others, the focus changes and the behaviours improve. This is a collective responsibility. Leadership is a position you collectively occupy on the excellence ladder, not a person or a role “... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Education

21 Feb 2005
Research & Ideas

The VC Quandary: Too Much Money

It might be hard for the ordinary business owner or consumer to imagine having "too much" money. But that's exactly where the venture capital industry finds itself: with too much money available for the number of emerging enterprises able to offer the promise... View Details

Keywords: by Julie Jette; Financial Services

11 Apr 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research, April 11

trading. The case explores Gupta’s rise and the later legal problems he faced. Purchase this case: https://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cbmp/product/117004-PDF-ENG Harvard Business School Case PEL-080 Uncommon Schools (B): Seeking Excellence at... View Details

Publications