Publications

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September 2016 (Revised May 2018)
Case

Zurich Insurance: Fostering People Management Practices

By: Boris Groysberg and Katherine Connolly

Zurich Insurance was undergoing organizational change after implementing five new people practices focused on manager development, diversity and inclusion, job model and data analytics, recruitment, and talent pipeline. The case provides background for the company, as... View Details

Keywords: Managing Change; Organizational Behavior; Diversity Management; Organizational Architecture; Recruiting; Succession Planning; Management; Organizational Culture; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Leading Change; Human Capital; Human Resources; Insurance; Leadership; Diversity; Organizational Structure; Recruitment; Management Succession; Insurance Industry

01 Aug 2002
News

HBS Business Plan Contest Keeps Entrepreneurial Spirit Alive

Previous Business Plan Contests have produced successful companies such as Bang Networks, a leading provider of technologies and services enabling the real-time Internet; Finale, an upscale restaurant that... View Details

September 2012
Case

Getting Back to Your Roots: Rose Carpenter's Story

By: John A. Davis, Janet Kraus and Lisa Strope

Rose Carpenter is a successful entrepreneur who is considering the personal implications of leaving the business she created to pursue her own interests. View Details

Keywords: Career Planning; Entrepreneurs; Life Planning; Work-Life Balance; Entrepreneurship; Decisions

Web

Planning a Class Session - Christensen Center for Teaching & Learning

preparation meets opportunity.” Seneca, 1st century AD The spontaneous and "in-the-moment" dynamics of successful case discussions mask the considerable planning that instructors carry out prior to each... View Details

Web

Leadership Execution and Action Planning (LEAP) - Course Catalog

to keep, and how fast it all must happen. This module focuses on the common mistakes, management styles of successful turnaround leaders, and action plans that can serve as the starting point for a leader... View Details

February 2022
Case

Toraya

By: Lauren Cohen and Akiko Kanno

Mitsuharu Kurokawa was the 18th generation leader of a family firm that produced and sold premium Japanese sweets, Toraya Confectionery Co., Ltd. He had succeeded the business from his father, Mitsuhiro Kurokawa who had led the firm for thirty years. Mitsuharu was... View Details

Keywords: Branding; Luxury Brand; Succession; Family Business; Management Succession; Brands and Branding; Luxury; Marketing; Expansion; Globalization; Innovation and Invention; Customer Satisfaction; Food and Beverage Industry; Retail Industry; Japan

January 2020
Case

Blackstone at 35: Performance, Innovation, and the Next Generation

By: Josh Lerner

Keywords: Finance; Private Equity; Investing; Succession Planning; Leadership; Fund Management; Fund Raising

01 Dec 2002
News

Hong Kong Club Thrives, Plans Next Global Alumni Conference

capitalism.” In Hong Kong, Teo immersed himself in the local club, where Philip Leung (MBA '76) and Hamilton Ty Tang (MBA '90) currently serve as copresidents. “Before I knew it,” he says, “we were in charge of putting on the 1997 HBS Global Alumni Conference.” The... View Details

15 Dec 2008
Research & Ideas

The Surprisingly Successful Marriages of Multinationals and Social Brands

the key descriptor is not simply a difference in size but rather in kind. We are not referring to every small company, but only to those that have become social icons because an integral part of their distinctiveness and success is rooted... View Details

Keywords: by Sarah Jane Gilbert; Consumer Products; Food & Beverage

01 Jun 2000
News

HBS Business Plan Contestants Pin Their Hopes on the Internet

level of participation and accomplishment in the Business Plan Contest reflects the fact that student interest in entrepreneurship at the School is at an all-time high," said Dean Kim B. Clark. Past Business View Details

Article

Beyond Good Intentions: Prompting People to Make Plans Improves Follow-through on Important Tasks

By: Todd Rogers, Katherine L Milkman, Leslie K. John and Michael I. Norton

Many intend to stay fit but fail to exercise or eat healthfully; students intend to earn good grades but study too little; citizens intend to vote but fail to turnout. How can policymakers help people follow through on intentions like these? Plan-making, a tool that... View Details

Keywords: Behavior; Success; Planning

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01 Jul 2019
Research & Ideas

The Airbnb Lesson for Startups? Success Takes More Than Technology

wealthy tourists. Airbnb remains Y Combinator’s biggest success story, but it was aggressive on-the-ground outreach that helped speed its early growth in key markets. Add in an industry with entrenched leaders and a limp economy in the... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost; Travel; Tourism

January 2025 (Revised April 2025)
Case

Less Is More: Will Aldi's Expansion Plans Pay Off in a Crowded U.S. Grocery Market?

By: David Collis and Haisley Wert

In 2024, the discount grocery retailer Aldi announced bold U.S. expansion plans. Within five years, the German company would increase its store count by 30% to reach 3,200+ stores across the United States and approach becoming the fifth largest grocery retailer in the... View Details

Keywords: Scope; Grocery; Corporate Strategy; Expansion; Business Model; Competitive Strategy; Retail Industry; United States

25 Jul 2024
News

Mentorship Program in Singapore is Still Lighting the Way to Success

been the foundation of the program,” says Tan. “We plan to gradually grow again from here, as we continue to prioritize quality over quantity.” While they don’t formally keep track of mentees after the program ends each year, Furman says... View Details

Keywords: Margie Kelley

June 2016
Teaching Note

The Rawlinsons: Facing Life and Career Decisions as a Couple

By: Boris Groysberg and Robin Abrahams

David and Nadia Rawlinson are a dual-career power couple who both seek executive careers in large organizations. At the beginning of the case, Nadia has taken a new job in San Francisco, while David has been offered an opportunity in London. What are the risks of... View Details

Keywords: Career Management; Career Planning; Personal Development and Career; Gender