Business Goals - Publications - Faculty & Research

May 2016
Case

The Inexorable Rise of Walmart? 1988—2016

By: John R. Wells and Gabriel Ellsworth

In October 2015, Walmart surprised investors by announcing that it expected flat sales growth for 2015 and growth of only 3% to 4% over the coming three years. Profits would also fall due to significant investments in people and technology. The company’s stock price... View Details

Keywords: Asda; Costco; David Glass; Convenience Stores; Discount Retailing; Dollar Stores; Doug McMillon; E-commerce; Online Retail; General Merchandise; Grocery; Lee Scott; Mike Duke; Multichannel Retailing; Omnichannel; Neighborhood Market; Sam Walton; Sam's Club; Store Formats; Supercenter; Supermarket; Warehouse Clubs; Merchandising; Walmart; Wal-Mart; Globalized Firms and Management; Competitive Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Growth and Development Strategy; Business Units; Business Divisions; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Model; Business Organization; For-Profit Firms; Film Entertainment; Television Entertainment; Banks and Banking; Price; Profit; Revenue; Food; Global Range; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Global Strategy; Business History; Compensation and Benefits; Employees; Human Capital; Labor Unions; Wages; Business or Company Management; Goals and Objectives; Management Succession; Brands and Branding; Product Positioning; Distribution; Supply Chain; Supply Chain Management; Public Ownership; Problems and Challenges; Labor and Management Relations; Strategy; Adaptation; Business Strategy; Competition; Competitive Advantage; Diversification; Expansion; Segmentation; Information Technology; Internet; Mobile Technology; Online Technology; Web; Web Sites; Retail Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Distribution Industry; Banking Industry; United States; Arkansas; Bentonville

Citation

Educators

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15 Jun 2021
News

Zone Defense

Brandon Tseng (MBA 2017) remembers his aha moment. It was April 2015, and Tseng was a US Navy SEAL approaching the end of seven years’ service; his next step would be Harvard Business School. Tseng was reading about a military effort to... View Details

Keywords: April White; drone technology; military; security; entrepreneurship; leadership; Air Transportation; Transportation

18 Dec 2013
HBS Case

Lessons from the Lance Armstrong Cheating Scandal

to facilitate it," says Professor of Management Practice Clayton S. Rose, who sees in Armstrong's story an ideal vessel for teaching lessons about business ethics and leadership. Along with research associate Noah Fisher, Rose wrote... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Sports

01 Sep 2023
News

End Game

Illustration by James Steinberg In the 1960s and 1970s, as the environmental movement dawned in the United States, a new generation of activist-minded entrepreneurs appeared. Among them were companies like Body Shop, Aveda, Tom’s of Maine, and Whole Foods—all founded... View Details

Keywords: Jen McFarland Flint; Miscellaneous Store Retailers; Retail Trade

15 Jun 2009
Research & Ideas

GM: What Went Wrong and What’s Next

While attention to business environment issues is important for all automakers, GM is more likely than most of its rivals to feel strong pressure to pursue public policy goals such as domestic employment... View Details

Keywords: by Staff; Auto

March 2017 (Revised September 2017)
Case

Facebook Fake News in the Post-Truth World

By: John R. Wells and Carole A. Winkler

In January 2017, Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook, was surrounded by controversy. The election of Donald Trump as the next president of the United States in November 2016 had triggered a national storm of protests, and many attributed Trump’s victory to... View Details

Keywords: Facebook; Fake News; Mark Zuckerberg; Donald Trump; Algorithms; Social Networks; Partisanship; Social Media; App Development; Instagram; WhatsApp; Smartphone; Silicon Valley; Office Space; Digital Strategy; Democracy; Entry Barriers; Online Platforms; Controversy; Tencent; Agility; Social Networking; Gaming; Gaming Industry; Computer Games; Mobile Gaming; Messaging; Monetization Strategy; Advertising; Digital Marketing; Business Ventures; Acquisition; Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Headquarters; Business Organization; For-Profit Firms; Trends; Communication; Communication Technology; Forms of Communication; Interactive Communication; Interpersonal Communication; Talent and Talent Management; Crime and Corruption; Voting; Demographics; Entertainment; Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Moral Sensibility; Values and Beliefs; Initial Public Offering; Profit; Revenue; Geography; Geographic Location; Global Range; Local Range; Country; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Globalized Firms and Management; Globalized Markets and Industries; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Government and Politics; International Relations; National Security; Political Elections; Business History; Recruitment; Selection and Staffing; Information Management; Information Publishing; News; Newspapers; Innovation and Management; Innovation Strategy; Technological Innovation; Knowledge Dissemination; Human Capital; Law; Leadership Development; Leadership Style; Leading Change; Business or Company Management; Crisis Management; Goals and Objectives; Growth and Development Strategy; Growth Management; Management Practices and Processes; Management Style; Management Systems; Management Teams; Managerial Roles; Marketing Channels; Social Marketing; Network Effects; Market Entry and Exit; Digital Platforms; Marketplace Matching; Industry Growth; Industry Structures; Monopoly; Media; Product Development; Service Delivery; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Mission and Purpose; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Organizational Structure; Public Ownership; Problems and Challenges; Business and Community Relations; Business and Government Relations; Groups and Teams; Networks; Rank and Position; Opportunities; Behavior; Emotions; Identity; Power and Influence; Prejudice and Bias; Reputation; Social and Collaborative Networks; Status and Position; Trust; Society; Civil Society or Community; Culture; Public Opinion; Social Issues; Societal Protocols; Strategy; Adaptation; Business Strategy; Commercialization; Competition; Competitive Advantage; Competitive Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Customization and Personalization; Diversification; Expansion; Horizontal Integration; Segmentation; Information Technology; Internet and the Web; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Internet and the Web; Applications and Software; Information Infrastructure; Digital Platforms; Internet and the Web; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Valuation; Advertising Industry; Communications Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Information Industry; Information Technology Industry; Journalism and News Industry; Media and Broadcasting Industry; Service Industry; Technology Industry; Telecommunications Industry; Video Game Industry; United States; California; Sunnyvale; Russia

Citation

Educators

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01 Jan 2012
News

Hiroshi Mikitani, MBA 1993

translates to “optimism”—into one of Japan’s most successful businesses and a thriving global enterprise. Through savvy investments, strategic partnerships, and acquisitions, he has expanded the company rapidly and diversified its... View Details

17 Sep 2021
Research & Ideas

The Trial of Elizabeth Holmes: Visionary, Criminal, or Both?

after dropping out of Stanford University, knew the product didn’t deliver while she solicited new business and investments. Defense attorneys say Holmes “believed” in the revolutionary blood-testing device and that “trying hard and... View Details

Keywords: by Christina Pazzanese, Harvard Gazette; Biotechnology; Technology; Medical Devices & Supplies

28 Jun 2022
Book

The Moral Enterprise: How Two Companies Profit with Purpose

How can government and business work together in this fractious political moment, when finding solutions to pressing problems like inequality and climate change are more urgent than ever? Rebecca Henderson, Harvard University’s John and Natty McArthur University... View Details

Keywords: by Avery Forman

15 Jul 2019
Book

Many Executives Are Afraid of Finance. Here's How They Can Gain Confidence

Finance can be intimidating, and many business executives don’t even try to get their arms around it. But Harvard Business School Professor Mihir Desai says business leaders... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

Profile

Peter Gumulia

leadership muscle. He turned to HBS, “not necessarily to shift careers, but to make room for personal and professional exploration. I had a busy five to six years in which I didn’t have the head space to step back and ask myself: What... View Details

24 Jan 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research: January 24, 2017

costs to firms of changing strategy. The costs associated with strategy modifications, which we term “repositioning costs,” are particularly relevant to competitive interactions involving major changes to business strategies.... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

20 Feb 2019
Research & Ideas

Rocket-tunity: Can Private Firms Turn a Profit in Space?

As entrepreneurial rocket companies come closer to shooting the first space tourist into the void, perhaps even this year, another reality is dawning: The business of space is no different than new industries everywhere else. It’s tough... View Details

Keywords: by Scott Wallask; Aerospace; Tourism; Transportation

13 Jan 2020
Blog Post

Blending my Tech and Managerial Mindsets

tech companies on digital and technology transformation with McKinsey and Company, and previously worked as an engineer deploying rapid prototyping devices for Intel and Apple. Yuval discusses his path to HBS, experience at Harvard View Details

10 Oct 2018
Blog Post

6 Lessons Learned from a Summer of Entrepreneurship

The summer was off to a great start! After starting our business in January, Melissa Bergin (Section A, 2019) and I (Section J, 2019) decided to work on our company, Bundle, for our summer internship. Bundle is a platform that provides... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship

24 Apr 2018
First Look

First Look at New Research and Ideas, April 24, 2018

Harvard Business Review Managing Political Misfits By: Bermiss, Y. Sekou, and Rory McDonald Abstract—Not all employees agree with your politics. That's OK. Publisher's link: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=54406... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

Blog

Which HBS Executive Education Program is Right For Me?

Business School Executive Education is always striving to create new programs that match business leaders' needs in an ever-changing work environment. The Program Advising team regularly attends program... View Details

30 May 2023
News

Finding PRIDE

a longstanding policy; the reality was, if you had a boss who was homophobic or uncomfortable, it didn’t matter. One of my goals in going to business school was to start my own business, so that my sexuality... View Details

Keywords: Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services

12 Mar 2019
First Look

New Research and Ideas, March 12, 2019

consolidation. Publisher's link: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=55801 March–April 2019 Harvard Business Review The Dual-Purpose Playbook By: Battilana, Julie, Anne-Claire Pache, Metin Sengul, and Marissa Kimsey... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

Blog

How the Pandemic Changed Case Development in Latin America

two researchers to every project. The goal at first was peer review, as partners on a project could provide feedback and a fresh perspective on each other's work. That approach turned out to be a key advantage when the pandemic arrived.... View Details

Publications