Manufacturing Strategy - Publications - Faculty & Research

September 2017 (Revised April 2022)
Supplement

Tempur Sealy International (A)

This case explores the long-term relationship between Tempur Sealy (TPX, a mattress manufacturer) and Mattress Firm (MFRM, a bedding retailer and TPX's largest customer). For almost 20 years, the firms enjoyed a mutually beneficial and commercially prosperous... View Details

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07 Dec 2016
HBS Case

Why Millennials Flock to Fintech for Personal Investing

asset accumulators of the future” A new breed of financial technology companies, known collectively as fintech, has taken advantage of these traits to disrupt an unexpected industry: personal investing. Just as manufacturing companies... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Financial Services

December 2001 (Revised April 2002)
Case

Synthes

By: John T. Gourville

Synthes is the recognized leader in the U.S. orthopedic implant market, with a 50% market share in the metallic plates, rods, and screws used to fix severe bone fractures. Synthes' marketplace strength lies in the strength of its sales force and in the quality and... View Details

Keywords: Innovation and Invention; Risk Management; Marketing Strategy; Product Launch; Market Entry and Exit; Product Development; Problems and Challenges; Competition; Manufacturing Industry; United States

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November 1996 (Revised March 1998)
Case

Vallourec's Venture into Metal Injection Molding

By: Clayton M. Christensen

Vallourec, a leading maker of seamless tubing, developed a radically new technology that used steel powders to create the tubes. To ensure a supply source, Vallourec ultimately had to acquire its supplier of metal powder, and then, to build the volume required to... View Details

Keywords: Technology; Business Model; Diversification; Innovation and Management; Manufacturing Industry

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10 Sep 2013
First Look

First Look: September 10

Publications 2006 Regional Studies Spatial Determinants of Entrepreneurship in India By: Ghani, Ejaz, William R. Kerr, and Stephen O'Connell Abstract—We analyze the spatial determinants of entrepreneurship in India in the manufacturing... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

Web

Brand Name Management - The Art of American Advertising

Clubs Faculty & Research Business & Environment Business History Christensen Center for Teaching & Learning Entrepreneurship Faculty & Research Global Healthcare HBS Working Knowledge Institute for Strategy & Competitiveness Leadership... View Details

01 Jun 2024
News

Case Study: Ready for an Upgrade

Illustration by Alvaro Dominguez The Los Angeles–based startup Stell was borne of a pain point almost as old as recorded history itself: paperwork. One of Stell’s cofounders, Malory McLemore (MBA 2022), had landed a job as an engineer at Airbus after earning a... View Details

Keywords: Jen McFarland Flint; Computer Systems Design and Related Services; Professional Services

20 Mar 2007
First Look

First Look: March 20, 2007

understanding of design and manufacturing processes to instruct successfully her American and offshore contractors on how to mass-produce designer clothing at affordable prices. Claiborne was an industry pioneer in many ways. She... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

22 Feb 2022
Blog Post

Lessons Learned from My HBS Career Journey in Environmental Sustainability

Tesla, where I worked in manufacturing and design engineering. During my time there I learned about the power of an organization to develop technology and execute business strategy to bring positive change... View Details

Keywords: Energy / Cleantech

October 1988 (Revised May 1990)
Case

Ford Motor Co.: The Product Warranty Program (A)

Raises powerful issues concerning product warranty policy as a strategic marketing variable. Also raises several exciting issues concerning the role of product policy in competitive battles, product line issues, interfunctional coordination issues, and some ethical... View Details

Keywords: Competition; Marketing Strategy; Insurance; Product; Policy; Manufacturing Industry; Manufacturing Industry; United States

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01 Jun 2015
News

Alumni Take Action to Improve US Competitiveness

example, the HBSCNY Skills Gap Project has placed more than 30 interns with tech firms and helped LaGuardia Community College develop a new health care curriculum designed to meet the skills needs of a nearby medical center. In Ohio, Dan Cunningham (OPM 27, 1999), CEO... View Details

Keywords: Erin Peterson; Walmart; Health, Social Assistance; Retail Trade

September 2011
Case

Vibco Industrial Vibrators

By: Das Narayandas, Kerry Herman and Matthew Preble

Karl Wadensten, president of Vibco Vibrators, was deciding whether to grow his small company through a marketing push for one of two technologies that he believed could launch his company to the next level of sales, or if he should continue to grow his company through... View Details

Keywords: Budgets and Budgeting; Customer Relationship Management; Decision Choices and Conditions; Marketing; Product Launch; Customization and Personalization; Expansion; Manufacturing Industry

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23 Dec 2002
Research & Ideas

Partnering and the Balanced Scorecard

its own performance was critically dependent on the ability of its key suppliers to manufacture goods quickly, responsively, and at low cost. Kenyon developed a sourcing leadership theme on its strategy map... View Details

Keywords: by Robert S. Kaplan & David P. Norton

December 1989 (Revised February 1993)
Case

Frito-Lay, Inc.: A Strategic Transition (C)

By: Lynda M. Applegate

In 1989, Frito-Lay designed an information technology infrastructure to support time-based competition and organizational restructuring. The company planned to provide timely flexible information to all major decision makers at all levels. This case describes the... View Details

Keywords: Design; Information Technology; Information Infrastructure; Competitive Strategy; Time Management; Organizational Structure; Information Management; Strategic Planning; Performance Effectiveness; Decision Choices and Conditions; Manufacturing Industry; Manufacturing Industry

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02 Oct 2015
News

The ‘F’ Word

made it far enough to launch a spring and fall collection and received widespread media coverage. The brand was slowly starting to gain traction with customers, too. But by the end of 2012, the startup—running low on cash and plagued by operational and View Details

Keywords: Walt Disney Studios

01 Mar 2013
News

Alumni News | Bookshelf

When the economic crisis strikes, desperate to reduce serious losses, Von Allmen falls for a Ponzi scheme. Knecht explores the intersection of the yacht's construction, the lives of the men who labor on it, and a wealthy man's dream. Playing to Win: How View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne; Manufacturing; Manufacturing; Manufacturing

June 1998 (Revised November 2010)
Teaching Note

M-TRONICS (TN) (A) and (B)

By: Joseph L. Bower and Lynda M. Applegate

Teaching Note for 807156 and 807157. View Details

Keywords: Corporate Entrepreneurship; Business Subsidiaries; Problems and Challenges; Integration; Manufacturing Industry

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April 2008
Supplement

Ti-Tech (B)

By: Benson P. Shapiro and John T. Gourville

This case concerns the selection and scheduling of orders by a small industrial titanium fabricator that recently has been plagued by poor deliveries and a lack of capacity. At the time of the case, Ti-Tech must decide which of four orders to accept, with capacity... View Details

Keywords: Decisions; Order Taking and Fulfillment; Production; Performance Capacity; Marketing Strategy; Bids and Bidding; Manufacturing Industry; Manufacturing Industry; United States

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28 Aug 2017
Research & Ideas

Should Industry Competitors Cooperate More to Solve World Problems?

example, he argues, fashion industry competitors could agree among themselves to collectively manage resources to reduce the water pollution caused by their manufacturing processes. The beef industry could agree to collaborate on... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Manufacturing; Manufacturing; Manufacturing; Manufacturing