Publications

08 May 2012
First Look

First Look: May 8

the unconscious thought condition compared to both conscious thought and mere distraction. As there were no differences in sequence memory for the film, it remains unclear what mechanism was responsible for this effect. These results encourage further research into a... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

September 1983 (Revised February 1989)
Background Note

The Oil Tanker Shipping Industry in 1983

By: Michael E. Porter

Describes the international oil tanker shipping industry both historically and in 1983. Designed to provide a vehicle for practicing industry analysis in a volatile commodity business, and for formulating strategy in such an environment. Also can be used to examine... View Details

Keywords: Strategic Planning; Globalized Markets and Industries; Goods and Commodities; Volatility; Vertical Integration; Supply and Industry; Shipping Industry

06 Aug 2014
Research & Ideas

Climbing Down from the Ivory Tower

to apply it and disseminate it," she says. "That seems kind of wrong." Recognizing the importance of knowledge co-production can lead not only to successful products and services, but also to improved supply View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Education; Health

13 May 2019
Research & Ideas

The Unexpected Way Whistleblowers Reduce Government Fraud

Business School Working Knowledge. [Image: FangXiaNuo] Related Reading: Can Decades of Military Overspending be Fixed? The Secret Life of Supply Chains Can Paying Firms Quicker Affect Aggregate Employment?... View Details

Keywords: by Kristen Senz; Service; Construction

June 2025
Case

Power Struggles: Hydro-Quebec’s Energy Dilemma

By: Juan Alcacer and Danika Couture-Peck

In 2024, Maxime Aucoin, Executive Vice President and CFO of Hydro-Quebec, faced a series of compounding challenges as the utility confronted rapidly rising electricity demand, public pricing constraints, and strained stakeholder relationships. As the steward of... View Details

Keywords: Renewable Energy; Infrastructure; State Ownership; Vertical Integration; Energy; Energy Industry; Canada

March 2011 (Revised November 2013)
Case

The Dutch Flower Cluster

By: Michael E. Porter, Jorge Ramirez-Vallejo and Fred van Eenennaam

Describes the Dutch Flower cluster, or the group of interconnected growers, suppliers, service providers, and flower-related institutions located in The Netherlands. Examines the role of the FloraHolland auction in the value chain. Also describes the flower clusters in... View Details

Keywords: Globalization; Auctions; Industry Clusters; Competition; Competitive Advantage; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Netherlands

22 Apr 2015
Op-Ed

Reforming Greece: Myths and Truths

especially the efficient functioning of the courts. Greece has excellent human capital, as evidenced by the supply of qualified engineers and the availability of skilled labor. It lacks the institutions and the governance system that... View Details

Keywords: by George Serafeim

June 1983
Background Note

Note on the Paper Machinery Industry

By: Christopher A. Bartlett

Describes the major structural changes taking place in the paper industry in the 1970s: major oil and pulp price increases, pollution legislation, a shift in industry development from OECD countries to LDCs and NICs and the technological revolution in paper making.... View Details

Keywords: Engineering; Price; Global Strategy; Growth and Development; Industry Structures; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Pollutants; Competition; Pulp and Paper Industry

Find at Harvard

November 2002 (Revised June 2003)
Case

Monsanto: Leadership in a New Environment

By: Ray A. Goldberg, James Weber and James M Beagle

Monsanto is the biotechnology leader in agriculture. How does it use its leadership in Round Up to fund long-term research and development in biotechnology that is acceptable to the priority system of consumers in different parts of the world? Includes color exhibits. View Details

Keywords: Research and Development; Science-Based Business; Food; Business or Company Management; Agribusiness; Industry Growth; Customer Focus and Relationships; Globalization; Leadership; Biotechnology Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; United States

29 Aug 2006
First Look

First Look: August 29, 2006

Using Judgmental Forecasts Authors:Vishal Gaur, Saravanan Kesavan, Ananth Raman, and Marshall L. Fisher Periodical:Manufacturing and Service Operations Management (forthcoming) Abstract Measuring demand uncertainty is a key activity in View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

05 Aug 2008
First Look

First Look: August 5, 2008

http://papers.nber.org/papers/w14189 Cross-Functional Alignment in Supply Chain Planning: A Case Study of Sales and Operations Planning (revised) Authors:Rogelio Oliva and Noel H. Watson Abstract In most... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

29 Jun 2007
First Look

First Look: June 29, 2007

will be correlated with their types to achieve separation. The model's results have implications for various marketing communication tools such as advertising and sales forces. Motivating Supply Chain... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

22 Aug 2006
First Look

First Look: August 22, 2006

authors describe how organizational biases arise from the different incentives, agendas, and blind spots of the various functional areas of a business, and how they compromise forecast accuracy and disrupt the supply View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

15 Apr 2014
First Look

First Look: April 15

response to changes in global supply and to better meet the needs of a new multi-channel retail environment. The case, set in late 2013, covers the development of Tesco Group Food and identifies future... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

05 Jul 2016
First Look

July 5, 2016

case considers Nestlé’s creating shared value (CSV) strategy, which focused on the three categories of nutrition, water, and rural development. In the packaged food and beverage industry, pressure had mounted since the 1990s to improve View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

26 Sep 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research and Ideas, September 26, 2017

relations with governments. Emerging markets, or at least the larger and more fast-growing ones in Asia and Latin America, were increasingly seen as indispensable by MNEs in every industry. They were both a place to assemble manufactured goods and locate activities in... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

05 Sep 2012
What Do You Think?

Will Business Management Save US Health Care?

Wittenberg put it, " management will never fix the health care system (it) can promote standardization and mass production (but) the actions of individual managers will have no effect on the overall system," one that as Barry Shere pointed out, "attempts... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett; Health

17 Jan 2012
First Look

First Look: January 17

products survive in equilibrium, even with competition. Download the paper: http://www.hbs.edu/research/pdf/12-055.pdf Got Local Food? Authors:Baris Ata, Deishin Lee, and Mustafa H. Tongarlak Abstract We study the operational tradeoffs of a retailer and farmers in a... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

December 2013 (Revised July 2015)
Case

VP Group: Vegpro Grows Beyond Kenya

By: Jose Alvarez and Natalie Kindred

In 2013, Kenyan horticulture producer and exporter VP Group is weighing potential expansion opportunities against the growing risks in its production and export markets. With $121 million in 2012 revenues, VP Group has grown rapidly in recent years by expanding its... View Details