Publications

February 1992
Article

Outsourcing and Industrial Decline

By: R.A. Bettis, Stephen P. Bradley and G. Hamel

Keywords: Job Cuts and Outsourcing

Find at Harvard

November 2006
Case

Kroger Union Negotiations

By: Dennis A. Yao

A stylized version of the negotiations between Kroger Company and its local unions during the mid-1980s. Management faces a sequence of individual negotiations with local unions during a time of weak economic performance when management is seriously considering... View Details

Keywords: Job Cuts and Outsourcing; Wages; Management; Negotiation Participants; Negotiation Process; Negotiation Tactics

06 Jul 2009
Research & Ideas

Conducting Layoffs: ’Necessary Evils’ at Work

or to fire someone because of poor job performance. We did not find any clear patterns, but we did find strong opinions. Some managers expressed the view that because layoff victims' own performance was not responsible for their fate,... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

February 1996 (Revised February 2008)
Case

Toshiba: Ome Works

By: H. Kent Bowen, Janice H. Hammond, Sylvie Ryckebusch and Hiroshi Uchikoga

In 1995, Toshiba was the market leader in portable computer sales worldwide. This case describes the assembly of portable notebook computers in Toshiba's Ome factory in Ome, Japan, providing insights into some of the reasons for Toshiba's success. In addition to... View Details

Keywords: Factories, Labs, and Plants; Employees; Job Design and Levels; Production; Hardware; Japan

2023
White Paper

Hidden Workers: Part-Time Potential

By: Joseph B. Fuller, Manjari Raman and Francis Hintermann

As employers continue to encounter major skills shortages, many qualified and willing workers remain unemployed or underemployed. These “hidden workers,” ignored by employers for a variety of reasons, represent a potential source of much-needed labor. In our initial... View Details

Keywords: Employment; Recruitment; Jobs and Positions

Read Now

August 2006 (Revised June 2007)
Supplement

Management Levels at Staples (E): Senior Vice President

By: David A. Garvin and Lynne Levesque

Keywords: Management; Jobs and Positions; Retail Industry

winter 1995
Article

How to Manage an IT Outsourcing Alliance

By: F. W. McFarlan and R. L. Nolan

Keywords: Management; Job Cuts and Outsourcing; Information Technology; Alliances

Find at Harvard

June 2011
Supplement

Q and A Sessions with Akhil Gupta, Deputy Group CEO and Managing Director of Bharti Enterprises

This tape includes the highlights of question and answer sessions with Akhil Gupta, Deputy Group CEO and Managing Director of Bharti Enterprises, one of the largest mobile phone companies in India. The video focuses on the challenges and lessons learned from Bharti's... View Details

Keywords: Management; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Job Cuts and Outsourcing; Agreements and Arrangements; Innovation and Invention; Telecommunications Industry; India

June 2003 (Revised December 2003)
Case

Cathay Pacific: Doing More with Less

By: F. Warren McFarlan and Fred Young

This case explores the various aspects of information technology that can be outsourced. Cathay Pacific outsourced a significant part of its vital operations from Hong Kong to Sydney, Australia. View Details

Keywords: Information Technology; Job Cuts and Outsourcing; Globalization; Globalized Firms and Management; Information Technology Industry; Hong Kong; Sydney

August 2023
Case

Salma Qarnain: Spaceships to Broadway

By: Leslie Perlow, Mel Martin and Hannah Weisman

Salma Qarnain, daughter of Pakistani Muslim immigrants, is an engineer trained at Stanford and MIT. She began her career building spacecrafts but 30 years later finds herself pursuing her calling, acting on Broadway. The case explores Qarnain’s career path, family... View Details

Keywords: Personal Development and Career; Job Search; Job Design and Levels; Happiness; Identity; Well-being; Work-Life Balance; Family and Family Relationships; Theater Entertainment; Film Entertainment; Talent and Talent Management; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Motion Pictures and Video Industry; Aerospace Industry; United States; New York (city, NY); Boston; California

September 2013
Case

Management Levels at Staples (A): Company and Organization (Abridged)

By: David A. Garvin

Abridged version of one of six cases that describe the roles and responsibilities of managers at each of the hierarchical levels of management within the U.S. Stores business unit of Staples, the world's largest office supply company. Together, the cases form a... View Details

Keywords: Strategy; Managerial Roles; Organizational Design; Management Practices and Processes; Job Design and Levels; Business Processes; Consumer Products Industry; United States

August 2011
Supplement

Career at a Crossroad: Packing Up

By: Noam Wasserman and Lisa Brem

Akhil Patel is passionate about his business idea: an innovative green technology fuel cell. He wants to dive in and commit to his startup, but Roopa Rao, his fiancee, is much more risk averse, his parents don't approve of the startup, and Akhil has an enticing... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Technological Innovation; Job Offer; Personal Development and Career; Opportunities; Technology

November 1983 (Revised May 1984)
Case

Duke Power Co.: Affirmative Action (A)

Presents the dilemmas faced by the executive vice president of construction who is committed to pursuing affirmative action goals but is required by the financial condition of the company to lay off one-third of its construction workforce, which contains many recently... View Details

Keywords: Job Cuts and Outsourcing; Selection and Staffing; Ethics; Utilities Industry

Find at Harvard

December 2015
Teaching Note

Nokia's Bridge Program (A) & (B)

By: Sandra J. Sucher and Susan J. Winterberg

This teaching note is designed to be used in conjunction with the cases "Nokia's Bridge Program: Redesigning Layoffs (A)," HBS No. 615-013, and "Nokia's Bridge Program: Outcome and Results (B)," HBS No. 615-014. Instructors could also assign "Layoffs: Effects on Key... View Details

Keywords: Layoffs; Plant Closure; Outplacement; Shared Value; Job Cuts and Outsourcing; Business Exit or Shutdown