Publications
Publications
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- All HBS Web
(875)
- Faculty Publications (146)
- October 2001 (Revised March 2008)
- Case
Anagene, Inc.
By: Robert S. Kaplan and Christina L. Darwall
An entrepreneurial, publicly traded biotech company has begun production and sales of its core product--cartridges that permit DNA samples to be analyzed on a microchip. In the early quarters, sales are difficult to forecast and the company has experienced fluctuating... View Details
- 2001
- Working Paper
Bank Capital and Risk Management: Issues for Banks and Regulators
By: Kenneth A. Froot
Banks and financial firms are in the process of evolving away from primary warehousers of risk to diversified originators and distributors of financial services. These changes are important for the way that financial firms think about their needs for economic... View Details
- June 1998 (Revised January 2002)
- Teaching Note
Baker Precision Instruments, Inc., TN
By: Roy D. Shapiro and Donald Rosenfield
Teaching Note for (9-687-052). View Details
- March 1997 (Revised June 1999)
- Background Note
Using Activity-Based Costing with Budgeted Expenses and Practical Capacity
By: Robert S. Kaplan
Describes how activity-based costing (ABC) should be applied with: 1) budgeted, not historical, expenses and 2) assigning the costs of capacity resources. View Details
- March 1997 (Revised December 1999)
- Case
Alden Products, Inc.--European Manufacturing
By: Robert H. Hayes
The European organization of Alden Products, Inc. is contemplating a doubling of unit sales over the next ten years. Their largest plant, located in Holland, was set up 25 years earlier to supply all demands of the EEC countries on the continent. It has since expanded... View Details
- February 1997 (Revised June 1999)
- Background Note
Committed and Flexible Resources
By: Robert S. Kaplan
Stresses the difference between costs committed in advance of knowing actual demand (committed costs) and cost incurred proportional to demand. Committed costs appear fixed since their supply is independent of the amount actually used. Flexible resources are supplied... View Details
Keywords: Cost
- October 1996 (Revised November 1996)
- Case
Boston Beer Company: Samuel Adams, Brewmaster Leading a Revolution
By: Ray A. Goldberg and Mollie H. Carter
Boston Beer Co. revolutionized the beer industry by identifying and responding to a new consumer segment. Using the excess capacity in the brewing industry to establish contract brewing arrangements and an extremely capable sales force, the company opened the... View Details
- January 1996 (Revised February 1997)
- Case
Tennessee Valley Authority: Option Purchase Agreements
By: Peter Tufano
James Cross, VP of customer planning at the Tennessee Valley Authority, a major supplier of electric power in the Southeast United States, is considering meeting its incremental capacity needs by creating new financial contracts, Option Purchase Agreements (OPAs) to... View Details
- March 1994 (Revised April 1994)
- Case
Eli Lilly and Co.: The Flexible Facility Decision--1993
By: Gary P. Pisano
In 1993, Eli Lilly is preparing to build manufacturing capacity for three new pharmaceutical products that it expects to launch in 1996. Management wrestles with a decision of whether to add specialized manufacturing capacity or flexible capacity. This question touches... View Details
- October 1992 (Revised October 1993)
- Case
Lehigh Valley Industries (LVI)
By: Kim B. Clark
Describes a situation confronting a manufacturer of forged parts that has recently undergone a leveraged buyout. The company is under pressure to improve operating performance dramatically. Describes several options designed to improve performance, including adding... View Details
- May 1992 (Revised November 1992)
- Case
Fabtek (A)
By: Rowland T. Moriarty Jr., Benson P. Shapiro and Craig E. Cline
Concerns the selection and scheduling of orders by a small industrial titanium fabricator that in recent months has been plagued by poor deliveries and a lack of capacity. Four orders are offered, from which the student must select one. Each order represents different... View Details
- July 1990 (Revised August 1994)
- Case
U.S. Auto Industry: Scenarios and Choices for the 1990s
Asks students to prepare a capacity utilization scenario for the U.S. auto industry in 1992 and to propose proper courses of action for Ford and General Motors in the face of globalizing competition. The subject is "corporate strategy in an overcapacitized world."... View Details
- November 1989 (Revised April 2018)
- Case
Automation Consulting Services
By: Robert Simons and Hilary Weston
Illustrates the management control challenges that are associated with rapid growth and geographic expansion. Situated at an offsite Executive Committee Retreat. The three founding partners of a specialized consulting firm are grappling with several difficult questions... View Details
- February 1989 (Revised October 1994)
- Case
Asahi Breweries Ltd.
Focuses on competitive repositioning, organizational renewal, and personal leadership. Describes how Asahi Breweries was faced with a major capacity expansion decision after succeeding in increasing market share dramatically in the traditionally stable Japanese beer... View Details
- September 1988 (Revised December 1998)
- Case
Donner Co.
By: Roy D. Shapiro
The management of a small manufacturer of circuit boards faces a number of production and operations management problems. The first day on this case is used to analyze the production capacity of various stages in the process and to examine bottlenecks and key... View Details
- February 1987 (Revised February 2000)
- Case
Polysar Limited
By: Robert L. Simons
Canada's largest chemical company produces and markets butyl rubber in two divisions, each treated as a profit center. The new plant in the North American Division operates below capacity resulting in a significant volume variance and an operating loss. The European... View Details
- September 1985
- Case
H.J. Heinz Co.: Plastic Bottle Ketchup (B)
By: John A. Quelch
The Heinz Ketchup product manager discovers she does not have sufficient finished inventory and production capacity to meet trade demand for a new plastic bottle ketchup. Alternatives include cancelling promotion events and putting the trade on allocation. View Details
- April 1983 (Revised June 2003)
- Case
Shouldice Hospital Limited
By: James L. Heskett
Various proposals are set forth for expanding the capacity of the hospital. In assessing them, serious consideration has to be given to the culture of the organization and the importance of preserving it in a service delivery system. In addition to issues of capacity... View Details
- January 1980 (Revised April 1994)
- Case
New Balance Athletic Shoes
By: Kim B. Clark
Faced with growth exceeding 100% per year, James Davis, president of New Balance, must decide how to meet the need for additional capacity. Several factors contribute to a climate of extreme uncertainty. Several options are considered, ranging from a second shift to... View Details