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- Faculty Publications (91)
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- All HBS Web (284)
- Faculty Publications (91)
George J. Mecherle
Leaving the family farm in 1918 to tend to his ailing spouse, Mecherle joined an automobile insurance company and quickly discovered that farmers were charged the same auto insurance rates as non-farmers even though they were consistently less accident prone. Since his... View Details
Keywords: Finance
Oscar Gustave Mayer
Mayer is responsible for Oscar Mayer and Company’s rapid growth. Under his leadership, he laid the foundation for a billion dollar operation – a far cry from the $200 million operation he had inherited. View Details
Keywords: Food & Tobacco
Bruce E. Karatz
Karatz has led KB Home during a period of immense growth. When he took over the CEO position, the company was selling and delivering 4,000 prefabricated homes a year. By 2003, the company was producing and selling over 27,000 homes. Karatz grew the business through... View Details
Keywords: Construction & Real Estate
F. Kenneth Iverson
Iverson pioneered the mini steel mill and, in the process, reinvented the steel industry. By the early 1980s, Nucor Corporation had grown into the most profitable carbon-steel operation in the world. In 1984, it produced 1.5 million tons of steel, with sales of $660... View Details
Keywords: Metals
Haroldson L. Hunt
Hunt built the largest independent oil company in the U.S. During World War II, Hunt sold more oil to the Allies than the total German output, and supplied 85% of the natural gas piped into the eastern United States. By the 1970s, his fortune, through major... View Details
Keywords: Utilities & Energy
Hugh M. Hefner
In 1953, Hefner broke out of the conventional sleaze of the adult entertainment business by indulging the fantasies of the middle class executive male and including interviews with high profile celebrities and editorial content from well-respected literary figures in... View Details
Keywords: Publishing & Print Media
Louis K. Eilers
Eilers presided over 5 years of consecutive Top 50 market value performance. He developed new products and services, most notably in the area of petrochemicals. View Details
Keywords: Fabricated Goods
Alfred B. Dick Jr.
During World War II, under Dick’s direction, approximately 50% of A. B. Dick and Company’s facilities were devoted to war materials production. After the war, Dick launched the 400 series of A. B. Dick Mimeographs. Dick expanded the company to emerge as one of the few... View Details
Keywords: Fabricated Goods
Alfred B. Dick
Dick conceived the idea for the mimeograph, and secured permission from Thomas Edison for what would become known as the Edison-Dick Mimeograph. At the time of Dick’s death, the Edison-Dick Mimeograph had become virtually indispensable to every kind of public and... View Details
Keywords: Fabricated Goods
Morse G. Dial
Dial was instrumental in the growth and diversification of Union Carbide. He strongly supported research and development, and it was with this foresight that Union Carbide was able to become a leading producer of chemicals and plastics. View Details
Keywords: Chemicals & Industrial
Robert O. Anderson
Anderson parlayed a small oil business in New Mexico into one of the largest and most successful oil businesses in the United States. From 1966 to 1982, through acquisitions and strategic diversification, Anderson grew revenues 20-fold (from $1 billion to over $20... View Details
Keywords: Utilities & Energy
Thomas J. Burrell
Burrell created his agency to capitalize on the untapped potential of the black market in America, and in the process, he became a pioneer of target marketing and built the largest black-owned advertising agency in the United States. He developed breakthrough... View Details
Keywords: Services
John P. Weyerhaeuser, Jr.
Like other Weyerhaeusers, John Jr. had an extensive career in some of the family’s other lumbering operations before becoming president of the Weyerhaeuser Timber Company in 1946. He assumed the office following the exit of his Uncle, Frederick E. Weyerhaeuser, and... View Details
Keywords: Wood, Paper & Forestry
Edward R. Stettinius
When Stettinius joined Diamond Match, it was the United States’ leading producer of matches, but it was a suffering entity. Within a few short years, however, Stettinius turned the company around and initiated an advertising campaign to boost popularity of the... View Details
Keywords: Fabricated Goods
Harold Boeschenstein
Recognizing the commercial and scientific opportunities for fiberglass in the mid-1930’s, Boeschenstein convinced Owens-Illinois to create a new company. With the launch of Owens-Corning Fiberglass, Boeschenstein built a new industry from scratch – tirelessly promoting... View Details
Keywords: Fabricated Goods
William S. Paley
After entering the media and entertainment field on somewhat of a whim, Paley grew his small radio concern into a media conglomerate with success in radio, television, music, media equipment and more. CBS competed heavily with the larger, older NBC, but ultimately,... View Details
Keywords: Entertainment & Broadcast Media
Ernest E. Norris
Norris began his career in the telegraph industry, but always intended to lead the Southern Railway System. When he finally assumed the position, Norris expanded Southern Railway through solid, traditional business principles, but also through his championing of the... View Details
Keywords: Transportation
Oscar Gottfried Mayer
During his presidency, Mayer sought ways to improve operating efficiency through techniques of industrial engineering. He introduced cardboard cartons for sausages and vacuum-sealed, twin packs for hot dogs, which were then advances in packaging. He also improved the... View Details
Keywords: Food & Tobacco
Charles F. Knight
Knight introduced a methodical planning process throughout all company activities that focused on financial performance metrics. Under his leadership, Emerson has grown into a $14 billion company that routinely places in the top 10 among admired companies in the United... View Details
Keywords: Fabricated Goods
H. Wayne Huizenga
Huizenga purchased the one-year old Blockbuster operation from its founders in 1986 and embarked on a massive expansion campaign. Believing that there were low barriers to entry in the video rental market, Huizenga built over 1,000 Blockbuster establishments in less... View Details
Keywords: Retail