Publications

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05 Mar 2021
News

The great divide: business leaders are split on long-term remote working. This is what Spotify, Twitter, Goldman Sachs, and others have announced.

16 Jan 2012
News

Occupy Wall Street continues

Research Summary

Book on the Rubber Industry:

The preliminary title is "Stretching the Inelastic Rubber: Institutions & Market Power, 1870-1910".

The book is intended to cover all stages in the rubber chain, from tappers to manufacturers. It thus spams all crude rubber producing regions, a... View Details

February 1999 (Revised August 2000)
Case

InterGen and the Quezon Power Project: Building Infrastructure in Emerging Markets

Examines InterGen's breakthrough Quezon power project, located in the Philippines. Explores how InterGen evaluates and manages project risk through partner selection, the use of operating contracts, and project finance techniques. View Details

Keywords: Risk Management; Emerging Markets; Infrastructure; Utilities Industry; Philippines

January 2000 (Revised October 2001)
Case

@Hoc: Leveraging Israeli Technology in the United States

Describes @Hoc, an idea for an Internet software company, developed by two HBS MBA 1999 graduates, Guy Miasnik and Ly Tran. @Hoc's software, loaded into a browser, enables instant, context-sensitive information retrieval and shopping. @Hoc's R&D team is located in... View Details

Keywords: Geographic Location; Internet and the Web; Applications and Software; Financing and Loans; Business Startups; Information Technology Industry; Israel; Boston

16 Jun 2021
News

From Permanent Work-from-Home Models to Full-Scale Returns, Companies like Amazon, Twitter, and Goldman Sachs Are Pursuing Different Office Policies as Restrictions Ease

June 2003
Case

In-N-Out Burger

By: Youngme E. Moon, Lucy Cummings, Sonali Sampat, Sam Thakarar and Kerry Herman

In-N-Out Burger is a fast-food chain with 171 company-owned locations in three states--California, Nevada, and Arizona. It has an extremely hardcore customer base and the company appears to be in good financial health. The primary issue in this case concerns expansion:... View Details

Keywords: Customer Relationship Management; Profit; Leadership Development; Brands and Branding; Product Marketing; Distribution; Expansion; Food and Beverage Industry; Arizona; California; Nevada

20 Jul 2015
Research & Ideas

Globalization Hasn’t Killed the Manufacturing Cluster

typically build up around a geographic location where natural resources, an appropriately educated labor force, and a university or other research institution co-mingle. In recent years, some economists have argued that manufacturing... View Details

Keywords: by Roberta Holland; Manufacturing; Apparel & Accessories; Fashion

27 May 2019
News

Not So Fast: Cashless Backlash Delays Move to Walletless Economy

Article

Extending the Role of Headquarters Beyond the Firm Boundary: Entrepreneurial Alliance Innovation

By: Jaeho Kim and Andy Wu

Prior research on corporate headquarters (CHQ) characteristics identifies the impact of CHQ location and composition on the innovation outcomes of internal subsidiaries. However, given that external strategic alliances with high-tech entrepreneurial firms represent a... View Details

Keywords: Alliance; Innovation; Corporate Headquarters; Geographic Proximity; Entrepreneurship; Corporate Strategy; Alliances; Joint Ventures; Innovation and Invention; Business Headquarters; Geographic Location

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Hybrid work refers to a spectrum of flexible work arrangements in which an employee’s work location and/or hours are not strictly standardised.

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16 May 2018
Research & Ideas

How Companies Managed Risk (and Even Benefitted) in World War Internment Camps

the first world war, German assets in India were expropriated under the Trading with the Enemy Act 1914. The British Empire operated internment camps in New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, and India. The largest Indian camp was located at... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Manufacturing

October 2013 (Revised January 2017)
Case

Walmart around the World

By: Juan Alcácer, Abhishek Agrawal and Harshit Vaish

After reaching the limits of its successful expansion in the United States in the early 1990s, Walmart sought growth opportunities in markets abroad. This case describes Walmart's attempts to replicate its successful U.S. business model in Mexico, Canada, Brazil,... View Details

Keywords: Multinational Firms and Management; Success; Globalized Markets and Industries; Expansion; Market Entry and Exit; Failure; Retail Industry; Germany; China; Argentina; South Korea; Canada; Japan; Brazil; Africa; United Kingdom; United States; Mexico

March 2023 (Revised April 2023)
Case

Shelly Sun at BrightStar Care: The Evolution of a Leader

By: Boris Groysberg, Colleen Ammerman and Sarah L. Abbott

Shelly Sun had founded BrightStar Care, a home health care and medical staffing agency, 20 years earlier and had grown the business to over 300 franchised locations and $654 million in annual system-wide sales. Sun had spent years working to get “the right people in... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneur; Family Business; Franchising; Health Care; Women-owned Businesses; Growth And Scaling; Organization; Franchise Ownership; Entrepreneurship; Work-Life Balance; Growth and Development; Health Industry; United States

1998
Case

Nucor Corporation (A)

By: Vijay Govindarajan

Under the leadership of CEO Ken Iverson, Nucor thrived. Nucor's structure was decentralized, with only four management layers. Only 22 employees worked at the corporate headquarters; plants were located in rural areas across the U.S. and the general manager of each... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Structure; Business Strategy

March 2011
Case

Terror at the Taj Bombay: Customer-Centric Leadership

By: Rohit Deshpande

On November 26, 2008, heavily armed terrorists launched a series of attacks throughout the western-Indian city of Mumbai (formerly Bombay). One of the locations attacked was the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower, which was occupied by the terrorists for over three days,... View Details

Keywords: Safety; Leadership; National Security; Service Delivery; Organizational Culture; Crisis Management; Customer Focus and Relationships; Brands and Branding; Accommodations Industry; Mumbai

July 2012 (Revised July 2012)
Case

RMS: Investing in Chinese Timberland

By: Andre F. Perold

The protagonist is considering acquiring a timber property located in rural China, a region where almost no timberland investment has taken place. The question is how to value the property, including understanding the appropriate risk-adjusted return. View Details

Keywords: Valuation; Property; Foreign Direct Investment; Real Estate Industry; China

We study whether, when, and how better connectivity through nonstop flights leads to positive innovation outcomes for firms in the global context. Using unique data of all flights emanating from 5,015 airports around the globe from 2005 to 2015 and exploiting a... View Details

February 2002 (Revised December 2003)
Case

H-E-B Own Brands

By: V. Kasturi Rangan and Marie Bell

H-E-B is a $9 billion grocery chain located in Southwest Texas. This case focuses on H-E-B's private label strategy, a product category that accounts for 19% of H-E-B's sales and one that earns gross margins 50% higher than national brands. A leader in its markets,... View Details

Keywords: Growth and Development; Market Entry and Exit; Supply Chain Management; Private Ownership; Sales; Strategy; Competitive Strategy