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- December 2007 (Revised July 2008)
- Case
Montague Corporation: Unfolding the Future in Cycling
Montague has developed a major innovation that creates a new sub-category in the bicycle industry: a full-sized, high-quality bicycle that folds. In contrast to existing small-wheeled folding bicycles that are portable, but with inferior performance characteristics,... View Details
Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Innovation and Invention; Product Positioning; Demand and Consumers; Adoption; Bicycle Industry
Tripsas, Mary. "Montague Corporation: Unfolding the Future in Cycling." Harvard Business School Case 808-087, December 2007. (Revised July 2008.)
- September 2009
- Article
Labor Market Institutions and Global Strategic Adaptation: Evidence from Lincoln Electric
By: Jordan I. Siegel and Barbara Zepp Larson
Although one of the central questions in the global strategy field is how multinational firms successfully navigate multiple and often conflicting institutional environments, we know relatively little about the effect of conflicting labor market institutions on... View Details
Keywords: Institutions; Labor Market; Complementarity; Global Strategy; Multinational Firms and Management; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Labor Unions; Laws and Statutes; Operations; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Manufacturing Industry
Siegel, Jordan I., and Barbara Zepp Larson. "Labor Market Institutions and Global Strategic Adaptation: Evidence from Lincoln Electric." Management Science 55, no. 9 (September 2009): 1527–1546. (Although one of the central questions in the global strategy field is how multinational firms successfully navigate multiple and often conflicting institutional environments, we know relatively little about the effect of conflicting labor market institutions on multinational firms' strategic choice and operating performance. With its decision to invest in manufacturing operations in nearly every one of the world's largest welding
markets, Lincoln Electric offers us a quasi-experiment. We leverage a unique data set covering 1996–2006 that combines data on each host country's labor market institutions with data on each subsidiary's strategic choices and historical operating performance. We find that Lincoln Electric performed significantly better in countries with labor laws and regulations supporting manufacturers' interests and in countries that allowed the free
use of both piecework and a discretionary bonus. Furthermore, we find that in countries with labor market institutions unfriendly to manufacturers, Lincoln Electric was still able to overcome most (although not all) of the institutional distance by what we term flexible intermediate adaptation.)
- October 1991 (Revised September 1998)
- Case
Maxwell Appliance Controls
By: Robert S. Kaplan
A profitable manufacturing division of a large company is looking for new ways to identify sources of productivity improvements. Led by its senior finance officer, an activity-based cost system is developed to identify activities performed for its highly varied product... View Details
Keywords: Activity Based Costing and Management; Management Teams; Quality; Performance Improvement; Organizational Culture; Problems and Challenges; Production; Manufacturing Industry
Kaplan, Robert S. "Maxwell Appliance Controls." Harvard Business School Case 192-058, October 1991. (Revised September 1998.)
- 08 Feb 2000
- Research & Ideas
Building Effective R&D Capabilities Abroad
research projects. Finally, Xerox knew that the laboratory would have an impact on the company's economic performance only if it had the critical mass to become an accepted member of the local scientific community. At the same time, it... View Details
Keywords: by Walter Kuemmerle
- April 1984 (Revised November 1988)
- Background Note
Statistical Quality Control for Process Improvement
Describes systematic methods for process debugging and improvement, based on statistical quality control. Examples are from manufacturing settings, but techniques are also useful for services and sales, and to quantity improvement as well as quality improvement. View Details
Bohn, Roger E. "Statistical Quality Control for Process Improvement." Harvard Business School Background Note 684-068, April 1984. (Revised November 1988.)
- January 2018
- Case
Environmental Technology Fund Partners and E-Leather
By: Vikram S. Gandhi and Aldo Sesia
It is 2014 and Environmental Technologies Fund (ETF) Partners, a UK-based venture capital firm, has an opportunity to invest in a privately held UK company that manufactured engineered composition leather extracted from waste leather using an environmentally friendly... View Details
Keywords: Sustainability; Venture Capital; Investment Strategy; Investment; Strategy; Ownership; Valuation; Energy Conservation; Equity; Technological Innovation; Environmental Sustainability; Performance Efficiency; Manufacturing Industry; Financial Services Industry; United Kingdom
Gandhi, Vikram S., and Aldo Sesia. "Environmental Technology Fund Partners and E-Leather." Harvard Business School Case 318-001, January 2018.
- October 1992
- Supplement
American Connector Co. (B)
By: Gary P. Pisano
Presents a plant manager's proposal to improve operations at American Connector Co. The plan attempts to imitate operations at DJC Corp., a successful Japanese competitor. Requires students to consider how changes in manufacturing impact productivity, flexibility, and... View Details
Pisano, Gary P. "American Connector Co. (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 693-049, October 1992.
- February 2009 (Revised August 2021)
- Supplement
Jieliang Phone Home! (B)
By: Willy Shih, Ethan Bernstein and Nina Bilimoria
At Precision Electro-Tek's mobile phone manufacturing facility in southern China, thousands of operators—bright and capable young men and (mostly) women like Jieliang Hao—are motivated to improve line productivity through small innovations for faster assembly and have... View Details
Keywords: Managing People; Motivation and Incentives; Behavior; Production; Innovation and Invention; Performance Productivity; Groups and Teams; Management Practices and Processes; Compensation and Benefits; Labor; Surveys; Decisions; Manufacturing Industry; China
Shih, Willy, Ethan Bernstein, and Nina Bilimoria. "Jieliang Phone Home! (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 609-081, February 2009. (Revised August 2021.)
- 2008
- Working Paper
Modern Management: Good for the Environment or Just Hot Air?
By: Nicholas Bloom, Christos Genakos, Ralf Martin and Raffaella Sadun
We use an innovative methodology to measure management practices in over 300 manufacturing firms in the UK. We then match this management data to production and energy usage information for establishments owned by these firms. We find that establishments in better... View Details
Keywords: Energy Conservation; Management Practices and Processes; Performance Productivity; Environmental Sustainability; Pollutants; Manufacturing Industry; United Kingdom
Bloom, Nicholas, Christos Genakos, Ralf Martin, and Raffaella Sadun. "Modern Management: Good for the Environment or Just Hot Air?" NBER Working Paper Series, No. 14394, October 2008.
- Research Summary
When Distance Shrinks: The Effects of Competitor Proximity on Firm Survival
What are the performance implications of locating close to firms in one's industry? The existing empirical evidence is mixed. In this paper I argue that proximity between firms affects their performance differently... View Details
- February 2009 (Revised July 2012)
- Supplement
Jieliang Phone Home! (C)
By: Willy Shih, Ethan Bernstein and Nina Bilimoria
At Precision Electro-Tek's mobile phone manufacturing facility in southern China, thousands of operators - bright and capable young men and (mostly) women like Jieliang Hao are motivated to improve line productivity through small innovations for faster assembly and... View Details
Keywords: Globalization; Compensation and Benefits; Surveys; Innovation and Invention; Management Practices and Processes; Production; Performance Productivity; Groups and Teams; Labor and Management Relations; Behavior; Motivation and Incentives; Manufacturing Industry; Manufacturing Industry; China
Shih, Willy, Ethan Bernstein, and Nina Bilimoria. "Jieliang Phone Home! (C)." Harvard Business School Supplement 609-082, February 2009. (Revised July 2012.)
- August 2001 (Revised June 2024)
- Case
Operations at the Donner Company
By: H. Kent Bowen
A small manufacturer of circuit boards faces product and operations-management problems. This case analyzes the production capacity at various stages and examines bottlenecks and product flow decisions. A detailed look at the problems and a discussion of the tools and... View Details
- 23 Jan 2007
- First Look
First Look: January 23, 2007
capacity for each business process? 2) How much resource capacity (time) is required to perform work for a company's many transactions, products, and customers? The book demonstrates how to develop simple, valid answers to these two... View Details
Keywords: Martha Lagace
- 02 Aug 2013
- Working Paper Summaries
J. Richard Hackman (1940-2013)
Keywords: by Ruth Wageman & Teresa M. Amabile
- September 2009
- Article
Are You Having Trouble Keeping Your Operations Focused?
As a business broadens over time, it can lose the operational edge that led to its original success. Core strengths atrophy, efficiency or quality suffers, and sharper rivals close in to take advantage of the loss of focus. In his classic article "The Focused Factory"... View Details
Keywords: Business Units; Business Growth and Maturation; Goals and Objectives; Resource Allocation; Operations; Performance Efficiency
Huckman, Robert S. "Are You Having Trouble Keeping Your Operations Focused?" Harvard Business Review 87, no. 9 (September 2009): 90–95.
- February 2017 (Revised April 2018)
- Case
Kameda Seika: Cracking the U.S. Market
By: Elie Ofek, Nobuo Sato and Akiko Kanno
In spring 2016, Kameda’s CEO, Michiyasu Tanaka, is facing difficult questions from board members over the lackluster performance of the company’s U.S. subsidiary. Kameda was the leading player in the Japanese rice cracker market and was looking to expand overseas to... View Details
Keywords: Marketing Strategy; Growth and Development Strategy; Adaptation; Performance Improvement; Manufacturing Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Japan; United States
Ofek, Elie, Nobuo Sato, and Akiko Kanno. "Kameda Seika: Cracking the U.S. Market." Harvard Business School Case 517-095, February 2017. (Revised April 2018.)
- September 1983 (Revised October 1984)
- Case
Boston Whaler, Inc.: Managing the Dealer Network
Mr. Joseph Lawler, newly-appointed president of Boston Whaler, Inc. (BWI), believes that better dealer management is the key to his company's continued growth. BWI manufactured a high-price, high performance line of power and other boats for the recreational,... View Details
Bonoma, Thomas V. "Boston Whaler, Inc.: Managing the Dealer Network." Harvard Business School Case 584-036, September 1983. (Revised October 1984.)
- February 1984 (Revised March 1991)
- Case
Sof-Optics, Inc. (B)
Involves the introduction of a technology which almost completely eliminates direct labor for a major segment of the product line. The technology is unproven though, and requires managing the learning process. The teaching objective is to review the differences in... View Details
Jaikumar, Ramchandran. "Sof-Optics, Inc. (B)." Harvard Business School Case 684-045, February 1984. (Revised March 1991.)
- March 2014
- Module Note
Implementing Environmentally Sustainable Operations
Keywords: Sustainability; Sustainability Management; Sustainability Reporting; Sustainable Supply Chains; Sustainable Operations; Environment; Environmental And Social Sustainability; Environmental Management; Environmental Operations; Environmental Performance; Environmental Policy; Environmental Protection; Environmental Strategy; Environmental Regulation; Operations Management; Operations Strategy; Supply Chain Management; Operations; Supply Chain; Business Processes; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Performance Evaluation; Performance Improvement; Safety; Social Enterprise; Quality; Production; Working Conditions; Animal-Based Agribusiness; Buildings and Facilities; Manufacturing Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Manufacturing Industry
Toffel, Michael W. "Implementing Environmentally Sustainable Operations." Harvard Business School Module Note 613-090, March 2014.
- August 2012
- Case
Danshui Plant No. 2
By: William Bruns, Julie H. Hertenstein and Kelvin Liu
Danshui Plant No. 2 in southern China has a one-year contract with Apple Inc. to assemble 2.4 million iPhones. In the first three months of the contract, the plant is unable to assemble as many phones as expected and is operating at a loss. The plant manager must... View Details
Keywords: Job Cuts and Outsourcing; Production; Budgets and Budgeting; Manufacturing Industry; Manufacturing Industry; China
Bruns, William, Julie H. Hertenstein, and Kelvin Liu. "Danshui Plant No. 2." Harvard Business School Brief Case 913-525, August 2012.