Publications

09 Apr 2014
Working Paper Summaries

Visualizing and Measuring Software Portfolio Architectures: A Flexibility Analysis

Keywords: by Robert Lagerstrom, Carliss Y. Baldwin, Alan MacCormack & David Dreyfus; Video Game; Web Services

October 2016
Technical Note

Product Development Fundamentals

By: Marco Iansiti, Michael Toffel, Kerry Herman and Julia Kelley

This note introduces key managerial issues in new product development. It describes the product development funnel and alternative approaches to structuring product development teams including functional, lightweight, heavyweight, and autonomous/dedicated teams, which... View Details

Keywords: Product Development; Groups and Teams; Operations; Management

1986
Chapter

Quantitative Models for Management Accounting in Today's Production Environment

By: Robert S. Kaplan

Keywords: Accounting; Mathematical Methods

February 1996
Supplement

Active Coatings, Inc. (B): Challenges in Managing Product Development

Supplements the (A) case. View Details

February 1996
Case

Active Coatings, Inc. (A): Challenges in Managing Product Development

Two entrepreneurs face a tough decision when confronted with disappointing test results from the medical application they have chosen to commercialize their innovative process technology. They must decide whether to redesign the technology's current lead-application or... View Details

Keywords: Risk and Uncertainty; Decision Choices and Conditions; Product Development

December 2011 (Revised March 2013)
Background Note

The Business Development Manager

By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang, Thomas R. Eisenmann, Sarah Dillard, Katharine Nevins and Puja Ramani

Describes the role of business development (BD) managers in technology companies, detailing: 1) BD managers' key responsibilities at each step in the process of creating a partnership agreement; 2) how the nature of the BD function evolves as a technology startup... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Partnerships; High Technology Products; Information Technology; Business or Company Management; Partners and Partnerships; Management Skills; Business Startups; Growth and Development Strategy; Technology Industry

August 2015 (Revised June 2019)
Case

Shonda Rhimes' ShondaLand

By: Anita Elberse and Henry McGee

In January 2015, superstar television creator Shonda Rhimes, whose production company ShondaLand dominates American television's most competitive and lucrative night with three shows in primetime on network ABC's Thursday night, is plotting the future. One challenge... View Details

Keywords: Entertainment; Television; Broadcasting; Creative Industries; Television Industry; Product Portfolio Management; Superstar; Talent Management; Television Entertainment; Media; Creativity; Marketing; Talent and Talent Management; Personal Development and Career; Media and Broadcasting Industry; United States

12 Nov 2021

How HBS Enhanced My Career as a Product Manager

Please join us for a virtual panel discussion highlighting recent alumni who were Product Managers pre-HBS or transitioned to the PM role post HBS. Hear how their pre-MBA experiences prepared them for the... View Details

September 2008 (Revised March 2014)
Case

Loews Corporation: Corporate Strategy as a Portfolio

By: Joseph L. Bower

In 2007, Loews Inc., under the leadership of James Tisch, was considering whether to buy natural gas properties from Dominion Resources. The question is whether the acquisition fits the corporate strategy. In exploring the questions, students will have the chance to... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Strategy; Business Strategy; Business or Company Management; Value Creation; Acquisition; Management Teams

01 Feb 2022
News

4 Ways Managers Can Increase Flexibility Without Losing Productivity

August 1994 (Revised May 1997)
Case

Olympus Optical Company, Ltd. (A): Cost Management for Short Life Cycle Products

Explores Olympus Optical's strategic response to major losses in its camera business. Key to Olympus's recovery were its extensive product planning process, a quality improvement program, and an aggressive cost-reduction program. In particular, the case details... View Details

Keywords: Cost Management; Product Design; Business Strategy; Product Development; Consumer Products Industry

September 2020 (Revised June 2021)
Supplement

Eaton Corporation: Portfolio Transformation and The Cost of Capital

By: Benjamin C. Esty, Scott Mayfield and Daniel Fisher

In 2000, Eaton Corporation was a broadly diversified industrial conglomerate. But its strategy was evolving and its focus was narrowing around “power management” and more recently on “intelligent power,” the use of digitally enabled products and services designed to... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Conglomerates; Business Divisions; Cost of Capital; Corporate Finance; Value; Valuation; Industrial Products Industry; United States; Denmark; Republic of Ireland

1988
Book

Innovation and Competition: The Global Management of Petrochemical Products

By: Robert B. Stobaugh

Keywords: Non-Renewable Energy; Globalized Markets and Industries; Energy Industry; Chemical Industry

Find at Harvard

June 1993 (Revised June 1994)
Case

IBM: A Product for Managing Local Area Networks (A)

Find at Harvard

October 2013 (Revised November 2013)
Case

Blackstone and the Sale of Citigroup's Loan Portfolio

By: Victoria Ivashina and David Scharfstein

The credit boom that preceded the 2007-2009 financial crisis led to several lending practices that exposed banks to large risks. In particular, when the financial crisis unraveled, there were several billion dollars' worth of leveraged buyout (LBO) loans that were... View Details

Keywords: Restructuring; Private Equity; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Credit Derivatives and Swaps; Financial Markets; Investment; Banking Industry; Financial Services Industry