Publications

August 2013 (Revised November 2013)
Case

Ford vs. GM: The Evolution of Mass Production (A)

By: Willy Shih

This case explores the very different paths taken by the Ford Motor Company and the General Motors Corporation in the first three decades of the twentieth century. Henry Ford's Model T was a car for the masses. After considerable experimentation, Ford Motor... View Details

Keywords: Innovation; Exploration; Dominant Design; Business Growth and Maturation; Business History; Innovation and Management; Innovation Strategy; Technological Innovation; Leading Change; Growth and Development Strategy; Product Positioning; Product Design; Product Development; Business Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Vertical Integration; Auto Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Michigan

February 2019
Case

Zhejiang Geely Holding Group: Acquisition of Volvo Cars

By: Felix Oberholzer-Gee, Willy Shih and Nancy Dai

Zhejiang Geely Holding Company's acquisition of Volvo cars was widely viewed with skepticism because of the poor track record of cross-border auto industry acquisitions. This case looks at the acquisition and post-acquisition integration from the point of view of... View Details

Keywords: Merger Integration; Organization Culture; Organization Behavior; Organizational Alignment; Mergers and Acquisitions; Integration; Alignment; Organizational Culture; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Auto Industry; China; Sweden

February 2009 (Revised December 2010)
Case

Upgrading the Economy: Industrial Policy and Taiwan's Semiconductor Industry

By: Willy C. Shih and Jyun-Cheng Wang

The government-led creation and incubation of the semiconductor industry in Taiwan is a striking success for advocates of strong industrial policy. It has led to the island nation's domination of the global "foundry" business in which firms like Taiwan Semiconductor... View Details

Keywords: Economic Growth; Industry Structures; State Ownership; Business and Government Relations; Competition; Semiconductor Industry; Taiwan

Web

Alumni - Global

C. Shih (Robert and Jane Cizik Baker Foundation Professor of Management Practice in Business Administration); Sophus A. Reinert (T.J. Dermot Dunphy Professor of Business Administration); Mark N. Roberge... View Details

October 2017 (Revised September 2022)
Teaching Note

Fuyao Glass America: Sourcing Decision

By: Willy Shih

This case is about globalization: a Chinese company has decided to locate a production facility close to its customers in the U.S., but a recent contract bid means it will lose money, at least initially, by supplying product from that factory. The purpose of this case... View Details

Keywords: Supply Chains; Labor Market; Labor Supply; Arbitrage; Tradable Sector; Supply Chain Management; Supply Chain; Labor; Globalization; Globalized Markets and Industries; Geographic Location; Auto Industry; United States; China

Web

Faculty & Research - Global

Medicine Re: Jaya Wen 07 May 2025 Harvard Gazette Pompeo Warns Against u.s. Pulling Back from Global Leadership Role Re: jsebenius@phdbe1980.hbs.edu 04 May 2025 Business Insider Trump Suggested Kids Have Too Many Dolls. He Might Be Right, but We Get a Lot More than... View Details

Web

HBR Classics - Alumni

Decisions Fine Tuning Market Oriented Practices New Thinking for a New Financial Order Innovation Innovation Killers , Clayton M. Christensen, Stephen Pl, Kaufman, and Willy C. View Details

Web

General Management Curriculum - Faculty & Research

in effective leadership. MBA Elective Curriculum (SECOND YEAR) Course Title Faculty Name Term Quarter Credits The Arts of Communication Candace Bertotti Spring 2026 Q3Q4 1.5 Building and Sustaining a Successful Enterprise (also listed under Technology & Operations... View Details

Web

Faculty & Research - Business History

political science. 23 Jul 2024 News The New Rules of Trade with China: Navigating Tariffs, Turmoil, and Opportunities Re: Jeremy Friedman, Meg Rithmire, Jaya Wen, William Kirby & Ebehi Iyoha July 2024 (Revised October 2024) Case Knowledge Transfer: Toyota, NUMMI, and... View Details

Web

Technology & Innovation - Faculty & Research

heterogeneous telecommunication costs arising from different regulatory regimes) strengthens our results. 2014 Working Paper Bridging Science and Technology Through Academic-Industry Partnerships By: Sen Chai and Willy View Details

2008
Simulation

Strategic Innovation Simulation: Back Bay Battery

By: Willy C. Shih and Clayton Christensen

This online simulation allows students to play the role of a business unit manager at Back Bay Battery Company who faces the dilemma of balancing a portfolio of investment strategies across products in the rechargeable battery space. Players have to manage R&D... View Details

Keywords: Competitive Strategy; Disruptive Innovation; Growth and Development Strategy; Innovation and Management; Investment; Product Development; Research and Development; Battery Industry

Research Summary

Evolution of firm structure in vertical specialized technology supply chains

By: Willy C. Shih

The global market in many everyday products has been transformed by the internationalization of production. In many industries, semiconductors and electronic products in particular, a sequential mode of production has evolved in which goods are produced... View Details

Keywords: Globalization Of Supply Chain; Globalization; Technological Innovation; Manufacturing Industry; Biotechnology Industry; Auto Industry; United States; Asia; China

Web

Business History - Faculty & Research

Green Business in Latin America." Chap. 8 in A Business History of Latin America , edited by Andrea Lluch, Martin Monsalve Zanatti, and Marcelo Bucheli, 159–174. New York, NY, United States: Routledge, 2025. U.S. Steel: Proposed... View Details

Web

About the Center - Christensen Center for Teaching & Learning

1991 More about C. Roland Christensen Faculty Willis Emmons Director; Senior Lecturer Staff Alexandra Sedlovskaya Associate Director Biography Alexandra Sedlovskaya Associate Director Alexandra Sedlovskaya... View Details

17 Sep 2019
News

Trump's tariffs revive damaging prewar world of trade barriers

September–October 2020
Article

Global Supply Chains in a Post-Pandemic World: Companies Need to Make Their Networks More Resilient. Here's How.

By: Willy C. Shih

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the vulnerabilities in the production strategies and supply chains of firms everywhere. Coupled with a rise in economic nationalism, manufacturers everywhere are going to be under pressure to rethink their sourcing and logistics... View Details

Keywords: Resilience; Pandemic; Operations Management; Health Pandemics; Supply Chain; Supply Chain Management; Manufacturing Industry; United States; Asia; Europe