Publications

08 Jan 2001
What Do You Think?

Have We Extended the Boundaries of the Firm Too Far?

Summing Up "What we are looking at is a fundamental challenge to our assumptions about which corporate structures work," commented Daniel Hayes in response to the recent piece on the future bounds of the organization. Raman Julka was just as dramatic:... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

July 2023 (Revised January 2025)
Teaching Note

Sian Flowers: Fresher by Sea?

By: Willy Shih and Michael W. Toffel

15 Nov 2016
News

Classroom Lessons Put Into Practice Abroad

HBS students worked on their project with representatives of the bakery chain Benjamin in São Paulo. (photo by Cintia Farago) In the United States, brand loyalty is often a powerful motivator—consumers will drive miles in search of a... View Details

Keywords: Food Services and Drinking Places; Hospitality

1998
Chapter

Reengineering Channel Reordering Processes to Improve Total Supply-Chain Performance

By: J. Hammond and Theodore H. Clark

Keywords: Supply Chain Management; Performance Improvement; Distribution Channels; Management Practices and Processes

March 2008 (Revised May 2008)
Case

Carlyle Japan (A)

By: David B. Godes, Masako Egawa and Mayuka Yamazaki

Tamotsu Adachi, Managing Director of Carlyle Japan, wants to formulate a strategy to improve his firm's ability to source high-quality deals at competitive valuations, or prices. Buyout funds like Carlyle typically have two deal phases: sourcing and monitoring. These... View Details

Keywords: Financial Instruments; Leveraged Buyouts; Supply Chain Management; Marketing Channels; Sales; Financial Services Industry; Japan

January 1997 (Revised December 1999)
Case

OXO International

By: H. Kent Bowen, Marilyn Matis and Sylvie Ryckebusch

OXO, a kitchen tools and gadgets company, was started by a businessman who had 30 years of experience in the housewares industry. With his wife and son as founders, he creates a new niche in the gadgets industry for high-end gourmet stores. The company has headquarters... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Supply Chain Management; Production; Design; Ownership; Business Startups; Acquisition; Consumer Products Industry; Asia; New York (city, NY); Connecticut

October 1993 (Revised November 1994)
Case

Becton Dickinson & Co.: Multidivisional Marketing Programs

By: Frank V. Cespedes

In response to a potential competitive inroad at a key account, managers at Becton Dickinson are considering a multidivisional marketing effort. View Details

Keywords: Marketing Communications; Accounting Audits; Management; Supply Chain Management; Organizations; Sales; Change Management; Health Industry

November 2017 (Revised May 2019)
Case

Wayfair: Fast Furniture?

By: Janice H. Hammond and Anna Shih

Keywords: Supply Chain; Logistics; Distribution; Web; Retail Industry; United States

November 2012 (Revised April 2013)
Case

Konys, Inc.

By: Deishin Lee and Tunay I. Tunca

This case describes the sourcing policy for a consumer electronics company. The company must decide how to structure contracts with their supplier—using a purchase contract, an option contract, or combination of the two. The company can also buy from the spot market.... View Details

Keywords: Option Contract; Uncertainty; Sourcing; Supplier Relationship; Risk and Uncertainty; Contracts; Supply Chain; Consumer Products Industry; Electronics Industry

September 1971 (Revised September 1983)
Case

Gentle Electric Co.

By: W. Earl Sasser

Designed to illustrate various levels of complexity in determining optimum order sizes for a single item inventory policy. Students are asked to evaluate the impact of recent operational changes on the firm's ordering policy. Intended to follow the students' initial... View Details

Keywords: Change; Policy; Supply Chain; Complexity; Electronics Industry

08 Dec 2008
Research & Ideas

Thinking Twice About Supply-Chain Layoffs

centers can seriously affect an organization's bottom line and undermine its strategy. "My research reveals that what happens in the last 10 yards of retail supply chains is really important. Customers often... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Retail

19 Nov 2001
Research & Ideas

Wrapping Your Alliances In a World Wide Web

chain management and advanced planning and scheduling software embed more advanced algorithms than their predecessors and offer the possibility of optimizing decisions across an entire supply chain, as... View Details

Keywords: by Andrew McAfee

April 2012
Supplement

Meli Marine, Instructor Supplement (Brief Case)

By: Richard G. Hamermesh and Sunru Yong

Keywords: Asia; Singapore; Industry Structure; Operations Management; Capacity Analysis; Packaging Cartons ＆Containers; Supply Chain Management; Competitive Strategy; Logistics; Industry Structures; Performance Capacity; Singapore

April 2012
Supplement

Meli Marine, Spreadsheet Supplement (Brief Case)

By: Richard G. Hamermesh and Sunru Yong

Keywords: Asia; Singapore; Industry Structure; Operations Management; Capacity Analysis; Packaging Cartons ＆Containers; Supply Chain Management; Competitive Strategy; Logistics; Industry Structures; Performance Capacity; Singapore