Publications

02 Sep 2015
What Do You Think?

What's Wrong With Amazon’s Low-Retention HR Strategy?

the workplace. Michael expressed that the industry/culture has been disrupted by emerging technological and economic change that forces the lower-retention model. "It looks like we will end up with a very much smaller semi-permanent... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Web Services; Retail; Apparel & Accessories; Consumer Products; Fashion

May 1994 (Revised December 1997)
Case

Sealed Air Corporation 's Leveraged Recapitalization (A)

Less than a year after Sealed Air embarked on a program to improve manufacturing efficiency and product quality, the company borrowed almost 90% of the market value of its common stock and paid it out as a special dividend to shareholders. Management purposefully and... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Corporate Finance; Manufacturing Industry

Web

Middle East & North Africa - Global

burnout in the hybrid work era, highlighting how individual solutions often fall short in addressing systemic issues. Following her presentation, she led an engaging discussion on strategies to redesign work structures that enhance employee well-being, productivity,... View Details

September 1987 (Revised May 1993)
Case

Pizza Hut, Inc.

Pizza Hut, Inc. is a franchisor of eat-in pizza restaurants. It has decided to enter the home delivery market and is in the process of implementing that strategy. The case traces the development of the home delivery concept at Pizza Hut and the interaction between the... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Expansion; Franchise Ownership; Product Launch; Food and Beverage Industry; United States

January 2025
Case

Shifting Winds: DEI in Corporate America

By: Clayton S. Rose, Maisie Wiltshire-Gordon and David Lane

In the 2020s, intense and conflicting social and political pressures challenged organizational leaders around the world. Prominent among these were powerful competing views on workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion programs (DEI) in the United States. Public... View Details

May 2021
Case

Megan Ming Francis: Leadership and Racial Injustice

By: Francesca Gino and Frances X. Frei

In this multimedia case, Megan Ming Francis, a professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Washington (UW) and a visiting professor at the Harvard Kennedy School, discusses the roots of racial injustice and the need for change. Through... View Details

Keywords: Racial Injustice; Race; Prejudice and Bias; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Leadership

July 2019
Case

LaCroix Sparkling Water (Abridged)

By: Tomomichi Amano, Das Narayandas and Kerry Herman

Launched in 1981 as an “all occasion” sparkling water brand, LaCroix Sparkling Water has had a number of ups and downs as a brand. After being purchased by National Beverage in 1996, the brand was repositioned as a new, colorful, fun alternative to the other sparkling... View Details

Keywords: Brands and Branding; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Industry Structures; Food and Beverage Industry

May 1992 (Revised August 1996)
Supplement

NIKE in Transition (C): A Second COO

By: Christopher A. Bartlett

After two years of stunning financial results, Knight again appoints a new COO, Dick Donahue. Are Knight and Nike ready for a new COO? How does Donahue differ from Woodell? Will his personality, style, and agenda fit with the new Nike Knight has created? Also describes... View Details

Keywords: Policy; Growth and Development; Leadership Style; Management Succession; Managerial Roles; Organizational Structure; Strategy; Apparel and Accessories Industry

April 2010
Case

METRO Cash & Carry in China, 2010

By: Tarun Khanna and David Lane

International wholesaler METRO Cash & Carry in 2010 had little choice but to expand swiftly in Asia to facilitate growth beyond its increasingly mature markets in Western Europe. China was of particular note to MCC, but the company had broken even there only in 2008... View Details

Keywords: Expansion; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Strategy; Strategic Planning; Growth and Development Strategy; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Retail Industry; China

Teaching Interest

General Management: Processes and Action

General Management: Processes and Action (GMPA) focuses on implementation and the way that general managers get things done. Typically, they work through processes—sequences of tasks and activities that unfold over time, like strategic planning,... View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Communication Strategy; Decision Making; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Technological Innovation; Knowledge Management; Leadership Development; Leadership Style; Leading Change; Growth and Development Strategy; Management Practices and Processes; Management Skills; Management Style; Management Teams; Managerial Roles; Resource Allocation; Business Processes; Mission and Purpose; Organizational Culture; Organizational Design; Organizational Structure; Strategic Planning; Conflict and Resolution; Power and Influence; Business Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Auto Industry; Computer Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Financial Services Industry; Health Industry; Information Industry; Legal Services Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Media and Broadcasting Industry; Publishing Industry; Retail Industry; Video Game Industry; China; India; United States

10 Apr 2007
First Look

First Look: April 10, 2007

Working PapersNone this week. Cases & Course MaterialsAscent Media Group (A) Harvard Business School Case 607-064 Ascent Media races to adapt to the changes resulting from increasing digitalization of its business, from creative... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

October 2008 (Revised September 2009)
Supplement

Procter & Gamble in the 21st Century (B): Welcoming Gillette

By: Rosabeth M. Kanter and Matthew Bird

A.G. Lafley and P&G leaders decided to approach the Gillette integration differently from previous mergers. Using P&G's purpose, values, and principles (PVP) it treated the acquisition as a merger that sought to take the "best of both" from each company. In the... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Change Management; Decision Choices and Conditions; Management Skills; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Integration

16 Oct 2012
First Look

First Look: October 16

in managing business analytics and big data at the enterprise level. It includes key applications of analytics, human and organizational issues in building analytical capabilities, and case studies of the application of analytics in... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

Web

Accounting & Management Curriculum - Faculty & Research

Jonas Heese Fall 2024 Q1 1.5 Business Analysis and Valuation Using Financial Statements Joseph Pacelli Fall 2024 Q1Q2 3.0 Changing the World: Life Choices of Influential Leaders (also listed under General Management and View Details

23 Jul 2013
First Look

First Look: July 23

Its Stripes: Imprinting of Individuals and Hybrid Social Ventures By: Lee, Matthew, and Julie Battilana Abstract—Hybrid organizations that combine multiple, existing organizational forms are frequently proposed as a source of View Details

Keywords: Anna Secino

April 2003 (Revised December 2006)
Case

ZARA: Fast Fashion

By: Pankaj Ghemawat and Jose Luis Nueno

Focuses on Inditex, an apparel retailer from Spain, which has set up an extremely quick response system for its ZARA chain. Instead of predicting months before a season starts what women will want to wear, ZARA observes what's selling and what's not and continuously... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Multinational Firms and Management; Competitive Advantage; Manufacturing Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Retail Industry; Spain

July 2002 (Revised August 2002)
Case

Washington Hospital Center (C): Progress and Prospects, 1995-2001

By: Rosabeth M. Kanter and Michelle Heskett

Dr. Craig Feied and Dr. Mark Smith have already transformed a "worst-in-area" emergency medicine department into the best in the area. Industry-wide and hospital system-specific challenges remain, including their newest project of national importance--creating an... View Details

Keywords: History; Higher Education; Organizational Culture; Medical Specialties; Technological Innovation; Change Management; Nonprofit Organizations; Expansion; Crisis Management; Health Care and Treatment; Health Industry; District of Columbia