Strategic Decisions - Publications - Faculty & Research

01 Jun 2020
News

Post-Office

call with his team. “I think the decision drove a tremendous amount of confidence,” he says. He saw many of his peers in the tech industry scrambling; Stack Overflow, in contrast, was inherently prepared for the transition. Lumry Family... View Details

Keywords: Dan Morrell; Remote work; COVID-19; Management of Companies and Enterprises; Management

24 Jul 2018
Op-Ed

4 Ways Managers Can Exercise Their 'Agency' to Change the World

Do your research and demonstrate to yourself that there is strong evidence that creating strategically planned social impact can enhance your company’s success. Use your professional skills to identify an opportunity for simultaneously... View Details

Keywords: by George Serafeim

13 Feb 2015
News

Lessons in Perseverance

to a new co-ed school. If the plan failed, Deza knew, her husband no longer offered a financial safety net. But the OPM program had given Deza the confidence to rely on her strategic judgment. Over a month, she outlined the plan with her... View Details

Keywords: Tyler Bridges; Elementary and Secondary Schools; Educational Services

03 Dec 2001
What Do You Think?

What Happens When the Sumo Master Learns Judo?

combatants have unusual means at their disposal, regardless of size. The comments raise several questions: What are the chances that Microsoft can defy traditional market dynamics? What kinds of strategic and organizational View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

01 Oct 1998
News

Short Takes

bathroom tissue manufacturer offers you a discount on its product. How much should you buy? If you stock up now, will the manufacturer have any incentive to give you a good deal later? Will your decision affect the competition between... View Details

Keywords: Eileen K. McCluskey

21 Feb 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research: February 21

to be learned for all global companies as they confront language and culture challenges. Examining the strategic use of language by one international corporation, The Language of Global Success uncovers how all organizations might... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

07 Oct 2008
First Look

First Look: October 7, 2008

the Vegetables Later: A Study of Online Grocery Purchases and Order Lead Time (revised) Authors:Katherine L. Milkman, Todd Rogers, and Max H. Bazerman Abstract How do decisions made for tomorrow or two days in the future differ from View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

28 Oct 2008
First Look

First Look: October 28, 2008

efforts to build and run an innovation center in Cambridge, Massachusetts. As the center goes through different periods of leadership and strategic models, its relationship with the corporation and other research sites is explored. The... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

07 May 2013
First Look

First Look: May 7

value. This uproar calls attention to the fact that the literature on intermediaries has carefully analyzed their incentives, but that we know little about the broader strategic dimensions of this market. The paper explores three related... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

04 Oct 2021
Blog Post

Tapping into “Nontraditional” Private Equity and Venture Capital Talent at HBS

well as the breadth and depth of talent at HBS. Joshua Mbanusi’s Road to HBS Joshua Mbanusi grew up the youngest of five children raised by a single mother and his earliest days shaped his career decisions and professional passions. “To... View Details

Keywords: Private Equity; Venture Capital

28 Apr 2010
Research & Ideas

Earth Day Reflections

company officers, and even play interactive games showing the challenges and trade-offs the company faces in making difficult decisions. Thanks to these kinds of One Report practices, these companies actually document their commitment to sustainability, make better... View Details

Keywords: by Staff

01 Dec 2019
News

Alumni and Faculty Books for December 2019

Disruption doesn’t create growth; instead, growth creates disruption. Growth is always hard, and disruptive growth is exponentially harder. It requires companies to make tough decisions in the face of daunting uncertainties: Should we bet... View Details

28 May 2019
News

Alumni and Faculty Books for June 2019

method that can be applied to everything from everyday decisions to strategic issues in business to global social challenges, the authors provide 30 detailed, real-world examples to transform the way you... View Details

September 1992 (Revised October 1992)
Case

Acid Rain: The Southern Co. (B)

By: Forest L. Reinhardt

In addition to the issues of expected cost minimization elucidated in Acid Rain: The Southern Co. (A), problems involving regulatory uncertainty are critical to the firm's Clean Air Act compliance strategy. The regulatory uncertainty affects, and is affected by, the... View Details

Keywords: Energy Generation; Business Strategy; Environmental Sustainability; Cost vs Benefits; Risk and Uncertainty; Strategic Planning; Investment Return; Government Legislation; Wastes and Waste Processing; Business and Government Relations; Utilities Industry; Energy Industry; United States

Citation

Educators

Purchase

04 Jan 2010
Research & Ideas

Best of HBS Working Knowledge 2009

Marketing: What Works? Purchase decisions are influenced differently in social networks than in the brick-and-mortar world, says Harvard Business School professor Sunil Gupta. The key: Marketers should tap into the networking aspect of... View Details

Keywords: by Staff

February 2017
Case

BlaBlaCar: The Road Ahead...

By: Karim R. Lakhani, Arun Sundararajan, Emilie Billaud and Caroline Caltagirone

In 2017, the co-founders of BlaBlaCar—the world’s largest long-distance carpooling company—reflected on the evolution of their venture and the way forward. BlaBlaCar had reached critical mass and size; yet staying still was not going to be enough to be relevant and... View Details

Keywords: Business Growth and Maturation; Business Startups; Transformation; Decision Making; Values and Beliefs; Growth and Development Strategy; Digital Platforms; Network Effects; Strategic Planning; Competitive Strategy; Expansion; Internet and the Web; Transportation Networks; Transportation Industry; Web Services Industry; France; Europe

Citation

Educators

Purchase

21 Oct 2014
First Look

First Look: October 21

literature when it comes to linking sales efforts with strategy. Part 1 of this book provides data indicating how and why sales remain (by far) the biggest part of strategy implementation in most firms, the issues involved in linking selling investments with View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

02 Jan 2018
First Look

First Look at New Research and Ideas, January 3, 2018

Laura, Nick Bloom, Paola Conconi, Harald Fadinger, Patrick Legros, Andrew F. Newman, Raffaella Sadun, and John Van Reenen Abstract—Little is known theoretically, and even less empirically, about the relationship between firm boundaries and the allocation of View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

18 Oct 2006
Research & Ideas

New at the Helm: A Talk with HBS Dean Light

application aside and asked whether I'd like to get a doctorate instead," recalls Light. After discussions during a visit to the campus, Light agreed to enter a new doctoral program in decision and control theory, a joint program... View Details

Keywords: by Roger Thompson; Education

February 2013 (Revised December 2015)
Case

Groom Energy Solutions: Selling Efficiency

By: Michael W. Toffel, Kira R. Fabrizio and Stephanie van Sice

Groom Energy Solutions helps organizations reduce their energy use and costs through the implementation of energy efficiency measures, which create long-term financial and environmental benefits. With early success serving customers in the cold storage and industrial... View Details