Publications

January 1995
Case

3M: Profile of an Innovating Company

By: Christopher A. Bartlett and Afroze A Mohammed

Traces the birth and development of 3M Corp., focusing in particular on the origins of its entrepreneurially-based ability to innovate. In particular, it highlights the role of CEO William L. McKnight in creating a unique set of values, policies, and structures to... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Competitive Advantage; Organizational Culture

05 Oct 2017
News

Why Great Leaders Are Forged in Crisis

December 2019 (Revised December 2022)
Case

TXU (A): Powering the Largest Leveraged Buyout in History

By: Trevor Fetter, Erik Snowberg and Rebecca M. Henderson

This case is designed to support a lively discussion about the relative merits of shareholder vs. stakeholder perspectives in the context of a company that provides a vital public service that has important environmental implications. The 2007 purchase of TXU, the... View Details

Keywords: Leveraged Buyouts; Transformation; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Environmental Sustainability; Business and Shareholder Relations; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Energy Generation; Non-Renewable Energy; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Utilities Industry; Energy Industry; Texas

January 2020
Supplement

Chemours (B)

By: David G. Fubini and David Lane

Supplement to the (A) case, describing actions taken by Chemours CEO Mark Vergnano and members of his executive team to execute a successful turnaround of the company. View Details

Keywords: Transformation; Leading Change; Crisis Management; Organizational Change and Adaptation; United States

April 2013
Case

Grupo RBS (A)

By: John A. Davis and Courtney Collette

This case reviews the two-generation history of the Brazilian media company, RBS, and examines how the second generation family CEO manages through a crisis facing the company. View Details

Keywords: Family Business; Family Ownership; Crisis Management; Management Teams; Media and Broadcasting Industry; Brazil

November 1997 (Revised May 2002)
Case

Sears, Roebuck and Company (A): Turnaround

The CEO of Sears faces issues involving the company's recent turnaround and ongoing transformation, including change management and the use of leading (U.S. lagging) indicators or measures. View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Transformation; Retail Industry; United States

July 2008
Case

eHarmony

By: Mikolaj Jan Piskorski, Hanna Halaburda and Troy Smith

eHarmony's CEO needs to decide how to react to imitations of its business model, encroachment by competing models, and ascendance of free substitutes. The case provides four options to address these threats and asks students to choose one after they analyzed the... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Decision Choices and Conditions; Growth and Development Strategy; Industry Structures; Competitive Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Service Industry

21 Mar 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research, March 21

https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=52435 CEO Behavior and Firm Performance By: Bandiera, Oriana, Stephen Hansen, Andrea Pratt, and Raffaella Sadun Abstract—We measure the behavior of 1,114 CEOs... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

29 May 2018
First Look

New Research and Ideas, May 29, 2018

February 2018 Journal of Accounting & Economics Bank CEO Materialism: Risk Controls, Culture and Tail Risk By: Bushman, Robert, Robert Davidson, Aiyesha Dey, and Abbie Smith Abstract—We investigate how the prevalence of materialistic... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

September 2023
Supplement

Super Quantum: Using Artificial Intelligence to Transform Asset Management (B)

By: Feng Zhu and Kerry Herman

Dr. Zhang, CEO of Super Quantum, an AI-driven hedge fund, is considering an investor’s request to withdraw their funds as the markets experience volatility. Should he pull the investor’s funds? View Details

Keywords: Hedge Fund; Volatility; Decision Choices and Conditions; Asset Management; Investment Funds; Financial Services Industry

June 1999
Case

Zhulebeno Plaza, The

By: William J. Poorvu and Daniel J. Rudd

Cameron Sawyer, CEO of Sawyer & Co., seeks financing for a shopping center he is developing in Moscow. The case describes the opportunities and challenges of doing development in Russia. View Details

Keywords: Buildings and Facilities; Business Ventures; Entrepreneurship; Financing and Loans; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Real Estate Industry; Moscow; Russia

15 Feb 2022
Blog Post

Health Is Wealth | The Path To Creating A Venture

Rachel Sanders (MBA 2017) started her professional career working in healthcare focused investment banking. After spending four years working at Raymond James focused on middle market transactions, M&A, and the intersection of technology and business, she had a... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Health Care

04 Dec 2013
News

Abercrombie Activists May Affect Change

04 Feb 2020
Video

Gülsüm Azeri

Gülsüm Azeri, CEO of OMV Petrol Ofisi, a leading Turkish petroleum company, describes how how she took the very costly decision to change the environmentally hazardous production process for sodium bichromate. View Details

April 2011
Case

Daniel Kim's Dilemma (A)

By: Bill George and Natalie Kindred

Daniel Kim was considering "blowing the whistle" on his friend, the CEO of a fast-growing startup where Kim had spent most of his professional career. When Kim joined the company, called Cardio-Metric, in 2002, it consisted of seven young engineers (including its two... View Details

Keywords: Ethics; Fairness; Corporate Accountability; Emotions; Behavior; Leadership Style; Governing and Advisory Boards; Corporate Disclosure

17 Dec 2019
Cold Call Podcast

Under Pressure, Oxxo Rethinks the Convenience Store

Keywords: Re: Tatiana Sandino; Retail

February 2014 (Revised December 2015)
Case

Mara Group

By: Eugene Soltes and Sara Hess

Mara Group is a rapidly growing Pan-African conglomerate run by its entrepreneurial CEO Ashish Thakkar. The case explores Thakkar's decision on which African markets to expand operations into. View Details

Keywords: Telecommunications Manufacturing; Business Ventures; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Pulp and Paper Industry; Real Estate Industry; Shipping Industry; Telecommunications Industry; Africa

Video

Mostafa Terrab

Mostafa Terrab, Chairman and CEO of Morocco-based OCP Group, discusses his appointment as director-general of the organization in 2006 and outlines how he prioritized investments into fertilizer production. View Details

June 2023
Case

Barton Malow: Building From the Top-Down

By: Hise O. Gibson and Alicia Dadlani

In 2023, Detroit-based Barton Malow completed the first high-rise building in the U.S. built from the top-down using LIFTbuild, a patented methodology that aimed to make construction safer and more efficient. By completing building work at ground level and then... View Details

Keywords: Growth and Development Strategy; Innovation and Invention; Construction Industry