Publications

March 1982 (Revised January 1990)
Background Note

Note on Pricing Strategies for Industrial Products

Used as a background reading for a course or course module on pricing, this note describes the several basic parameters relevant for price determination. Provides a conceptual approach to formulating pricing strategy, dealing with such topics as skimming versus... View Details

Keywords: Price; Product Marketing; Industrial Products Industry

03 Sep 2015
News

An Online Bank With a Personal Touch

Addressing Consolidation in Health Care Markets

This JAMA Viewpoint proposes three steps the Biden administration can take to slow consolidation within health care, which has been shown to raise costs without improving service or quality: better fund federal antitrust enforcement agencies; appoint agency heads... View Details

2009
Working Paper

Specific Knowledge and Divisional Performance Measurement

By: Michael C. Jensen and William H. Meckling

This paper discusses five common divisional performance measurement methods—cost centers, revenue centers, profit centers, investment centers, and expense centers—providing a theory that explains when each of these methods is likely to be the most efficient. The... View Details

Keywords: Business Units; Business Headquarters; Decisions; Cost; Investment; Investment Return; Profit; Revenue; Knowledge Use and Leverage; Managerial Roles; Performance Efficiency; Strategy

SSRN

September 2007 (Revised January 2009)
Case

Reading Rehabilitation Hospital: Implementing Patient-Focused Care (A) (Abridged)

By: Roy D. Shapiro

Reading Rehab Hospital has experimented with a popular concept in health care--patient-focused care--intended to increase quality and reduce costs by organizing care delivery around particular diagnoses or "service lines," rather than around the functions or... View Details

Keywords: Health Care and Treatment; Medical Specialties; Quality; Cost; Management Practices and Processes; Business Strategy; Service Delivery; Health Industry

January 1991 (Revised March 1991)
Case

Prepare/21 at Beth Israel Hospital (A)

In response to escalating cost pressures throughout the hospital industry, the management of Beth Israel Hospital (BI) decided to implement a productivity plan to cut their operating costs. They chose the Scanlon Plan, an employee participation and incentive program... View Details

Keywords: Nonprofit Organizations; Cost Management; Employees; Health Care and Treatment; Health Industry

Find at Harvard

August 2018 (Revised June 2019)
Case

Oaktree: Pierre Foods Investment

By: Victoria Ivashina and Mike Harmon

This case is a setting to discuss “loan to own” investment strategy that is often pursued by distressed investors. The aftermath of the 2007 financial crisis left many companies with poor liquidity and limited ability to obtain credit. One of these companies was Pierre... View Details

Keywords: Distress Investing; Investment; Debt Securities; Strategy; Restructuring

February 2014 (Revised April 2014)
Case

Komatsu in China

By: Krishna Palepu, Akiko Kanno and Nobuo Sato

Komatsu built a very successful business in China over the last two decades. But it is now facing rising competition from lower cost domestic Chinese companies which are themselves trying to become global players. Facing the same situation, Caterpillar is implementing... View Details

Keywords: Leading A Global Business; Building A Business In Emerging Markets; Emerging Markets; Construction Industry; China; Japan

March 2003 (Revised June 2003)
Case

International Securities Exchange, The: New Ground in Options Markets

This case examines the equity options market and studies the major parties involved and the options trading process. It takes an in-depth look at the path taken by the International Securities Exchange as it entered a mature exchange industry and transformed itself... View Details

Keywords: Capital Markets; Investment

05 Nov 2015
Video

The Long Run: the Impact of Brain Injuries on the NFL

Designing Care: Aligning the Nature and Management of Health Care

Today's health-care providers face growing criticism - from policy makers and patients alike. As costs continue to... View Details

2024
Case

EPCorp: What Story Does the Data Tell?

By: Jacob M. Cook

In EPCorp: What Story Does the Data Tell?, the Quick Case begins with Shivani Bahl researching problems with her company's website so that she can begin to analyze which option would help EPCorp most: selling all its products on Amazon or improving its own data... View Details

Keywords: Distribution Channels; E-commerce; Analytics and Data Science; Decision Making

Article

Optimizing Organic Waste to Energy Operations

By: Baris Ata, Deishin Lee and Mustafa H. Tongarlak

A waste-to-energy firm that recycles organic waste with energy recovery performs two environmentally beneficial functions: it diverts waste from landfill and it produces renewable energy. At the same time, the waste-to-energy firm serves and collects revenue from two... View Details

Keywords: Business Ventures; Energy Generation; Renewable Energy; Revenue; Customers; Strategy; Corporate Governance; Wastes and Waste Processing; Environmental Sustainability; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Cost Management; Urban Scope