Improving Productivity - Publications - Faculty & Research

12 Oct 1999
Research & Ideas

Porter’s Perspective: Competing in the Global Economy

on this subject. What are some of your findings? A: In The Competitive Advantage of Nations, I articulated the phenomenon of clusters as part of an overall effort to grapple with the enormous question of how a nation can improve its... View Details

Keywords: Re: Michael E. Porter

28 May 2019
News

Research Brief: Field Research

agronomist researches the matter and sends a tailored reply within 24 hours. The more information a farmer shares with PAD—about planting practices, market prices, or soil conditions—the more its recommendations improve with time. “The... View Details

Keywords: Jen McFarland Flint; Crop Production; Crop Production

01 Sep 2018
News

Research Brief: Where Top-Down Tops Out

facility’s performance. “There is a lot of pressure to deliver and deliver quickly,” Sadun says. “The rational response of an appointed NHS CEO is not necessarily to improve the long-term performance of the hospital, but instead to... View Details

Keywords: Jennifer Myers

17 Aug 2021

Behind the Scenes of Writing a Case Study: When manufacturing and a mass vaccination site intersect

How can business leaders play a role in solving society’s biggest problems? How do HBS professors select and write case studies on relevant and current topics? How can manufacturing expertise improve inefficiencies at a mass vaccination... View Details

21 Jul 2003
Research & Ideas

Don’t Get Buried in Customer Data—Use It

Cisco relies on three layers of customer data to inform its efforts to improve customer satisfaction: The overall satisfaction survey that customers fill out annually; interviews with targeted customer segments, follow-on surveys, and... View Details

Keywords: by Jean Ayers

01 Mar 2010
News

Eric Schiffer

sells something for $20 adds a penny cost, it’s meaningless. So we try to eliminate waste and increase productivity in every aspect, whether it’s compliance, shipping, handling, distribution, storage — we strive to find ways to deal with... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna; Miscellaneous Store Retailers; Retail Trade

Web

Books - Institute For Strategy And Competitiveness

the way competition in health care delivery takes place—and unleashing stunning improvements in quality and efficiency. With specific recommendations for hospitals, doctors, health plans, employers, and policy makers, internationally... View Details

23 Jun 2009
First Look

First Look: June 23

technology, three core principles have emerged that work together to ensure that complementary, interconnected products coexist and compete. These core principles are particularly important when applied to platforms, which have played a... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

01 Sep 2011
News

Coming Full Circle

rigorous research in areas with a clear connection to practice. For example, to study the conditions under which workplace transparency improves performance, Bernstein embedded Harvard undergrads on View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna; Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services

01 Mar 2014
News

The Solution to the Global Food Crisis Just Might Come from Nigeria

system of multinational megafarms won't be enough—the hope for the future lies not in mass production, but in production by the masses. And that's where Nigeria comes in. With only 40 percent of its arable land currently used by farmers,... View Details

Keywords: Francis Storrs; John H. Davis; Michael Halse; Crop Production; Crop Production; Crop Production; Crop Production; Crop Production; Crop Production

18 Mar 2009
Research & Ideas

Marketing After the Recession

out under-performing distributors, shed unprofitable or unreliable customers, deleted poor-selling products from your portfolio, and concentrated your marketing dollars on media and channels that you could prove delivered a strong return... View Details

Keywords: by John Quelch; Retail

01 Sep 2018
News

An SUV Built for African Roads—by African Workers

production facility that are different from typical original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). And the vehicle’s design allows for an efficient production process at low volumes and with manual labor. Because... View Details

Keywords: Amy Yee

01 Dec 1999
News

Water, Water Everywhere

right to have it," Mark explained. "But not much has been done to increase the supply and quality of the supply of water and to be able to economically allocate it to the right locations." Mark grew up on a farm and as a result was savvy from an early age about crop... View Details

13 Apr 2023
Blog Post

Grolsch Brewing Company: Drink Sustainably

In January 2023, Professors Willy Shih and Mike Toffel led more than 40 HBS MBA students on site visits to witness the energy transition and innovative sustainable production activities throughout Denmark and the Netherlands, in their new... View Details

24 Jan 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research: January 24, 2017

By: Kerr, William R., and Ufuk Akcigit Abstract—We build a tractable growth model where multi-product incumbents invest in internal innovations to improve their existing products, while new entrants and incumbents invest in external... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

01 Jun 2012
News

What Industrial Policy?

for only about one in 10 American jobs. A major reason for the decline in manufacturing employment in recent decades is the huge increases in the productivity of American factories. With those productivity... View Details

Keywords: Gary P. Pisano; Agriculture; Construction of Buildings; Construction; Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services; Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles; Finance; Health, Social Assistance; Manufacturing

George H. Love

improve its production efficiencies. The operation, which was losing money when he took the helm, was always profitable during his tenure. Love was also highly regarded for his fair union negotiations with... View Details

Keywords: Agriculture & Mining

09 Jul 2008
Research & Ideas

Starbucks’ Lessons for Premium Brands

prices. Third, opening new stores and launching a blizzard of new products create only superficial growth. Such strategies take top management's eye off of improving same store sales year-on-year. This is... View Details