Publications

January 2017
Case

The Six CEOs of Tyco International Ltd.

By: John R. Wells and Gabriel Ellsworth

In September 2016, Johnson Controls, Inc. completed the acquisition of Tyco International PLC, a $9.9 billion business with operating profits of $884 million. The purchase consideration was $14.4 billion. Although the deal was billed as a merger, Ireland-based Tyco... View Details

Web

Value Measurement for Health Care - Institute For Strategy And Competitiveness

part of their business model Executives from health care insurance companies, government entities that pay for health care, or other payor organizations Leaders from pharmaceutical companies, medical device companies, or other health care View Details

04 Oct 2022
What Do You Think?

Have Managers Underestimated the Need for Face-to-Face Contact?

experience working on supply chain challenges in China, doesn’t dispute China’s interest in regaining “their historical hegemony over SE Asia.” However, he stressed the need to recognize “we are in a hyper-connected, radically contingent... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

October 1995 (Revised June 1996)
Case

Li & Fung (Trading) Ltd.

Li & Fung, one of the largest export trading companies in Asia, works primarily as an agent to connect U.S. and European manufacturers and retailers of nondurable, mass-market consumer goods with suppliers located all over East Asia who manufacture products according... View Details

Keywords: Networks; Marketplace Matching; Supply Chain Management; Trade; Manufacturing Industry; Retail Industry; Asia; United States; Europe

31 Mar 2022
HBS Seminar

John Paul MacDuffie, Wharton

15 Jul 2019
Book

Many Executives Are Afraid of Finance. Here's How They Can Gain Confidence

and free cash flow. The emphasis on cash helps explain how firms have changed their supply chains and how working capital has become a significant financial benefit to major firms ranging from Apple to Walmart. Similarly, emphasizing cash... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

September 1998 (Revised July 1999)
Case

Costco Companies, Inc.

By: David E. Bell and Ann Leamon

Costco Companies, one of the major players in the wholesale club industry, has developed a new class of membership that offers discounted services--auto, health, and home insurance, business credit card processing, real estate services--in exchange for a higher annual... View Details

Keywords: Cost vs Benefits; Cost Management; Brands and Branding; Marketing Strategy; Supply and Industry; Service Delivery; Service Operations; Risk and Uncertainty; Retail Industry

January 2022
Case

Fueling a Cleaner Future: ACWA Power and Green Hydrogen

By: Dennis Yao and Alpana Thapar

In January 2020, Paddy Padmanathan, president and CEO of ACWA Power, was reflecting on the company’s sixteen-year record of success and thinking about its future growth plans. Founded in 2004, ACWA Power was a Saudi Arabian developer, owner, and operator of power and... View Details

Keywords: Green Hydrogen; Energy; Climate Change; Supply Chain; Business Model; Growth and Development Strategy; Green Technology; Projects; Alliances; Environmental Sustainability; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Energy Industry; Saudi Arabia; Middle East; North Africa

June 1999
Case

Matching Dell (A)

By: Jan W. Rivkin, Michael E. Porter, Charles E. Bruin, Markus Chappel, Thomas M Galizia and Laila J Worrell

After years of success with its vaunted "Direct Model" for computer manufacturing, marketing, and distribution, Dell Computer Corp. faces efforts by competitors to match its strategy. This case describes the evolution of the personal computer industry, Dell's strategy,... View Details

Keywords: Cost vs Benefits; Competitive Strategy; Industry Structures; Adoption; Computer Industry

11 Apr 2016
HBS Seminar

Pian Shu, Harvard Business School

16 Apr 2020
Research & Ideas

Has COVID-19 Broken the Global Value Chain?

the global value chain, and what more might we expect? Laura Alfaro and Ester Faia: In 2012, a survey by the World Economic Forum and [the consulting firm] Accenture, devoted to assess the risk of a disruption in the global supply chain,... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

Web

Strategy & IT - Institute For Strategy And Competitiveness

and customers; and across geography. It allowed firms, for example, to closely integrate globally distributed supply chains. See below for “Strategy and the Internet.” These first two waves gave rise to huge productivity gains and growth... View Details

15 Jun 2009
Research & Ideas

GM: What Went Wrong and What’s Next

government. This is a great deal for Magna, but terrible for Chevrolet. GM's best small cars are engineered (and some are manufactured) by Opel in Europe. But it's not just about design and engineering. The supply chains and factory... View Details

Keywords: by Staff; Auto

May 2007 (Revised December 2009)
Case

Cradle-to-Cradle Design at Herman Miller: Moving Toward Environmental Sustainability

By: Deishin Lee and Lionel Bony

Herman Miller decided to implement the cradle-to-cradle (C2C) design protocol during the design of its mid-level office chair, Mirra. The C2C protocol was a set of environmentally friendly product development guidelines. View Details

Keywords: Product Design; Production; Supply Chain Management; Business Processes; Environmental Sustainability