Publications
Publications
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- All HBS Web
(7,580)
- Faculty Publications (1,539)
- March–April 1979
- Article
How Competitive Forces Shape Strategy
By: M. E. Porter
Many factors determine the nature of competition, including not only rivals, but also the economics of particular industries, new entrants, the bargaining power of customers and suppliers, and the threat of substitute services or products. A strategic plan of action... View Details
- February 1979 (Revised December 1983)
- Case
Allied Chemical Corp. (A)
Describes Allied, the chemical industry, and the effects of the Kepone problem (a toxic pesticide dumped into the James River) as of 1976. The executive in the case must decide whether the company should support the passage of the Toxic Substances Control Act and an... View Details
- Article
Do Supervisors Thrive in Participative Work Systems?
By: Leonard A. Schlesinger and Richard E. Walton
This article presents the findings regarding the nature of the difficulties surrounding the supervisory role in participative work systems, a conceptualization of the supervisor/work group interface, and some action implications for the management of organizations.... View Details
- April 1978 (Revised January 1985)
- Case
Searle Medical Instruments Group (Abridged)
SMIG, a division of G.D. Searle, was a fast growing high market-share company in the field of nuclear medical instruments. It manufactured two basically different product lines, one very successful and the other less so. Although marketing was separate for these... View Details
- January 1978 (Revised February 1983)
- Case
Polaroid-Kodak (B1)
Describes additional events in battle between Polaroid and Kodak outlined in Polaroid-Kodak. Includes the competitive actions taken by the companies such as the introduction of customer rebates and bonus plans with dealers. Details the new products of each company and... View Details
- June 1977 (Revised September 1992)
- Case
Sorenson Research Co. (Abridged)
Presents the issues facing a high volume, high margin (but lightweight) medical products business. The company is trying to improve its inventory control to reduce inventory investment and improve service. The present multi-site inventory system is described and major... View Details
- July 1976 (Revised April 1983)
- Case
Corning Glass Works: The Electronic Products Division (A)
By: Michael Beer
Describes a division of Corning Glass Works that finds itself with deep financial and organizational problems. Severe conflict and lack of coordination exist between functional groups. Employees do not have a sense of direction and morale is low. Provides sufficient... View Details
- 01 Sep 1974
- Conference Presentation
The Social Functions of Products and the Nature of Organizations
By: R. M. Kanter and B. A. Stein
- December 1973 (Revised November 1993)
- Case
Cooper Industries, Inc.
By: Thomas R. Piper
The executive president of a major industrial company must decide 1) whether to acquire a small hand tool company and, if so, 2) the value and form that the acquisition package should take. View Details
- Research Summary
Competing business models
Building on the literatures on competitive positioning and the theory of industrial organization, my work seeks to tackle previously unaddressed questions by studying situations where firms compete in dissimilar ways. Some examples of these questions include:View Details
- Research Summary
Consumer Decision Making and Behavioral Research
John Gourville’s research focuses on consumer behavior, especially in the areas of pricing and consumer decision making. In the area of pricing, for instance, he has looked at the role of time on how consumers interpret and react to product costs and prices.... View Details
- Research Summary
Corporate Social Entrepreneurship
By: James E. Austin
This research is examining the process by which companies engage in strategic corporate social responsibility as an integral part of their enterprise strategy and operations. The research has conceptualized this process as entreprenurial in nature and defined it as... View Details
- Research Summary
Creating Corporate Value Added
By: Joseph L. Bower
In response to dramatic changes in the business environment--hypercompetition in many traditional industries, short product life cycles, and new competitors based in emerging nations--successful companies have responded by repositioning themselves in the global markets... View Details
- Research Summary
Customer-Centricity as a Vehicle for Organic Growth
By: Ranjay Gulati
This body of work examines the mechanics of how firms grow profitably in commoditizing markets. Underlying the "customer-centricity" that many firms embrace today is a factor that will determine their success with this effort: enabling collaboration across... View Details
- Teaching Interest
Digital Innovation and Transformation – MBA Elective Curriculum
By: Feng Zhu
Digital Innovation and Transformation is designed to equip students to confidently help conceive, lead and execute digital innovation initiatives and develop new business models for existing and insurgent organizations. The basic premise of the course... View Details
- Teaching Interest
Digital Marketing Strategy
By: John A. Deighton
When the tools of marketing change, strategies change too. The focus of this course is on firms trying to navigate the transition from offline to online market-making and strategy development. Our concern is primarily with corporations that have products and... View Details
- Research Summary
Directors Survey
By: Jay W. Lorsch
This project, which is just beginning, will be a questionnaire survey of directors of public companies in the U.S. The goal of the survey will be to understand the views of directors about their jobs and the changing legal, regulatory, and institutional climate in... View Details
- Research Summary
Energy, IT, real estate, and sustainability
Professor Henderson’s current research focuses on the energy, information technology, and real estate sectors and the challenges firms encounter as they attempt to act in more sustainable ways. This work is an outgrowth of her decade-long examination of the... View Details
- Forthcoming
- Article
Engaging Customers with AI in Online Chats: Evidence from a Randomized Field Experiment
By: Shunyuan Zhang and Das Narayandas
We examine how artificial intelligence (AI) affected the productivity of customer service agents and customer sentiment in online interactions. Collaborating with a meal delivery company, we conducted a randomized field experiment that exploited exogenous variation in... View Details
- Teaching Interest
Executive Education: Leading Growth through Customer Centricity — India
By: Rajiv Lal
Establishing a strategic advantage in India's highly competitive marketplace requires a systemic shift in focus—away from selling products and toward meeting the needs of customers. But how many companies are prepared to carry out such fundamental change? By... View Details