Publications

February 2003 (Revised December 2006)
Case

Toys "R" Us (A)

By: Michael G. Rukstad, Dennis A. Yao and Cate Reavis

In 1992, Toys "R" Us, the pioneer of the "category killer" retail format, faced significant competitive threats from mass discounters and warehouse clubs and was losing market share. This case explores the dynamic sustainability of Toys "R" Us's retailing model, its... View Details

Keywords: Risk Management; Competition; Supply and Industry; Power and Influence; Retail Industry; United States

22 Dec 2019
News

America’s competitiveness problem

April 2008
Case

TerraCog Global Positioning Systems: Conflict and Communication on Project Aerial

By: Michael Beer and Sunru Yong

TerraCog, a successful privately held high-tech firm that develops GPS (global positioning system) and similar products for consumer markets, has recently been caught off-guard by a competitor's new product that makes novel use of satellite imagery. When TerraCog... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Behavior; Meetings; Decision Making; Group Dynamics; Human Resource Management; Conflict; Information Technology; Leadership; Conflict Management; Competition; Groups and Teams; Organizational Culture; Human Resources; Communication; Decision Choices and Conditions; Crisis Management; Technology Industry

1999
Chapter

Rugby Houshiki ni yoru Shin-Seihin Kaihatsu Kyousou (New Product Development Competition Using the Rugby Method)

By: Hirotaka Takeuchi and Ikujiro Nonaka

December 2002
Other Article

The Competitive Advantage of Corporate Philanthropy

By: Michael E. Porter and Mark R. Kramer

When it comes to philanthropy, executives increasingly see themselves as caught between critics demanding ever higher levels of "corporate social responsibility" and investors applying pressure to maximize short-term profits. Increasingly, philanthropy is used as a... View Details

Keywords: Strategy

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Article

The Wisdom of Competitive Crowds

By: Kenneth C. Lichtendahl, Yael Grushka-Cockayne and Phillip E. Pfeifer

When several individuals are asked to forecast an uncertain quantity, they often face implicit or explicit incentives to be the most accurate. Despite the desire to elicit honest forecasts, such competition induces forecasters to report strategically and nontruthfully.... View Details

Keywords: Forecast; Forecasting and Prediction

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April 2002 (Revised February 2003)
Module Note

Teaching Project Finance: An Overview of the Large-Scale Investment Course

By: Benjamin C. Esty

Large-Scale Investment is a case-based course about project finance for second-year MBA students. Project finance involves the creation of a legally independent project company financed with nonrecourse debt for the purpose of investing in a single-purpose industrial... View Details

Keywords: Projects; Financing and Loans

April 2007 (Revised October 2007)
Background Note

An Overview of Project Finance & Infrastructure Finance - 2006 Update

By: Benjamin C. Esty and Aldo Sesia

Provides an introduction to the fields of project finance and infrastructure finance, and gives a statistical overview of project-financed investments over the years from 2002 to 2006. Examples of project-financed investments include the $4 billion Chad-Cameroon... View Details

Keywords: Project Finance; Infrastructure; Investment; Projects; Trends

July 2002 (Revised August 2002)
Supplement

Australia-Japan Cable: Structuring the Project Company

By: Benjamin C. Esty

Spreadsheet to (9-203-024). Download only. View Details

Keywords: Projects; Customers; System; Capital; Competition; Investment Return; Risk and Uncertainty; Telecommunications Industry; Australia; Japan

18 Sep 2014
Video

What Is the U.S. Competitiveness Project?

Research Summary

Industry Dynamics Following Competitive Shocks

Robert E. Kennedy and Pankaj Ghemawat are using industrial organization theory to study industrial development in countries that have undergone major competitive shocks. Their goal is to develop a set of hypotheses regarding how industry factors effect change in entry... View Details

Web

Propose an Independent Project | MBA

Organizations benefit from the work performed, as well as from the opportunity to engage with students who might be a fit for your organization. Use the Form Below to Propose a Project Independent View Details

28 Sep 2016
Blog Post

Tackling Inequality: An HBS Independent Project

independent project with a group of women who, like me, were surprised and energized by this statistic. We recognized that we had countless courses that asked us to consider our post-HBS leadership within... View Details

11 Oct 2017
Blog Post

Designing Internship Projects for Greater Impact

managing the recruiting process, and larger institutions may lack the structures needed to accommodate the more entrepreneurial candidate. In either case, large company or small, interns and employers must work together to design an internship View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship

12 Apr 2004
Research & Ideas

Operations and the Competitive Edge

School—Gary Pisano, David Upton, and Steven Wheelwright—show how a well-designed operations function can become a strategic competitive weapon. Their book is titled Operations, Strategy, and Technology: Pursuing the View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

October 1981 (Revised June 1985)
Case

Vicks Health Care Division: Project Scorpio (A)

The Vicks Health Care Division lacks a solid form entry in the OTC colds care category and has developed a "me-too" product. The main issues are whether there is an opportunity for the product, and, if so, how it should be positioned. Main teaching objectives are to... View Details

Keywords: Product Positioning; Health Care and Treatment; Product Launch; Market Participation; Health Industry

14 Nov 2006
Other Presentation

Competitiveness and Economic Development: Where Does Texas Stand?

By: Michael E. Porter

This presentation draws on ideas from Professor Porter's articles and books, in articular, The Competitive Advantage of Nations (The Free Press, 1990), "Clusters and the New Competitive Agenda for Companies and Governments" in On Competition (Harvard Business School... View Details

Keywords: Economics; Growth and Development; United States

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27 Jan 2003
Research & Ideas

New Cluster Mapping Project Helps Companies Locate Facilities

with HBS Working Knowledge editor, Sean Silverthorne, Porter discusses the importance of cluster research and the value of the CMP. Silverthorne: How can data from the Cluster Mapping Project help corporations make better location... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

January 1974 (Revised January 1987)
Case

Gillette Safety Razor Division: Blank Cassette Project

Gillette is trying to decide whether to enter the fast-growing blank recording cassette business. The vice president of new business development is charged with developing a marketing plan to be used as the basis for a go/no go decision. In part, the issue is whether... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Marketing Strategy; Market Entry and Exit; Consumer Products Industry