Publications

September 1991 (Revised December 1991)
Case

G. Heileman Brewing Co. (A): Power Failure At PowerMaster

By: Stephen A. Greyser

In June 1991, Heileman announced plans to introduce a high-alcohol malt liquor under the name PowerMaster (PM). Although the company claimed PM would be positioned as an upscale product and marketed on the basis of its superior taste, minority advocates and alcohol... View Details

Keywords: Advertising Campaigns; Ethics; Lawfulness; Brands and Branding; Product Positioning; Demand and Consumers; Market Entry and Exit; Food and Beverage Industry

15 Jul 2014
Blog Post

Discovering a new organization and state as an intern

I have a tendency to plan rather far in advance (huge understatement), so I was pretty psyched to get the MBA intern calendar from Walmart in my email prior starting my internship. Opening it was actually overwhelming- there is literally... View Details

Keywords: Consumer Products / Retail

October 2006 (Revised November 2007)
Case

Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki and the 2004 Athens Olympic Games (A)

By: Christopher Marquis, Doug Guthrie and Yannis Katsarakis

Gianna Angelopoulous-Daskalaki led the bidding organization that secured the 2004 Olympics for Athens and then later the preparations for those Games. Tracks her leadership style and how she and her team won the bid. After substantial planning problems threatened to... View Details

Keywords: Leadership Style; Bids and Bidding; Planning; Social Enterprise; Sports; Public Administration Industry

23 Jun 2021
Blog Post

How I Sourced My Internship Outside of the US: Abena Nyantekyi-Owusu

When Abena Nyantekyi-Owusu (MBA 2021) came to HBS after seven years at GE Healthcare in Ghana, she brought with her the support of key mentors, a strong interest in technology, and trust in her intuition. All three would play a part in her career View Details

September 2017
Case

From 80 Thoreau to Mooncusser Fish House & Moon Bar (A)

By: Lena G. Goldberg and Sandra Bahous

After extensive planning, Ian Calhoun, (MBA 2010) who was also a chef trained in Paris at Le Cordon Bleu, and two co-founders launched 80 Thoreau, a “progressive fine dining” restaurant in Concord, Massachusetts, that became a local favorite as well as a special... View Details

Keywords: Small Business; Expansion; Decision Choices and Conditions; Consumer Products Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Boston; Cambridge

05 Feb 2024
Research & Ideas

The Middle Manager of the Future: More Coaching, Less Commanding

manager may have to reassess plans for career advancement, Zhang says, as organizational titles and job descriptions begin to reflect the changed landscape. As a result, managers may have to look for new positions more externally than... View Details

Keywords: by Ben Rand

8 AM – 5 PM EDT, 04 Apr 2019
Career Events

HBS MBA Alumni Career Reboot Camp in DC

HBS MBA Alumni Career Reboot Camp is coming to Washington DC! Led by Professor Tim Butler and facilitated by HBS career coaches, participants will work through exercises to reflect on their key career interests, what's important to them in work and life, and create a... View Details

May 2019
Supplement

Kjell and Company: Motivating Salespeople with Incentive Compensation (D)

By: Doug J. Chung

Kjell & Company was a Swedish retail electronics chain. The company’s products consisted of home electronics and accessories. The company was noted for its excellent customer service and a fair “one-for-all” HR policy. Historically, the salespeople had been compensated... View Details

Keywords: Salesforce Management; Compensation and Benefits; Motivation and Incentives; Change Management; Behavior; Electronics Industry; Sweden

October 1998 (Revised December 2001)
Case

Procter & Gamble: Always Russia

P&G has rapidly gained market leadership in Russia with the Always feminine protection brand. The distinctive emerging market strategies employed by P&G are discussed. In planning further market development, the management team faces three decisions: 1) whether to... View Details

Keywords: Strategy; Emerging Markets; Planning; Consumer Products Industry; Russia

19 Jun 2023
Blog Post

The Road to Impact

When he turned 50, David Offensend (MBA 1977) decided to make a change. He’d had a successful career in finance, but ever since his undergraduate days of studying public and international affairs at Princeton, Offensend planned that, one... View Details

2008
Book

Billions of Entrepreneurs: How China and India Are Reshaping Their Futures and Yours

By: Tarun Khanna

China and India are home to one-third of the world's population. And they're undergoing social and economic revolutions that are capturing the best minds--and money--of Western business. In "Billions of Entrepreneurs," Tarun Khanna examines the entrepreneurial forces... View Details

Keywords: Talent and Talent Management; Development Economics; Entrepreneurship; Globalized Economies and Regions; China; India

Find at Harvard

November 1998 (Revised July 2012)
Case

Explo Leisure Products

By: Richard G. Hamermesh

Tim Trowac and Dave Rahall, two former investment bankers, skillfully execute the leveraged buyout of a golf ball recycling company after working intensely on their due diligence, writing a business and financial plan, and developing the investment memorandum. Six... View Details

Keywords: Selection and Staffing; Leveraged Buyouts; Business Plan; Performance; Management Teams; Business Strategy; Financial Strategy; Business and Shareholder Relations; Green Technology Industry; Sports Industry

Program

Strategy: Building and Sustaining Competitive Advantage

geography Distinguish between short-run gains and lasting competitive advantage Adapt your strategy to market shifts and your organization's changing ambitions Transform ideas into successful action plans Know when to initiate a strategy... View Details

Program

Risk Management for Corporate Leaders—Virtual

extended period of time from work related activities Develop an action and implementation plan and engage as a team in a post-program session with an HBS teaching leader Expand your personal and professional network Extend your network by... View Details

Article

Four Ways to Build a Productive Sales Culture

By: Frank V. Cespedes and Steven Maughan

This article distinguishes sales efficiency (SE) initiatives (e.g., CRM, training, and KPI dashboards) from sales optimization (SO) decisions (e.g., aligning sales tasks with business strategy, customer selection, and deployment of sales resources across... View Details

Keywords: Strategy; Sales

February 2005 (Revised November 2005)
Case

SAIF: May 2004

By: G. Felda Hardymon and Ann Leamon

The Softbank Asia Infrastructure Fund (SAIF) team has just learned that the price at which its portfolio company, the Chinese gaming firm Shanda, was planning to go public must be reduced. As a result, the partners think through the entire genesis of the deal and the... View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Investment; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Initial Public Offering; Price; China; United States

December 1998
Case

Bell Atlantic and the Union City Schools (B): Education Reform in Union City

By: Rosabeth M. Kanter and Ellen Pruyne

The second in a five-part series about Bell Atlantic Corp.'s technology-in-education partnership with the Union City, New Jersey school system. Reviews the education reform efforts planned and implemented in the school system, which coincided with the partnership and... View Details

Keywords: Middle School Education; Secondary Education; Change Management; Partners and Partnerships; Information Technology; Education Industry; Telecommunications Industry; New Jersey