Publications
Publications
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- All HBS Web
(8,329)
- Faculty Publications (1,970)
- April 1997
- Case
Peoria Engine Plant (A): (Abridged)
By: Robert S. Kaplan and Amy P. Hutton
Describes the cost control system used at an automobile engine plant for labor and overhead costs. The finance staff prepares daily, weekly, and monthly variance reports against budgets. Department supervisors, finance staff, and the plant manager discuss the use and... View Details
- March 1997 (Revised March 1997)
- Case
Business Teams at Rubbermaid, Inc.
By: Teresa M. Amabile and Dean Whitney
Rubbermaid, a consumer-products company widely praised for its innovation, has instituted a company-wide experiment to stimulate innovation even further. The experiment consists of creating small cross-functional business teams within each division, with each team... View Details
- March 1997 (Revised January 1999)
- Case
SureCut Shears, Inc.
By: W. Carl Kester
A bank loan officer must determine whether to waive convenants and extend terms on a line of credit granted to SureCut Shears. At issue is whether the inability of SureCut to pay down its line of credit is due to a temporary cyclical downturn or other long-term... View Details
- February 1997 (Revised June 1999)
- Background Note
Committed and Flexible Resources
By: Robert S. Kaplan
Stresses the difference between costs committed in advance of knowing actual demand (committed costs) and cost incurred proportional to demand. Committed costs appear fixed since their supply is independent of the amount actually used. Flexible resources are supplied... View Details
Keywords: Cost
- January 1997
- Background Note
Buy Low, Sell High: Creating and Extracting Customer Value by Enhancing Organizational Performance
Provides an integrated framework for creating customer value and managing the firm profitably. Focuses on the use of product/service line management and effective customer service to achieve customer satisfaction and high profitability. View Details
- December 1996 (Revised June 1998)
- Case
Midnight Networks, Inc.
By: H. Kent Bowen and Marilyn Matis
Midnight Networks, Inc., is a small computer network validation company. This case describes how the five founders built their business from operations earnings and how they established "best practices" operational processes to run their firm successfully. Operational... View Details
- October 1996
- Background Note
Building Effective One-on-One Work Relationships
By: Linda A. Hill
Addresses how to build effective one-on-one work relationships. Spells out the importance of analyzing your network and understanding on whom you are dependent. Also provides some criteria for assessing the quality of your relationships. Finally, it discusses how to... View Details
- October 1996
- Article
Assessing the Work Environment for Creativity
By: T. M. Amabile, R. Conti, H. Coon, J. Lazenby and M. Herron
We describe the development and validation of a new instrument, KEYS: Assessing the Climate for Creativity, designed to assess perceived stimulants and obstacles to creativity in organizational work environments. The KEYS scales have acceptable factor structures,... View Details
- September 1996 (Revised April 1998)
- Case
Mobil USM&R (B): New England Sales and Distribution
By: Robert S. Kaplan
The general manager of a local gasoline/distillate sales and distribution business unit must communicate a new strategy to the unit's 300 employees. An initial strategic planning exercise identified a high-priority list of opportunities that blended the parent... View Details
- September 1996 (Revised May 1997)
- Case
Mobil USM&R (C): Lubricants Business Unit
By: Robert S. Kaplan
The general manager of a Lubricants Business Unit in Mobil's U.S. Marketing and Refining division launched a project to develop a Balanced Scorecard (BSC) for his unit. The purpose was to provide focus for all employees of the unit, enabling it to operate on an... View Details
- September 1996
- Case
Automatic Data Processing: The EFS Decision (Abridged)
By: Robert L. Simons
The managing director of one of ADP's divisions must recommend whether to divest, harvest, or grow the division. Recent performance has been excellent and the near-term outlook for profitability is very promising. Despite some strategic concerns, the strong financial... View Details
- August 1996 (Revised December 1996)
- Case
Korean Development and Western Economics
By: George C. Lodge and Courtenay Sprague
Provides a summary of Korea's economic performance during the past 40 years. Korea's economic strategy is discussed with regard to context--both the domestic (historic) and the international factors that have informed Korea's development. Simultaneously, Korea also... View Details
- August 1996 (Revised October 1996)
- Case
Howard, Shea & Chan Asset Management (D): Sales Presentation
Provides the context and hard copy material to accompany a video sales presentation. Participants are asked to develop criteria for evaluating a sales presentation and then to apply the criteria to the video presentation. View Details
- August 1996 (Revised May 1997)
- Case
Delta & Pine Land: Measuring the Value of Transgenic Cotton
By: Ray A. Goldberg and Charlotte A. Tasker
Discusses the joint venture between two companies with different capabilities: 1) technology provider and 2) transportation agent. Discusses how to capture value from joint venture and biotechnology: 1) who are winners and who are losers; 2) how much value can/should... View Details
- July 1996 (Revised December 2001)
- Case
Becton Dickinson--Designing the New Strategic, Operational, and Financial Planning Process
By: Robert L. Simons, Antonio Davila and Afroze A Mohammed
Describes management's attempts to design and install a sophisticated planning and control system in an international company as it changes its strategy. Issues of strategy implementation, accountability, and performance measurement are at the core of the analysis, as... View Details
- May 1996 (Revised October 2001)
- Case
BAE Automated Systems (B): Implementing the Denver International Airport Baggage-Handling System
By: Lynda M. Applegate, H. James Nelson, Ramiro Montealegre and Carin-Isabel Knoop
Describes the negotiations between the City of Denver officials, airlines, consulting companies, and BAE for the construction of a backup baggage system to enable the Denver International Airport (DIA) to open. When DIA finally opens in February 1995, 16 months behind... View Details
- April 1996 (Revised June 1999)
- Case
NYPD New
By: James L. Heskett
Police Commissioner Bratten and his staff have led a process designed to create a results-oriented police department from one that previously emphasized and measured effort. With increasing budgeting pressures, the next phase of effort calls for increasing emphasis on... View Details
- April 1996
- Case
Silver Lane Apartments
By: William J. Poorvu and John H. Vogel Jr.
Scott Johnson is a successful developer of single-family and multi-family housing who specializes in renovating and turning around poorly performing apartments in good locations. He plans to sell a 506-unit property for portfolio and estate planning purposes. This case... View Details
- February 1996
- Case
Chadwick, Inc.: The Balanced Scorecard (Abridged)
By: Robert S. Kaplan
The pharmaceutical division of a diversified company has been asked to develop a Balanced Scorecard. Research and development projects take about ten years to bring a new product to the marketplace and the division depends on good relations and active feedback from its... View Details