Publications

October 1986 (Revised November 1988)
Case

B-W Footwear

By: David B. Yoffie

As import penetration into the American footwear market reached 81% in 1986, B-W Footwear, along with all of its American competitors, was struggling. Supply lines were deteriorating, retailers and importers were gaining power, and the government had rejected two... View Details

Keywords: Competitive Strategy; Management; Globalization; Government and Politics; Business Strategy; Trade; Apparel and Accessories Industry; United States

October 2001 (Revised March 2003)
Case

Exxel Group, The: March 2001

By: Josh Lerner and Alberto Ballve

The Exxel Group, a leading Latin American buyout fund, faces a challenge when deciding whether and how to exit its largest investment. The capital markets are very weak, precluding an initial public offering. Undertaking a trade sale of the firm, however, proves to be... View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Private Equity; Leveraged Buyouts; Capital Markets; Investment Funds; Financial Strategy; Financial Services Industry; Latin America

March 1998 (Revised December 1999)
Case

Bronner Slosberg Humphrey

By: David E. Bell and Donald M Leavitt

Bronner Slosberg Humphrey has succeeded by providing integrated direct marketing solutions for major service companies such as AT&T, American Express, and FedEx. A new CEO takes over from the company's founder and is wondering how to grow the company. Options include... View Details

Keywords: Marketing; Growth and Development Strategy; Leading Change; Global Strategy; Service Operations; Competitive Strategy; Information Technology; Salesforce Management; Marketing Communications; Service Industry

May 1996 (Revised July 1998)
Case

Enron Development Corporation: The Dabhol Power Project in Maharashtra, India (A)

By: V. Kasturi Rangan, Krishna G. Palepu, Ahu Bhasin, Mihir A. Desai and Sarayu Srinivasan

A large, lucrative power plant is negotiated for construction/operation by an American power company in India's evolving privatized power sector. The process of incorporating the project is captured in this case. The American company will own and operate the plant in... View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Forecasting and Prediction; Private Sector; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Emerging Markets; Market Entry and Exit; Agreements and Arrangements; Private Ownership; Projects; Energy Industry; India; United States

26 Jun 2017
Research & Ideas

How Cellophane Changed the Way We Shop for Food

development of self-service merchandising systems in American grocery stores, but also revealing how cellophane manufacturers tried to control the narrative of how women buy food. “Cellophane changed how people shopped,” says Ai Hisano,... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Food & Beverage; Retail; Advertising

05 Jul 2006
Working Paper Summaries

Reinventing Savings Bonds

Keywords: by Peter Tufano & Daniel Schneider; Financial Services

May 2011 (Revised July 2011)
Case

Fiat-Chrysler Alliance: Launching the Cinquecento in North America

By: Gary P. Pisano, Phillip Andrews and Alessandro Di Fiore

Fiat ended its 27-year absence in the North American automobile market when the first Cinquecento (500)—a very small, iconic Italian car that had strong sales in Europe—was delivered on March 10, 2011. The Italian automaker re-entered the market through an alliance... View Details

Keywords: Product Launch; Product Positioning; Mergers and Acquisitions; Partners and Partnerships; Globalization; Operations; Growth and Development Strategy; Integration; Auto Industry; North America; Europe

March 2004 (Revised May 2006)
Background Note

Corporate Reform in the United States

By: Lynn S. Paine and Kim Bettcher

The spate of corporate misdeeds revealed to the American public in 2001 to 2002 prompted corrective action in many quarters of the U.S. economy. The note summarizes some of the steps taken by lawmakers, regulators, law-enforcement officials, companies, investors,... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Governance; Capital Markets; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Trust; United States

Article

Do Strong Fences Make Strong Neighbors?

By: Mihir Desai and Dhammika Dharmapala

Many features of U.S. tax policy towards multinational firms-including the governing principle of capital export neutrality, the byzantine system of expense allocation, and anti-inversion legislation-reflect the intuition that building "strong fences" around the United... View Details

Keywords: International Taxation; Initial Public Offerings; Foreign Portfolio Investment; Policy; Taxation; Multinational Firms and Management; Globalized Markets and Industries; Initial Public Offering; Mergers and Acquisitions; Foreign Direct Investment; United States

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April 2005 (Revised November 2005)
Case

Tata Consultancy Services Iberoamerica

By: Michael Chu and Gustavo Herrero

To launch its Latin American operations, the Indian IT giant Tata Consultancy Services recruits a seasoned executive who becomes the only non-Indian member of senior management. Reviews the start-up operations, from the site selection to staffing and training, the... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Developing Countries and Economies; Initial Public Offering; Investment; Globalization; Human Resources; Selection and Staffing; Management Teams; Emerging Markets; Problems and Challenges; Consulting Industry; Latin America

February 2000 (Revised August 2000)
Case

Microsoft Latin America

By: Robert S. Kaplan, Alberto Ballve and Antonio Davila

Mauricio Santillan, regional vice president for the Latin American division of Microsoft, has introduced a new performance measurement system to help his country managers formulate and control strategy. Microsoft Latin America's priorities are rolling out of an... View Details

Keywords: Balanced Scorecard; Applications and Software; Emerging Markets; Crime and Corruption; Motivation and Incentives; Management Skills; Global Strategy; Strategy; Information Technology Industry; Latin America

November 2000 (Revised February 2002)
Case

Resinas Sinteticas, S.A. (A)

By: Lynn S. Paine and Greg Rogers

A recent MBA graduate heads international marketing for his family's Mexico-based rosin supply business, he must decide how to respond to the aggressive tactics of his much larger American competitor. Among other things, the U.S. competitor is spreading false rumors... View Details

Keywords: Family Business; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Competition; Marketing Strategy; Business Strategy; Crime and Corruption; Trade; Chemical Industry; Mexico; United States; Europe

12 Oct 1999
Research & Ideas

It Came in the First Ships: Capitalism in America

long-term business histories of all other large countries, has been one of intense and incessant competition. Americans have persistently shown themselves willing to follow market forces with relatively... View Details

Keywords: by Thomas K. McCraw

11 May 2016
Research & Ideas

Fix This! Why is it so Painful to Buy a New Car?

Harvard Business School have as much pain shopping for a new car as the rest of us. For Jill Avery, a senior lecturer in the Marketing Unit, one experience included being ignored by a salesman, who turned repeatedly to her husband to talk... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Auto

December 1999 (Revised October 2001)
Case

Introducing New Coke

On April 23, 1985, the Coca-Cola Co. announced a decision that would rock the world. The old Coke formula would be taken off the market and replaced with a smoother, sweeter taste. The reaction of the American people was immediate and violent, causing three months of... View Details

Keywords: Failure; Product Development; Brands and Branding; Manufacturing Industry; Food and Beverage Industry

14 Dec 2010
Working Paper Summaries

Regulating for Legitimacy: Consumer Credit Access in France and America

Keywords: by Gunnar Trumbull

January 1991 (Revised May 1991)
Case

Hoechst in the United States (A)

Describes the U.S. market for chemicals following WW II to the present and the attention of the market for global chemical companies. Traces the involvement of Hoechst in this market up to the 1980s when minimum growth has been offered through Hoechst's U.S.... View Details

Keywords: Multinational Firms and Management; Chemicals; Acquisition; Chemical Industry; United States

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25 Jun 2007
Research & Ideas

HBS Cases: Beauty Entrepreneur Madam Walker

also determined that other African American women would be able to rise above their circumstances. Walker's name change from Sarah Breedlove to something both catchier and more dignified was a smart career move that reflected her style... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Beauty & Cosmetics

Article

Kidneys for Sale: Who Disapproves, and Why?

By: Stephen Leider and Alvin E. Roth

The shortage of transplant kidneys has spurred debate about legalizing monetary payments to donors to increase the number of available kidneys. However, buying and selling organs faces widespread disapproval. We survey a representative sample of Americans to assess... View Details

Keywords: Moral Sensibility; Policy; Health; Market Transactions; Attitudes; Trust