Publications

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January 2017 (Revised March 2017)
Case

Royal DSM: From Continuous Transformation to Organic Growth

By: William W. George, Carin-Isabel Knoop and Amram Migdal

Royal DSM CEO Feike Sijbesma was pondering the challenges of shifting DSM’s global organization from the constant transformations of the past 100 years to creating organic growth. When Sijbesma took the helm as CEO in 2007, he further pushed and completed the company’s... View Details

Keywords: Organic Growth; Organizational Change; M＆A; Mergers And Acquisitions; Divestment; Business Ventures; Business Divisions; Business Growth and Maturation; Restructuring; Change; Change Management; Transformation; Transition; Engineering; Chemicals; Mining; Ethics; Values and Beliefs; Finance; Capital Markets; Financial Markets; Food; Globalization; Global Strategy; Globalized Firms and Management; Globalized Markets and Industries; Health; Nutrition; History; Leadership; Leadership Development; Leadership Style; Leading Change; Management; Business or Company Management; Growth and Development Strategy; Growth Management; Management Practices and Processes; Management Style; Organizations; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Mission and Purpose; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Organizational Design; Ownership; Public Ownership; Performance; Strategy; Adaptation; Consolidation; Corporate Strategy; Value; Value Creation; Chemical Industry; Chemical Industry; Chemical Industry; Chemical Industry; Chemical Industry; Europe; Netherlands

2017
Working Paper

Creating the Market for Organic Wine: Sulfites, Certification, and Green Values

By: Geoffrey Jones and Emily Grandjean

This working paper examines the history of organic wine, which provides a case study of failed category creation. The modern organic wine industry emerged during the 1970s in the United States and Western Europe, but it struggled to gain traction compared to other... View Details

Keywords: Product Launch; Failure; Problems and Challenges; Complexity; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Food and Beverage Industry

SSRN

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June 1996 (Revised May 1998)
Teaching Note

Negotiating the Right to Know: Rhone-Poulenc and Manchester, Texas (A-1), (A-2), and (B) TN

By: Michael A. Wheeler and Andrea L Strimling

Teaching Note for (9-895-062), (9-895-063), and (9-898-258). View Details

Keywords: Chemical Industry; United States

23 Dec 2002
Research & Ideas

Partnering and the Balanced Scorecard

theme in the internal perspective. (See Figure 2-2.) For example, Mobil, in its Balanced Scorecard, included measures on environmental and safety performance, stressing the importance of being a good employer View Details

Keywords: by Robert S. Kaplan & David P. Norton

03 Jun 2013
Research & Ideas

The Power of Rituals in Life, Death, and Business

ritual. Participants who prepared a glass of powdered lemonade in a ritualistic manner (stir for 30 seconds, wait for 30 seconds, and so on) enjoyed consuming it much more than those who merely watched... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

June 2008 (Revised January 2014)
Teaching Note

Cook Composites and Polymers Co.

By: Deishin Lee and Michael W. Toffel

Teaching Note for [608055]. View Details

Keywords: Chemical Industry

08 Mar 2022
Research & Ideas

Representation Matters: Building Case Studies That Empower Women Leaders

unbiased management processes, a commitment from leaders at all levels to inclusive practices, and equitable opportunity structures, they can undo patterns of disadvantage that prevent community members from thriving. This systemic... View Details

Keywords: by Colleen Ammerman and Boris Groysberg

March 1990 (Revised May 1990)
Case

Dainippon Ink and Chemicals, Inc.

By: Timothy A. Luehrman and Kevin F. Rock

Keywords: Chemical Industry

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2008
Report

Survey Questionnaire on Environmental Management Practices: Summary of Results by Industry and Practices

By: Magali Delmas and Michael W. Toffel

This document provides a summary of the results of a survey on Environmental Management Practices (EMP) conducted by the University of California at Santa Barbara during October and November 2003. The survey was sent to 3255 facilities in 8 industrial sectors: pulp,... View Details

Keywords: Economic Sectors; Surveys; Management Practices and Processes; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Business and Government Relations; Environmental Sustainability; Non-Governmental Organizations

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July 1995
Teaching Note

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.: MIS Reorganization (A) and Project ICON (A), (Abridged) TN

By: F. Warren McFarlan

Teaching Note for (9-193-008). View Details

Keywords: Restructuring; Management Teams; Transformation; Decisions; Management Succession; Chemical Industry; London

07 Jan 2010
Working Paper Summaries

International Differences in the Size and Roles of Corporate Headquarters: An Empirical Examination

Keywords: by David Collis, David Young & Michael Goold

03 Oct 2023
Research Event

Build the Life You Want: Arthur Brooks and Oprah Winfrey Share Happiness Tips

coauthor of the new book Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier, for an intimate, powerful conversation that touches on: the mistake people make in thinking that money, power, and... View Details

Keywords: by HBS Staff

March 1990 (Revised February 1993)
Teaching Note

Dainippon Ink and Chemicals, Inc. (TN)

By: Timothy A. Luehrman

Keywords: Chemical Industry; Japan

October 1991 (Revised November 1996)
Case

Gordon Cain and the Sterling Group (A)

By: Michael C. Jensen

A Houston-based LBO firm makes two petrochemical acquisitions that benefit from improved industry conditions and improved organizational performance. The LBOs generate huge increases in value, creating problems for managers, who have large, undiversified equity... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Value Creation; Business Exit or Shutdown; Leveraged Buyouts; Chemical Industry; Houston

November 1994
Case

Pilkington Float Glass--1955

By: Kim B. Clark

The case examines the development of the float glass process at Pilkington in the mid-1950s. Pilkington has pursued the development of a radically new process for flat glass production, but has experienced serious problems at each stage of development. The senior... View Details

Keywords: Transformation; Decision Choices and Conditions; Technological Innovation; Product Development; Research and Development; Commercialization; Technology

March 2001 (Revised June 2001)
Case

Dixon Corporation: The Collinsville Plant (Abridged)

Specialty chemical company Dixon must decide whether to acquire Collinsville, a business in a new segment, and how much to pay for it. View Details

Keywords: Decision Making; Chemicals; Acquisition; Chemical Industry

October 1992 (Revised December 1997)
Case

Sterling Chemicals, Inc.: Quality and Productivity Improvement Program

Describes the design and implemenation of a quality improvement program. Sterling Chemical's management hoped the program would improve teamwork and productivity at the plant. View Details

Keywords: Quality; Groups and Teams; Performance Productivity; Performance Improvement; Chemical Industry

January 1996 (Revised March 1998)
Case

Linking Strategy and Innovation: Materials Technology Corporation

By: Clayton M. Christensen

Materials Technology Corp. (MTC), a high-tech materials company, is struggling in its development portfolio and to achieve a better record of delivering new products on time. View Details

Keywords: Technology; Innovation and Invention; Business Strategy; Time Management; Product; Production; Chemical Industry; Chemical Industry; Chemical Industry; United States