Publications

August 1997 (Revised March 1998)
Case

Unilever's Butter-Beater: Innovation for Global Diversity

By: Clayton M. Christensen and Jorg Zobel

Unilever, one of the world's largest food product manufacturers, has achieved impressive growth in Europe, primarily by acquiring local food companies. Initially Unilever allowed each acquired company to manage its own product development in a way that was tailored to... View Details

Keywords: Growth Management; Brands and Branding; Product Development; Mergers and Acquisitions; Local Range; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Marketing Strategy; Multinational Firms and Management; Innovation and Management; Food; Conflict Management; Food and Beverage Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Europe

16 Apr 2019
Blog Post

How Being an Introvert Influenced My Business School Experience

Bismah Rahmat is a second-year student at HBS (Class of 2019). Here, Bismah shares her experience of how being an introvert specifically impacted her experience at the school as well as her summer internship search. At first glance, it may seem that students in... View Details

December 2009
Article

From Pabst to Pepsi: The Deinstitutionalization of Social Practices and the Emergence of Entrepreneurial Opportunities

By: Shon R. Hiatt, Wesley Sine and Pamela Tolbert

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Opportunities; Society; Food and Beverage Industry

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November–December 2012
Article

Toward a Theory of Extended Contact: The Incentives and Opportunities for Bridging Across Network Communities

By: Maxim Sytch, Adam Tatarynowicz and Ranjay Gulati

This study investigates the determinants of bridging ties within networks of interconnected firms. Bridging ties are defined as nonredundant connections between firms located in different network communities. We highlight how firms can enter into these relationships... View Details

Keywords: Motivation and Incentives; Opportunities

August 1995
Article

Environmental Taxes on Intermediate and Final Goods When Both Can Be Imported

By: J. J. Rotemberg and James M. Poterba

Keywords: Taxation; Natural Environment; Goods and Commodities

Summer 2019
Article

Breaking Even: Political Economy and Private Enterprise in the Norwegian Glass Industry, 1739-1803

By: Rolv Petter Amdam, Robert Fredona and Sophus A. Reinert

Using internal debates and surviving account books, this article traces the 18th-century history of the Norwegian glass industry, created to exploit Norway's immense natural resource wealth, and of the chartered company that would later become Norway's iconic... View Details

Keywords: Glass Industry; Natural Resources; Profitability; Political Economy; Cameralism; Liberalization; Patriotism; Profit; Natural Environment; Business History; Norway

May 2022
Supplement

Thinking Outside the Wine Box (B): Mekanism and the Franz for Life Campaign

By: Tomomichi Amano, Elie Ofek, Mengjie Cheng and Amy Klopfenstein

This case reveals the events that took place after the conclusion of the case “Thinking Outside the Wine Box (A): Mekanism and the Franz for Life Campaign.” After reviewing Mekanism’s pitches for the Franz for Life 2.0 campaign, TWG executives felt that the proposed... View Details

Keywords: Marketing; Brands and Branding; Marketing Strategy; Digital Marketing; Social Marketing; Marketing Communications; Product Positioning; Advertising; Communication Strategy; Advertising Campaigns; Social Media; Food and Beverage Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; United States

2016
Working Paper

Big History, Global Corporations, Virtual Capitalism

By: Richard L. Nolan

Homo sapiens has mastered its environment so thoroughly that, for the first time in history, a small minority of the population is capable of creating enough food and fuels to support not only itself, but also a growing majority of the 6 billion people now living on... View Details

Keywords: Economic Systems; Internet and the Web; Innovation and Invention; United States

SSRN

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November 2006
Case

Organics: Coming Center Stage?

By: James E. Austin and Reed Martin

The organics movement has certainly come a long way. From hippie farming communes and a scattering of natural food stores in the 1960s, organics outgrew its origins as a counterculture curiosity of the 1970s to become the fastest growing segment of the food industry in... View Details

Keywords: Food; Supply and Industry; Consumer Behavior; Competitive Advantage; Competitive Strategy; Food and Beverage Industry; United States

2012
Other Unpublished Work

Environmental corporate strategy and advancements in enhanced oil recovery technology among U.S. firms

By: Shon R. Hiatt

This study seeks to address how collective actors can affect technology development and adoption among organizations by creating regulatory uncertainty. Empirically, this paper focuses on the influence of environmental organizations concerned about climate change on... View Details

Keywords: Energy; Technology Adoption; Natural Environment; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Corporate Strategy; United States

February 2010
Background Note

Marketing Analysis Toolkit: Situation Analysis

By: Thomas J. Steenburgh and Jill Avery

Before managers can begin to formulate marketing strategies for their businesses, they must have a strong understanding of the internal and external marketing environments in which they are operating. In this note, we present three methods for collecting and analyzing... View Details

Keywords: Five Forces Framework; SWOT Analysis; Marketing Strategy; Demand and Consumers; Industry Structures; Strategic Planning

21 Apr 2017
News

Why telling the truth 'warts and all' could help you find love

March–April 2017
Article

Sink or Swim: The Role of Workplace Context in Shaping Career Advancement and Human-Capital Development

By: Shinjinee Chattopadhyay and Prithwiraj Choudhury

We develop and test predictions on how early-career challenges arising from the workplace context affect short- and long-term career advancement of individuals. Typically an organization’s decision to deploy a manager to one of several possible contexts is endogenous... View Details

Keywords: Workplace Context; Career Advancement; Context; Situation or Environment; Human Capital; Personal Development and Career; Performance

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Elisabeth Paulson is an Assistant Professor of Business Administration in the Technology and Operations Management Unit at Harvard Business School. She teaches the first year course on Technology and Operations Management in the required curriculum.
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Keywords: agriculture; federal government; state government; grocery; nonprofit industry

08 Jul 2014
News

Seeking "big solutions" to increase the value of nature for business and society

Carter Roberts (MBA 1988) is leading the World Wildlife Fund to "connect the dots" between business and societal goals to increase our perception of the value of the natural world. (Published July 2014) View Details

22 Jan 2025
Blog Post

Career Risks and Professional Growth: Finding a Fulfilling Career with Paige Arnof-Fenn (MBA 1991)

became my greatest allies. After HBS, I stepped into brand management roles at Procter & Gamble and Coca-Cola, where I honed my skills and learned to blend creativity with data-driven decision making. I... View Details

June 2016 (Revised March 2017)
Case

Global Wine War 2015: New World Versus Old

By: Christopher A. Bartlett and Sarah McAra

This case contrasts the tradition-bound Old World wine industry with the market-oriented New World producers in the battle for the Chinese wine market in 2015. China’s wine consumption growth presented a large and fast-growing export target that was extremely... View Details