Exploration And Exploitation - Publications - Faculty & Research

21 Aug 2013
Research & Ideas

What Went Wrong at J.C. Penney?

After successful stints at Target (vice president of merchandising) and Apple (senior vice president of retail operations), it seemed Ron Johnson could do no wrong. But the winning streak came to a well-publicized end during his two-year... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Aisner; Retail

January 2021 (Revised October 2024)
Case

Aptiv PLC Board of Directors (A)

By: Lynn S. Paine and Will Hurwitz

Aptiv’s board must decide whether a joint venture with an auto maker is the right next step in the company’s efforts to develop and commercialize a production-ready autonomous driving system. While many commentators believed that Aptiv’s self-driving technologies had... View Details

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31 Mar 2022
Op-Ed

Navigating the ‘Bermuda Triangle’ in Professional Services

congenial work atmosphere for doctors and nurses, and handsome economic returns for its owners. The hospital’s leadership has forsworn expansion to avoid diluting its unique offering. But then we also have... View Details

Keywords: by Ashish Nanda

12 Mar 2024
Cold Call Podcast

How to Bring Good Ideas to Life: The Paul English Story

Keywords: Re: Frances X. Frei

Jul 2014
Working Paper

The State of Small Business Lending: Credit Access During the Recovery and How Technology May Change the Game

available sources. We explore both the cyclical impact of the recession on small business and access to credit, and several structural issues that impede the full recovery of... View Details

04 Aug 2003
Research & Ideas

Shackleton: An Entrepreneur of Survival

In recent years, polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton has been celebrated through books, memoirs, several films, and a major museum exhibit. His achievements on the ice have much to teach business students... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

February 2007 (Revised May 2007)
Case

Bancaja: Developing Customer Intelligence (A)

In 1996, CEO Fernando Garcia Checa wanted to make customer analytics a part of Bancaja's new strategy. Bancaja, a savings bank based in Valencia, Spain, was expanding and wanted to exploit customer information to increase commercial effectiveness. At the same time, it... View Details

Keywords: Customer Relationship Management; Banking Industry; Spain

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April 18, 2022
Article

Will mRNA Technology Companies Spawn Innovation Ecosystems?

By: Christoph Grimpe, Timo Minssen, W. Nicholson Price, II and Ariel Dora Stern

The mRNA technologies that helped rapidly create effective COVID-19 vaccines could become technology platform businesses, which has tremendous implications for players in the world of drug development. These platforms could attract other companies interested in... View Details

Keywords: Health Care; Digital Health; Technology; Innovation; Health Care and Treatment; Technological Innovation; Digital Transformation; Health Industry; United States

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15 Aug 2022
Book

University of the Future: Finding the Next World Leaders in Higher Ed

T.M. Chang Professor of China Studies at Harvard University and the Spangler Family Professor of Business Administration at HBS—explores the many ways the three countries have made their mark in higher education over the past two... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Education

Research Summary

THEME #2: BUILDING CAPABILITIES THROUGH VARIATION

Prior work has yet to establish definitively the role that variation (e.g. in individuals' activities or organizational processes) plays in the development of capabilities. Variation is usually either not considered (e.g., the learning curve examines... View Details

27 Jan 2011
News

The Gender Advantage for Multinational Firms

16 Aug 2013
News

A Board Director's Perspective on What IT Has to Get Right

16 Aug 2013
News

What We’re Reading Friday

09 Oct 2018
News

The Gift of Global Talent: How Migration Shapes Business, Economy & Society

06 Feb 2006
News

Selling Livedoor

11 Apr 2022
Research & Ideas

A World of Difference: What Keeps Companies from Becoming More Inclusive

Frances Frei, the UPS Foundation Professor of Service Management, is an expert in the intersection of leadership and inclusion. Francesca Gino, the Tandon Family Professor of Business Administration, studies how people can lead more... View Details

Keywords: by Jen McFarland Flint

Fall 2013
Article

Spurring Innovation Through Competitions

By: Alan MacCormack, Fiona Murray and Erika Wagner

Alan MacCormack, Fiona Murray, and Erika Wagner examine the phenomenon of corporations using innovation contests. They write: "Companies are searching for better ways to identify and exploit novel solutions. Increasingly, they are discovering that many of the very best... View Details

Keywords: Competition; Innovation Strategy; Innovation and Management

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27 Apr 2022
News

Empower Your Employees to Make Better Decisions

10 May 2022
News

Being Your Own Boss Can Pay Off, but Not Always with Big Pay

April 2020
Case

Apple Inc. in 2020

By: David B. Yoffie and Daniel Fisher

After a decade as CEO, Tim Cook is facing one of his biggest strategic transitions of his tenure. While Apple had performed spectacularly well under Cook, Apple's core business was maturing. Sales of iPhones, iPads, and Macs were flat or down. However, Apple's new... View Details