Publications

September–October 2013
Article

Changes in Work, Changes in Self? Managing Our Work and Non-Work Identities in an Integrated World

By: Lakshmi Ramarajan and Erin M. Reid

Diverse workplaces are challenging the boundaries between workers' personal and professional lives, as workers today navigate employer pressures regarding who they are and who they can be outside of work. Lakshmi Ramarajan and Erin M. Reid consider how the attunement... View Details

Keywords: Diversity; Identity; Boundaries; Power and Influence; Performance Effectiveness; Organizational Change and Adaptation

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May 2005
Case

Merck: Conflict and Change

Tracks Merck's efforts to adapt to changes in the pharmaceutical industry. Key challenges include adapting Merck's internally focused, science-led culture to a more open environment, where marketing performance has become increasingly important. Examines Merck's... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Conflict and Resolution; Pharmaceutical Industry

October 2004 (Revised July 2006)
Background Note

Ownership Structure in Professional Service Firms: Partnership versus Public Corporation

By: Ashish Nanda

This case reviews the relative merits of partnership and public ownership structures in professional services firms. It also evaluates the various rationales for converting partnership professional services firms to publicly owned firms. Finally, the case highlights... View Details

Keywords: Private Ownership; Transition; Partners and Partnerships; Public Ownership; Service Industry

November 2003
Supplement

P&G Japan: The SK-II Globalization Project

By: Christopher A. Bartlett

Paolo de Cesare and A.G. Lafley review the strategic and organizational challenges they face in deciding whether to make the prestigious Japanese beauty product, SK-II, a global brand. In a three-part videotaped interview, they discuss the challenges, reveal the... View Details

Keywords: Globalization; Brands and Branding; Organizational Structure; Strategy; Decision Choices and Conditions; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Consumer Products Industry; Japan

October 2003 (Revised April 2004)
Case

Jamcracker: Pivot Path

A medium-size company considers entering into a high-tech "over-the-Net" outsourcing arrangement that hinges on buying an integration platform from Jamcracker. Introduces students to the many options available in modern IT outsourcing and challenges them to develop a... View Details

Keywords: Job Cuts and Outsourcing; Information Technology; Decision Making

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August 1995 (Revised July 1997)
Case

Passion for Learning

Describes the challenges confronting a recent HBS graduate who has started a direct-mail toy company. The entrepreneur must evaluate industry conditions in both toys and direct mail, and determine whether he has developed a viable business concept. Presents detailed... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship

01 Dec 2011
News

Health-care changes signal much-needed shift

Operations in an Omnichannel World

The world of retailing has changed dramatically in the past decade. This edited book examines the challenges and opportunities arising from the shift towards omni- channel retail. We examine these issues through the lenses of operations management, emphasizing... View Details

18 Nov 2019
Video

Alberto Grimoldi

Alberto Grimold, President of the Argentina-based apparel and footwear company Grimoldi, discusses the challenges of competing with the many companies in the informal economy which pay no tax, and explains how this impacts decisions to compete in channels such as... View Details

February 2018 (Revised June 2021)
Case

New Constructs: Disrupting Fundamental Analysis with Robo-Analysts

By: Charles C.Y. Wang and Kyle Thomas

This case highlights the business challenges associated with a financial technology firm, New Constructs, that created a technology that can quickly parse complicated public firm financials to paint a clearer economic picture of firms, remove accounting distortions,... View Details

Keywords: Fundamental Analysis; Machine Learning; Robo-analysts; Financial Statements; Financial Reporting; Analysis; Information Technology; Accounting Industry; Financial Services Industry; Information Technology Industry; North America; Tennessee

June 1995 (Revised June 1995)
Case

Ernst & Young United Kingdom (A)

By: John J. Gabarro and Samantha Graff

Intended to be a robust example of the challenges encountered during the early stages of a large-scale organizational transformation effort in a professional service firm. Describes a massive change program initiated and led by the new managing partner along with a... View Details

Keywords: Restructuring; Change Management; Leading Change; Management Teams; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Problems and Challenges; United Kingdom; London

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19 Feb 2019
Working Paper Summaries

Relative Performance Transparency: Effects on Sustainable Choices

Keywords: by Ryan W. Buell, Shwetha Mariadassou, and Yanchong Zheng

Teaching Interest

Changing the Game: Negotiation and Competitive Decision Making

By: Guhan Subramanian

High-stakes business negotiations challenge your wits, your confidence, and your capacity for clear reasoning under intense pressure. Changing the Game leverages the latest research to your advantage, helping you prepare for complex... View Details

August 11, 2023
Article

How CEOs Can Navigate the Emotional Labor of Leadership

By: Nitin Nohria

Although the CEO role comes with power, pay, and privilege, it also involves emotional labor, as leaders feel the toll of making divisive and unpopular decisions. This aspect of the job has become more challenging the last few years. This article offers leaders four... View Details

Keywords: Leadership Style; Work-Life Balance; Emotions

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December 2001
Case

Van Bolton: Resolving a Labor-Management Dispute

Describes the challenges facing Van Bolton, the head of a large airline, as he works with the head of the company's pilots' union to negotiate issues relating to the acquisition of a smaller airline. Bolton must find ways to surmount a history of adversarial... View Details

Keywords: Negotiation Process; Negotiation Participants; Labor Unions; Acquisition; Air Transportation Industry