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All HBS Web
(542)
- News (68)
- Research (406)
- Events (6)
- Multimedia (1)
- Faculty Publications (139)
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- 26 Apr 2010
- Research & Ideas
When Other Companies Compete Like Crazy, Dare to Be Different
bar soap or running shoes, and make a list of what is different between the products within the category. The list may be long, but an overwhelming number of those differences will almost certainly be trifling. When a category reaches...
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Keywords:
by Sarah Jane Gilbert
- November 1989 (Revised February 1992)
- Case
Ford Motor Co.: Dealer Sales and Service
Since Henry Ford founded Ford Motor Co., Ford vehicles have been sold and serviced the same way. By the late 1980s Ford began to consider making changes in its sales and service process. Two developments forced Ford to reconsider these processes. First, Ford found...
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Keywords:
Organizational Change and Adaptation;
Change Management;
Distribution Channels;
Customer Focus and Relationships;
Service Industry;
Auto Industry;
Retail Industry;
United States
Schlesinger, Leonard A. "Ford Motor Co.: Dealer Sales and Service." Harvard Business School Case 690-030, November 1989. (Revised February 1992.)
- November 2009
- Case
METRO Cash & Carry in China, 2008
By: Tarun Khanna
In April 2008, the country head for METRO AG's Cash & Carry wholesaling operations is considering the most appropriate model for expansion in China, where METRO has operated stores for small business professionals for eight years. In addition, METRO is actively...
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- September 2006 (Revised September 2007)
- Case
Bang & Olufsen: Design Driven Innovation
By: Robert D. Austin and Daniela Beyersdorfer
A successful company, recognized worldwide for exquisite design of consumer electronics products, strives to better integrate software design into its traditional physical product design processes to meet the demands of a post-iPod world. Details the Bang & Olufsen...
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Keywords:
Diversification;
Production;
Applications and Software;
Product Design;
Innovation and Invention;
Product Development;
Electronics Industry
Austin, Robert D., and Daniela Beyersdorfer. "Bang & Olufsen: Design Driven Innovation." Harvard Business School Case 607-016, September 2006. (Revised September 2007.)
- Research Summary
The Politics of Food
By: Gunnar Trumbull
This project explores the origins and evolution of national food cultures, emphasizing the sources of variation in terms of quality, safety, and 'sophistication'. Comparing food cultures in postwar Italy, France, and America, I argue that distinctive national...
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- May 2001 (Revised February 2005)
- Case
KONE: The MonoSpace Launch in Germany
By: Das Narayandas and Gordon Swartz
Focuses on the launch of a new elevator product in Germany. In 1996, global construction slumps and low differentiation among competitive offerings has led to significant price competition and margin erosion in the elevator industry. In these circumstances, KONE, one...
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Keywords:
Machinery and Machining;
Product Launch;
Product Development;
Construction Industry;
Germany
Narayandas, Das, and Gordon Swartz. "KONE: The MonoSpace Launch in Germany." Harvard Business School Case 501-070, May 2001. (Revised February 2005.)
- Research Summary
Science-Based Business and the Business of Science
By: H. Kent Bowen
Science and technology can provide strategic advantage to companies' through differentiated products and processes. The focus of our research is on unusually productive and creative labs that are the sources of breakthroughs that create platforms for sustained...
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- 01 Jun 2009
- Lessons from the Classroom
The Challenges of Investing in Science-Based Innovation
markets have tightened, it's the companies with highly differentiated products that will be able to not only weather this storm, but come out the other side" in a strong position, says Harvard Business...
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- August 2018 (Revised October 2020)
- Case
Tailor Brands: Artificial Intelligence-Driven Branding
By: Jill Avery
Using proprietary artificial intelligence technology, startup Tailor Brands set out to democratize branding by allowing small businesses to create their brand identities by automatically generating logos in just minutes at minimal cost with no branding or design skills...
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Keywords:
Startup;
Services;
Artificial Intelligence;
Machine Learning;
Digital Marketing;
Brand Management;
Big Data;
Internet Marketing;
Analytics;
Marketing;
Marketing Strategy;
Brands and Branding;
Information Technology;
Entrepreneurship;
Venture Capital;
Business Model;
Consumer Behavior;
AI and Machine Learning;
Analytics and Data Science;
Advertising Industry;
Service Industry;
Technology Industry;
United States;
North America;
Israel
Avery, Jill. "Tailor Brands: Artificial Intelligence-Driven Branding." Harvard Business School Case 519-017, August 2018. (Revised October 2020.)
- November 2023
- Case
From Imitation to Innovation: Zongshen Industrial Group (Abridged)
By: Willy Shih and Nancy Dai
Like other small shops based in Chongqing, China, Zongshen Industrial Group started by assembling motorcycles from "standard" parts. The quality of its early products was good enough for rural Chinese buyers, though wealthier consumers usually purchased premium...
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Keywords:
Disruptive Innovation;
Growth and Development Strategy;
Organizational Change and Adaptation;
Competitive Strategy;
Supply Chain;
Product Positioning;
Manufacturing Industry;
Motorcycle Industry;
China
Shih, Willy, and Nancy Dai. "From Imitation to Innovation: Zongshen Industrial Group (Abridged)." Harvard Business School Case 624-056, November 2023.
- April 2012
- Case
Renesas Electronics and the Automotive Microcontroller Supply Chain (A)
By: Willy Shih and Margaret Pierson
The magnitude 9.0 earthquake that struck Japan in March 2011 caused extensive damage to Renesas Electronics wafer fabrication facility, a critical link in the global automotive supply chain. Many OEMs sole-sourced customized microprocessors from the fab, so its...
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Keywords:
Natural Disasters;
Crisis Management;
Supply Chain Management;
Production;
Strategy;
Semiconductor Industry;
Auto Industry;
Japan
Shih, Willy, and Margaret Pierson. "Renesas Electronics and the Automotive Microcontroller Supply Chain (A)." Harvard Business School Case 612-071, April 2012.
- February 2012 (Revised August 2013)
- Case
What's the Deal with LivingSocial?
By: Michael I. Norton, Luc Wathieu, Betsy Page Sigman and Marco Bertini
Tim O'Shaughnessy, the 29-year-old CEO of LivingSocial, is growing a revolutionary worldwide business of "daily deals"—in which retailers offer a heavily-discounted product or service available for purchase for brief (often 24-hour) windows. The case explores the...
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Keywords:
Marketing;
Innovation and Invention;
Advertising;
Brands and Branding;
Management;
Web Services Industry
Norton, Michael I., Luc Wathieu, Betsy Page Sigman, and Marco Bertini. "What's the Deal with LivingSocial?" Harvard Business School Case 512-065, February 2012. (Revised August 2013.)
- October 2003 (Revised January 2009)
- Case
Transforming Matsui Securities
By: Lynda M. Applegate, Masako Egawa, Jamie Ladge and Haruki Umezawa
Michio Matsui, president and CEO of Matsui Securities, transformed a small regional securities company into a leading player in the online broking industry in Japan. Discusses how he transformed the business model and culture of the company and took advantage of the...
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Keywords:
Transformation;
Innovation and Invention;
Leading Change;
Organizational Change and Adaptation;
Business Model;
Organizational Culture;
Financial Markets;
Competitive Advantage;
Japan
Applegate, Lynda M., Masako Egawa, Jamie Ladge, and Haruki Umezawa. "Transforming Matsui Securities." Harvard Business School Case 804-064, October 2003. (Revised January 2009.)
- Forthcoming
- Article
Founder-CEO Compensation and Selection into Venture Capital-Backed Entrepreneurship
By: Michael Ewens, Ramana Nanda and Christopher Stanton
We show theoretically that a critical determinant of the attractiveness of VC-backed entrepreneurship for high-earning potential founders is the expected time to develop a startup’s initial product. This is because founder-CEOs’ cash compensation increases...
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Ewens, Michael, Ramana Nanda, and Christopher Stanton. "Founder-CEO Compensation and Selection into Venture Capital-Backed Entrepreneurship." Journal of Finance (forthcoming).
- February 2018
- Case
Wiikano Orchards
By: Benson P. Shapiro and Katherine B. Hartman
Wiikano Orchards, a family-owned business, faces declining demand in a commodity industry. The president is considering rebranding Wiikano's apple juice, increasing its prices and promotions. If this proposal succeeds, wholesalers and retailers would be more likely to...
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Keywords:
Brands and Branding;
Price;
Marketing Communications;
Product Marketing;
Food and Beverage Industry
Shapiro, Benson P., and Katherine B. Hartman. "Wiikano Orchards." Harvard Business School Brief Case 918-517, February 2018.
- 2023
- Working Paper
Founder-CEO Compensation and Selection into Venture Capital-Backed Entrepreneurship
By: Michael Ewens, Ramana Nanda and Christopher Stanton
We show theoretically that a critical determinant of the attractiveness of VC-backed entrepreneurship for high-earning potential founders is the expected time to develop a startup’s initial product. This is because founder-CEOs’ cash compensation increases...
View Details
Ewens, Michael, Ramana Nanda, and Christopher Stanton. "Founder-CEO Compensation and Selection into Venture Capital-Backed Entrepreneurship." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 20-119, May 2020. (Revised September 2023. Forthcoming at Journal of Finance.)
- September 2010
- Case
Quanta Research Institute: Rainforest or Hothouse?
By: Willy C. Shih, Jyun-Cheng Wang and Ho Howard Yu
Barry Lam, the CEO and founder of Quanta Computer (the largest notebook computer manufacturer worldwide), has recognized for many years that he had to transform the company to decrease its dependence on producing commodity hardware for other global brands and move the...
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Keywords:
Change Management;
Leading Change;
Growth and Development Strategy;
Product Development;
Organizational Change and Adaptation;
Research and Development;
Computer Industry;
Taiwan
Shih, Willy C., Jyun-Cheng Wang, and Ho Howard Yu. "Quanta Research Institute: Rainforest or Hothouse?" Harvard Business School Case 611-024, September 2010.
- January 1999
- Case
Ciba Specialty Chemicals
Based on extensive interviews, this case discusses the environmental policies of a successful firm in the specialty chemicals business. Executives at Ciba have differentiated products along environmental lines and have used environmental scrutiny as a tool for cutting...
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Keywords:
Environmental Sustainability;
Business or Company Management;
Cost Management;
Risk Management;
Business Strategy;
Globalized Firms and Management;
Competitive Advantage;
Chemical Industry
Reinhardt, Forest L. "Ciba Specialty Chemicals." Harvard Business School Case 799-086, January 1999.
- February 2021
- Article
Do Household Wealth Shocks Affect Productivity? Evidence from Innovative Workers During the Great Recession
By: S. Bernstein, T. McQuade and R. Townsend
We investigate how the deterioration of household balance sheets affects worker productivity, and, in turn, economic downturns. Specifically, we compare the output of innovative workers who experienced differential declines in housing wealth during the financial crisis...
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Keywords:
Great Recession;
Household;
Financial Condition;
System Shocks;
Employees;
Performance Productivity
Bernstein, S., T. McQuade, and R. Townsend. "Do Household Wealth Shocks Affect Productivity? Evidence from Innovative Workers During the Great Recession." Journal of Finance 76, no. 1 (February 2021): 57–111.