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How to Optimize Your Company's Approach to Data Privacy
Technology & Operations Digital ArticleMore isn't always better. -
How to Penetrate the US Market
Marketing Digital ArticleAccounting for almost 30% of world GDP, the United States is the world’s largest and most demanding market for almost everything from oil to microprocessors to premium coffee. Companies around the world aspire to do business in the US, or at least with US companies in their home markets. By doing so, they learn much […] -
The Five Traps of Performance Measurement
Organizational Development Magazine ArticleEvaluating a company's performance often entails wading through a thicket of numbers produced by a few simple metrics, writes the author, and senior executives... -
Executive Incentives vs. Corporate Growth
Boards Magazine ArticleBonuses and other forms of incentive compensation are an effective motivator of executives to achieve ever higher earnings per share. The drive to produce short-term results, however, often influences management to forgo investment in capital equipment and R&D that would benefit the corporation several years hence even more than improved earnings next year would. The […] -
Transforming Giants
Corporate governance Magazine ArticleWhat kind of company makes it its business to make the world a better place? -
Why Network Neutrality Is Good for Business
Web-based technologies Digital ArticleEditor’s note: For an opposing viewpoint on this topic, see Robert E. Litan’s and Hal J. Singer’s entry “Why Business Should Oppose Net Neutrality.” In business school, where I teach, students are often predisposed to see legal concepts as impenetrable and foreign. I watch the lightbulbs go on as they see that Microsoft’s antitrust woes, […] -
Diversification via Acquisition: Creating Value
Mergers and acquisitions Magazine ArticleDuring the past 25 years an increasing proportion of U.S. companies have seen wisdom in pursuing a strategy of diversification. Between 1950 and 1970, for example, single-business companies comprising the Fortune “500” declined from 30% to 8% of the total. Acquisition has become a standard approach to diversification. In recent years the productivity of capital […] -
Some Questions Benefit from Group Discussion. Others Don't.
Leadership & Managing People Digital ArticleResearch suggests the wisdom of the crowds falls short when it comes to yes-or-no questions. -
Why CSR's Future Matters to Your Company
Strategy & Execution Digital ArticleMore and more, companies are building long-term commitments to corporate social responsibility (CSR). In 2012 the rise in consumer activism and mobility,... -
AI Is Going to Change the 80/20 Rule
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Digital ArticleThree reasons why. -
Putting Leadership Back into Strategy
Strategy Magazine ArticleA CEO must be the steward of a living strategy that defines what the firm is and what it will become. -
The Toxic Handler: Organizational Hero—and Casualty
Organizational culture Magazine ArticleWhen companies cause emotional pain through nasty bosses, layoffs, and change, a certain breed of “healing” manager steps in to keep the gears moving. They are toxic handlers—unsung corporate heroes who save the day, but often pay a high price. -
Live Life as an Experiment
Managing yourself Digital ArticleIt was an experiment. I was returning an item to the store from which I had bought it. The item was well within the return period, but there would be a 20% restocking fee. Could I evade that fee? What would I have to do or say to persuade them not to charge it to […] -
The Risky Business of Diversification
Innovation Magazine ArticleOn the basis of a sample from the top 200 of the Fortune “500” and data from the PIMS (Profit Impact of Market Strategies) project, this author gives some guidelines for established companies on what to expect from new ventures. He points out that it takes an average of 10 to 12 years before the […] -
How to Launch Your Digital Platform
Entrepreneurship Magazine ArticleA playbook for strategists -
“Actually,” She Said, “He Works for Me.”
Consumer behavior Digital ArticleSurprised by a gender stereotype? React calmly, directly, and move on. -
"Americans Don't Know How Capitalist China Is"
Global Business SpotlightWeijian Shan was born in China and had his life upended by the Cultural Revolution. Educated in the United States, he worked for the World Bank and J.P.... -
Groupon Doomed by Too Much of a Good Thing
Venture capital Digital Article“Alright, you caught us. We’re actually not making any money. In fact, we are really losing a lot of money.” This is the essence of Groupon’s declaration last week that it will remove the controversial accounting metric called Adjusted Consolidated Segment Operating Income (ACSOI) from its financial statements. ACSOI essentially measures Groupon’s profits before subtracting […] -
Go Downstream: The New Profit Imperative in Manufacturing
Business models Magazine ArticleNow that providing services is more lucrative than making products, the old foundations for success in manufacturing are crumbling. Smart manufacturers are creating new business models to capture profits at the customer’s end of the value chain. -
Companyism and Do More Better
Competitive strategy Magazine ArticleImagine yourself solving an arithmetic problem with the top managers of a leading Japanese automobile company. As a group, Japanese producers already export 2.3 million passenger vehicles a year to the United States. They are also building capacity for an additional 2.5 million vehicles in North America. You remind your friends across the table that […]
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The Chocolate Factory (A)
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Case Study11.95View Details The first of this two-part case, "Principled Capitalism", analyses the unique values-based leadership practised for 186 years by the Cadbury owners, particularly... -
HubSpot and Motion AI: Chatbot-Enabled CRM
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details HubSpot, an inbound marketing, sales, and customer relationship management (CRM) software provider, announced that it had acquired Motion AI, a software... -
Melco Entertainment Limited
Leadership & Managing People Case Study11.95View Details Melco is a gaming firm based in Macau. Melco is planning an initial public offering (IPO) but receives a takeover bid from MGM Mirage. How much was the... -
The Bridgespan Group: Chapter 2
Leadership & Managing People Case Study11.95View Details The Bridgespan Group was launched in 2000 by management consulting group Bain & Company as a nonprofit focused on strategy consulting for nonprofits and... -
Wilson Lumber Co.
Finance & Accounting Case Study11.95View Details The Wilson Lumber Co. is faced with a need for increased bank financing due to its rapid sales growth and low profitability. Students must determine the... -
Peace, Non-Aligned: The Pragmatic Optimism of Lakhdar Brahimi
Leadership & Managing People Case Study11.95View Details Describes the background and career of Lakhdar Brahimi in numerous roles ranging from Algeria's ambassador to Indonesia and the Arab League, to serving... -
Tenant and Landlord Rights
Leadership & Managing People Case Study8.95View Details Certain key principles govern the landlord-tenant relationship in both commercial and residential settings. Because most property law is state specific,... -
The Cheezburger Network
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details Cheezburger Network was a Web publisher of humorous, user-contributed content, using social media for dissemination, and selling advertising against the... -
Grameen America: The Pivotal Role of Technology in Scaling
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Case Study11.95View Details This case centers on Grameen America (GA), a $17mm nonprofit organization that has become a high-profile, high-growth social enterprise that provides... -
Wistron vs. Luxshare: US-China Trade War and its Decoupling Effects from China
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View Details Set in mid-2021, the case follows the events happening at the Taiwanese company, Wistron, which commenced operations as an Original Design Manufacturer... -
Fusion Systems Corp. in Japan (A)
Global Business Case Study11.95View Details Describes the international business of Fusion Systems Corp., a small high technology American firm, and a five-year patent dispute the company has in... -
Electronic Service Delivery Implementation and Acceptance Strategy
Technology & Operations Case Study11.95View Details In December 2000, the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) launched the Electronic Service Delivery (ESD) scheme, a flagship... -
Ockham Technologies (B): Building the Board
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Case Study5.00View Details Describes the issues facing a founder-ceo regarding building a board, assembling an executive team, managing tension between co-founders, and outsourcing... -
The Battle for Value, 2016: FedEx Corp. versus United Parcel Service, Inc.
Finance & Accounting Case Study11.95View Details This case invites students to assess the financial performance of FedEx Corp. and United Parcel Service, Inc., two firms that have long competed for dominance... -
Mid Ocean Ltd.: Trading Catastrophe Index Options
Finance & Accounting Case Study11.95View Details An insurance industry executive must evaluate the potential of a set of newly-offered catastrophe insurance derivatives. The background addresses the... -
Taco Bell, Inc.--1983-94
Technology & Operations Case Study11.95View Details Details the actions of John Martin, newly named CEO, as he leads Taco Bell through a decade of incremental and radical changes. By the end of the case,... -
PSI India--Will Balbir Pasha Help Fight AIDS? (A)
Communication Case Study11.95View Details In 2002, Population Services International (PSI) was committed to curbing the growing HIV/AIDS epidemic in India. Sanjay Chaganti, program director of... -
Apple Computer (C): The Human Resource Function
Organizational Development Case Study5.00View Details Explores how the human resource (HR) function at Apple Computer can best support the company's strategy. Describes in detail the HR function. The function... -
Golden Star Facilities and Services Pvt. Ltd.
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Case Study11.95View Details The huge growth of information technology (IT) and information technology enabled services (TIES) businesses in India and, in particular, in Hyderabad,... -
H-E-B Own Brands
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details H-E-B is a $9 billion grocery chain located in Southwest Texas. This case focuses on H-E-B's private label strategy, a product category that accounts...
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How to Optimize Your Company's Approach to Data Privacy
Technology & Operations Digital ArticleMore isn't always better. -
How to Penetrate the US Market
Marketing Digital ArticleAccounting for almost 30% of world GDP, the United States is the world’s largest and most demanding market for almost everything from oil to microprocessors to premium coffee. Companies around the world aspire to do business in the US, or at least with US companies in their home markets. By doing so, they learn much […] -
The Five Traps of Performance Measurement
Organizational Development Magazine ArticleEvaluating a company's performance often entails wading through a thicket of numbers produced by a few simple metrics, writes the author, and senior executives... -
Executive Incentives vs. Corporate Growth
Boards Magazine ArticleBonuses and other forms of incentive compensation are an effective motivator of executives to achieve ever higher earnings per share. The drive to produce short-term results, however, often influences management to forgo investment in capital equipment and R&D that would benefit the corporation several years hence even more than improved earnings next year would. The […] -
Transforming Giants
Corporate governance Magazine ArticleWhat kind of company makes it its business to make the world a better place? -
Why Network Neutrality Is Good for Business
Web-based technologies Digital ArticleEditor’s note: For an opposing viewpoint on this topic, see Robert E. Litan’s and Hal J. Singer’s entry “Why Business Should Oppose Net Neutrality.” In business school, where I teach, students are often predisposed to see legal concepts as impenetrable and foreign. I watch the lightbulbs go on as they see that Microsoft’s antitrust woes, […] -
Diversification via Acquisition: Creating Value
Mergers and acquisitions Magazine ArticleDuring the past 25 years an increasing proportion of U.S. companies have seen wisdom in pursuing a strategy of diversification. Between 1950 and 1970, for example, single-business companies comprising the Fortune “500” declined from 30% to 8% of the total. Acquisition has become a standard approach to diversification. In recent years the productivity of capital […] -
Some Questions Benefit from Group Discussion. Others Don't.
Leadership & Managing People Digital ArticleResearch suggests the wisdom of the crowds falls short when it comes to yes-or-no questions. -
Why CSR's Future Matters to Your Company
Strategy & Execution Digital ArticleMore and more, companies are building long-term commitments to corporate social responsibility (CSR). In 2012 the rise in consumer activism and mobility,... -
AI Is Going to Change the 80/20 Rule
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Digital ArticleThree reasons why.