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Decisions Without Blinders
Decision making and problem solving Magazine ArticleThe “bounded awareness” phenomenon causes people to ignore critical information when making decisions. Learning to expand the limits of your awareness before you make an important choice will save you from asking “How did I miss that?” after the fact. -
Why Do Companies Succumb to Price Fixing?
Government policy and regulation Magazine ArticleWhen Ben Franklin wrote Poor Richard’s Almanac and the words, “A little neglect may breed great mischief,” he did not have price fixing in mind. To the 47 executives in companies in the folding-box industry convicted of price fixing, however, the words seem tailored to fit. In those companies convicted under antitrust laws in 1976, […] -
Way Faster than a Speeding Bullet
Innovation Magazine ArticleFemtosecond lasers emit pulses of light that last just a millionth of a billionth of a second. These lasers enable surgery so precise that a single mitochondrion can be removed without harming the rest of the cell, and machining so controlled that structures can be micromachined within a piece of glass. Eric Mazur, a professor […] -
How to Implement a New Strategy Without Disrupting Your Organization
Change management Magazine ArticleStrategic dreams often turn into nightmares if companies start engaging in expensive and distracting restructurings. It’s far more effective to choose a design that works reasonably well, then develop a strategic system to tune the structure to the strategy. -
The New, Improved Keiretsu
Organizational restructuring Magazine ArticleToyota demonstrates how more-efficient supplier relationships can speed production and boost innovation. -
Quality of Work Life—Learning from Tarrytown
Labor Magazine ArticleAt this large GM plant the union and management jointly seek to change the meaning of work itself -
Don’t Tweak Your Supply Chain—Rethink It End to End
Operations strategy Magazine ArticleArtwork: Michael Johansson, Self Contained, 2010, containers, caravan, tractor, Volvo, pallets, refrigerators, etc., 8.2 x 10.8 x 2.4 m Hong Kong–based Esquel, one of the world’s leading producers of premium cotton shirts, faced a quandary in the early 2000s. Apparel and retail customers such as Nike and Marks & Spencer had begun asking the company […] -
How Low Will You Go?
Leadership Magazine ArticleBob Carlton, CEO of an auto parts manufacturer, wouldn’t be caught dead in a strip club. But if that’s what it takes to make a sale… -
Coming Up Short on Nonfinancial Performance Measurement
Decision making and problem solving Magazine ArticleTracking things like customer satisfaction and employee turnover can powerfully supplement traditional bookkeeping. Unfortunately, most companies botch the job. -
Manage Customer-Centric Innovation—Systematically
Finance and investing Magazine ArticleIt takes more than good intentions to innovate in a customer-centric way. A disciplined process of customer R&D at the front lines will turn wishes into an enduring competitive edge—and a growing market cap. -
The Why, What, and How of Management Innovation
Creativity Magazine ArticleOver the past century, breakthroughs such as brand management and the divisionalized organization structure have created more sustained competitive advantage than anything that came out of a lab or focus group. Here’s how you can make your company a serial management innovator. -
How to Drive Value Your Way
Competitive strategy Magazine ArticleAs industries and technologies evolve, value can migrate up or down the value chain. But the players have a big say in how—and even whether—that happens. -
Gearing Up at REI
Personnel policies Magazine ArticleA chief executive reflects on what makes employees passionate and the business lessons he learned in a close call on a glacier. -
The Customer Has Escaped
Customer experience Magazine ArticleTraditional go-to-market strategies don’t work because they assume customers will stay in the channels that were designed for them. Time for a fresh look at how shoppers really behave. -
Play to Win
Power and influence Magazine ArticleFifty percent of Americans play video games, spending approximately seven hours a week glued to some type of screen, according to the Electronic Software Association. While that level of play gets blamed for everything from violence to obesity to illiteracy, gamers can bring some desirable qualities to the workforce if companies know how to exploit […] -
Robots Seem to Be Improving Productivity, Not Costing Jobs
Finance & Accounting Digital ArticleA first look at the economic data. -
A European Platform for Global Competition: An Interview with VW’s Carl Hahn
International business Magazine ArticleVolkswagen AG is arguably the most daring company in Europe today. Since becoming chairman of the board of management in 1982, Carl H. Hahn has spearheaded a breathtaking program of expansion, acquiring the Spanish carmaker Seat in 1986 and Czechoslovakia’s Skoda in 1990. Today Volkswagen is building or refitting new plants from East Germany to […] -
The Hard Side of Change Management
Leadership & Managing People Magazine ArticleEveryone agrees that managing change is tough, but few can agree on how to do it. Most experts are obsessed with "soft" issues, such as culture and motivation,... -
From Complacency to Competitiveness: An Interview with Vitro’s Ernesto Martens
Emerging markets Magazine ArticleIn Mexico, business, family, and politics are often intermingled. -
The Trade War with China Could Accelerate 3-D Printing in the U.S.
Operations and supply chain management Digital ArticleCompanies will need to rethink their supply chains.
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PPG: Developing a Self-Directed Work Force (A)
Technology & Operations Case Study11.95View Details PPG has built a state-of-the-art glass plant in Berea, Kentucky. The plant is pursuing the goal of a "self-directed workforce." The case describes the... -
Luthra Engineering Industries: Dealing with a Crisis
Management Case Study11.95View Details Luthra Engineering Industries (LEI), a small-scale, family-run manufacturing business, based in a small Indian city, is going through a crisis. Due to... -
Linjer: An Iconic Crowdfunded Brand
Finance & Accounting Case Study11.95View Details The case describes how Roman Khan and Jennifer Chen founded Linjer, a start-up with a limited budget, which successfully generated cashflows via crowdfunding.... -
Birla Cellulose: Spearheading Sustainable Fashion
Leadership & Managing People Case Study11.95View Details Birla Cellulose, a part of India's large conglomerate Aditya Birla Group, manufactured viscose fibre, which came from wood and was naturally sustainable.... -
Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co., Ltd (ZPMC)
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View Details The case study shows the development of Chinese technology company ZPMC, which entered the container crane market in 1992 and, in the space of 15 years,... -
Perfect Day and the Milk of Human Invention
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Case Study11.95View Details Perfect Day was a rising cellular agriculture company specializing in lab-based milk. Its founders had created and patented a formula for an ingredient... -
Doodlage: Toward a Sustainable Future
Management Case Study11.95View Details Doodlage Retail LLP (Doodlage), a sustainable fashion brand based in India, was based on an idea that had come to the co-founder while she was interning... -
At a Crossroads: General Motors and the Trump Administration's Fuel Economy Standards
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View Details This case focuses on the introduction of the Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient (SAFE) Vehicles Rule in 2018 and General Motors' (GM's) challenge regarding... -
Steelway Building Systems
Technology & Operations Case Study11.95View Details Steelway Building Systems manufactures steel buildings. The owner and president, faces tougher American competition and realizes the need for better technology.... -
Dow Argentina: Challenges to Roll Out a Just Culture System
Organizational Development Case Study11.95View Details The case presentation describes the company's milestones since its arrival in Argentina, the evolution of its safety culture and its safety management... -
Leasun: Digital Transformation of a Traditional Canned Food Company
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View Details Founded in 1996, Dalian Leasun Food Co., Ltd. had become one of the largest canned food manufacturers in northeast China by 2020. In 2016, it began a... -
The PCRA: Social Marketing Campaign for Petroleum Conservation
Global Business Case Study11.95View Details In 2014, the executive director (ED) of India's Petroleum Conservation Research Association needed to prepare the next phase of the association's marketing... -
GE South Africa: Londvolota's Contextual Leadership for Creating Shared Value
Leadership & Managing People Case Study11.95View Details In January 2019, one of the founding members and current board members of Londvolota, a South African trust formed by General Electric South Africa (GESA)... -
GHCL: Navigating the Pandemic
Organizational Development Case Study11.95View Details GHCL Ltd. (erstwhile Gujarat Heavy Chemicals Limited), a large chemical manufacturing publicly listed organization with over 6000 employees, had been... -
Responsive Working at PepsiCo UK (A): Streamlining a Turnaround
Organizational Development Case Study11.95View Details Facing a significant decline in revenues in 2016, David Gwilliam, Head of Transformation at PepsiCo UK introduced a new way of working ("Responsive Working"),... -
Selkirk Group in Asia
Global Business Case Study11.95View Details A family-owned brick manufacturer has built an export business to Japan and other Asia markets from zero to ten per cent of its volume in seven years.... -
Tong Lung Metal Industry Co., Ltd.
Global Business Case Study11.95View Details Develop its own branded line, or continue as an original design manufacturer (ODM)? Tung Lung Metal Industries Co. Ltd. is a Taiwanese maker of door lock... -
Banco Real: Banking on Sustainability
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View Details ABN AMRO REAL made corporate social responsibility central to its brand, adding to customer focus and reflecting its values. Leaders developed the Bank... -
Haliburton Company: Accounting for Cost Overruns and Recoveries
Finance & Accounting Case Study11.95View Details In July 2002, a legal watchdog group, Judicial Watch, announced that it was suing Halliburton Company for overstating revenues during the period 1998... -
Hallmark Cards, Inc.: In Search of Turnaround
Management Case Study11.95View Details In June 2021, the chief executive officer of Hallmark Cards Inc., a leading US greeting cards and gifts company, faced challenges as the digitalization...
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Decisions Without Blinders
Decision making and problem solving Magazine ArticleThe “bounded awareness” phenomenon causes people to ignore critical information when making decisions. Learning to expand the limits of your awareness before you make an important choice will save you from asking “How did I miss that?” after the fact. -
Why Do Companies Succumb to Price Fixing?
Government policy and regulation Magazine ArticleWhen Ben Franklin wrote Poor Richard’s Almanac and the words, “A little neglect may breed great mischief,” he did not have price fixing in mind. To the 47 executives in companies in the folding-box industry convicted of price fixing, however, the words seem tailored to fit. In those companies convicted under antitrust laws in 1976, […] -
Way Faster than a Speeding Bullet
Innovation Magazine ArticleFemtosecond lasers emit pulses of light that last just a millionth of a billionth of a second. These lasers enable surgery so precise that a single mitochondrion can be removed without harming the rest of the cell, and machining so controlled that structures can be micromachined within a piece of glass. Eric Mazur, a professor […] -
How to Implement a New Strategy Without Disrupting Your Organization
Change management Magazine ArticleStrategic dreams often turn into nightmares if companies start engaging in expensive and distracting restructurings. It’s far more effective to choose a design that works reasonably well, then develop a strategic system to tune the structure to the strategy. -
PPG: Developing a Self-Directed Work Force (A)
Technology & Operations Case Study11.95View Details PPG has built a state-of-the-art glass plant in Berea, Kentucky. The plant is pursuing the goal of a "self-directed workforce." The case describes the... -
The New, Improved Keiretsu
Organizational restructuring Magazine ArticleToyota demonstrates how more-efficient supplier relationships can speed production and boost innovation. -
Quality of Work Life—Learning from Tarrytown
Labor Magazine ArticleAt this large GM plant the union and management jointly seek to change the meaning of work itself -
Don’t Tweak Your Supply Chain—Rethink It End to End
Operations strategy Magazine ArticleArtwork: Michael Johansson, Self Contained, 2010, containers, caravan, tractor, Volvo, pallets, refrigerators, etc., 8.2 x 10.8 x 2.4 m Hong Kong–based Esquel, one of the world’s leading producers of premium cotton shirts, faced a quandary in the early 2000s. Apparel and retail customers such as Nike and Marks & Spencer had begun asking the company […] -
Luthra Engineering Industries: Dealing with a Crisis
Management Case Study11.95View Details Luthra Engineering Industries (LEI), a small-scale, family-run manufacturing business, based in a small Indian city, is going through a crisis. Due to... -
Linjer: An Iconic Crowdfunded Brand
Finance & Accounting Case Study11.95View Details The case describes how Roman Khan and Jennifer Chen founded Linjer, a start-up with a limited budget, which successfully generated cashflows via crowdfunding....