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How Would Copernicus See Capitalism?
Economics Digital ArticleWe’ve been sharing thoughts in this blog about how the rapid growth of the emerging economies, along with other modern realities, will reshape the practice — and thus rewrite the rules — of capitalism. Many readers are aware that these are ideas in development for our forthcoming book on the topic. This week we decided […] -
How Walmart Canada Uses Blockchain to Solve Supply-Chain Challenges
Technology & Operations Digital ArticleThe system has drastically reduced payment disputes with freight carriers. -
Bringing Blockchain, IoT, and Analytics to Supply Chains
Technology & Operations Digital ArticleWhere to begin and how to measure success. -
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. -
Netflix’s “American Factory” and the New Geography of Manufacturing
Operations and supply chain management Digital ArticleHow the industry is changing in the U.S., China, and Africa. -
Just in Time for the Holidays (Commentary for HBR Case Study)
Technology & Operations Magazine ArticleIt's the busiest time of year for North Pole Workshops. Production is in high gear, and the elves are on overtime in the sprint toward Christmas. But... -
A CEO’s Common Sense of CIM: An Interview with J. Tracy O’Rourke
Hiring and recruitment Magazine ArticleAccording to Wickham Skinner (“What Matters to Manufacturing,” HBR January–February 1988), too many managers now approach production difficulties with “a menu of textbook techniques”—CIM, for example—when they should be thinking through the same old questions: What is my business? Where is the market? What machines and flexibilities do I really need? With Skinner’s strictures in […] -
Keep Your Eye on Process Improvement
Operations and supply chain management Digital ArticleIn my consulting and research I’ve seen many companies launch process improvement programs such as Total Quality Management, Business Reengineering, Lean, and Six Sigma. Many got significant benefits, including lower costs, faster time-to-market, and better customer experiences. But after one round of improvement, they gave up and let their organization get flabby again. Organizations, like […] -
The Case of the Machinists’ Mutiny
Change management Magazine Article“You can’t be serious!” Mike Trail, the president and fourth-generation owner of Trail Manufacturing, stared at five older men standing uncomfortably in his small office. “I’m afraid we are, Mike.” Sandy Mulder, the most senior of the five, was polite but firm. “We won’t switch over to the new equipment. We want to continue to […] -
Dell’s Cost Cutting Is Not a Growth Strategy
Operations and supply chain management Digital ArticleCan you make a growth strategy out of massively slashing costs? No? Are you sure? Better tell Michael Dell then, because reaching Dell’s stated goal of slashing $3 billion in annual expenses over three years seems to be the once-ambitious computer maker’s primary obsession. In its latest big moves announced this week Dell is shuttering […] -
Augmented Reality Is Already Improving Worker Performance
Operations and supply chain management Digital ArticleOne example shows a productivity boost of over 30% — on a worker’s first use, and without prior training. -
5 Ways U.S. Hospitals Can Handle Financial Losses from Medicare Patients
Operations strategy Digital ArticleHealth care leaders can prevent a bad situation from getting worse. -
The One Thing You Need to Know About Managing Functions
Technology & Operations Magazine ArticleThere's a secret about strategy that no one tells you: Every function has one, whether or not it is written down and whether or not it is the product... -
How to Use Digital Health Data to Improve Outcomes
Technology & Operations Digital ArticleWe have more data than ever. What will it take to harness it to provide better care? -
Don’t Trust Your Gut With Assortment Planning
Operations and supply chain management Digital ArticleThis blog post is part of the HBR Online Forum The Future of Retail. Retailers periodically update their product assortments, deleting slow sellers and adding new products in response to shifts in consumer demand or to accommodate new offerings from suppliers. Assortment-planning processes vary greatly across retailers and product segments but have one thing in […] -
What the Pandemic Means for Health Care’s Digital Transformation
Technology and analytics Digital ArticleThree key priorities identified by leading CIOs. -
Portfolio Approach to Sales
Sales & Marketing Magazine ArticleVendors that match specific sales capabilities to opportunities and provide thoughtful support can maximize their return over the long term. Those that... -
4 Steps to Sustaining Improvement in Health Care
Operations strategy ResearchHow to get new standardized work processes to stick. -
Before You Sign That Lease...
Technology & Operations Magazine ArticleAn office lease can create financial difficulty if a tenant ignores provisions that landlords can use to gain extra income. The author points out some... -
Nummi: What Toyota Learned and GM Didn't
Global Business Digital ArticleLast week, Toyota announced it will close the plant of New United Motor Manufacturing Incorporated (Nummi), its one-time joint venture with GM to make...
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Project Last Mile in Tanzania: Learning from Coca-Cola's Supply Chain
Global Business Case Study11.95View Details Discussion between Coca-Cola, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation focused on how Coca-Cola's... -
Campbell Soup Co.: A Leader in Continuous Replenishment Innovations
Technology & Operations Case Study11.95View Details Campbell Soup, like most food manufacturers, faced grocery chain and wholesale demand for its goods driven by Campbell's own promotional pricing structure... -
The Keystone Advantage: What the New Dynamics of Business Ecosystems Mean for Strategy, Innovation, and Sustainability
Strategy & Execution Book35.00View Details Leveraging the power of business networks for success. Whether it sells computers, clothing, or cars, your firm's fate is increasingly linked to that... -
Colberts Inc. (A)
Technology & Operations Case Study11.95View Details The senior director of supply chain management for Colberts Inc. (Colberts) had made tremendous strides. She had been among a select few senior directors... -
Kristen's Cookie Co. (A2)
Technology & Operations Case Study5.00View Details Intended for distribution during class, this case contains one set of answers to the (A1) case. It introduces the concept of a Gantt chart and discusses... -
Dubai Ports Authority (A)
Technology & Operations Case Study11.95View Details The Dubai Ports Authority (DPA) wishes to digitize many of the documents it shares with its external partners, including shipping lines and agents, merchants,... -
Webvan
Technology & Operations Case Study11.95View Details Examines Webvan's operations and the processes by which it delivers groceries that were ordered from the Internet to customers' homes. Recounts Webvan's... -
Airbus and Boeing: Superjumbo Decisions
Leadership & Managing People Case Study11.95View Details Set in 1999, this case allows students to put themselves in the positions of both Airbus and Boeing as Boeing considered how to respond to Airbus's decision... -
Operational Execution at Arrow Electronics
Technology & Operations Case Study11.95View Details Distribution center operations (from order taking to order fulfillment) and the importance of attending to process details at Arrow Electronics, a large... -
Quincy Apparel (B)
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Case Study5.00View Details The (B) case provides post-mortem analysis from Quincy's cofounders on why their startup failed and what they could have done differently. Explanations... -
The US-China Trade War: Deal or No Deal?
Global Business Case Study8.95View Details The US-China trade war in 2019 led to major shifts in global trade and supply chains, highlighting the recent trend in deglobalization. This case discusses... -
Qihoo
Technology & Operations Case Study11.95View Details Qihoo, one of the largest Internet companies in China today, was founded in 2005. The company started its business by offering a security software product,... -
Kunvarji Group
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View Details Kunvarji Group was on its way to transform from a commodity trading business to a service-driven business. To become an integrated service provider in... -
Data-driven Manufacturing: The Kutesmart System
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View Details The data-driven manufacturing system at this Chinese bespoke mens' suit manufacturer illustrates the use of information technology to support mass customization... -
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals in 2009: Transformation at the Site Level
Leadership & Managing People Case Study11.95View Details Appropriate for general management courses emphasizing lean operations strategy implementation and large-scale change management across a network of global... -
Aspen Skiing Company (C)
Technology & Operations Case Study5.00View Details Having begun improving the environmental performance of its own operations, Aspen Skiing Company is considering "greening" its supply chain and lobbying... -
Cycleon : Postal Networks for Reverse Logistics
Leadership & Managing People Case Study11.95View Details In essence, this the story of how two INSEAD MBA students had a great idea for an integrated service to take over companies' product return streams and... -
Musictoday, LLC: Implementing a Periodic Review Inventory System
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details Musictoday is a unique company that provides on-line retailing services for such clients as the Dave Matthews Band and the Rolling Stones. But the lack... -
Ford vs. GM: The Evolution of Mass Production (B)
Technology & Operations Case Study5.00View Details This case explores the very different paths taken by the Ford Motor Company and the General Motors Corporation in the first three decades of the twentieth...
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How Would Copernicus See Capitalism?
Economics Digital ArticleWe’ve been sharing thoughts in this blog about how the rapid growth of the emerging economies, along with other modern realities, will reshape the practice — and thus rewrite the rules — of capitalism. Many readers are aware that these are ideas in development for our forthcoming book on the topic. This week we decided […] -
How Walmart Canada Uses Blockchain to Solve Supply-Chain Challenges
Technology & Operations Digital ArticleThe system has drastically reduced payment disputes with freight carriers. -
Bringing Blockchain, IoT, and Analytics to Supply Chains
Technology & Operations Digital ArticleWhere to begin and how to measure success. -
Project Last Mile in Tanzania: Learning from Coca-Cola's Supply Chain
Global Business Case Study11.95View Details Discussion between Coca-Cola, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation focused on how Coca-Cola's... -
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. -
Campbell Soup Co.: A Leader in Continuous Replenishment Innovations
Technology & Operations Case Study11.95View Details Campbell Soup, like most food manufacturers, faced grocery chain and wholesale demand for its goods driven by Campbell's own promotional pricing structure... -
Netflix’s “American Factory” and the New Geography of Manufacturing
Operations and supply chain management Digital ArticleHow the industry is changing in the U.S., China, and Africa. -
The Keystone Advantage: What the New Dynamics of Business Ecosystems Mean for Strategy, Innovation, and Sustainability
Strategy & Execution Book35.00View Details Leveraging the power of business networks for success. Whether it sells computers, clothing, or cars, your firm's fate is increasingly linked to that... -
Colberts Inc. (A)
Technology & Operations Case Study11.95View Details The senior director of supply chain management for Colberts Inc. (Colberts) had made tremendous strides. She had been among a select few senior directors... -
Just in Time for the Holidays (Commentary for HBR Case Study)
Technology & Operations Magazine ArticleIt's the busiest time of year for North Pole Workshops. Production is in high gear, and the elves are on overtime in the sprint toward Christmas. But...