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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, […] -
Can a Volunteer-Staffed Company Scale?
Corporate communications Magazine ArticleAn educational-gaming firm rethinks its talent strategy. -
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 the iPad is Like the Tesla Roadster
Design thinking Digital ArticleCourtesy of my dear friend Peer Munck (Founder of MunckMix, a music distributor), I just had my first ride in a Tesla Roadster, the $129,000 electric sports car. It blew me away, because I was reminded what can happen when innovators lovingly create something that has design integrity — by which I mean the solution […] -
What Counts Most in Motivating Your Sales Force?
Motivating people Magazine ArticleFor decades the difficulty of motivating salespeople has been frustrating sales and marketing managers. To the most effective ones, two things are clear: one, the job is difficult; two, there is no one simple solution. Believing that “good salespeople are born, not made,” many managers recognize that recruiting is important. Others holding that “if you […] -
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 -
Leaning Your Way to Disaster
Decision making and problem solving Digital ArticleWhat do Toyota’s sudden-acceleration woes and the disastrous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico have in common? Both are examples of a type of organizational breakdown that is destined, absent some fundamental rethinking of what “leadership” means, to become ever more common and damaging: complex systems failures triggered by seeming rational patterns of cost-reduction […] -
The Dubious Logic of Global Megamergers
Economics Magazine ArticleIt pays to be big in a global economy, right? Wrong. The rush toward huge cross-border mergers is based on a faulty understanding of economics. There are better ways to address globalization than relentless expansion. -
Sustainability in the Boardroom
Corporate social responsibility Magazine ArticleLessons from Nike’s playbook -
The CEO of UPS on Taking the Reins Amid Surging Pandemic Demand
Leadership & Managing People Magazine ArticleWhen the author agreed to accept the top job at UPS, the global shipping service, in late winter of 2019, she expected to steer the company toward a brighter... -
Strategy Can Do Better
Strategy Digital ArticleFor too long, boardrooms have practiced strategy as theater. But those days are over. To explain, consider the sad case of Pontiac. Poor Pontiac, says the New York Times, died of “indifference.” They’re right, but the real question is: why? GM’s managers decided that Pontiacs could be merely marketed as exciting and a tiny bit […] -
How Managers’ Everyday Decisions Create—or Destroy—Your Company’s Strategy
Leadership Magazine ArticleThe cumulative impact of the allocation of resources by managers at any level has more real-world effect on strategy than any plans developed at headquarters. -
Building Deep Supplier Relationships
Analytics and data science Magazine ArticleTwo Japanese automakers have had stunning success building relationships with North American suppliers—often the same companies that have had contentious dealings with Detroit’s Big Three. What are Toyota and Honda doing right? -
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. -
Mary Barra and the New General Motors
Gender Digital ArticleThis time, what’s good for GM really is what’s good for America. -
The Right and Wrong Ways to Regulate Self-Driving Cars
Government policy and regulation Digital ArticleThe regions that figure it out will have an advantage. -
What We Can Learn from One of the World's Most-Mocked Cars
Sales & Marketing Digital ArticleNever stop listening to your customers. -
How Volvo Reinvented Itself Through Hiring
Change management Digital ArticleThe automaker realized that today’s cars are computers on wheels. -
How Ford Is Thinking About the Future
Innovation & Leadership Digital ArticleIt's developing a portfolio of new business models. -
The Competitive Dynamics of Network-Based Businesses
Costing Magazine ArticleDo you really know what your customers value in your network?
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Tale Spin: Piloting a Course Through Crises At Boeing
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View Details In 2019, two fatal plane crashes plunged Boeing in an unprecedented crisis, setting off a maelstrom of controversy about Boeing's corporate practices... -
Cathay Pacific (B): Implementing an Integrated e-Freight Solution
Technology & Operations Case Study5.00View Details This case is designed as the second part of a two-part case study on Cathay Pacific's cargo operations, but it can be used separately on a stand-alone... -
Cartwright Lumber Co.
Finance & Accounting Case Study11.95View Details The Cartwright Lumber Co. faces a need for increased bank financing due to its rapid sales growth and low profitability. A rewritten version of an earlier... -
Mekong Corporation and the Vietnam Motor Vehicle Industry (B)
Global Business Case Study5.00View Details At the time of the Mekong Corporation (Mekong) and the Vietnam Motor Vehicle Industry (A) case, product 9A96H002, some analysts felt that the Vietnamese... -
Pinewood Mobile Homes, Inc.
Finance & Accounting Case Study8.95View Details This case presents a realistic situation in which a firm in financial distress attempts an out-of-court financial restructuring by means of a debt exchange.... -
The Evolution of Opple Lighting's E-commerce Business
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View Details This case describes how Opple Lighting, a leading company in China's lighting industry, developed its e-commerce business as online selling brought wholesale... -
Grab: Discovering New Frontiers for Growth in the Southeast Asian Sharing Economy
Leadership & Managing People Case Study11.95View Details Launched in 2012, Grab began in Malaysia as a third-party e-hailing taxi dispatching mobile application. The company expanded at a remarkable speed and... -
Didi, Kuaidi, and Uber in China
Leadership & Managing People Case Study11.95View Details In 2014, China's leading domestic Internet-based ride-hailing company, Didi, claimed more than 50 per cent of the Chinese ride-hailing market, followed... -
NIO Inc.: Currents of Revenue
Management Case Study11.95View Details An investor in NIO Inc. (NIO), an electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer based in China, contemplated the role NIO played in the EV market in China and the... -
The BRI in Africa: The Kenya Standard Gauge Railway
Leadership & Managing People Case Study11.95View Details The Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) project represented a clear opportunity for China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to aid in the economic development... -
Taxshe Cab Services: Coping with COVID-19
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Case Study11.95View Details A former investment banking professional had her eureka moment when she noticed instances of assaults on single women travelling alone in taxi cabs at... -
Cataumet Boats, Inc.
Leadership & Managing People Case Study8.95View Details Jaime Giancola, an MBA student, has recently completed an operations management course in which aggregate production planning (APP) was one of the topics.... -
DHL Envirosolutions Australia: End-of-Life Management Service for E-Waste
Technology & Operations Case Study11.95View Details Product stewardship services relied on an Australian Government regulatory framework built on the concept of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) -... -
Customization at BMW
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details The product planning manager for BMW Group Canada (BMW) wondered how to revive the once-promising BMW Individual program. Despite a strong start when... -
Dear Herb
Leadership & Managing People Case Study5.00View Details This case consists of a letter to Herb Kelleher, chairman of Southwest Airlines requesting his comments on a pair of first-hand experiences on Southwest... -
Reliance Industries: Economic Value-Added Analysis
Management Case Study8.95View Details A financial consultancy analyst received an assignment to assess the long-term performance of Reliance Industries Ltd., a multinational conglomerate based... -
Sierra Log Homes, Inc. (B6)
Strategy & Execution Case Study5.00View Details Supplements the (A) case. -
Herend Porcelain Manufactory: Designing Strategy in a COVID-19 World
Leadership & Managing People Case Study11.95View Details Herend Porcelain Manufactory Ltd. (Herend) was an almost 200-year-old porcelain manufactory located in western Hungary. The company had weathered multiple... -
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)... -
MacAfee Building Supply: Improving Performance Across Retail Stores (A)
Leadership & Managing People Case Study11.95View Details MacAfee Building Supply, a distributor of building supplies and heating and plumbing products, had grown to become the largest company of its kind in...
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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, […] -
Can a Volunteer-Staffed Company Scale?
Corporate communications Magazine ArticleAn educational-gaming firm rethinks its talent strategy. -
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 […] -
Tale Spin: Piloting a Course Through Crises At Boeing
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View Details In 2019, two fatal plane crashes plunged Boeing in an unprecedented crisis, setting off a maelstrom of controversy about Boeing's corporate practices... -
Cathay Pacific (B): Implementing an Integrated e-Freight Solution
Technology & Operations Case Study5.00View Details This case is designed as the second part of a two-part case study on Cathay Pacific's cargo operations, but it can be used separately on a stand-alone... -
Cartwright Lumber Co.
Finance & Accounting Case Study11.95View Details The Cartwright Lumber Co. faces a need for increased bank financing due to its rapid sales growth and low profitability. A rewritten version of an earlier... -
Unlocking the Potential of Digital Twins in Supply Chains
Technology & Operations Digital ArticleDigital twins virtual replicas of physical entities and their interactions are often poorly understood, which has led to their underutilization in supply... -
How the iPad is Like the Tesla Roadster
Design thinking Digital ArticleCourtesy of my dear friend Peer Munck (Founder of MunckMix, a music distributor), I just had my first ride in a Tesla Roadster, the $129,000 electric sports car. It blew me away, because I was reminded what can happen when innovators lovingly create something that has design integrity — by which I mean the solution […] -
Mekong Corporation and the Vietnam Motor Vehicle Industry (B)
Global Business Case Study5.00View Details At the time of the Mekong Corporation (Mekong) and the Vietnam Motor Vehicle Industry (A) case, product 9A96H002, some analysts felt that the Vietnamese... -
What Counts Most in Motivating Your Sales Force?
Motivating people Magazine ArticleFor decades the difficulty of motivating salespeople has been frustrating sales and marketing managers. To the most effective ones, two things are clear: one, the job is difficult; two, there is no one simple solution. Believing that “good salespeople are born, not made,” many managers recognize that recruiting is important. Others holding that “if you […]