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Make Overhead Cuts that Last
Finance & Accounting Magazine ArticleOverhead value analysis identifies structural cuts that will reduce overhead costs by 15% to 30%. Overhead value analysis requires delegating to every... -
The Case of the Downsizing Decision
Decision making and problem solving Magazine ArticleAndrew Jordan sat at his desk, absentmindedly watching a barge chug slowly upstream on the Thames. The dinner meeting he had scheduled with a select group of senior managers at Universal Products Company, Ltd. would begin in an hour. For three years, it had seemed enough to focus on the business problems of UPC’s Connectors […] -
The Layoff (Commentary for HBR Case Study)
Organizational Development Magazine ArticleAstrigo is in trouble. The home improvement chain has missed its earnings forecast badly and sales are falling. A 10% reduction in staff looks like the... -
HBR Case Study: The Gentleman’s “Three”
Mergers and acquisitions Magazine ArticleNo one gets a low score on this company’s performance reviews. Is there a better system for evaluating employees? -
Moving Upward in a Downturn (HBR OnPoint Enhanced Edition)
Strategy & Execution Magazine ArticleDrawing on extensive research of Fortune 500 companies that have lived through industry downturns and economic recessions over the past two decades, Darrell... -
Why My Former Employees Still Work for Me
Motivating people Magazine ArticleRather than just cut jobs, Ricardo Semler set up workers as private entrepreneurs—in his own factories. -
The Layoff
Downsizing Magazine ArticleIf Astrigo Holdings is to remain competitive, 10% of its workforce must be cut. Who goes, and who stays? -
After the Layoffs, What Next? (Commentary for HBR Case Study)
Organizational Development Magazine ArticleHarry Denton, the CEO in this fictional case study, has been caught off guard. As the head of Delarks, a venerable department-store chain in the Midwest,... -
Halting the Exodus After a Layoff
Downsizing Magazine ArticleThe gut-wrenching decision to downsize is usually made a little easier by the belief that at least there’s a purpose to it all: The company will save money and might even improve performance. But a new study indicates that layoffs often prompt demoralized survivors to quit. The resulting unexpected staff shortage can hinder efficiency, and […] -
Case Study: Can You Fix a Toxic Culture Without Firing People?
Human resource management Magazine ArticleA CFO wonders how to turn around a struggling division. -
Honeywell's CEO on How He Avoided Layoffs
Organizational Development Magazine ArticleWhen Cote arrived at Honeywell, in 2002, the company had gone through three CEOs in four years. It had repeatedly missed earnings, and it had environmental... -
Incredibly Unproductive Shareholder
Leadership & Managing People Magazine ArticleAlthough CEOs are cast as the bad guys when they lay off staff or move operations overseas, they are simply serving their masters--the shareholders. This... -
Cutting Costs Without Drawing Blood
Accounting Magazine ArticleWhen executives want to boost profitability, their first target is often headcount. But a better way to find value is to bring increased discipline to the capital budgeting process for small items. Here’s a framework for doing just that. -
Keeping Your Team Motivated When the Company Is Struggling
Leadership & Managing People Digital ArticleDon't pretend you have all the answers. Do be prepared to deal with the messy emotions people may be experiencing. -
After Layoffs, Help Survivors Be More Effective
Organizational Development Magazine ArticleIf your firm has downsized recently, you're now managing a bunch of survivors - the lucky ones who didn't get laid off. But good fortune doesn't make... -
Downsizing Lost Its Bad Rap
Downsizing Magazine ArticleBig companies formerly took a reputational hit when they laid off massive numbers of workers. But according to E. Geoffrey Love and Matthew Kraatz, of the University of Illinois, U.S. business culture norms gradually changed from 1985 to 1994 as new ideas about boosting shareholder value took hold in executive suites and boardrooms. At the […] -
How “Neutral” Layoffs Disproportionately Affect Women and Minorities
Diversity and inclusion Digital ArticleResearch on downsizing, gender, and race. -
Moving Upward in a Downturn
Strategy & Execution Magazine ArticleDrawing on extensive research of Fortune 500 companies that have lived through industry downturns and economic recessions over the past two decades, Darrell... -
How to Stay Grounded Through Organizational Chaos
Organizational change Digital ArticleSix strategies to help you navigate layoffs, reorgs, and economic instability. -
If You Think Downsizing Might Save Your Company, Think Again
Organizational Development Digital ArticleResearch shows it increases the chances of bankruptcy.
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Shanghai Euclid Printing Machine Co.: Navigating through Layoffs and Closure
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View Details In late 2012, Shanghai Euclid Printing Machine Co. (Shanghai Euclid), a joint venture between a Chinese state-owned enterprise and an American multinational... -
Navistar International
Finance & Accounting Case Study11.95View Details As a consequence of laying off half its workforce in a massive downsizing program, the company--a large manufacturer of medium and heavy trucks--struggles... -
FAG Kugelfischer - A German Restructuring
Finance & Accounting Case Study11.95View Details A large German manufacturer of ball bearings and precision machinery experiences severe financial difficulty brought on by poor management practices,... -
Jet Airways (B): A Bumpy Landing
Organizational Development Case Study5.00View Details -
Sun Hydraulics: Leading in Tough Times (A) (Abridged)
Organizational Development Case Study11.95View Details Sun Hydraulics, 32-year-old global hydraulics engineering and manufacturing company headquartered in Sarasota, Florida; confronts tough choices due to... -
Cat Is Out of the Bag: KANA and the Layoff Gone Awry (A)
Organizational Development Case Study11.95View Details Vicki Amon-Higa, vice president of KANA, a publicly traded, midsize development company, was working with Bryan Kettle, KANA's CFO, to plan a layoff in... -
Connect: The Knowledge Network (B)
Leadership & Managing People Case Study5.00View Details Supplementary Material to Product # NA0119 -
Levi Strauss & Co. (A)
Organizational Development Case Study11.95View Details "Levi Strauss & Co." explores the decision by the famed jeans maker to close a manufacturing facility in San Antonio, Texas in early 1990. The case follows... -
Webster Industries (B)
Organizational Development Case Study5.00View Details Supplements the (A) case. -
LiuGong: Integration Challenges in Poland (A)
Organizational Development Case Study11.95View Details This case series tells a story of post-merger integration, depicting a string of challenges faced by Guangxi LiuGong Machinery Co., Ltd. during its cross-border... -
David Dunwood
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Case Study11.95View Details The protagonist,David Dunwood, is a second-time search fund entrepreneur who in mid-2004 purchased Mountain Auto, a leading auto parts retailer in the... -
Global Recession: The Insights You Need from Harvard Business Review
22.95View Details Roar Out of the Covid-19 Recession. You've weathered the shock, the lockdowns, and the slow crawl back. But with a new normal come new risks--and new... -
Cat Is Out of the Bag: KANA and the Layoff Gone Awry (C)
Organizational Development Case Study5.00View Details Supplements the (A) case. -
Andrea Jung: The Challenges of Letting Go
Global Business Case Study11.95View Details Andrea Jung became CEO of Avon Products Inc. in 1999 - the first woman to ever hold the position since the foundation of the iconic cosmetics company,... -
AT&T: Managing Technological Change and the Future of Telephone Operators in the 20th Century
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View Details By the 1930s, AT&T dominated the American phone industry, serving 10 million telephones and employing over 100,000 switchboard operators. But beginning... -
Webster Industries (A)
Organizational Development Case Study11.95View Details The manufacturing manager of Webster's largest division is told to cut his managerial payroll by 15%. Provides company background data and a description... -
Internal Branding at Yahoo!: Crafting the Employee Value Proposition
Organizational Development Case Study11.95View Details In 2001, Libby Sartain, chief people officer, arrived at Yahoo! to find a demoralized Internet company without a well-defined culture, a coordinated method... -
Daktronics (C): Downsizing a Billion Dollar Dream
Leadership & Managing People Case Study5.00View Details This case focuses on the necessity of developing a human resource strategy for downsizing Daktronics, Inc., a company that was founded in 1968 in Brookings,... -
Donald Trump Calls Carrier Corporation
Global Business Case Study11.95View Details This case examines the influence of political pressure on corporate decision-making. It questions whether fidelity to domestic operations ought to be... -
Vector (C): Labour Negotiations at Maxime Platform
Strategy & Execution Case Study5.00View Details Case C gives an account of the last three months of negotiations. Negotiations lead to a win-win conclusion of the project for all stakeholders as activity...
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Make Overhead Cuts that Last
Finance & Accounting Magazine ArticleOverhead value analysis identifies structural cuts that will reduce overhead costs by 15% to 30%. Overhead value analysis requires delegating to every... -
The Case of the Downsizing Decision
Decision making and problem solving Magazine ArticleAndrew Jordan sat at his desk, absentmindedly watching a barge chug slowly upstream on the Thames. The dinner meeting he had scheduled with a select group of senior managers at Universal Products Company, Ltd. would begin in an hour. For three years, it had seemed enough to focus on the business problems of UPC’s Connectors […] -
The Layoff (Commentary for HBR Case Study)
Organizational Development Magazine ArticleAstrigo is in trouble. The home improvement chain has missed its earnings forecast badly and sales are falling. A 10% reduction in staff looks like the... -
Shanghai Euclid Printing Machine Co.: Navigating through Layoffs and Closure
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View Details In late 2012, Shanghai Euclid Printing Machine Co. (Shanghai Euclid), a joint venture between a Chinese state-owned enterprise and an American multinational... -
Navistar International
Finance & Accounting Case Study11.95View Details As a consequence of laying off half its workforce in a massive downsizing program, the company--a large manufacturer of medium and heavy trucks--struggles... -
HBR Case Study: The Gentleman’s “Three”
Mergers and acquisitions Magazine ArticleNo one gets a low score on this company’s performance reviews. Is there a better system for evaluating employees? -
Moving Upward in a Downturn (HBR OnPoint Enhanced Edition)
Strategy & Execution Magazine ArticleDrawing on extensive research of Fortune 500 companies that have lived through industry downturns and economic recessions over the past two decades, Darrell... -
FAG Kugelfischer - A German Restructuring
Finance & Accounting Case Study11.95View Details A large German manufacturer of ball bearings and precision machinery experiences severe financial difficulty brought on by poor management practices,... -
Jet Airways (B): A Bumpy Landing
Organizational Development Case Study5.00View Details -
Why My Former Employees Still Work for Me
Motivating people Magazine ArticleRather than just cut jobs, Ricardo Semler set up workers as private entrepreneurs—in his own factories.