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• Article | Challenge | March – April 2010

  The Need for Ideological Consciousness

  George C. Lodge

  Every so often in American history a crisis comes along that requires Americans to inspect cherished assumptions and to act in a way that many find ideologically repulsive. Although our leaders insist that such actions are pragmatic-the only sensible way to deal with the crisis-those pragmatic acts evoke or imply an ideology that obstructs their implementation. Furthermore, if in the name of pragmatism, the ideological aspects of the actions are ignored or suppressed, the full implications of the actions may not be seen. I am talking about such ideas as the role of government: Do we believe in the active planning state or the limited state-the less of it the better? How do we define the good community: Is it by competition among self-interested business managers to satisfy consumer desires or is it necessary for the community itself to define its needs and to regulate business so that they are fulfilled? This article sets out an ideological framework for analysis of these and related questions.

  Keywords: History; Leadership; Competition; Framework; Consumer Behavior; Business and Community Relations; Government and Politics; Financial Crisis; Planning; United States;

  Citation:

  Lodge, George C. "The Need for Ideological Consciousness." Challenge 53, no. 2 (March–April 2010): 76–89.

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• Teaching Note | HBS Case Collection | 2009 (Revised from original 2001 version)

  (TN) Amazon.com (A), (B), (C), and (D)

  Jeffrey F. Rayport, Dickson Louie and William A. Sahlman

  Teaching Note for (9-897-128), (9-898-084), (9-901-021), and (9-901-022). For book only.

  Keywords: Retail Industry; Web Services Industry;

  Citation:

  Rayport, Jeffrey F., Dickson Louie, and William A. Sahlman. "(TN) Amazon.com (A), (B), (C), and (D)." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 901-025, November 2009. (Revised from original April 2001 version.)

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• Case | HBS Case Collection | 2009 (Revised from original 2001 version)

  Amazon.com (D)

  Jeffrey F. Rayport, Dickson Louie and William A. Sahlman

  At the end of 1999, Amazon.com founder and CEO Jeff Bezos--just named Time Magazine's Man of the Year--ponders the next moves for his company. Having expanded into numerous categories in 1999, ranging from Z-shops to Auctions to E-cards as well as increasing the number of distribution sites to seven, Amazon.com is quickly transforming itself as an electronic retailer. But does Amazon.com's strategy make sense? Critics worry that Bezos may be stretching the Amazon.com brand too far instead of focusing on a few retail categories. Bezos sees the opportunity to dominate various retail categories online--leveraging off its base of 16.9 million customers--before the brick-and-mortar retailers do.

  Keywords: Growth and Development Strategy; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Competitive Advantage; Expansion; Online Technology; Retail Industry;

  Citation:

  Rayport, Jeffrey F., Dickson Louie, and William A. Sahlman. "Amazon.com (D)." Harvard Business School Case 901-022, November 2009. (Revised from original February 2001 version.)

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