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• Case | HBS Case Collection | June 2020

  What Went Wrong with Boeing’s 737 Max?

  William W. George and Amram Migdal

  This case describes the development of the Boeing 737 Max airplane model and the events leading up to two tragic plane crashes, in which a total of 346 people died: the crash of Lion Air flight 610 on October 29, 2018, in Indonesia, and the crash of Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 on March 9, 2019, in Ethiopia. The evolution of Boeing’s organization and management is described, focusing on the span from Boeing’s 1997 merger with rival McDonnell Douglas through the development of the 737 Max and the crashes. The case examines the antecedents and possible causes of the crashes, both through the lens of industry and competitive dynamics and through the lens of corporate culture and development processes at Boeing. The development of the 737 Max is described in detail, including the factors and decisions that led to the development of the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), the system that ultimately led to the crashes. Information about Boeing’s response and actions during the period between the two crashes is also included in the case.

  Keywords: Communication; Communication Intention and Meaning; Communication Strategy; Forms of Communication; Announcements; Decision Making; Decision Choices and Conditions; Judgments; Ethics; Moral Sensibility; Values and Beliefs; Globalization; Global Strategy; Governance; Corporate Accountability; Governance Controls; Human Resources; Resignation and Termination; Leadership; Leadership Style; Management; Business or Company Management; Crisis Management; Management Practices and Processes; Management Skills; Management Style; Management Systems; Risk Management; Time Management; Markets; Demand and Consumers; Market Platforms; Supply and Industry; Duopoly and Oligopoly; Industry Structures; Operations; Product Development; Organizations; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Outcome or Result; Failure; Success; Planning; Strategic Planning; Problems and Challenges; Relationships; Business and Community Relations; Business and Government Relations; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Risk and Uncertainty; Safety; Strategy; Transportation; Air Transportation; Aerospace Industry; Air Transportation Industry; Africa; Ethiopia; Asia; Indonesia; North and Central America; United States; Seattle; Chicago;

  Citation:

  George, William W., and Amram Migdal. "What Went Wrong with Boeing’s 737 Max?" Harvard Business School Case 320-104, June 2020.  View Details

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• Article | Harvard Business Review | October 14, 2019

  The CEO's Guide to Retirement

  Bill George

  Some CEOs remain in the role too long, hurting investors, employees, and their own legacy. The author sees a frequent reason for that: CEOs don’t know how to identify the optimal time to retire, and they procrastinate because they can’t imagine what they will do after they leave the job. In this article he presents questions that chief executives can ask themselves to determine the right time for an exit; a step-by-step process for stepping down; and an overview of the options a former CEO may find fulfilling.

  Keywords: CEO; executive retirement; Retirement; Decision Making; Planning;

  Citation:

  George, Bill. "The CEO's Guide to Retirement." Harvard Business Review 97, no. 6 (November–December 2019): 64–68.  View Details

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• Case | HBS Case Collection | June 2018 (Revised June 2018)

  Facebook Confronts a Crisis of Trust

  William W. George and Amram Migdal

  The case, “Facebook Confronts a Crisis of Trust,” starts with the crisis Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg is facing in March 2018 over Cambridge Analytica’s accessing data from 87 million Facebook accounts in order to influence the 2016 U.S. Presidential election. The case covers Facebook’s advertising business model, the Congressional uproar that follows, the opposing views of Apple CEO Tim Cook, and pending regulations of user privacy. The case provides an opportunity to discuss why Zuckerberg handled the crisis as he did, plus the importance of user trust, the role of the new technology giants in protecting user privacy, and the potential for regulating the treatment of private user information.

  Keywords: Facebook; data privacy; data manipulation; data science; political campaigns; political influence; voter mobilization; voters' interests; election outcomes; Elections; cambridge analytica; Mark Zuckerberg; sheryl sandberg; Voting; Decision Making; Demographics; Ethics; Geopolitical Units; Government and Politics; Government Legislation; National Security; Political Elections; Information Management; Leadership; Leadership Style; Crisis Management; Social Psychology; Personal Characteristics; Power and Influence; Society; Public Opinion; Technology Industry; United States; United Kingdom;

  Citation:

  George, William W., and Amram Migdal. "Facebook Confronts a Crisis of Trust." Harvard Business School Case 318-145, June 2018. (Revised June 2018.)  View Details

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