• August 2017
• Article

A Formal Theory of Strategy

By: Eric J. Van den Steen

What makes a decision strategic? When is strategy most important? This paper formally studies these questions, starting from a (functional) definition of strategy as “the smallest set of choices to optimally guide (or force) other choices.” The paper shows that this...  View Details

Keywords: Strategy Development; Strategy; Decisions

Citation

Find at Harvard

Related

Van den Steen, Eric J. "A Formal Theory of Strategy." Management Science 63, no. 8 (August 2017): 2616–2636.

• 2017
• Working Paper

Cluster Mapping as a Tool for Development

By: Christian H.M. Ketels

This report builds on the foundational work on cluster mapping that Prof. Michael E. Porter has led at the Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness (ISC), Harvard Business School over the last two decades. He launched the U.S. Cluster Mapping Initiative in the late...  View Details

Keywords: Industry Clusters; Development Economics

Citation

Read Now

Related

Ketels, Christian H.M. "Cluster Mapping as a Tool for Development." Working Paper, June 2017.

• December 2016
• Article

Impact Investing: A Brief History

By: Brian Trelstad

Over the last decade, impact investing has become an increasingly-discussed topic in the realms of both business and public policy. Impact investors are motived by a desire to advance social or environmental goals and an intuition that pursuing two goals at once -...  View Details

Keywords: Impact Investing; Investment; Ethics; Strategy

Citation

SSRN

Related

Trelstad, Brian. "Impact Investing: A Brief History." Capitalism and Society 11, no. 2 (December 2016).

• August 2016 (Revised June 2018)
• Teaching Note

VMD Medical Imaging Center

By: Susanna Gallani and Eva Labro

VMD Medical Imaging Center addresses a number of issues related to the role of costing systems in organizations and the challenges impacting their design and maintenance as the organization grows and develops over time. This teaching note begins by offering detailed...  View Details

Keywords: Strategy; Cost Management; Management Systems

Citation

Purchase

Related

Gallani, Susanna, and Eva Labro. "VMD Medical Imaging Center." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 117-003, August 2016. (Revised June 2018.)

• July 2016
• Supplement

Mahindra Tool: Project Economics

By: Joseph B. Fuller and Christopher Payton

The case describes Mahindra Lifespace Developers’ (MLDL), a unit of Indian conglomerate Mahindra and Mahindra, foray into the affordable housing segment. MLDL sees a huge opportunity in selling apartments to the burgeoning population of urban workers, which is badly...  View Details

Keywords: Business Conglomerates; Business Startups; Development Economics; Developing Countries and Economies; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Social Entrepreneurship; Housing; Emerging Markets; Business and Government Relations; Human Needs; Social Issues; Urban Development; Real Estate Industry; India

Citation

Purchase

Related

Fuller, Joseph B., and Christopher Payton. "Mahindra Tool: Project Economics." Harvard Business School Spreadsheet Supplement 317-701, July 2016.

• 2016
• Working Paper

Towards a Prescriptive Theory of Dynamic Capabilities: Connecting Strategic Choice, Learning, and Competition

By: Gary P. Pisano

The field of strategy has mounted an enormous effort to understand, define, predict, and measure how organizational capabilities shape competitive advantage. While the notion that capabilities influence strategy dates back to the work of Andrews (1971), attempts to...  View Details

Keywords: Competitive Advantage

Citation

SSRN

Read Now

Related

Pisano, Gary P. "Towards a Prescriptive Theory of Dynamic Capabilities: Connecting Strategic Choice, Learning, and Competition." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 16-146, June 2016.

• May 2016
• Case

OPET: Precision Marketing in Uncertain Times

By: Rajiv Lal, Esel Çekin and Eren Kuzucu

During Timucin Guler’s decade at OPET, a prominent fuel distributor in Turkey, he transformed the definition of marketing in the company. Under Guler’s lead, OPET, once a local player in the downstream distribution market, became the second largest fuel distributor in...  View Details

Keywords: Customer Satisfaction; Customer Service; Emerging Market; Focusing On Customers; Competition; Turkey; Loyalty Program; Marketing Strategy; Downstream Distribution; Customer Relationship Management; Energy Industry; Turkey

Citation

Educators

Purchase

Related

Lal, Rajiv, Esel Çekin, and Eren Kuzucu. "OPET: Precision Marketing in Uncertain Times." Harvard Business School Case 516-087, May 2016.

• 2016
• Report

Review of Competitiveness Frameworks: An Analysis Conducted for the Irish National Competitiveness Council

By: Christian H.M. Ketels

The report reviews recent research on competitiveness as well as the use of competitiveness frameworks applied in leading international competitiveness rankings and in national competitiveness assessments. The report includes four main parts: The initial chapter...  View Details

Keywords: Competitiveness; Competition; Analysis

Citation

Read Now

Related

Ketels, Christian H.M. "Review of Competitiveness Frameworks: An Analysis Conducted for the Irish National Competitiveness Council." Report, Dublin, Ireland, April 2016.

• 2015
• Chapter

The Business Model: Nature and Benefits

By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and John Heilbron

This paper considers the nature of the business model and its strategic relevance to negotiations. We elaborate a substantive definition of the business model as decisions enforced by the authority of the firm; this definition enables the analysis of business models...  View Details

Keywords: Business Models; Value Capture; Value-Based Business Strategy; Ambivalent Value; Business Model; Value; Negotiation Deal

Citation

Find at Harvard

Related

Casadesus-Masanell, Ramon, and John Heilbron. "The Business Model: Nature and Benefits." Chap. 1 in Business Models and Modelling. Vol. 33, edited by Charles Baden-Fuller and Vincent Mangematin. Advances in Strategic Management. Emerald Group Publishing, 2015.

• 2015
• Working Paper

A Normative Theory of Dynamic Capabilities: Connecting Strategy, Know-How, and Competition

By: Gary P. Pisano

The field of strategy has mounted an enormous effort to understand, define, predict, and measure how organizational capabilities shape competitive advantage. While the notion that capabilities influence strategy dates back to the work of Andrews (1971), attempts to...  View Details

Keywords: Competitive Advantage; Organizations

Citation

SSRN

Read Now

Related

Pisano, Gary P. "A Normative Theory of Dynamic Capabilities: Connecting Strategy, Know-How, and Competition." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 16-036, September 2015.

• 2015
• Working Paper

The Business Model: Nature and Benefits

By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and John Heilbron

This paper considers the nature of the business model and its strategic relevance to negotiations. We elaborate a substantive definition of the business model as decisions enforced by the authority of the firm; this definition enables the analysis of business models...  View Details

Keywords: Business Models; Value Capture; Value-Based Business Strategy; Ambivalent Value; Business Model; Negotiation Deal

Citation

SSRN

Read Now

Related

Casadesus-Masanell, Ramon, and John Heilbron. "The Business Model: Nature and Benefits." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 15-089, May 2015. (Revised June 2015.)