Transportation →
- 21 Oct 2013
- Research & Ideas
Missing the Wave in Ship Transport
Despite a repeating boom-bust cycle in the shipping industry, owners seem to make the same investment mistakes over time. Can other cyclical industries learn the lessons of the high seas? Research by Robin Greenwood and Samuel G. Hanson. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 20 Dec 2010
- Research & Ideas
Panama Canal: Troubled History, Astounding Turnaround
In their new book, The Big Ditch, Harvard Business School professor Noel Maurer and economic historian Carlos Yu discuss the complicated history of the Panama Canal and its remarkable turnaround after Panama took control in 1999. Q&A with Maurer, plus book excerpt. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 14 Dec 2009
- Research & Ideas
Can Entrepreneurs Drive People Movers to Success?
Call them next-generation driverless taxis or people movers, the age of personal rapid transport is just around the bend. Could PRT change the face of public transportation in cities and smaller communities? HBS professor Benjamin G. Edelman weighs the benefits and opportunities for entrepreneurs and for society. "Right now, the field is wide open," he says. Key concepts include: A typical PRT vehicle carries one to four passengers along a dedicated track. It travels direct routes—no stops along the way—using computer control. Although it sounds futuristic, the PRT concept has been discussed seriously by engineers, designers, and academics since the mid-1950s. A PRT system has been in use since 1972 at the University of West Virginia in Morgantown. An installation at London's Heathrow Airport is slated to open in 2010. Yet general skepticism remains prevalent. PRT could reduce traffic congestion by offering a strong alternative to the private automobile. Other opportunities include establishing PRT systems on corporate or educational campuses, ultimately reducing costly and intrusive parking garages. PRT systems could also improve the value of real estate on land that is not close enough to other public transportation or services. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 10 Apr 2006
- Research & Ideas
American Auto’s Troubled Road
Harvard Business School faculty dissect where U.S. auto makers went wrong, and how they might again get on the road to growth. From HBS Alumni Bulletin. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 03 Oct 2005
- Research & Ideas
The Truck Driver Who Reinvented Shipping
Malcolm P. McLean (1914-2001) hit on an idea to dramatically reduce labor and dock servicing time. An excerpt from In Their Time: The Greatest Business Leaders of the Twentieth Century by Harvard Business School's Anthony J. Mayo and Nitin Nohria. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 26 Nov 2001
- Research & Ideas
How Toyota Turns Workers Into Problem Solvers
Toyota's reputation for sustaining high product quality is legendary. But the company's methods are not secret. So why can't other carmakers match Toyota's track record? HBS professor Steven Spear says it's all about problem solving. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 23 Jul 2001
- Research & Ideas
How One Center of Innovation Lost its Spark
It's no secret that innovation is what has always made places like Silicon Valley and Hollywood so special. Creativity and expertise centered in one location, it seems, spurs yet more innovation at ever increasing speeds. But what happens when the well runs dry? Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 27 Nov 2000
- Research & Ideas
The Dynamics of Standing Still: Firestone Tire & Rubber and the Radial Revolution
In the late 1960s, Firestone was perhaps the best managed company in its industry. But when Michelin introduced the radial tire and shook up the U.S. market, writes HBS professor Donald Sull, Firestone's historical success proved its own worst enemy. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 10 Jul 2000
- Research & Ideas
- 12 Oct 1999
- Research & Ideas
Decoding the DNA of the Toyota Production System
How can one production operation be both rigidly scripted and enormously flexible? In this summary of an article from the Harvard Business Review, HBS Professors H. Kent Bowen and Steven Spear disclose the secret to Toyota's production success. The company's operations can be seen as a continuous series of controlled experiments: whenever Toyota defines a specification, it is establishing a hypothesis that is then tested through action. The workers, who have internalized this scientific-method approach, are stimulated to respond to problems as they appear; using data from the strictly defined experiment, they are able to adapt fluidly to changing circumstances. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
Can We Get To Where We Need To Go?
America's infrastructure woes and how to fix them were front and center at the recent summit, America on the Move: Transportation and Infrastructure for the 21st Century, led by Rosabeth Moss Kanter. Open for comment; 0 Comments.