Skip to Main Content
HBS Home
  • About
  • Academic Programs
  • Alumni
  • Faculty & Research
  • Baker Library
  • Giving
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Initiatives
  • News
  • Recruit
  • Map / Directions
Working Knowledge
Business Research for Business Leaders
  • Browse All Articles
  • Popular Articles
  • Cold Call Podcast
  • Managing the Future of Work Podcast
  • About Us
  • Book
  • Leadership
  • Marketing
  • Finance
  • Management
  • Entrepreneurship
  • All Topics...
  • Topics
    • COVID-19
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Finance
    • Gender
    • Globalization
    • Leadership
    • Management
    • Negotiation
    • Social Enterprise
    • Strategy
  • Sections
    • Book
    • Podcasts
    • HBS Case
    • In Practice
    • Lessons from the Classroom
    • Op-Ed
    • Research & Ideas
    • Research Event
    • Sharpening Your Skills
    • What Do You Think?
    • Working Paper Summaries
  • Browse All
    Filter Results: (17) Arrow Down
    Filter Results: (17) Arrow Down Arrow Up
    • Popular
    • Browse All Articles
    • About Us
    • Newsletter Sign-Up
    • RSS
    • Popular
    • Browse All Articles
    • About Us
    • Newsletter Sign-Up
    • RSS

    Supply Chain ManagementRemove Supply Chain Management →

    New research on supply chain management from Harvard Business School faculty on issues including what brands can do to monitor their suppliers' factory conditions, how Japan's earthquake and tsunami and caused havoc on retailers and car manufacturers, and the push to improve labor standards in global supply chains.
    Page 1 of 17 Results
    • 22 Aug 2022
    • Research & Ideas

    Can Amazon Remake Health Care?

    by Christina Pazzanese, Harvard Gazette

    Amazon has disrupted everything from grocery shopping to cloud computing, but can it transform health care with its One Medical acquisition? Amitabh Chandra discusses company's track record in health care and the challenges it might face.

    • 14 Jul 2020
    • Research & Ideas

    Restarting Under Uncertainty: Managerial Experiences from Around the World

    by Raffaella Sadun, Andrea Bertoni, Alexia Delfino, Giovanni Fassio, and Mariapaola Testa

    A survey of 50 companies across countries and industries reveals business leaders are hard at work adapting to the COVID threat. Research by Raffaella Sadun and colleagues. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

    • 01 Jun 2020
    • What Do You Think?

    Will Challenged Amazon Tweak Its Retail Model Post-Pandemic?

    by James Heskett

    James Heskett's readers have little sympathy for Amazon's loss of market share during the pandemic. Has the organization lost its ability to learn? Open for comment; 0 Comments.

    • 29 May 2020
    • Op-Ed

    How Leaders Are Fighting Food Insecurity on Three Continents

    by Howard Stevenson and Shirley Spence

    The pandemic could almost double the number of people facing food crises in lower-income populations by the end of 2020. Howard Stevenson and Shirley Spence show how organizations are responding. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

    • 18 May 2020
    • Working Paper Summaries

    No Line Left Behind: Assortative Matching Inside the Firm

    by Achyuta Adhvaryu, Vittorio Bassi, Anant Nyshadham, and Jorge Tamayo

    This paper studies how buyer relationships influence suppliers' internal organization of labor. The results emphasize that suppliers to the global market, when they are beholden to a small set of powerful buyers, may be driven to allocate managerial skill to service these relationships, even at the expense of productivity.

    • 16 Mar 2020
    • Research & Ideas

    How the Coronavirus Is Already Rewriting the Future of Business

    by Dina Gerdeman

    We asked Harvard Business School experts how the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to change business practice. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

    • 21 Jan 2020
    • Cold Call Podcast

    China-based Fuyao Glass Considers Manufacturing in the US

    Re: Willy C. Shih

    Not many Chinese companies open manufacturing facilities in the US, but automotive glass maker Fuyao is considering just that. In a recent case study, Willy Shih examines factors that go into deciding where companies should locate production centers. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

    • 02 Sep 2019
    • What Do You Think?

    Are Overlooked Forces Shielding the US from Severe Economic Downturns?

    by James Heskett

    SUMMING UP: Many of Jame's Heskett's readers believe that one factor more than any other could kills expansion of the United States economy: actions by the Federal Reserve. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

    • 07 Jul 2019
    • HBS Case

    Walmart's Workforce of the Future

    by Julia Hanna

    A case study by William Kerr explores Walmart's plans for future workforce makeup and training, and its search for opportunities from digital infrastructure and automation. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

    • 26 Mar 2019
    • Working Paper Summaries

    Managed Ecosystems and Translucent Institutional Logics: Engaging Communities

    by Elizabeth J. Altman, Frank Nagle, and Michael Tushman

    Organizations increasingly rely on engagement with external communities of contributors. This paper explores transitions to a managed-ecosystem governance mode and its implications for strategy and innovation. To be successful, firms must develop the capabilities to shepherd communities, leverage without exploiting them, and share intellectual property rights.

    • 07 Jan 2019
    • Research & Ideas

    The Better Way to Forecast the Future

    by Roberta Holland

    We can forecast hurricane paths with great certainty, yet many businesses can't predict a supply chain snafu just around the corner. Yael Grushka-Cockayne says crowdsourcing can help. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

    • 26 Jun 2017
    • Working Paper Summaries

    Inventory Management for Mobile Money Agents in the Developing World

    by Karthik Balasubramanian, David F. Drake, and Douglas Fearing

    Mobile money agents in the developing world face a key inventory management challenge: How much cash and e-float should be held to minimize both stockouts and excess working capital? The authors develop two inventory models and show substantial inventory cost reduction with a large dataset of East African mobile money transactions.

    • 17 Jun 2017
    • Research & Ideas

    Amazon, Whole Foods Deal a Big Win for Consumers

    by Jose Alvarez and Len Schlesinger

    What does Amazon's $13.4 billion deal for Whole Foods say about the future of retail? Harvard Business School professors Jose Alvarez and Len Schlesinger see good times ahead for consumers as well as both companies. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

    • 12 Sep 2016
    • Research & Ideas

    What Brands Can Do to Monitor Factory Conditions of Suppliers

    by Michael Blanding

    For better or for worse, it’s fallen to multinational corporations to police the overseas factories of suppliers in their supply chains—and perhaps make them better. Michael W. Toffel examines how. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

    • 18 Jul 2016
    • Working Paper Summaries

    Beyond Symbolic Responses to Private Politics: Examining Labor Standards Improvement in Global Supply Chains

    by Andrea R. Hugill, Jodi L. Short, and Michael W. Toffel

    Global supply chain factories improve their working conditions to a greater extent when their buyers take a cooperative approach to monitoring them, when the auditors are more highly trained, and when the factories face greater risk of poor conditions being exposed, according to findings in this research.

    • 24 Aug 2015
    • Working Paper Summaries

    Multi-Product Duopoly with Cross-Product Cost Interdependencies

    Multi-product firms in many industries lack the flexibility to choose different quality tiers for different product lines. Once committed to a certain quality tier, either high or low, in one product line, it is usually more costly to offer another product line in a different quality tier instead of offering it in the same tier. This paper probes the strategic implications of this combination of brand stickiness and operational complexity for duopoly competition.

    • 25 May 2011
    • HBS Case

    QuikTrip’s Investment in Retail Employees Pays Off

    by Julia Hanna

    Instead of treating low-paid staffers as commodities, a new breed of retailers such as QuikTrip assigns them more responsibility and invests in their development, says professor Zeynep Ton. The result? Happy customers and even happier employees. Key concepts include: Unusual for a retailer, QuikTrip offers its operational employees above-average wages, job security, and significant benefits. By using operational efficiencies and standardization, QuikTrip reduces complexity to create higher employee productivity and fewer errors. By investing in employees and giving them more responsibility, QuikTrip enjoys a competitive advantage in service and benefits from continuous process improvement. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.

    • 1
    ǁ
    Campus Map
    Harvard Business School Working Knowledge
    Baker Library | Bloomberg Center
    Soldiers Field
    Boston, MA 02163
    Email: Editor-in-Chief
    →Map & Directions
    →More Contact Information
    • Make a Gift
    • Site Map
    • Jobs
    • Harvard University
    • Trademarks
    • Policies
    • Accessibility
    • Digital Accessibility
    Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College