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Just in Time for the Holidays (HBR Case Study and Commentary)
McNulty, Eric; Johnson, M. Eric; Brandstatter, Horst; Hausman, Warren H.; Omrod, AnneArticle HBS-R0512A-EService and Operations ManagementIt's the busiest time of year for North Pole Workshops. Production is in high gear, and the elves are on overtime in the sprint toward Christmas. But an unexpected spike in demand for one toy may leave children around the world disappointed on Christmas morning, whether they've been naughty or nice. At the same time, another toy's popularity threatens to plummet, leaving Santa and his elves faced with the prospect of millions of unloved plaything...Starting at €8.20
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Tug-of-War (HBR Case Study and Commentary)
Sheffi, Yossi; Mozaffar, Shakeel; Moffat, Robert W., Jr.; Blascovich, John D.; Lahowchic, NickArticle HBS-R0509A-EService and Operations ManagementJack Emmons, the CEO of Voici Brands, knew his apparel company needed a supply chain overhaul. Over the past couple of years, sales had dropped because of late deliveries, stock-outs, and other supply problems. Meanwhile, a major competitor had significantly reduced its time to market and boosted its bottom line by outsourcing all its product lines to a dazzlingly efficient "supply chain city" in Shanghai. Unfortunately, Jack's company was just t...Starting at €8.20
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Mumbai's Models of Service Excellence
Thomke, StefanArticle HBS-R1211K-EService and Operations ManagementThink you need exceptional employees, advanced IT, or rigid controls to build a high-performance organization? The dabbawalas of Mumbai prove otherwise. Six days a week, these 5,000 self-managed, semiliterate workers deliver upwards of 130,000 lunches from customers' homes to their offices with astonishing precision--negotiating the crowded city by train, bicycle, and handcart, without the aid of any technology or even cell phones. The 100-year-o...Starting at €8.20
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Does America Really Need Manufacturing
Pisano, Gary P.; Shih, WillyArticle HBS-R1203G-EService and Operations ManagementToo many U.S. companies base decisions about where to locate production largely on narrow financial criteria. They don't consider whether keeping manufacturing at home makes more sense strategically or take into account the impact it might have on their ability to innovate. The result has been an exodus of manufacturing from America, which has weakened the capabilities that domestic firms need to keep inventing high-quality, cost-competitive prod...Starting at €8.20
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Using Gifts and Trees to Make Recyclers of Indian Consumers
Bakaya, Ambrish; O'Connell, AndrewArticle HBS-R0909G-EService and Operations ManagementRapid advances in technology and enormously increased numbers of cell phones in use in emerging markets give urgency to Nokia's newly launched effort to expand its worldwide phone-recycling initiatives. Ambrish Bakaya explains, in this interview with HBR associate editor Andrew O'Connell. This HBR Spotlight article offers a framework for determining your company's green opportunities and an overview of what other organizations are doing with cle...Starting at €8.20
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When Failure Looks Like Success
Zolli, Andrew; Healy, Ann MarieArticle HBS-F1104Z-EService and Operations ManagementEfforts to bring clean water to Bangladesh by installing tube wells appeared to be a huge success, but over time they led to epic failures: widespread arsenic poisoning, a rise in crime and prostitution, a projected increase in diarrheal diseases as villagers resume using groundwater. Due to the highly graphical nature of the Vision Statement, we offer this reprint in color, PDF format only. We recommend printing it out in color to maximize its ...Starting at €8.20
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Managing the Migrant Crisis
IESE InsightArticle ART-2852-EService and Operations ManagementAs the director of Proactiva Serveis Aquàtics, which provides sea rescue services along Spain's Mediterranean coast, Oscar Camps was appalled to see the wrenching images of migrants drowning. He resolved to do whatever he could to stop this human tragedy taking place on Europe's doorstep. His initiative provides some keys for others looking to beat the odds and help steer their project to a safe harbor.Starting at €8.20
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Ebola: Managing to Save Lives
IESE InsightArticle ART-2676-EService and Operations ManagementA year after the outbreak of Ebola in West Africa in March 2014, health-care experts are cautiously optimistic that the epidemic appears to be slowing. Although the outlook is brighter than a year ago when the first case was detected in Guinea, there is still a long way to go and many lessons to be learned in managing a crisis of this scale, related to institutional shortfalls, international coordination, engagement with local stakeholders and, m...Starting at €8.20
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Getting to Grips With Take-Back Laws
Atasu, Atalay; Van Wassenhove, LukArticle ART-1892-EService and Operations ManagementAs diverse environmental legislation is being formulated around the world, companies may find themselves in a ¿gray zone,¿ as the authors explain in a new paper on the subject. This presents challenges but also opportunities for companies to clarify operations in four areas: forming a network, rethinking product design, setting up a closed-loop supply chain, and adopting new technologies and business models. The authors believe that individual pr...Starting at €8.20
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Subsidies and the China Price
Haley, Usha C.V.; Haley, George T.Article HBS-F0806C-EService and Operations ManagementNew research suggests that Chinese companies' price advantage comes not from low-cost labor but from massive government subsidies. That finding has major implications for foreign firms that compete with, or source from, those companies.Starting at €8.20