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Match the Size of the Organization to the Size of the Market
by Clayton M. ChristensenMaximize the opportunity of new technologies and avoid sapping critical resources by over committing in a new direction. This chapter notes that it makes sense to implant projects aimed at commercializing disruptive technologies in small organizations that will view the projects as being on their critical path to growth and success rather than as distractions from the main business of the company. This chapter was originally published as chapter 6 of "The Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail."
Materials Technology Corp.
by Clayton M. ChristensenMaterials Technology Corp. (MTC) is an MIT-based start-up company that identified an initial product market for its advanced materials-processing technology using conventional market research techniques. While pursuing that market--advanced microelectronic components--customers from very different markets such as steelmaking and electricians' hardware approach MTC, offering to pay MTC substantial money to develop and manufacture products for it. This calls into question MTC's initial market and product strategy.
Michigan Manufacturing Corp.: The Pontiac Plant--1988
by Clayton M. ChristensenMichigan Manufacturing is a broad-line maker of components for the automotive industry. It has developed a network of nine plants as its product line has grown. Newer, higher-volume products tend to be made in newer, focused, high-volume plants, while older product lines tend to be assigned to the Pontiac plant, the oldest one in the system. Because Pontiac produces such a wide variety of products, its overhead costs are very high. Management needs to decide whether to close the Pontiac plant or find a way to make it profitable.
Molding the Impossible: The NYPRO/Vistakon Disposable Contact Lens Project
by Clayton M. ChristensenNYPRO, Inc., one of the world's leading manufacturers of plastic injection-molded products, is asked by the Vistakon Division of Johnson & Johnson to manufacture molds that Vistakon will use to produce disposable contact lenses. The required dimensional tolerances for NYPRO's molds are 10 times tighter than it has ever achieved before. The case describes how engineering teams in these two companies attempt to work together to develop a capable process for making molds and lenses.
OnStar: Not Your Father's General Motors
by Clayton M. ChristensenAfter two years of less than stellar performance resulting in sales well below plan, senior management at General Motors (GM) mobile telecommunications service start-up, OnStar, recognized that without a substantial change in their strategy, support for the venture would dwindle. Chet Huber (HBS 1979) faced one of the toughest decisions of his career. He had to decide whether to press GM executives to approve a plan to factory install OnStar hardware on every vehicle it manufactured-a new strategy requiring a dramatic increase in the corporation's commitment to the struggling technology venture. The alternative would be to continue with the current strategy of selling OnStar as an aftermarket product at GM dealerships. GM produced over five million new vehicles a year. Installing OnStar on every vehicle could exponentially increase the subscriber base but would cost hundreds of millions of dollars and lead to an unknown number of changes both within OnStar and at GM factories.
OnStar: Not Your Father's General Motors
by Clayton M. ChristensenAfter two years of less than stellar performance resulting in sales well below plan, senior management at General Motors (GM) mobile telecommunications service start-up, OnStar, recognized that without a substantial change in their strategy, support for the venture would dwindle. Chet Huber (HBS 1979) faced one of the toughest decisions of his career. He had to decide whether to press GM executives to approve a plan to factory install OnStar hardware on every vehicle it manufactured-a new strategy requiring a dramatic increase in the corporation's commitment to the struggling technology venture. The alternative would be to continue with the current strategy of selling OnStar as an aftermarket product at GM dealerships. GM produced over five million new vehicles a year. Installing OnStar on every vehicle could exponentially increase the subscriber base but would cost hundreds of millions of dollars and lead to an unknown number of changes both within OnStar and at GM factories.
Performance Provided, Market Demand, and the Product Life Cycle
by Clayton M. ChristensenPerformance oversupply creates a fundamental change in the basis of competition in the market, often triggering product commoditization. Historically, when performance oversupply occurs, it creates an opportunity for a disruptive technology to emerge and invade established markets from below. This chapter uses several industry examples to illustrate this phenomenon. This chapter was originally published as chapter 9 of "The Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail."
Using Aggregate Project Planning to Link Strategy, Innovation, and the Resource Allocation Process
by Clayton M. ChristensenLinks two very useful pieces of management research--resource allocation processes as studied by Bowen and Burgelman and the aggregate project plan expounded by Wheelwright and Clark.
Value Networks and the Impetus to Improve
by Clayton M. ChristensenWhy do leading firms frequently stumble when confronting technology change? Most explanations focus on management or organizational issues. This chapter proposes another theory, based on the concept of a value network--the context within which a firm identifies and responds to customers' needs, solves problems, procures input, reacts to competitors, and strives for profit. This chapter was originally published as chapter 2 of "The Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail."
We've Got Rhythm! Medtronic Corp.'s Cardiac Pacemaker Business
by Clayton M. ChristensenIllustrates how a new management team at Medtronic's Cardiac Pacemaker business reversed a steep decline in market share by adopting certain management principles for new product development: clarifying strategy, aggregating project planning, accommodating the number of projects to match development capacity, and establishing a platform/derivative product architecture, and others. This case is useful in both MBA courses and executive programs.
What Goes Up, Can't Go Down (How Successful Companies Become Increasingly Vulnerable)
by Clayton M. ChristensenIn established companies, resources and energy coalesce most readily behind proposals to attack upmarket into higher-performance products that can earn higher margins. This rational pattern of upmarket movement can create a vacuum in low-end value networks that draws in entrants with technologies and cost structures better suited to competition. This chapter examines the steel industry as a salient example of this phenomenon. This chapter was originally published as chapter 4 of "The Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail."
Reinventa tu modelo de negocio (Imprescindibles #Volumen)
by Clayton Christensen¿Cómo encuentro personas innovadoras para mi organización? ¿Y cómo puedo ser yo más innovador? A partir del estudio de las estrategias de negocio creativas y de los hábitos de los empresarios que las lideran, los autores identifican cinco «aptitudes de descubrimiento» que distinguen a los directivos más creativos: asociar, cuestionar, observar, experimentar y crear una red de contactos. En su conjunto, esas aptitudes constituyen el ADN del innovador. Y la buena noticia es que, si no has nacido con él, puedes cultivarlo. Para adentrarse en el terreno de lo nuevo, las empresas necesitan una hoja de ruta que se resume en tres pasos simples: el primero, pensar en la oportunidad de satisfacer a un cliente real; el segundo, fijar cómo la empresa obtendrá provecho dando respuesta a esa necesidad, y el tercero, comparar ese modelo con el modelo de negocio existente para adaptarlo y aprovechar así la oportunidad. Los dos estudios aquí reunidos muestran cómo el crecimiento transformador suele ser fruto de innovaciones tecnológicas o de producto cuando estas van acompañadas de un modelo de negocios adecuado y eficaz. Los IMPRESCINDIBLES de Conecta, en colaboración con Harvard Business Review, permiten acceder a las grandes ideas de los autores de referencia que inspiran a directivos y profesionales. Este volumen reúne los textos «Reinventa tu modelo de negocio», de Mark W. Johnson, Clayton M. Christensen y Henning Kagermann, y «El ADN de los innovadores», de Jeffrey H. Dyer, Hal B. Gregersen y Clayton M. Christensen, básicos para abordar la gestión de la innovación tecnológica en una economía disruptiva.
Assistant Professor Graham and Ms. Macomber (A)
by C. Roland ChristensenA student takes a position on a case which is in conflict with the other students' conclusions. The professor believes the student's answer is correct but does not indicate so in class. As a result, the student withdraws from further class participation.
Exploring Creativity
by Bo T. Christensen Brian MoeranUnder the guidance of Moeran and Christensen, the authors in this volume examine evaluative practices in the creative industries by exploring the processes surrounding the conception, design, manufacture, appraisal, and use of creative goods. They describe the editorial choices made by different participants in a 'creative world', as they go about conceiving, composing or designing, performing or making, selling and assessing a range of cultural products. The study draws upon ethnographically rich case studies from companies as varied as Bang and Olufsen, Hugo Boss, and Lonely Planet, in order to reveal the broad range of factors guiding and inhibiting creative processes. Some of these constraints are material and technical; others are social or defined by aesthetic norms. The authors explore how these various constraints affect creative work, and how ultimately they contribute to the development of creativity.
Switzerland's Role as an International Financial Center
by Benedicte Vibe ChristensenThis paper was prepared by Benedicte Vibe Christensen in the European Department of the International Monetary Fund under the direction of Gyorgy Szapary. It describes developments in international financial transactions conducted through the Swiss banking system until December 1985.
Be a Direct Selling Superstar: Achieve Financial Freedom for Yourself and Others as a Direct Sales Leader
by ChristensenDirect selling is booming. It's no surprise when you consider the benefits of launching a direct selling business--low start-up costs, strong earning potential, and a flexible work schedule. Currently an estimated 15.6 million people are involved in direct selling in the U.S. alone--and more than 100 million worldwide. Mary Christensen has empowered and equipped thousands of direct sellers to succeed, and in her newest book, Be a Direct Selling Superstar, she delivers an all-encompassing guide to building, leading, and managing a profitable direct sales organization. Readers will learn how to: * Set goals * Eliminate self-sabotaging behaviors * Market their products and business opportunity effectively * Communicate persuasively * Build a committed network of sellers * Be an influential leader * Create a clear roadmap for others to follow * Inspire and lead a wide range of personalities * Maintain work-life balance * Manage their time and their money wisely For corporate refugees, ambitious entrepreneurs, mompreneurs, and anyone else looking for a new source of income--this inspiring master plan explains step by step how to achieve long-term success in direct selling.
When Giants Converge: Role of US-Japan Direct Investment
by Dorothy B. ChristelowThis text presents an analysis of how international direct investment since World War II has played an important role in the process by which industrial countries generate technology and productivity growth. It covers the complex relations between the US and Japan since 1945.
Digital Technology in Service Encounters: Effects on Frontline Employees and Customer Responses (Innovation, Entrepreneurship und Digitalisierung)
by Sonja Christ-BrendemühlDigital technology is disrupting the prerequisites for most firms in the service industry and frequently forces them to reassess the ratio of human interaction and technology use in service encounters. To retain competitiveness, it seems mandatory to increase service encounter efficiency by embedding digital technology into the existing processes. However, there is little empirical evidence on how such technological implementations affect the sentiments, attitudes, and behaviors of frontline employees. Likewise, research on interrelated customer responses is scarce. To address this matter, this book presents four distinct yet related studies to investigate the impact of digital technology on frontline employees, customers, and ultimately service firms. The results and implications provide meaningful insights for theory and practice.
Public Policy Writing That Matters
by David ChrisingerHone your public policy writing—and make a significant impact on the world.Students and professionals across a variety of disciplines need to write public policy in a manner that inspires action and genuine change. You may have amazing ideas about how to improve the world, but if you aren’t able to communicate these ideas well, they simply won’t become reality. In Public Policy Writing That Matters, communications specialist David Chrisinger argues that public policy writing is most persuasive when it tells clear, concrete stories about people doing things. Combining helpful hints and cautionary tales with writing exercises and excerpts from sample policy documents, Chrisinger teaches readers to craft concise, story-driven pieces that exceed the stylistic requirements and limitations of traditional policy writing.Too often, public policy writing is convoluted, opaque, and exclusive. Chrisinger, who teaches introductory policy writing courses around the country, offers a step-by-step guide for anyone interested in planning, organizing, developing, writing, and revising accessible public policy. From the most effective use of data visualization, the best way to write a sentence, and the ideal moment to add a compelling anecdote to advice on using facts to strengthen an argument, this little book, inspired by Strunk & White’s classic style guide, will allow anyone crafting public policy to make a bigger impact. Aimed at helping students and professionals overcome their default impulses to merely "explain," this book reveals proven, classroom-tested tips for writing sophisticated policy that is also easy to understand. This practical, concise handbook will not only aid students throughout graduate school but will also remain a reference to consult throughout their professional careers. A vital tool for any policy writer or analyst, Public Policy Writing That Matters is a book for everyone passionate about using writing to effect real and lasting change.
Public Policy Writing That Matters
by David ChrisingerA thoroughly updated and expanded guide to honing your public policy writing skills—and making a significant impact on the world.Professionals across a variety of disciplines need to write about public policy in a manner that inspires action and genuine change. You may have amazing ideas about how to improve the world, but if you aren't able to communicate these ideas well, they simply won't become a reality. In Public Policy Writing That Matters, communications expert David Chrisinger, who directs the Harris Writing Program at the University of Chicago and worked in the US Government Accountability Office for a decade, argues that public policy writing is most persuasive when it tells clear, concrete stories about people doing things. Combining helpful hints and cautionary tales with writing exercises and excerpts from sample policy analysis, Chrisinger teaches readers to craft concise, story-driven pieces that exceed the stylistic requirements and limitations of traditional policy writing.Aimed at helping students and professionals overcome their default impulses to merely "explain," this book reveals proven tips—tested in the real world and in the classroom—for writing sophisticated policy analysis that is also easy to understand. For anyone interested in planning, organizing, developing, writing, and revising accessible public policy, Chrisinger offers a step-by-step guide that covers everything from the most effective use of data visualization to the best ways to write a sentence, from the ideal moment for adding a compelling anecdote to advice on using facts to strengthen an argument. This second edition addresses the current political climate and touches on policy changes that have occurred since the book was originally published. A vital tool for any policy writer or analyst, Public Policy Writing That Matters is a book for everyone passionate about using writing to effect real and lasting change.
Museums and Heritage Tourism: Theory, Practice and People
by White ChrisThis book examines the symbiotic relationship between museums, heritage attractions and tourism, using a range of international case studies. Divided into three clear sections, the author first outlines a theoretical framework for understanding the role of museums in heritage tourism, before addressing practical challenges of interpretation, design and pandemic response. Finally, he traces the development of museum and heritage attraction design through the key figures of John Ruskin, James Gardner and Alex McCuaig. Each chapter incorporates a key case study, with an international scope including examples from Hong Kong, the UK, Taiwan, Qatar, Dubai and Kuwait. An essential introduction for undergraduate and graduate students taking courses in museum studies, heritage studies, and tourism management.
NGOs under Pressure in Partial Democracies
by Chris van der Borgh Carolijn TerwindtOver the past decade, international human rights organizations and think tanks have expressed a growing concern that the space of civil society organizations around the world is under pressure. This book examines the pressures experienced by NGOs in four partial democracies: Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia and the Philippines. Based on fieldwork, it analyzes the complex processes of shrinking political space and the ways NGOs and grassroots organizations try to defend and reclaim their space.
Korean Businesses: Internal and External Industrialization (Studies In Asia Pacific Business)
by CHRIS ROWLEY; JOHNGSEOK BAEEssays in the book focus on the Korean model of industrialization and internal internationalization, organizational capabilities and management roles, and disadvantages inherent in the model. The subjects covered include corporate catch-up strategies, foreign investment, and future possibilities.