IMD business school for management and leadership courses
In late 2023, when the management team at the consumer packaged goods company Reckitt considered adopting gen AI, potential use cases spanned the business—from drafting presentations to delivering customer support to optimizing procurement contracts. Many of the use cases guaranteed time savings and an immediate return on investment, but they ap…
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
This book is a vindication of Europe. It challenges the view of Europe as a tired, overregulated continent, arguing instead that Europe has emerged from decades of crisis—financial turmoil, Brexit, COVID-19, war in Ukraine—as a resilient, reformed, and quietly successful model of governance and society. While the world often focuses on the rival…
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
The explosion of generative AI has sparked a wave of case studies showing how quickly and profoundly it is transforming businesses. Yet most of these use cases still apply the technology to enhancing existing systems. This book makes the case for why business leaders must revisit the fundamentals of generative AI and look beyond short-term, tact…
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
This case provides the opportunity to perform a real, but simplified, ESG research analysis and portfolio investment decision from the perspective of an impact investor. It was designed using Triodos Investment Management (Triodos) and three well-known (possibly controversial) companies, Yamaha Corporation, Tesla and Philip Morris International …
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Set in 2024, the case describes the trajectory of Nike’s success and how it had recently lost its way. The company was experiencing its worst slump in more than 10 years. Since 2020, CEO Donahoe oversaw a significant shift away from wholesale, with a focus on direct channels and a suite of apps. However, direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales failed to …
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
In 2022, Apple lost US$1.5 billion in Black Friday sales due to iPhone supply constraints. One in three retail stores across the US and Europe experienced stockouts of the new iPhone 14 Pro. China sales were down more than 30% year on year. Apple’s stock had dropped 29% in 2022. China’s zero-Covid policy resulted in massive lockdowns that made f…
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Recent US-Cambodia and US-Malaysia trade agreements include ‘poison pills’ echoing an earlier precedent, United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). For trading partners navigating intensifying US-China geopolitical rivalry, these provisions complicate hedging strategies. In practice, the bite of these provisions may be less than their formal…
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
How do individuals evaluate their capacity to contribute to positive social change when choosing careers? Drawing on construal level and prosocial motivation theories, we examine how contact with social issues and potential beneficiaries shapes individuals’ self-evaluations, and how these self-evaluations influence their social entrepreneurial a…
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
We investigate family CEO birth order as an antecedent of family firms’ CSR behavior. Despite psychology literature recognizing it as a key predictor of individual behavior, birth order has been largely neglected in management research. Drawing on behavioral economics and evolutionary psychology—specifically, the Family Niche Model—we identify e…
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Non-family managers play a crucial role in fostering innovation within family firms, yet their impact remains debated due to inconsistent research findings and a lack of comprehensive synthesis. This study integrates this effect through a meta-analysis of 213 effect sizes from 101 studies. The results demonstrate a positive influence of non-fami…
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Does the use of a certain type of ethical language indicate that managers are failing to behave in a socially responsible manner? Managers are increasingly using language related to ethics, values, and corporate purpose in their communications with stakeholders. However, while economic models argue that “talk is cheap,” we predict that some ethi…
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Why is there such a disconnect between customer centricity as a concept and its actual application by firms? Spanning all business model dimensions, our research points to three traps that cause organizations to lose focus on customers over time: product focalization, rigid organizational boundaries, and a fixed-pie mindset. While these traps ar…
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
In September 2024, Starbucks’ then-CEO was abruptly fired after 17 months in the role; the decision followed three quarterly drops in consumer traffic and declining operating revenues. The board then turned to Brian Niccol, a veteran fast-food company executive. Niccol was deemed highly qualified due to his turnaround of two fast-food chains, Ch…
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Founded in 1996, Rustomjee Group real estate developers has developed into a notable player and a well-known brand in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). The case examines two flagship concepts – “Childhoods Available” and “My Spaces” – and sheds light on how Rustomjee Group has managed to achieve differentiation while catering to two distinct…
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Founded in 1996, Rustomjee Group real estate developers has developed into a notable player and a well-known brand in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). The case examines two flagship concepts – “Childhoods Available” and “My Spaces” – and sheds light on how Rustomjee Group has managed to achieve differentiation while catering to two distinct…
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Hong Kong Broadband Network (HKBN) charted a success story starting out as the smallest new entrant in Hong Kong’s highly competitive telecom industry in 1999 and went on to become the second largest provider of residential broadband within 10 years. State-of-the-art fiber network infrastructure allowed HKBN to offer high-quality high-speed tele…
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
This technical note introduces a framework for understanding why effective leaders sometimes act in ways that undermine their own goals. Moving beyond traditional style models that treat leaders as relatively consistent, the note presents ‘leadership modes’ – coherent states defined by configurations of Affects, Behaviors, Cognitions and Desires…
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
This technical note presents the Flywheel Portfolio Framework, a systematic approach for diagnosing and managing the reinforcing cycles that drive organizational performance. Building on Jim Collins’s flywheel concept from Good to Great, the framework extends beyond single-flywheel models to address the reality that businesses operate through mu…
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
First published 250 years ago, The Wealth of Nations remains a cornerstone of economic thought. Adam Smith’s treatise on free trade is still highly relevant for today’s fracturing global economy, argues Stefan Michel
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Once in pole position on the grid, Atlassian Williams F1 Team is rebuilding its competitive advantage. In conversation with Susan Goldsworthy, the company’s Chief Human Resources Officer, Ann Perrins, explains how people
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
A few weeks ago, we convened over 60 CEOs and senior board members in Lausanne for IMD’s annual CEO Roundtable. It’s a rare opportunity for CEOs to compare notes and an opportunity for us to get a sense of what is on the minds of leading CEOs. This year’s topic was leading under extreme uncertainty. Guided by IMD faculty, CEOs dissected the impl…
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Marguerite Soeteman-Reijnen, a board member at MN Services and Siemens NL, reveals what motivates and inspires her in our quickfire round of questions.
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Caspar Herzberg, the CEO of AVEVA, explains to Michael Wade why breaking down data silos between companies, not just within them, could transform industrial efficiency. But rivals must first learn to trust each other.
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Longevity is often viewed through a personal lens – the desire for a longer, healthier life. My father, on his 85th birthday, just announced that he wants to live to be 100, and some of us are calculating whether we can retire early if we live longer.
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
European SMEs’ relief following the adoption of the EU’s Omnibus package may be misplaced. While their direct sustainability reporting obligations narrow, indirect obligations, contractual requirements, and greenwashing risks intensify. The truth is that there remain pressing reasons for SMEs to build sustainability data infrastructure, and do i…
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
When fast-fashion giant Shein moved its headquarters to Singapore in 2022, the shift was widely seen as an attempt to distance the company from rising US-China tensions. The group presented itself as Singapore-based as it prepared for stock market listings in New York and later London. But those plans stalled after it failed to secure approval f…
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
First published 250 years ago, The Wealth of Nations remains a cornerstone of economic thought. Adam Smith’s treatise on free trade is still highly relevant for today’s fracturing global economy, argues Stefan Michel
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Once in pole position on the grid, Atlassian Williams F1 Team is rebuilding its competitive advantage. In conversation with Susan Goldsworthy, the company’s Chief Human Resources Officer, Ann Perrins, explains how people
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Competition is fierce among the companies offering gen AI tools based on large language models (LLMs). Tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and DeepSeek release new functionalities on an almost monthly basis. Many of these AI-based systems, all of which use a language-based model that enables them to interact in conversational ways with users, are evolvi…
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
This note explains the implications of the Supreme Court’s ruling of 20 February 2026 that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not provide a legal basis for the imposition of tariffs and sets out the factors likely to govern US trade policy in its aftermath. Implications of this ruling are drawn for trading partners and corporat…
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Despite massive investments, sustainable business still isn’t very profitable for most companies. Here’s a fresh approach for resetting sustainability for customer value—and profitability. Store aisles packed with products labelled “environmentally friendly.” Businesses scrambling to respond to stakeholder demands that they make their operations…
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
When the world’s cities compete for talent, innovation, and investment, intelligence—not size—determines who wins. The Smart City Playbook is a fascinating journey into the front lines of urban transformation, written by Arturo Bris, one of the world’s foremost experts on competitiveness and Director of the IMD World Competitiveness Center in La…
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
In World Competitiveness: Rewriting the Rules of Global Prosperity, Stephane Garelli, a world-renowned professor who has pioneered this concept, explains what World Competitiveness means and implies, and why it has become such a strategic priority for governments and businesses worldwide. World Competitiveness gained prominence during the four d…
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
As more women take up corporate leadership positions, the idea that they lack confidence no longer holds up. And yet, as old stereotypes are challenged by new realities, some crucial misconceptions remain. Do women really lack confidence? Or are we more prone to think that others have less confidence in our abilities? Based on years of research …
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
This book is a vindication of Europe. It challenges the view of Europe as a tired, overregulated continent, arguing instead that Europe has emerged from decades of crisis—financial turmoil, Brexit, COVID-19, war in Ukraine—as a resilient, reformed, and quietly successful model of governance and society. While the world often focuses on the rival…
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
The explosion of generative AI has sparked a wave of case studies showing how quickly and profoundly it is transforming businesses. Yet most of these use cases still apply the technology to enhancing existing systems. This book makes the case for why business leaders must revisit the fundamentals of generative AI and look beyond short-term, tact…
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications