by William George - Publications - Faculty & Research

24 Oct 2023
Research & Ideas

When Tech Platforms Identify Black-Owned Businesses, White Customers Buy

social unrest and outrage sparked by the murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in May 2020. The landscape of programs has evolved over time. Wayfair... View Details

Keywords: by Jay Fitzgerald; Food & Beverage

09 Dec 2002
Research & Ideas

Unilever—A Case Study

This article considers key issues relating to the organization and performance of large multinational firms in the post-Second World War period. Although foreign direct investment is defined by ownership and control, in practice the... View Details

Keywords: by Geoffrey Jones; Consumer Products; Entertainment & Recreation; Food & Beverage; Manufacturing; Retail

12 Apr 2022
Research & Ideas

Swiping Right: How Data Helped This Online Dating Site Make More Matches

The modern world is fueled by matchmaking. Going out on the town? Uber pairs you with a driver you can choose based on ratings, proximity, and even car model. Craving a vacation? Simply filter getaways based on locale and price through... View Details

Keywords: by Kara Baskin

18 Jun 2024
Research & Ideas

What Your Non-Binary Employees Need to Do Their Best Work

[research] hasn’t included everyone,” says Coffman, the Piramal Associate Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. A 2021 Williams Institute study found that about 1.2 million people in the US identify as... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

27 Apr 2016
Research & Ideas

How the FBI Reinvented Itself After 9/11

It is hard to imagine a more difficult and tragic trial by fire for a new leader. On September 4, 2001, Robert Mueller started his new job as the sixth director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. A mere week later, on September 11,... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

12 Sep 2022
Research & Ideas

When Experts Play It Too Safe: Innovation Lessons from a NASA Experiment

the Dorothy and Michael Hintze Professor of Business Administration at HBS, and LISH research scientist Michael Menietti; as well as George Washington University’s Zoe Szajnfarber and Jason Crusan. “Given that these types of decisions can... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne; Aerospace

10 Jul 2023
In Practice

The Harvard Business School Faculty Summer Reader 2023

Souls, Healthy Minds by philosopher John Kaag. This book is a fantastic summary of the life and work of William James, the father of modern psychology, and a professor right here at Harvard. James endured... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

08 Aug 2005
Research & Ideas

Decision Rights: Who Gives the Green Light?

for the pricing of bids made by its foreign subsidiaries. The company believed that its U.S.-based executives would be more effective in making pricing decisions because they had a broader purview of the company's needs. But the time... View Details

Keywords: by Peter Jacobs

23 Jul 2001
Research & Ideas

Sam Walton: Great From the Start

fully the power of the idea. Once seizing on it, never wavering from it became the centerpiece of Wal-Mart's greatness. Sam Walton That was still a long time in the future. Butler Brothers was not thrilled by Walton's freelancing ways,... View Details

Keywords: by Richard S. Tedlow; Retail

01 Mar 2021
Research & Ideas

How Systemic Racism Can Threaten National Security

expect an equal contribution from your citizens, all citizens must be treated equally,” says Tabellini. “It reveals the costs for society as a whole if you don’t.” Despite the national reckoning in the United States after the killing of View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

02 Jun 2021
Research & Ideas

A Rare Find in Health Care: A Simple Solution to Racial Inequity

George Floyd’s murder last year forced many people to recognize the systemic racism that pervades American institutions, from law enforcement to health care. Even so, identifying those inequities is different than fixing them. “I don’t... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Health

19 Dec 2023
Research & Ideas

$15 Billion in Five Years: What Data Tells Us About MacKenzie Scott’s Philanthropy

meaningful patterns have begun to emerge.” Such themes are striking in their contrast with the approaches taken by other mega-donors, who often establish perpetual foundations, focus on specific issues, and exercise considerable control... View Details

Keywords: by Matthew Lee, Brian Trelstad, and Ethan Tran

02 Mar 2021
HBS Case

The Tulsa Massacre: Is Racial Justice Possible 100 Years Later?

American history, yet descendants of residents harmed by the attack note that government officials have never made reparations for those killed or for homes and businesses that were destroyed. The killing of View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

26 Sep 2011
HBS Case

HBS Cases: Lady Gaga

Searched-For Female," as recorded by Google, and made international headlines for donning a dress made of red meat, which Time Magazine called the top fashion statement of 2010. “Gaga is a marketing phenomenon” So it's almost... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Entertainment & Recreation; Music

24 Oct 2023
HBS Case

From P.T. Barnum to Mary Kay: Lessons From 5 Leaders Who Changed the World

What makes a leader great? A dose of luck, for sure. But specific leadership traits mark extraordinary individuals time and time again and help elevate the standouts from the vast middle. That’s the overarching takeaway from an extensive and growing collection of... View Details

Keywords: by Avery Forman

04 Mar 2024
What Do You Think?

Do People Want to Work Anymore?

orientation.” Renjith Raveendran would look for individuals who are positive, passionate, open-minded, and able to celebrate someone else’s success.” In addition to such things as personality assessments, the kinds of questions favored by... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

15 Jun 2009
Research & Ideas

GM: What Went Wrong and What’s Next

auto market in the 1950s. The industry leader, unbothered by competition and looming threats, began to coast on its former glory, however, and bypass such areas as consumer preferences and industry innovation. View Details

Keywords: by Staff; Auto

10 Jul 2007
What Do You Think?

How Much of Leadership Is About Control, Delegation, or Theater?

excites, and pushes the team or, you could say, choreographs an output that (moves) the company towards the vision." The mix of control, delegation, and theater employed by successful leaders depends on the timing and circumstances... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

11 May 2009
Research & Ideas

The IT Leader’s Hero Quest

a host of dynamic multimedia material competing for his or her attention, we wanted to create a high-quality, engaging classroom experience. Both plot and character development in the book are inspired by a popular storytelling structure... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

01 May 2024
What Do You Think?

Have You Had Enough?

(Illustration created using image generated by Midjourney, an artificial intelligence tool.) Last month, I posted a column in HBS Working Knowledge titled, “What’s Enough to Make Us Happy?” Over the last few months, I’ve been asking... View Details