Publications

June 2014
Case

The Promotion Process at Chung and Dasgupta, LLP

By: Ian Larkin and Karen Huang

The "Promotion Process at Chung and Dasgupta, LLP" set of cases explores the roles of general and firm-specific human capital in employee performance measurement, feedback, and promotion/compensation decisions. In the cases, a leading law firm must decide whether to... View Details

Keywords: Performance Appraisal; Performance Measurement; Employee Feedback; Motivation; Promotions; Human Capital; Performance Evaluation; Management Systems; Compensation and Benefits; Retention; Legal Services Industry; United States; Massachusetts

20 Aug 2018
Blog Post

Summer Snapshot: Interning for the City of Philadelphia

in city government in my hometown of Philadelphia. After decades of economic decline there are signs of a resurgence. My work this summer has been to help create a government strategy that supports and accelerates this resurgence while ensuring its View Details

Keywords: Nonprofit / Government

24 Aug 2021
News

Having a Moment

offering products that use ingredients such as Ashwagandha and Tulsi that Chottani saw her mother use in Ayurvedic recipes. “It’s so interesting to see people returning to their roots,” she says. “As the world gets more globalized, we’re starting to see the View Details

Keywords: mindfulness; entrepreneurship; wellness; food and beverage; meditation; Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing; Manufacturing

19 May 2014
Research & Ideas

Why Companies Should Compete for Your Privacy

Consumers are increasingly wary about sharing personal information with firms. Yet when they benefit from providing information in exchange for lower prices or better services, many consumers will gladly make the privacy trade-off. But... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Consumer Products

16 Dec 2015
Research & Ideas

Why ‘Sleep on It’ No Longer Sounds Like Great Advice

believe that with all of these positive cognitive effects, you might also get benefits for decision making,” says Karmarkar, who conducted the research with UMass Amherst psychology professor Rebecca Spencer and Stanford Graduate School... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Retail

July 2008
Teaching Note

Yale University Investments Office: August 2006 (TN)

By: Josh Lerner and Ann Leamon

Teaching Note for [807073]. View Details

Keywords: Investment Funds; Strategy; Cost vs Benefits; Resource Allocation; Decision Choices and Conditions; Venture Capital; Assets; Leveraged Buyouts

November 2006
Article

The Flattening Firm: Evidence from Panel Data on the Changing Nature of Corporate Hierarchies

By: Raghuram G. Rajan and Julie Wulf

Using a detailed database of managerial job descriptions, reporting relationships, and compensation structures in over 300 large U.S. firms, we find that firm hierarchies are becoming flatter. The number of positions reporting directly to the CEO has gone up... View Details

Keywords: Geographic Location; Change; Business Ventures; Compensation and Benefits; Rank and Position; Wages; Motivation and Incentives; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Jobs and Positions; United States

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October 2000 (Revised May 2001)
Case

Richard Spellman (B)

Presents the final version of the agreements introduced in the (A) case. View Details

Keywords: Contracts; Agreements and Arrangements; Internet and the Web; Executive Compensation; Personal Development and Career; Business Startups; Management Teams

October 1995
Article

Start-ups, Spin-offs, and Internal Projects

By: James J. Anton and Dennis Yao

We examine the incentive problem confronting a firm and employee when the employee privately discovers a significant invention and faces a choice between keeping the invention private and leaving the firm to form a new company (start-up), or transferring knowledge and... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Projects; Motivation and Incentives; Rights; Employees; Innovation and Invention; Compensation and Benefits; Knowledge Sharing; Capital; Profit

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24 May 2010
Research & Ideas

Stimulus Surprise: Companies Retrench When Government Spends

Recent research at Harvard Business School began with the premise that as a state's congressional delegation grew in stature and power in Washington, D.C., local businesses would benefit from the increased federal spending sure to come... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

May 2019
Supplement

Kjell and Company: Motivating Salespeople with Incentive Compensation (D)

By: Doug J. Chung

Kjell & Company was a Swedish retail electronics chain. The company’s products consisted of home electronics and accessories. The company was noted for its excellent customer service and a fair “one-for-all” HR policy. Historically, the salespeople had been compensated... View Details

Keywords: Salesforce Management; Compensation and Benefits; Motivation and Incentives; Change Management; Behavior; Electronics Industry; Sweden

March 2002 (Revised October 2002)
Case

Akamai's Underwater Options (A)

By: Brian J. Hall, Houston Lane and Jonathan Lim

Akamai's stock price declines dramatically with the NASDAQ in 2000, causing virtually all employee options to go underwater. Ownership and retention incentives are largely destroyed, and employee morale falls sharply. Management weighs the pros and cons of various... View Details

Keywords: Motivation and Incentives; Stock Options; Attitudes; Compensation and Benefits

December 1999 (Revised August 2000)
Case

Prime Designs

By: Paul W. Marshall

A student takes the role of the father who is the CEO of a family business. A non-family manager has asked for a meeting. Agenda topics are: your son's latest proposal and managers' desire to own equity. View Details

Keywords: Labor and Management Relations; Family Ownership; Employee Stock Ownership Plan

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Blog

Why Does Your Company Exist?

Insights piece, discover what HBS Professor Ranjay Gulati's new research has to say about the nature of deep purpose and how it is benefiting today's companies. You'll learn how your organization can get started in its quest to find... View Details

Blog

The Female Executive's Perspective: A conversation with HBS AMP Women on Applying

have a lot to say about the benefits to their careers and personal growth. We asked five women to share their experience as they weighed the options. Would their team stay on track without them? How would their families manage without... View Details

Web

Financial Highlights - Annual Report 2016

revenue growth drivers were Harvard Business Publishing (up $14 million), the annual endowment distribution (up $11 million), and current use gifts to the School (up $9 million). The major areas of expense growth were salary and benefits... View Details

May 2017
Supplement

Buffer.com (B)

By: Susanna Gallani, Tiffany Y. Chang, Brian J. Hall and Jee Eun Shin

Buffer decided to release its salaries and compensation calculation formula to the public, and the public reaction was greater and more positive than they would have imagined. The company experienced both an increase in volume and a change in the kinds of inbound... View Details

Keywords: Compensation; Compensation Design; Company Values; Culture; Transparency; Attraction; Selection; Performance Measurement; Performance Measures; Performance Metrics; Startup Management; Compensation and Benefits; Organizational Culture; Values and Beliefs; Performance Evaluation; Measurement and Metrics

April 2014
Article

Golden Parachutes and the Wealth of Shareholders

By: Lucian A. Bebchuk, Alma Cohen and Charles C.Y. Wang

Golden parachutes (GPs) have attracted substantial attention from investors and public officials for more than two decades. We find that GPs are associated with higher expected acquisition premiums and that this association is at least partly due to the effect of GPs... View Details

Keywords: Golden Parachute; Acquisitions; Takeovers; Acquisition Takeover; Acquisition Likelihood; Acquisition Premiums; Agency Costs; Managerial Slack; Dodd-Frank; Executive Compensation; Acquisition; Corporate Governance; Business and Shareholder Relations

September 2012 (Revised January 2013)
Case

Martin Smith: July 2012

By: Josh Lerner and Felda Hardymon

Martin Smith, a recently hired general partner at a Brazil-based venture capital firm, must decide among three deal opportunities. Each has different strengths (management, market, and technology) but each has its own weaknesses as well. He must also consider each deal... View Details

Keywords: Private Equity; Deal Choice; Venture Capital; Investments; Career Management; Management Teams; Decision Choices and Conditions; Cost vs Benefits; Personal Development and Career; Financial Services Industry; Brazil