Publications

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July 2023
Case

Difficult Observations

By: David G. Fubini, William Fubini and Patrick Sanguineti

In this short vignette on ethics in consulting, Daniel Lee, a new Associate assigned to work with an important client executive, must decide whether to report the executive's behavior toward his team. Though the executive's style seems harsh and intimidating toward his... View Details

Keywords: Ethics; Decision Choices and Conditions

2005
Working Paper

Letting Misconduct Slide: The Acceptability of Gradual Erosion in Others' Unethical Behavior

By: Francesca Gino and Max H. Bazerman

Four laboratory studies show that people are more likely to overlook others' unethical behavior when ethical degradation occurs slowly rather than in one abrupt shift. Participants served in the role of watchdogs charged with catching instances of cheating. The... View Details

Keywords: Ethics; Behavior; Crime and Corruption; Prejudice and Bias

May 9, 2023
Article

8 Questions About Using AI Responsibly, Answered

By: Tsedal Neeley

Generative AI tools are poised to change the way every business operates. As your own organization begins strategizing which to use, and how, operational and ethical considerations are inevitable. This article delves into eight of them, including how your organization... View Details

Keywords: AI and Machine Learning; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Prejudice and Bias; Ethics

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13 May 2020
Video

Runa Khan

Runa Khan, Founder and Executive Director of Friendship, an NGO supporting some of the poorest regions in Bangladesh, discusses the innovative strategy for creating schools and training teachers in remote and rural areas, stressing the importance of teaching ethics... View Details

14 May 2014
Working Paper Summaries

Morality Rebooted: Exploring Simple Fixes to Our Moral Bugs

Keywords: by Ting Zhang, Francesca Gino & Max H. Bazerman

Article

Moral Dilemmas and Trust in Leaders during a Global Health Crisis

By: Jim A. C. Everett, Clara Colombatto, Edmond Awad, Paulo Boggio, Björn Bos, William J. Brady, Megha Chawla, Vladimir Chituc, Dongil Chung, Moritz A. Drupp, Shristi Goel, Brit Grosskopf, Frederik Hjorth, Alissa Ji, Caleb Kealoha, Judy S. Kim, Yangfei Lin, Yina Ma, Michel André Maréchal, Federico Mancinelli, Christoph Mathys, Asmus L. Olsen, Graeme Pearce, Annayah M. B. Prosser, Niv Reggev, Nicholas Sabin, Julien Senn, Yeon Soon Shin, Walter Sinnott-Armstrong, Hallgeir Sjåstad, Madelijn Strick, Sunhae Sul, Lars Tummers, Monique Turner, Hongbo Yu, Yoonseo Zoh and Molly J. Crockett

Trust in leaders is central to citizen compliance with public policies. One potential determinant of trust is how leaders resolve conflicts between utilitarian and non-utilitarian ethical principles in moral dilemmas. Past research suggests that utilitarian responses... View Details

Keywords: COVID-19 Pandemic; Impartial Beneficence; Utilitarian Responses; Trust; Ethics; Public Opinion; Leadership Style

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October–December 2015
Article

Reducing Bounded Ethicality: How to Help Individuals Notice and Avoid Unethical Behavior

By: Ting Zhang, Pinar O. Fletcher, Francesca Gino and Max H. Bazerman

Research on ethics has focused on the factors that help individuals act ethically when they are tempted to cheat. However, we know little about how best to help individuals notice unethical behaviors in others and in themselves. This paper identifies a solution:... View Details

Keywords: Ethics; Management Skills; Behavior; Perception

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Joseph L. Badaracco is the John Shad Professor of Business Ethics at Harvard Business School. He has taught courses on business ethics, strategy, and management in the School's MBA and executive programs.

Badaracco is a graduate of St. Louis... View Details

27 Jun 2022
News

The Power of Trust

November 1994 (Revised February 1997)
Case

Levi Strauss & Co.: Global Sourcing (A)

By: Lynn S. Paine and Jane Palley Katz

In 1993, senior managers at Levi Strauss & Co., the world's largest brand-name apparel manufacturer, were deciding whether the company should have a business presence in China, given the human rights and other problems there. The China Policy Group has been asked to... View Details

Keywords: Management Teams; Decisions; Management Skills; Trade; Brands and Branding; Rights; Ethics; Foreign Direct Investment; Apparel and Accessories Industry; China

Max H. Bazerman is Jesse Isidor Straus Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School. His recent books... View Details

Keywords: accounting industry; management consulting; pharmaceuticals

August 2020 (Revised July 2021)
Case

From Farm Boy to Financier: Eiichi Shibusawa and the Creation of Modern Japan

By: Geoffrey Jones, Gabriel Ellsworth and Ryo Takahashi

This case describes the career of Eiichi Shibusawa (1840-1931), a serial entrepreneur who is widely known as the “father of Japanese capitalism” and as a pioneer of socially responsible investment. Born in feudal Edo Japan, following the Meiji Restoration in 1868... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Personal Development and Career; Business History; Ethics; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Economy; Society; Japan

November 2001 (Revised April 2005)
Case

Lonestar

By: Michael A. Wheeler and Georgia Levenson

Explores the legal and ethical responsibilities of a manager who believes that he has heard of a serious instance of sexual harassment, but who has been implored by the victim not to report it. Discussion can focus on the immediate problem or be expanded to a broader... View Details

Keywords: Working Conditions; Management Practices and Processes; Ethics; Crisis Management; Legal Liability

Video

Mavath R. Chandran

Mavath R. Chandran, a veteran executive in the Malaysian palm oil industry and an advisor to the Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil, discusses the strict ethical codes that his former employer, Belgian-owned... View Details

October 1981 (Revised April 1984)
Case

H.J. Heinz Co.: The Administration of Policy (A)

Relates the April 1979 discovery of improper income transferal practices used at the H.J. Heinz Co. Background data on the company is presented, along with a detailed description of the organizational practices, the management incentive system, and the corporate... View Details

Keywords: Ethics; Business Processes; Compensation and Benefits; Manufacturing Industry; Consumer Products Industry

March 2023
Module Note

LCA Module Overview: Society

By: Nien-hê Hsieh

Leadership and Corporate and Accountability (LCA) is a required course in the first-year MBA curriculum at Harvard Business School to help managers determine and deliver on their economic, legal, and ethical responsibilities. This note summarizes the cases and outlines... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact

02 Jul 2019
News

Stopping White-Collar Crime at Your Company

Research Summary

Overview

By: Robert J. Dolan

Professor Dolan's research interests including product policy and pricing. These areas have been the subject to two books, Managing the New Product Development Process and Power Pricing:How Managing Price Impacts the Bottom Line. In addition, he works on the societal... View Details

June 1990 (Revised March 1991)
Case

Jonah Creighton (A)

By: Anne Donnellon and Joshua D. Margolis

How do you manage yourself and your interaction with others when you feel your personal values challenged? What should you be aware of as you proceed with sensitive, ethical issues? Jonah Creighton coordinates the company's fast-track training program, and when he... View Details

Keywords: Business Divisions; Ethics; Moral Sensibility; Values and Beliefs; Human Resources; Selection and Staffing; Problems and Challenges