Publications

July 2021
Supplement

Trouble at Basecamp: Managing Politics, Polarization, and Conflict in the Workplace (B)

By: Nour Kteily, Deepak Malhotra and David Lane

Supplement to the (A) case View Details

Forthcoming
Article

Human Capital and the Managerial Revolution in the United States: Evidence from General Electric

By: Tom Nicholas

This paper estimates the returns to human capital accumulation during the first era of mega-firms in the United States by linking employees at General Electric—a canonical enterprise associated with the “visible hand” of managerial hierarchies—to the 1940 census. I... View Details

Keywords: Returns To Education; Management Practices; Hierarchies; Management Practices and Processes; Rank and Position; Human Capital; Talent and Talent Management; Business History; United States

October 2010
Case

Scollon Productions: Working with a Bunch of Characters

By: Lena G. Goldberg and Chad Carr

As the sole female employee in an 11 person production shop, Lisa Ocheltree complained about being subjected to crass sexual "jokes" and antics; after being discharged, she filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against her former employer, Scollon Productions, alleging... View Details

Keywords: Working Conditions; Ethics; Employee Relationship Management; Lawsuits and Litigation; Organizational Culture; Problems and Challenges; Gender

28 Jul 2015
First Look

First Look: July 28, 2015

Accumulation and Labor Force Participation of Disability Insurance Applicants By: Shu, Pian Abstract—This paper provides empirical evidence of the existence of forward-looking asset-accumulation behavior among disability-insurance... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

15 Apr 2014
First Look

First Look: April 15

13% of employment over two years. In short, private equity buyouts catalyze the creative destruction process in the labor market, with only a modest net impact on employment. The creative destruction response mainly involves a more rapid... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

04 Aug 2021
Research & Ideas

Worried About the Great Resignation? Be a Good Company to Come From

exodus. Generational expectations about what makes a good job are changing, employees are fatigued from the year-long pandemic and there are labor shortages everywhere. Employees have had the time and space to think about what really... View Details

Keywords: by Sandra J. Sucher and Shalene Gupta

20 Jul 2020
Op-Ed

It's Time for a Bipartisan Health Plan for Employers and Employees

employers with sicker labor forces are likely to be lower than those of the average retired Medicare enrollee. Combining HRAs with the Public Option will also increase competition in the bloated U.S. health care system. Faced with... View Details

Keywords: by Regina E. Herzlinger and Richard J. Boxer; Health; Insurance

16 Dec 2013
HBS Case

D’O: Making a Michelin-Starred Restaurant Affordable

turns waiting tables. (In fact, when Pisano first dined there, Oldani was his waiter.) This leads to a significant reduction in labor costs, even while allowing Oldani to pay his staff higher-than-average wages. Still, the chef insists... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel & Joanie Tobin; Food & Beverage

29 Apr 2013
Research & Ideas

Diagnosing the ‘Flutie Effect’ on College Marketing

academic labor market. Students with lower-than-average SAT scores tended to have a stronger preference for schools known for athletic success, while students with higher SAT scores preferred institutions with greater academic quality.... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Education; Advertising; Sports

July 2019 (Revised April 2021)
Case

Salary Finance

By: John R. Wells and Benjamin Weinstock

In April 2019, Asesh Sarkar, co-founder and chief executive of Salary Finance Limited, a London-based FinTech, faced tough choices. Sarkar had founded Salary Finance with Dan Cobley and Daniel Shakhani in 2015. The company’s value proposition was quite simple: partner... View Details

Keywords: Credit; Financing and Loans; Wages; Innovation and Invention; Expansion; Growth and Development Strategy; Organizational Culture; Decision Choices and Conditions; Financial Services Industry

October 2010
Teaching Note

Whole Foods: Balancing Social Mission and Growth (TN)

By: Christopher Marquis and Bobbi Thomason

Teaching Note for 410023. View Details

Keywords: Food; Growth and Development; Mergers and Acquisitions; Mission and Purpose; Supply Chain; Business Model; Growth and Development Strategy; Integration; Management Practices and Processes; Labor Unions; Food and Beverage Industry; United States

December 2006 (Revised April 2014)
Case

J. R. D. Tata

By: Nitin Nohria, Anthony Mayo and Mark Benson

J.R.D Tata, Chairman of the Indian conglomerate Tata & Sons, played a significant role in building India's economic infrastructure. Under his guidance, Tata & Sons built locomotives, steel refineries, airlines, chemical plants, and technology-based enterprises.... View Details

Keywords: Family Business; Development Economics; Working Conditions; Leadership; Infrastructure; Personal Development and Career; Business and Government Relations; India

2008
Working Paper

Cost of External Finance and Selection into Entrepreneurship

By: Ramana Nanda

This paper examines the extent to which the positive relationship between personal wealth and entry into entrepreneurship is due to financing constraints. I exploit a tax reform and use unique micro-data from Denmark to study how exogenous changes in the cost of... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Entrepreneurship; Cost; Financing and Loans; Personal Finance; Human Capital; Wealth; Denmark

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2024
Article

Crucibles, Multiple Sensitive Periods, and Career Progression

By: Prithwiraj Choudhury, Sunasir Dutta, Hise O. Gibson and Eric Lin

We study the effects of crucible experiences along multiple sensitive periods on career progression. While prior literature has hinted that individuals can be imprinted during multiple sensitive periods, not just during the early career, there has been scant attention... View Details

Keywords: Military Service; Personal Development and Career; Transformation; Power and Influence; Learning; Human Capital

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2023
White Paper

Managing Workforce Risk in an Era of Unpredictability and Disruption

By: Joseph B. Fuller, Michael Griffiths, Reem Janho, Michael Stephan, Carey Oven, Keri Calagna, George Fackler, Robin Jones, Sue Cantrell and Zac Shaw

Keywords: Employees; Human Capital; Risk and Uncertainty; Talent and Talent Management

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November 2020 (Revised November 2020)
Case

Daily Table

By: José B. Alvarez, Zeynep Ton and Annelena Lobb

Daily Table is a case about a grocery chain with two outposts in Boston neighborhoods Dorchester and Roxbury. Its mission is to provide healthy food at lower prices to people in lower-income neighborhoods. The case explores Daily Table’s responsibility to its employees... View Details

Keywords: Grocery; COVID-19 Pandemic; Food; Nonprofit Organizations; Employees; Wages; Employee Relationship Management; Boston

2018
Book

The Gift of Global Talent: How Migration Shapes Business, Economy & Society

By: William R. Kerr

The global race for talent is on, with countries and businesses competing for the best and brightest. Foreign talent has transformed U.S. science and engineering, reshaped the economy, and influenced society at large. But America is bogged down in thorny debates on... View Details

Keywords: Immigration; Policy; Labor; Economy; Talent and Talent Management; United States

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