Publications

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Career Coach

Philippe Taieb

Philippe (HBS '99) has been a Coach at HBS since 2006. He has been fortunate to work with scores of MBA Students and Alumni having a wide array of backgrounds (e.g. Investment Management, Consulting, Entrepreneurship, General Management,... View Details

Keywords: Consulting; Consumer Products; Education; Emerging Markets; Entrepreneurship; Government; Health Care; Manufacturing; Social Enterprise; Sports; Clean Technology; Energy

May 1998 (Revised September 1999)
Background Note

Note on Managed Care

By: Richard M.J. Bohmer

Presents an overview of managed care. Describes the relationship between provider and insurance companies, examines the implications for consumers, and discusses financial arrangements and operational characteristics commonly observed in the industry. Also provides a... View Details

Keywords: Customers; Insurance; Health Care and Treatment; Service Operations; Relationships; Insurance Industry

20 Sep 2021
Video

Life at HBS Chat with MBA Students

August 2024
Background Note

A Brief Note on U.S. Presidential Transitions

By: Robert F. White

This note provides background information on the U.S. presidential transition process, including the history of presidential transitions, the modern transition process, and the responsibilities of the executive branch. It includes a brief overview of the primary laws... View Details

Keywords: Transition; Government Administration; Selection and Staffing; Political Elections; Laws and Statutes; Public Administration Industry; United States

13 Dec 2023
Video

MS/MBA Virtual Chat with Current Students and Alumni

27 Apr 2015
Blog Post

2+2: Building on Business Basics at HBS

Accepted into HBS’s 2+2 Program her senior year of college, Atima Lui spent two years working at Walmart before coming to HBS. Having majored in business as an undergraduate, Atima was eager to build upon that background and hone her... View Details

04 Feb 2020
Video

Hubert Danso

Hubert Danso, Chair of the South-African based financial services group Africa Investor, explains how in West Africa in the 2010s government officials increasingly have a private sector background and are... View Details

December 2019 (Revised January 2020)
Case

Boll & Branch

By: Leonard A. Schlesinger and Mel Martin

Boll & Branch is a direct-to-consumer (DTC) business launched in 2015. It was the first Fair-Trade Certified manufacturer of linens. The case provides background on the company, its start, business model, and evolution through 2019. View Details

Keywords: Direct-to-consumer; Channels; Disruption; Business Model; Brands and Branding; Internet and the Web; Strategy; Retail Industry; United States; Canada

20 Jul 2020
Working Paper Summaries

The Pursuit of Passion Propagates Privilege

Keywords: by Josephine Tan and Jon M. Jachimowicz

October 2001 (Revised February 2002)
Case

Acme Investment Trust: January 2001

By: Josh Lerner

The managers of a large corporate pension fund must decide whether to invest in a private equity fund that is offering a guaranteed rate of return of 20% on part of its portfolio. The background behind and implications of the guarantee are explored. View Details

Keywords: Decisions; Private Equity; Motivation and Incentives; Asset Management; Investment Funds; Financial Strategy; Financial Services Industry

Video

HBS Fellowships: Making Dreams a Reality

October 2010 (Revised May 2012)
Background Note

Reverse Engineering, Learning, and Innovation

By: Willy C. Shih

This background reading looks at reverse engineering in the context of piracy and knock-offs in emerging markets like China. It first considers legal aspects of reverse engineering in strong property rights regimes like the United States as a way of unpacking the legal... View Details

Keywords: Crime and Corruption; Learning; Engineering; Innovation and Invention; Intellectual Property; Knowledge Use and Leverage; Emerging Markets; China; United States

Towards an Understanding of the Role of Standard Setters in Standard Setting

Journal of Accounting and Economics Vol. 55, No. 1 (February 2013), pp. 66–90.

We investigate the effect of standard setters in standard setting. We examine how certain professional and political characteristics of FASB members and SEC commissioners... View Details

29 Aug 2014
News

Good research, great video: what’s the best way to motivate community health workers?

January 2012 (Revised March 2012)
Background Note

Cahiers du Cinéma and The French Film Industry

By: Mukti Khaire, Elena Corsi and Emilie Billaud

The French film magazine Cahiers du Cinéma contributed to strengthening the characterization of film as art in France. The note provides background information on the magazine's history, on the French film industry, and on French film magazines. View Details

Keywords: Film Entertainment; Journals and Magazines; Motion Pictures and Video Industry; Publishing Industry; France

14 Feb 2023
Blog Post

African American Student Union Spotlight on STEM

The HBS African American Student Union (AASU) strives to be an extended family for its members from the moment they decide to attend HBS, through the transition to the second year, and beyond graduation. Here we profile two AASU members with STEM View Details

December 1999 (Revised August 2004)
Case

Tom Tierney at Bain & Company (A)

By: Ashish Nanda

Bain managing director Tom Tierney is contemplating how best to rotate the office head position between two partners at one of the firm's offices. The case provides background information on Bain's governance structure and Tierney's management style. View Details

Keywords: Management Style; Governance Controls; Management Succession; Personal Development and Career; Consulting Industry

March 2015 (Revised September 2016)
Technical Note

Baidu, Alibaba, and Tencent: The Three Kingdoms of the Chinese Internet

By: Feng Zhu and Aaron Smith

This note provides an overview of the Chinese Internet by describing its leading three companies: Baidu, Alibaba, and Tencent (BAT). While BAT had previously focused their respective businesses on distinct sectors of the online economy—Baidu for search, Alibaba for... View Details

Keywords: Competition; Internet; Information Technology Industry; China