Publications

04 Nov 2014
First Look

First Look: November 4

Decision Processes Poker-faced Morality: Concealing Emotions Leads to Utilitarian Decision Making By: Gino, Francesca, and J.J. Lee Abstract—This paper examines how View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

30 Mar 2015
Research & Ideas

Managing the Family Business: Preparing to Sell

mechanisms (forums for discussions and decisions, plus rules, policies, and agreements) to help the family make decisions and keep family members informed, united, and hopefully committed to future... View Details

Keywords: by Jonathan Pellegrin; Food & Beverage; Retail

January 2008 (Revised February 2008)
Case

Restructuring at Nova Chemical Corporation

Management of a diversified chemicals company faces two financial decisions: whether to finance a major investment in new production facilities for its rapidly expanding Environmental Products Division, and whether to sell a more slowly growing non-specialty chemicals... View Details

Keywords: Restructuring; Decision Choices and Conditions; Chemicals; Environmental Sustainability; Corporate Finance; Chemical Industry

September 1995 (Revised October 1996)
Case

Sunbeam Television (A)

By: V. Kasturi Rangan and E. Scott Lathrop

Sunbeam Television, owner of a television station in Miami (a Fox affiliate), buys Channel 7 (a CBS affiliate) in Boston. They bring to the Boston station the concepts and ideas of their Miami news product--that is, a crisp, content-based design rather than one... View Details

Keywords: Acquisition; Change; Decisions; Design; Television Entertainment; Product; Motivation and Incentives; Value; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Boston

20 Jun 2023
Research & Ideas

Looking to Leave a Mark? Memorable Leaders Don't Just Spout Statistics, They Tell Stories

Might Also Like: Effective Leaders Share the Spotlight with Their Teams It’s Time to Reset Decision-Making in Your Organization Swiping Right: How Data Helped This Online Dating Site Make More Matches Feedback or ideas to share? Email the... View Details

Keywords: by Scott Van Voorhis

28 May 2013
Research & Ideas

Can LEGO Snap Together a Future in Asia?

distribution centers. Initially, they don't have to make a big commitment to a huge factory, although if demand exceeds forecasts, they may have to." Time For Decisions Back in the classroom, after... View Details

Keywords: by Kim Girard; Entertainment & Recreation

February 15, 2022
Article

How Managers Can Build a Culture of Experimentation

By: Frank V. Cespedes and Neil Hoyne

Testing in business presents qualitatively different challenges than those in clinical trials and most scientific research. There are very few opportunities for randomized control experiments in a changing, competitive market. Yet, change and competition make testing a... View Details

Keywords: Experimentation; Management; Decision Making

Find at Harvard

September 1985 (Revised January 1986)
Case

Peter Wendell

By: William A. Sahlman

Contains a description of a decision confronting an employee of IBM in late 1981. Should he leave IBM to become head of a new venture capital fund which will specialize in technology investments? The case is designed to expose students to the nature of the opportunity... View Details

Keywords: Personal Development and Career; Jobs and Positions; Opportunities; Valuation; Decision Choices and Conditions; Resignation and Termination; Venture Capital; Financial Services Industry; Computer Industry

Article

The Counterfeit Self: The Deceptive Costs of Faking It

By: Francesca Gino, Michael I. Norton and Dan Ariely

Although people buy counterfeit products to signal positive traits, we show that wearing counterfeit products makes individuals feel less authentic and increases their likelihood of both behaving dishonestly and judging others as unethical. In four experiments,... View Details

Keywords: Judgments; Ethics; Brands and Branding; Product; Behavior; Personal Characteristics

Find at Harvard

July 2021 (Revised January 2024)
Case

Fynd

By: Ranjay Gulati, Kairavi Dey and Rachna Tahilyani

Fynd is a fast-growing venture that in 7 years since its founding has become India's largest omnichannel retail company with real-time access to over 9,000 stores' offline inventory. It started as a B2B business supporting retailers who didn’t have an online business,... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Business Model; Acquisition; Decision Making; Cost vs Benefits; Growth and Development Strategy; Web Services Industry; Technology Industry; Communications Industry; India; Mumbai

2012
Article

Behavioral Economics and the Psychology of Fruit and Vegetable Consumption

By: Joe Price and Jason Riis

Behavioral economics is an emerging paradigm that challenges the assumptions and predictions of classical economics. This new paradigm emphasizes that consumers do not always make optimal use of available information nor do they always make choices and tradeoffs in a... View Details

Keywords: Plant-Based Agribusiness; Food; Social Marketing; Decision Choices and Conditions; Consumer Behavior; Nutrition

2010
Working Paper

Just Say No to Wall Street: Putting A Stop to the Earnings Game

By: Joseph Fuller and Michael C. Jensen

Putting an end to the "earnings game" requires that CEOs reclaim the initiative by avoiding earnings guidance and managing expectations in such a way that their stocks trade reasonably close to their intrinsic value. In place of earnings forecasts, management should... View Details

Keywords: Stocks; Performance Expectations; Goals and Objectives; Risk and Uncertainty; Growth and Development Strategy; Decisions; Risk Management; Budgets and Budgeting; Earnings Management; Value; Projects

SSRN

08 Aug 2023
Research & Ideas

The Rise of Employee Analytics: Productivity Dream or Micromanagement Nightmare?

and concerning ways,” Polzer says. “And it’s only going to become more pervasive as we move forward.” Data, data, everywhere Over the past two decades, the emergence of “big data” has triggered enormous shifts in how organizations make... View Details

Keywords: by Ben Rand

August 1996 (Revised February 2000)
Exercise

Decision-Making Exercise (C)

By: David A. Garvin and Michael Roberto

Provides questionnaires so students can compare their experiences with different decison-making processes. Students read "Growing Pains," a Harvard Business Review (HBR) case study, and then work in teams to come up with recommendations using a consensus approach to... View Details

Keywords: Conflict Management; Decision Making; Management Skills

February 2016 (Revised February 2017)
Case

The Climate Corporation

By: David E. Bell, Forest Reinhardt and Mary Shelman

Climate Corporation is a San Francisco–based data analytics company focused on agricultural applications. It was acquired by Monsanto in 2013. In 2015, Climate's decision support platform was used on 75 million acres of farmland in the U.S.; however, most of those... View Details

Keywords: Agribusiness Industry; Farming; Big Data; Data Analytics; Agriculture; Agribusiness; Decision Making; Analytics and Data Science; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry