Publications

20 Sep 2022
Research & Ideas

How Partisan Politics Play Out in American Boardrooms

percent in 2020. “We were quite surprised by that,” says Kempf. “There's been this perception that corporate America has become more ‘woke’ or more liberal. We don't see that showing up in the C-suite at least.” Geography matters Certain states have come to be viewed... View Details

Keywords: by Pamela Reynolds

18 Oct 2017
Research & Ideas

How Economic Clusters Drive Globalization

movement built a reputation for Costa Rica as a natural paradise and conservation hub,” Giacomin observes. “At the same time, local actors took advantage of this brand identity to build mainstream tourist facilities that weren’t in line... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Agriculture & Agribusiness

January 2020
Background Note

Climate Change in 2020: Implications for Business

By: Rebecca M. Henderson, Sophus A. Reinert and Mariana Oseguera

This note provides general information about climate change and its implications for business. Included is an overview of climate change science and a number of its impacts, including rising sea levels, changing weather patterns and extreme weather, pressure on water... View Details

12 Oct 2022
Research & Ideas

When Design Enables Discrimination: Learning from Anti-Asian Bias on Airbnb

Flu” that were parroted by conservative pundits and in social memes. According to a Pew Research Center survey, almost half of Asian-American adults reported experiencing at least one racist incident in the first year of the pandemic. The... View Details

Keywords: by Pamela Reynolds; Technology; Travel

10 Aug 2015
Research & Ideas

New Medical Devices Get To Patients Too Slowly

associated with being the first product to enter a new device market," concludes Stern. "As you can imagine, that results in a big cost for folks trying to bring new products to market." In fact, Stern conservatively estimates that delay... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Health; Technology

13 Apr 2016
Research & Ideas

Why Your Company Wants to be a 'Cognitive Referent' (Hint: SpaceX)

firms who were doing all that hard work of making the market take off. So they really conserved managerial time, attention, and resources to work on the product and make it better for customers.” McDonald cites the example of Theranos, a... View Details

Keywords: by Roberta Holland; Aerospace; Food & Beverage; Retail

September 2021 (Revised October 2021)
Case

Dream: Impact Through Real Estate

By: Michael Chu and John Masko

The Canadian city of Toronto had one of the largest housing affordability problems of any city in the developed world. One company trying to address this problem was Dream, one of the largest real estate groups in Canada. In 2021, Dream had just launched a new system... View Details

May 2011 (Revised January 2012)
Supplement

OPOWER: Increasing Energy Efficiency through Normative Influence (B)

By: Maarten W. Bos, Amy J.C. Cuddy and Kyle Todd Doherty

The case profiles OPOWER, an energy efficiency software company that applies Cialdini's principles of social influence to successfully encourage consumers to reduce their energy usage. OPOWER was co-founded in 2008 by two young Harvard graduates, Dan Yates and Alex... View Details

Keywords: Energy Conservation

April 2020 (Revised May 2021)
Case

Middlebury College: Energy2028

By: Brian Trelstad, Michael Norris and John McKinley

In 2018, Middlebury College’s board of trustees is considering a proposal called Energy2028 that would push the small, liberal arts and sciences college in Vermont to become a net zero carbon emitter, decrease energy usage by 25%, divest fossil fuels from its... View Details

Keywords: Divestment; Energy; Higher Education; Energy Conservation; Climate Change

May 2021
Teaching Plan

Middlebury College: Energy2028

By: Brian Trelstad and Michael Norris

Teaching Plan for HBS Case No. 320-029. In 2018, Middlebury College’s board of trustees is considering a proposal called Energy2028 that would push the small, liberal arts and sciences college in Vermont to become a net zero carbon emitter, decrease energy usage by... View Details

Keywords: Divestment; Energy; Higher Education; Energy Conservation; Climate Change

06 Sep 2004
What Do You Think?

How Do We Prepare for a World Without Cheap Oil?

international conservation and pool funds for the development of alternative energies. Others largely see opportunity in what is happening. Remco de Ket's question reflects this view: "Perhaps running out of oil isn't such a bad... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

May 2010
Article

Modern Management: Good for the Environment or Just Hot Air?

By: Nicholas Bloom, Christos Genakos, Ralf Martin and Raffaella Sadun

We use an innovative methodology to measure management practices in over 300 manufacturing firms in the U.K. We then match this management data to production and energy usage information for establishments owned by these firms. We find that establishments in better... View Details

Keywords: Energy Conservation; Management Practices and Processes; Performance Productivity; Environmental Sustainability; Pollutants; Manufacturing Industry; United Kingdom

2019
Report

U.S. Nuclear Energy Leadership: Innovation and the Strategic Global Challenge

By: Joseph B. Lassiter III

Throughout 2018, the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center convened a “Task Force on US Nuclear Energy Leadership,” which comprised civilian and military experts in foreign policy, defense, and nuclear energy. Senators Mike Crapo (R-ID) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)... View Details

Keywords: Nuclear Energy; Environment; Energy Sources; Energy; Energy Generation; Energy Conservation; Energy Policy; Global Range; Energy Industry

Read Now

January 2018
Case

Environmental Technology Fund Partners and E-Leather

By: Vikram S. Gandhi and Aldo Sesia

It is 2014 and Environmental Technologies Fund (ETF) Partners, a UK-based venture capital firm, has an opportunity to invest in a privately held UK company that manufactured engineered composition leather extracted from waste leather using an environmentally friendly... View Details

Keywords: Sustainability; Venture Capital; Investment Strategy; Investment; Strategy; Ownership; Valuation; Energy Conservation; Equity; Technological Innovation; Environmental Sustainability; Performance Efficiency; Manufacturing Industry; Financial Services Industry; United Kingdom

Summer 2013
Response

How Caesars Entertainment Is Betting on Sustainability: Response

By: Michael W. Toffel

One of the largest gaming companies in the world expanded its sustainability efforts using a scorecard to guide and goad managers. This response assesses Caesars Entertainment's CodeGreen scorecard, advocates a more comprehensive environmental assessment to target... View Details

Keywords: Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Entertainment; Energy; Energy Conservation; Buildings and Facilities; Goals and Objectives; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Performance Evaluation; Entertainment and Recreation Industry

October 2012 (Revised June 2013)
Case

YPF — The Argentine Oil Nationalization of 2012

By: Noel Maurer and Gustavo A. Herrero

Keywords: Oil Prices; Energy; Energy Conservation; Energy Industry; Argentina; South America

09 Jun 2003
Research & Ideas

The Challenge of the Multi-site Nonprofit

as CEO), Planned Parenthood, Habitat for Humanity, SOS Kinderdorf, and The Nature Conservancy. Each was mapped on two dimensions—one that exerts forces toward unit autonomy and the other influencing the degree of organizational affiliation. (The Nature View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

06 Nov 2012
Op-Ed

Stop Talking About the Weather and Do Something: Three Ways to Finance Sustainable Cities

The wrath of Hurricane Sandy has illuminated a fundamental question: How do we ensure that our cities are resilient in the face of inevitable future disasters? A destroyed city is not a sustainable city. I'm making the case that it's time to stop complaining about... View Details

Keywords: by John Macomber; Construction; Real Estate; Energy; Utilities

August 2013 (Revised January 2016)
Case

Sustainability at Siemens

By: V. Kasturi Rangan, Amy C. Edmondson, Daniela Beyersdorfer and Emer Moloney

Describes sustainability efforts at Siemens since arrival of Chief Sustainability Officer, Barbara Kux, in 2008. Asks students to evaluate success of those efforts and outline what the company should do going forward. View Details

Keywords: Corporate Sustainability; Energy Efficiency; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Change Management; Supply Chain Management; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Energy Conservation; Environmental Sustainability; Gender; Electronics Industry