Publications

August 2009 (Revised December 2012)
Background Note

Researching a Company

By: Willy Shih and Meghan Dolan

This note was written to help students at the Harvard Business School do a more thorough job of researching a company, utilizing the extensive resources of the Baker Library, as well as other widely available databases. Exhibits provide detailed information on key... View Details

Keywords: Business Education; Knowledge Acquisition; Research

October 1991 (Revised August 1993)
Case

Acid Rain: Burlington Northern, Inc. (A)

By: Forest L. Reinhardt

Burlington Northern (BN) hauls low-sulfur coal from the northern Great Plains to electric utilities in the Midwest. Acid rain legislation may affect the geographic scope of BN's markets. Railroad managers need to assess the economic effects of acid rain controls and... View Details

Keywords: Rail Transportation; Environmental Sustainability; Development Economics; Government Legislation; Natural Environment; Policy; Metals and Minerals; Industry Growth; Industry Structures; Rail Industry; United States

December 2016
Background Note

Reaching Beyond Your Organization: Empowering Innovation

By: William R. Kerr

Forward-thinking established companies utilize new routes for external innovation with start-ups and crowds. The reading reviews strategic partnerships, strategic investments, strategic acquisitions, and crowd-based collaborations. Case examples include Google, SK... View Details

Keywords: Innovation; Corporate Innovation; Collaboration; Partnerships; Innovation and Invention; Collaborative Innovation and Invention; Innovation Strategy

August 2012 (Revised September 2013)
Case

EnerNOC: DemandSMART

By: Michael W. Toffel, Kira Fabrizio and Stephanie van Sice

EnerNOC is an energy company with an innovative business model: it serves as an intermediary between electric utilities and electricity users. It contracts with electricity users willing to reduce demand during periods of peak energy demand, and sells this as excess... View Details

Keywords: Production Planning; Productivity; Environmental Protection; Energy; Environment; Business Government Relations; Laws And Regulation; Business Model; Environmental Sustainability; Innovation and Invention; Opportunities; Risk and Uncertainty; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Supply Chain Management; Production; Energy Conservation; Energy Industry

16 Jun 2020
Blog Post

Delivering Solutions During a Crisis with Hans Kristian Furuseth (MBA 2019)

delivering the solutions people need to stay healthy and safe during a global health pandemic. During these unprecedented times, Furuseth’s story of translating his experience to a new industry, utilizing his skills, and putting people... View Details

2012
Book

Judgment Calls: Twelve Stories of Big Decisions and the Teams That Got Them Right

By: Thomas H. Davenport and Brook Manville

This book includes twelve detailed stories of organizations that have successfully tapped their data assets, diverse perspectives, and deep knowledge to build an organizational decision-making capability. The book introduces a model that utilizes the collective... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Judgment; Decision-making; Decisions; Organizational Structure; Business Processes

23 Jan 2017
Working Paper Summaries

Overcoming Institutional Voids: A Reputation-Based View of Long Run Survival

Keywords: by Cheng Gao, Tiona Zuzul, Geoffrey Jones, and Tarun Khanna

06 Aug 2018
Blog Post

Parks Management is People Management

I began my MBA with the goal of utilizing business practices for land management issues. Scouring for applicable insights, I attempted filtering my coursework through the lens of a natural resource specialist. However, even with that... View Details

Keywords: Nonprofit / Government

July 2023 (Revised May 2024)
Case

Vytal: Packaging-as-a-Service

By: George Serafeim, Michael W. Toffel, Lena Duchene and Daniela Beyersdorfer

The Germany-based startup Vytal operated the largest digital-native reusable packaging-as-a-service network globally, having raised nearly €15 million, established a large network of restaurant partners, and prevented the use of millions of single-use take-out food... View Details

July 1979 (Revised August 2019)
Background Note

Note on Taxation

By: William J. Poorvu, Arthur I Segel, Glenn S. Miller, Michael D. Kummer, Charles F. Wu, Po Sit and Joseph M. Gerstel

Every real-estate transaction is affected by the tax consequences that result from its form and substance. Structuring a transaction without a thorough understanding of its tax considerations is likely to reduce the transaction's potential value. The failure to utilize... View Details

Keywords: Property; Taxation; Investment

25 May 2010
News

Harvard Business School Receives City of Boston Green Business Award

20 Mar 2012
First Look

First Look: March 20

Publication:Journal of Public Economics (forthcoming) Abstract Argentina privatized most public utilities during the 1990s but re-nationalized the main water company in 2006. We study beliefs about the benefits of the privatization of... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

12 PM – 1 PM EDT, 13 Sep 2016
Webinars: Career

How Organizations Are Using LinkedIn to Find Talent

Organizations are increasingly using LinkedIn to find talent. Do you know what they are looking for? LinkedIns Bradley Lawrence (MBA 2013) will share key insights into understanding how organizations are utilizing LinkedIn. After this webinar, you... View Details

February 1996
Case

TRW's Information Services Division: Strategic Human Resource Management

By: Michael Beer and Gregory C. Rogers

Looks at a change effort initiated by a human resources manager within a division of TRW. The effort utilizes a change process to try to deal with some of the division's issues around organizational effectiveness, especially that of a long-term strategy. In so doing,... View Details

Keywords: Human Resources; Change Management; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Managerial Roles; Strategy; Problems and Challenges

We study compatibility decisions of two competing platform owners that generate profits through both hardware sales and royalties from content sales. We consider a game-theoretic model in which two platforms offer different standalone utilities to users. We find that... View Details

Vimal Shah

Keywords: Fast-Moving Consumer Goods

16 Jun 2015
Blog Post

Military Alumna Reflects on Time at HBS

cabinet agency of more than 350,000 employees, I call to mind lessons learned from my HBS experience every day. I am grateful for the opportunity to utilize my management education and skillset in the service to others and for getting to... View Details

November 1995 (Revised November 1999)
Case

National Power and the Privatization of the British Power Generation Industry

By: Willis M. Emmons III and Ed Simnett

The British government privatized the nation's electric utility sector in 1991 through a complex process involving the restructuring of the industry as well as the creation of a new regulatory oversight body. National Power plc, the largest of the privatized power... View Details

Keywords: Restructuring; Trade; Energy Generation; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Markets; Monopoly; Privatization; Opportunities; Diversification; Expansion; Utilities Industry; Utilities Industry

Find at Harvard

October 2007 (Revised March 2009)
Case

Advanced Energy: Programs for Energy Conservation

By: V. Kasturi Rangan and Brooke Barton

Describes the dilemma facing Advanced Energy (AE), a $6 million nonprofit engaged in energy conservation in North Carolina. Most of the money for its programs comes from a Public Benefits Fund (PBF) enacted by the state legislature. With renewed effort by activists in... View Details

Keywords: Energy Conservation; Public Equity; Performance Efficiency; Nonprofit Organizations; Conflict and Resolution; Utilities Industry; Utilities Industry