Publications

George Serafeim is the Charles M. Williams Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. He co-leads a Lab, within Harvard's Digital, Data, Design Institute, and serves on the faculty steering commitee of Harvard University's Salata Institute. He... View Details

Keywords: asset management; insurance industry; automobiles; industrial goods; fashion; food; green technology

17 May 2017
Research & Ideas

Minorities Who 'Whiten' Job Resumes Get More Interviews

scan, but you can if you can get to the interview,” DeCelles says. Meanwhile, African Americans toned down mentions of race from black organizations they belonged to, such as dropping the word “black” from a membership in a professional... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

February 1997 (Revised February 2002)
Case

Mexico (B): Escaping from the Debt Crisis?

By: Huw Pill

Describes the response of the Mexican authorities and the international community to the "Third World Debt Crisis" that came to the forefront of global economic concerns in the early 1980s. Focuses on the respective roles of the private sector, governments (Mexican and... View Details

Keywords: Globalized Economies and Regions; Financial Crisis; Macroeconomics; Mexico

November 1996 (Revised December 1996)
Case

SAP America

By: David A. Garvin and Artemis March

SAP America has grown at an explosive rate. This case describes the company's strategy, organization, and culture, with special attention to its approach to partnering and its sales and consulting process, which have been instrumental in allowing growth to proceed. Now... View Details

Keywords: Business Growth and Maturation; Change Management; Entrepreneurship; Growth Management; Demand and Consumers; Organizational Culture; Alliances; Competitive Strategy; Corporate Strategy; United States

30 Aug 2019
Blog Post

3 Growing Pains from my First Year at HBS: Academic, Social, and Career

Read cases. Check. Say something in class to hit the minimum participation requirements. Check. Review course concepts before finals. Check. While I learned a lot by simply following instructions, I realized that I have the View Details

December 2018
Case

The Swedish Academy #MeToo Scandal and the Reputation of the Nobel Prize

By: Stephen A. Greyser and Mats Urde

This case focuses on the potential for “reputational contagion” to the Nobel Prize from a scandal affecting one of its independent network member entities, the Swedish Academy. The latter is responsible for selecting the Nobel Prize in Literature, by appointment of... View Details

Keywords: Nobel Prize; Swedish Academy; Scandal; Reputation; Brands and Branding; Crisis Management

May 2007 (Revised January 2009)
Case

Stryker Corporation: In-sourcing PCBs

By: Timothy A. Luehrman

This case examines a proposed investment in the capability to manufacture printed circuit boards (PCBs) in-house rather than buying them from third-party contract manufacturers. Stryker Corporation's Instruments business is considering the proposal in response to... View Details

Keywords: Competency and Skills; Capital Budgeting; Investment; Investment Return; Production; Valuation

18 Feb 2025
HBS Seminar

Andrey Simonov, Columbia University

September 2017 (Revised July 2021)
Case

Asset Allocation at the Cook County Pension Fund

By: Emil Siriwardane, Juliane Begenau and Yuval Gonczarowski

Nickol Hackett, chief investment officer of the Cook County Pension Fund, is responsible for investing the fund’s $9 billion worth of assets on behalf of the employees of Cook County, Illinois. Like many other defined-benefit pensions at the time, the Cook County... View Details

Keywords: Asset Management; Investment Funds; Financial Strategy; Decision Choices and Conditions

September 2021 (Revised November 2021)
Case

Kwame Owusu-Kesse at the Harlem Children's Zone

By: Jon M. Jachimowicz

Do you—as leader, an individual within an organization, or running your own business—know when to say yes and when to say no? How do you make decisions about your own career and life? How do you counsel others who ask you for career and life insights?... View Details

Keywords: COVID-19 Pandemic; Leadership; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Decisions; Nonprofit Organizations; Personal Development and Career; Growth and Development Strategy; Race; Social Issues; New York (city, NY)

December 4, 2023
Article

Stop Assuming Introverts Aren't Passionate About Work

By: Kai Krautter, Anabel Büchner and Jon M. Jachimowicz

Society often assumes that the only way to be passionate is to act extroverted, but that is simply not true. In their new research, the authors found that regardless of their actual level of passion, extroverted employees are perceived as more passionate than... View Details

Keywords: Passion; Personality; Extraversion; Scale Development; Personal Characteristics; Perception; Employees; Prejudice and Bias

Read Now

January 2002
Background Note

Telecommunications Act of 1996, The

By: Thomas R. Eisenmann and Daniel J. Green

Reed Hundt, former chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, reflects on the passage and implementation of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. The act was intended to stimulate competition and innovation in the telecommunications sector. Its provisions were of... View Details

Keywords: Laws and Statutes; Policy; Business Strategy; Telecommunications Industry; United States

Article

How Well Do Social Ratings Actually Measure Corporate Social Responsibility?

By: Aaron K. Chatterji, David I. Levine and Michael W. Toffel

Ratings of corporations' environmental activities and capabilities influence billions of dollars of "socially responsible" investments as well as some consumers, activists, and potential employees. In one of the first studies to assess these ratings, we examine how... View Details

Keywords: Governance Compliance; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Measurement and Metrics; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Performance Effectiveness; Natural Environment; Pollutants

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Web

Publications - Faculty & Research

Stock Market Composition: Do Indexes Time the Market? By: Marco Sammon and John J. Shim Value-weighted indexes must rebalance in response to stock market composition changes, e.g., issuance, buybacks, and... View Details

August 2011
Supplement

InnoCentive.com (C)

By: Karim R. Lakhani and Eric Lonstein

InnoCentive.com enables clients to tap into internal and external solver networks to address various business issues. This case focuses on the outcome of InnoCentive's decision to post challenges related to environmental issues created by the Gulf Oil Spill. It reviews... View Details

Keywords: Innovation and Invention; Networks; Decisions; Outcome or Result; Pollutants; Natural Disasters; Natural Environment; Japan

02 Mar 2021
Cold Call Podcast

Can Historic Social Injustices be Addressed Through Reparations?

Keywords: Re: Mihir A. Desai

June 2006
Case

AtHoc: Dealing With Disruption

By: Lynda M. Applegate and Brian DeLacey

Follows the growth of an entrepreneur from his early startup activities. As the company evolves from 1998 to 2005, looks at key decisions and turning points as AtHoc's strategy adapts in response to changing market environments, business opportunities, and customer... View Details

Keywords: Business Growth and Maturation; Disruptive Innovation; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Business Strategy; Venture Capital