Publications

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01 Nov 2016
First Look

First Look - November 1, 2016

Tencent to Scandinavian digital trailblazer Schibsted, from The New York Times to The Economist, and from talent management to the future of education. Synthesizing what these stories have in common, and drawing on the latest research in... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

December 2012 (Revised October 2022)
Case

Plastiq

By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang, Gaurav Jain, Liroy Haddad, Luke Langford and Matt Noble

The young CEO of a venture-backed startup needs to figure out his go to market strategy and the right profile for his first key sales hires. Should he develop partnerships with channels that would provide leverage or build out a direct sales force? And should the sales... View Details

Keywords: Payments; Sales; Channels; Credit Cards; Digital Platforms; Selection and Staffing; Cost vs Benefits; Salesforce Management; Marketing Channels; Business Startups; Business Strategy; Marketing Strategy; Partners and Partnerships; Management Systems

September 2008
Case

Israeli Special Forces: Selection Strategy

By: Boris Groysberg, Tal Riesenfeld and Eliot Sherman

Ron Guntz, commander of recruiting for Israel's Special Forces, had been instructed by his superiors to evaluate the process by which he selected solders for a 20-month-long training program. Was the Army conducting this process in an ideal manner? The case examines... View Details

Keywords: Talent and Talent Management; Training; National Security; Recruitment; Selection and Staffing; Public Administration Industry; Israel

07 Oct 2013
Research & Ideas

The Case for Combating Climate Change with Nuclear Power and Fracking

oft-discussed issue of temporal shortsightedness—the very human tendency to focus on present-day concerns without considering how our actions will affect the future. But there's also ideological myopia—a failure to realize that... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Energy; Utilities

January 2023
Case

Natura: Weathering the Pandemic at Brazil's Cosmetic Giant

By: Brian Trelstad, Pedro Levindo and Carla Larangeira

Brazil's Natura, a multi-brand cosmetics group, has taken several measures to safeguard the livelihoods of its thousands of employees and millions of sales representatives during the COVID-19 health and economic crisis. The company has also made strides in its efforts... View Details

September 1999 (Revised October 2000)
Case

Eggrock Partners, LLC (A)

By: Thomas J. DeLong, Myra M. Hart and Sharon Peyus

Explores the challenges of choosing how to grow a professional services firm (PSF). Before developing a growth strategy, the partners need to agree on what business(es) the company should be in. Each of the three partners has differing views of what the company should... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Business or Company Management; Growth and Development Strategy; Business Model; Expansion; Business Processes; Industry Structures; Customer Focus and Relationships; Employees; Partners and Partnerships; Service Industry

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August 2002 (Revised February 2005)
Case

Gillette Company (A): Pressure for Change

By: Rosabeth M. Kanter and James Weber

After years of strong performance with market-dominating brands, Gillette's performance slips and a new CEO is selected from outside the company to lead a turnaround. This case describes the business and financial situation he inherited and asks what he should do... View Details

Keywords: Business History; Performance Consistency; Product Positioning; Selection and Staffing; Change Management; Leading Change; Competitive Strategy; Planning; Retail Industry

14 Jul 2015
First Look

First Look: July 14, 2015

Publications May-June 2015 Human Resource Management Back to the Future: Implications for the Field of HRM of the Multi-stakeholder Perspective Proposed 30 Years Ago By:... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

08 Jan 2007
What Do You Think?

Neuro Economics: Science or Science Fiction?

a slow but surer approach to understanding human behavior." Others welcomed the possibility that this work may bring together economists, management theorists, and medical researchers. As Shann Turnbull... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

7 Nov 2010
Conference Presentation

Speaking Up Constructively: Managerial Practices That Elicit Solutions from Front-line Employees

By: Michael W. Toffel

Keywords: Management Practices and Processes; Employees; Conflict and Resolution

08 May 2007
First Look

First Look: May 8, 2007

Business School Supplement 707-020 Supplements the (A) case. Purchase this supplement: http://www.hbsp.harvard.edu/b01/en/common/item_detail.jhtml?id=707020 Global Climate Change and Emissions Trading Harvard Business School Case 707-015... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

18 Sep 2018
First Look

New Research and Ideas, September 18, 2018

The ASGM case provides lessons about the diffusion of certification to new sectors, with the aim of guiding global resources towards their most efficient and effective ends. Download working paper:... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

02 Oct 2018
First Look

New Research and Ideas, October 2, 2018

corporate profitability, Japan introduced the JPX-Nikkei400 in 2014. The index highlighted the country's “best-run” companies by annually selecting the 400 most profitable among Japan's large and liquid firms. We find that managers... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

August 2013
Article

The Timing of Pay

By: Christopher Parsons and E. Van Wesep

There exists large and persistent variation in not only how, but when employees are paid, a fact unexplained by existing theory. This paper develops a simple model of optimal pay timing for firms. When workers have self-control problems, they under-save... View Details

Keywords: Payday Lending; Hyperbolic Discounting; Self-control Problems; Pay Frequency; Payday Loan Legislation; Paycheck Frequency; Time Inconsistency; Wages; Behavior; Employee Relationship Management

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18 May 2009
Research & Ideas

The Unseen Link Between Savings and National Growth

It is commonly accepted in economic circles that a country can grow faster by making key investments in sectors such as technology and in R&D and human or physical capital. But can a country also grow by saving more? A recent working... View Details

Keywords: by Sarah Jane Gilbert

03 Sep 2014
What Do You Think?

Who Should Choose Your Boss?

up to a human resource department to carry out all but the final stages of the process. And like board members, research has shown that they rarely ask questions that would enable an understanding of whether... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Food & Beverage

1999
Other Unpublished Work

Executive Ownership and Control in Newly Public Firms: The Role of Venture Capitalists

By: Malcolm Baker and Paul Gompers

We study the implications of CEO equity ownership for incentives and control in a sample of 1,011 newly public firms. Before an initial public offering, equity investments by venture capitalists reduce CEO ownership by about half, from an average of 35 percent to 19... View Details

Keywords: Equity; Ownership; Motivation and Incentives; Initial Public Offering; Investment; Venture Capital; Managerial Roles; Cost Management; Governance Controls; Executive Compensation

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August 2014 (Revised March 2016)
Case

Thomas Cook Group on the Brink (A)

By: Benjamin C. Esty, Stuart C. Gilson and Aldo Sesia

Harriett Green, the newly appointed CEO of Thomas Cook Group, faces a daunting set of business and financial challenges at the 171-year old UK travel services company. The company has lost almost £600 million in the last three quarters; has seen its stock price fall... View Details

Keywords: Turnaround; Corporate Restructuring; Change Leadership; Female Ceo; Change Management; Communication Strategy; Borrowing and Debt; Cash Flow; Cost Management; Financial Liquidity; Financial Management; Executive Compensation; Leading Change; Crisis Management; Value Creation; Travel Industry; United Kingdom