Publications

December 2012 (Revised July 2015)
Supplement

Nalli Silk Sarees (B)

By: V.G. Narayanan, Namrata Arora and Vidhya Muthuram

Presents the company's perspective using an interview format. Ramnath K. Nalli, vice chairman of Nalli Silk Sarees Private Limited, and his daughter, Lavanya Nalli (HBS MBA 2011), the fifth generation entrepreneur to be involved in the family business, discuss customer... View Details

Keywords: Family Business; Consumer Behavior; Entrepreneurship; Apparel and Accessories Industry

November 2007
Case

Differences at Work: Jason (A)

By: Sandra J. Sucher and Rachel Gordon

Jason is a member of his firm's recruiting team, which has a mandate to create a more diverse workforce. When the group decides to interview a candidate based on the candidate's race, Jason wonders whether they made the right decision and how, in general, diversity... View Details

Keywords: Decisions; Ethnicity; Job Interviews; Race; Recruitment; Diversity

April 2003 (Revised April 2009)
Case

Paul Levy: Taking Charge of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

By: David A. Garvin and Michael Roberto

On January 7, 2002, Paul Levy became CEO of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. He took over a troubled organization, in serious financial difficulty. This multimedia case describes the situation Levy inherited, his negotiations prior to taking the job, and his... View Details

Keywords: Communication Strategy; Decision Choices and Conditions; Leadership Style; Leading Change; Managerial Roles; Organizational Culture; Health Industry

11 Mar 2001
Research & Ideas

Evolving for Success [Part Two]

Companies and people need to embrace change in order to succeed in the future, according to HBS professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter. In this, the second of a two-part interview for HBS Working Knowledge, she explains the leadership skills of... View Details

Keywords: by Staff

Article

Management Accounting and Control: Lessons for and from the World's Tiniest Businesses

By: Srikant M. Datar, Marc J. Epstein and Kristi Yuthas

The article discusses skills microentrepreneurs need to manage and expand their businesses. After interviewing hundreds of microfinance clients around the globe, the authors were able to identify five tools drawn from management accounting where improved knowledge... View Details

Keywords: Governance Controls; Expansion; Business or Company Management; Microfinance; Cost Management; Risk Management; Budgets and Budgeting; Accounting; Opportunities

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February 2003 (Revised November 2003)
Exercise

Accounting for Pensions at General Motors Corporation (A)

By: David F. Hawkins and Jacob Cohen

A potential investor in General Motors is gathering information about investment in General Motor's stock. The investigation leads the investor to review the General Motor's Web site and several CNBC interviews of General Motors' executives. View Details

Keywords: Investment; Accounting; Compensation and Benefits; Financial Services Industry; Auto Industry; Accounting Industry

November 2010
Article

People Often Trust Eloquence More Than Honesty

By: Todd Rogers and Michael I. Norton

This article presents a dual interview based on a research study we conducted. Our study found that an artful dodger of questions was generally considered more likable than a person who answered the same questions directly but with less eloquence. We comment on the... View Details

Keywords: Research; Social Psychology; Communication; Perception; Business or Company Management; Government and Politics

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Read Now

September 1999 (Revised February 2004)
Case

WebSpective Software, Inc. (A)

By: Michael J. Roberts, Joseph B. Lassiter III, John T. Gourville and Sun Ming Wong

Describes the situation at WebSpective, a software company that develops products to help companies manage the network of servers that support their Websites. Describes the use of "concept engineering" tools to interview customers, determine their needs and the... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Management Practices and Processes; Customers; Customer Focus and Relationships; Communication Intention and Meaning; Product Development; Product Marketing; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Customer Satisfaction; Marketing Strategy; Information Technology Industry

February 2003
Supplement

Silvio Napoli at Schindler India

By: Christopher A. Bartlett

Presents an interview with Silvio Napoli on topics relating to his fit in the new job, his strategic plan for the new subsidiary, and the decision on sourcing and standardization. View Details

Keywords: Managerial Roles; Strategic Planning; Business Subsidiaries; Supply Chain; Decisions; Personal Development and Career; India

30 Jan 2012
Research & Ideas

Measuring the Efficacy of the World’s Managers

The fact is, some companies are managed beautifully, others dismally. “During the interview she got a marriage proposal. The manager wanted her to marry his son.” "It's very tough to believe that there are such wide differences in... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

November 1998
Background Note

Writing Cases and Teaching Notes

A guide to writing case studies and the accompanying teaching notes for teachers and casewriters. Begins with generating case leads and moves through field interviewing techniques, case drafting, case release, and preparing the teaching note. Also deals with the... View Details

Keywords: Design; Cases

16 Sep 2002
Research & Ideas

The Irrational Quest for Charismatic CEOs

The cult of the CEO is complex and persistent—and usually not good for business, says HBS professor Rakesh Khurana. Khurana recently fielded questions from HBS Working Knowledge senior editor Martha Lagace in an e-mail interview about his... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

05 Jul 2004
Research & Ideas

Radical Change, Entrepreneurial Opportunity

Mary Tripsas, Assistant Professor in the Entrepreneurial Management unit at Harvard Business School, is interested in how radical technological change transforms industries, and how such change affects established firms and creates entrepreneurial opportunities. Senior... View Details

Keywords: by Michael J. Roberts; Technology

October 1982
Supplement

Ideal Standard France: Pat Paterson, Video

By: Christopher A. Bartlett

A two-part taped interview with Pat Paterson. Paterson describes the action he took in dealing with his company's profit problems, then talks about the outcome. His decision to dismiss 1,500 workers may have accelerated the company's bankruptcy. View Details

Keywords: Decisions; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Profit; Resignation and Termination; Outcome or Result; Problems and Challenges

April 2014
Supplement

Interview: Man Jit Singh at Sony Entertainment Television

By: Linda A. Hill and Allison J. Wigen

Contains excerpts from an interview with Man Jit Singh. Singh discusses the results of events covered in the case "Man Jit Singh at Sony Entertainment Television," including his decision to begin evaluating employees on values as well as performance.
This short... View Details

Keywords: Performance Appraisals; Leading Change; Leadership; Emerging Markets; Organizational Culture; Performance Evaluation; Groups and Teams; Change Management; Media and Broadcasting Industry; India

09 Jan 2014
Research & Ideas

The Entrepreneurs Who Invented Economic Forecasting

In the severe economic, social, and scientific turbulence churning at the dawn of the twentieth century, people were eager for any semblance of stability and predictability. From this need for certainty emerged a group of entrepreneurs who promised to apply scientific... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

July 2002 (Revised April 2004)
Supplement

GE's Digital Revolution

By: Christopher A. Bartlett

Presents interviews with Gerry Podesta, VP of GE Plastics Component of General Electric Co., and Gary Reiner, senior VP and CIO of General Electric Co. A revised version of an earlier video. View Details

Keywords: Leadership; Corporate Strategy; Management Teams; Consumer Products Industry; Technology Industry

September 2007 (Revised March 2009)
Exercise

Pitch Yourself!

By: Thomas J. Steenburgh and Michael I. Norton

Helps students develop an elevator pitch for their most important asset—themselves. Before class students are asked to interview a potential employer and to develop preliminary elevator pitches. Once in class, students work through an exercise that helps them refine... View Details

Keywords: Spoken Communication; Selection and Staffing; Job Interviews; Marketing; Personal Development and Career