Publications

Standard ad messaging and conventional creative executions and placements are rapidly becoming outmoded. To win consumers' attention and trust, marketers must think less about what advertising says to its targets and more about what it does for them. Rather than... View Details

January 8, 2016
Article

When You’ve Made Enough Money to Cause Family Tension

By: Josh Baron, Rob Lachenauer and Diane Coutu

This article discusses the transition successful business founders face when moving from intense business focus to managing significant wealth in their "Second Act." It highlights the shift towards creating a family enterprise, requiring shared financial... View Details

Keywords: Wealth; Family Business; Management Succession; Transition; Family and Family Relationships

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July 2010
Article

Is a Higher Calling Enough? Incentives Effects in the Church

By: Christopher Parsons, J. Hartzell and D. Yermack

We study the compensation and productivity of more than 2,000 Methodist ministers in a 43‐year panel data set. The church appears to use pay‐for‐performance incentives for its clergy, as their compensation follows a sharing rule by which pastors receive approximately... View Details

Keywords: Motivation and Incentives; Organizations; Religion; Performance Evaluation; Compensation and Benefits

October 2013
Article

The Cheater's High: The Unexpected Affective Benefits of Unethical Behavior

By: N. E. Ruedy, C. Moore, F. Gino and M. Schweitzer

Many theories of moral behavior assume that unethical behavior triggers negative affect. In this paper, we challenge this assumption and demonstrate that unethical behavior can trigger positive affect, which we term a "cheater's high." Across six studies, we find that... View Details

Keywords: Moral Sensibility; Behavior; Satisfaction; Decision Making

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November 1999 (Revised July 2003)
Case

Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc.

By: Paul M. Healy and Jacob Cohen

Pre-Paid Legal Services' business model reveals two key issues--managing the sales force and sales growth and managing claims. Students analyze the economics of the business and consider how to measure firm performance, how to evaluate and reward the sales force, and... View Details

Keywords: Financial Management; Financial Strategy; Salesforce Management; Marketing Strategy; Accrual Accounting; Business Cycles; Forecasting and Prediction; Insurance; Business Growth and Maturation; Insurance Industry

Educators

November 2008 (Revised January 2012)
Case

Teena Lerner: Dividing the Pie at Rx Capital (Abridged)

By: Boris Groysberg, Victoria Winston and Robin Abrahams

Teena Lerner, the CEO of Rx Capital, had a problem. Her three-year-old hedge fund was highly profitable, but in 2004, one of her four equities analysts lost a lot of money for the firm. If Lerner followed her existing compensation system, designed to reward teamwork,... View Details

Keywords: Compensation and Benefits; Employee Relationship Management; Performance Evaluation; Groups and Teams; Financial Services Industry

Educators

12 Feb 2015
Video

Comeback Kids: How the Boston Red Sox went from last place to World Series

2023
Book

The Portfolio Life: How to Future-Proof Your Career, Avoid Burnout, and Build a Life Bigger than Your Business Card

By: Christina Wallace

Pouring yourself into a single full-time job is the riskiest move you can make. Your parents’ advice to focus on one career path? It doesn’t work anymore, for reasons ranging from recessions to student loan debt, the gig economy, climate disasters, and a global... View Details

Keywords: Work-Life Balance; Personal Development and Career

November 2000
Background Note

Note on Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs) and Phantom Stock Plans

By: Dwight B. Crane and Indra Reinbergs

Provides a brief overview of employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) and phantom stock plans for owners of closely held companies. ESOPs can be used as a tool of corporate financing, and can provide employees with ownership interests. Phantom stock plans can reward... View Details

Keywords: Financing and Loans; Employee Stock Ownership Plan; Motivation and Incentives; Management Teams; Corporate Governance; Ownership Stake; Taxation

Educators

09 Jul 2015
News

Shoppers with reusable bags buy more junk food

26 Feb 2015
News

Ethics and the environment: Eco-waverers

06 Sep 2013
News

Cheater’s High: Why Not Playing Fair Feels So Good

Susanna Gallani

Susanna View Details

Keywords: health care

October 16, 2024
Article

Physicians Can Help Cut Costs. They Just Need the Right Incentives.

By: Susanna Gallani and Derek A. Haas

Health care organizations have long tried to enlist physicians in their effort to control or reduce costs. One effective means for doing so is to create an incentive system that rewards physicians for their contributions. To design such a system, organizations should... View Details

Keywords: Cost; Motivation and Incentives; Compensation and Benefits; Health Industry

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11 Oct 2024
Blog Post

Committing to Work and Family: Allison Boxer (MBA 2012)

I found my professional North Star as an undergraduate student while studying abroad in rural Tanzania. Our work in clean water access was a light bulb moment for me, clarifying the ways in which business and social impact can work together to be a force for good in... View Details

Keywords: All Industries

11 Oct 2024
Blog Post

Committing to Work and Family: Allison Boxer (MBA 2012)

Learn about the career resources available to HBS alumni through HBS Career & Professional Development I found my professional North Star as an undergraduate student while studying abroad in rural Tanzania. Our work in clean water access was a light bulb moment for... View Details

2019
Working Paper

Design Rules, Volume 2: How Technology Shapes Organizations: Chapter 13 Platform Systems vs. Step Processes—The Value of Options and the Power of Modularity

By: Carliss Y. Baldwin

This is the first chapter in Part 3. Its purpose is to contrast the value structure of platform systems with step processes from a technological perspective. I first review the basic technical architecture of computers and argue that every computer is inherently a... View Details

Keywords: Platform Systems; Step Processes; Computer Architecture; Modularity; Information Technology; Digital Platforms

SSRN

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12 Oct 2016
News

Undermining Value-Based Purchasing — Lessons from the Pharmaceutical Industry

Article

Entrepreneurial Creativity Through Motivational Synergy

By: T. M. Amabile

This paper defines and describes entrepreneurial creativity, which is the generation and implementation of novel, appropriate ideas to establish a new venture. Entrepreneurial creativity can be exhibited in established organizations as well as in start-up firms. The... View Details

Keywords: Creativity; Motivation and Incentives; Organizational Culture; Entrepreneurship; Innovation and Invention