Publications

May 2004
Article

The Risky Business of Hiring Stars

By: Boris Groysberg, Ashish Nanda and Nitin Nohria

With the battle for the best and brightest people heating up again, you're most likely out there looking for first-rate talent in the ranks of your competitors. Chances are, you're sold on the idea of recruiting from outside your organization, since developing people... View Details

Keywords: Staffing; Employee Retention; Selection and Staffing; Employees; Retention; Competitive Advantage; Human Resources; Performance

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December 2024
Article

Managerial Pluralism: Thirty Years of Teaching Business Ethics

By: Joseph L. Badaracco

The author reflects on 30 years of teaching business ethics at Harvard Business School. The paper presents tactical lessons for teaching courses in professional ethics and introduces “managerial pluralism.” This concept is akin to Isaiah Berlin’s value pluralism and... View Details

Keywords: Business Education; Ethics; Judgments

2022
Book

Purpose + Profit: How Business Can Lift Up the World

By: George Serafeim

The roadmap and best practices to reap the enormous value that can emerge when your business prioritizes social and environmental goals—such as climate change, diversity and inclusion, and sustainability—right alongside the pursuit of profit.

We not only... View Details

Keywords: ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) Performance; Profitability; Business And Society; Organizations; Mission and Purpose; Goals and Objectives; Social Issues; Environmental Sustainability; Value Creation; Organizational Change and Adaptation

June 2008
Case

Threadless: The Business of Community (Instructor's Version)

By: Karim R. Lakhani and Zahra Kanji

The instructor version of Threadless includes the Threadless student version multimedia case as well as four additional videos that can be used to enhance class discussion. The first video presents community reaction to the proposal from the large retailer. The next... View Details

Keywords: Debates; Decisions; Strategic Planning; Society; Entertainment and Recreation Industry

Educators

18 Aug 2017
Working Paper Summaries

Emerging Markets and the Future of Business History

Keywords: by Gareth Austin, Carlos Dávila, and Geoffrey Jones

20 Apr 2021
Working Paper Summaries

The Emergence of Mafia-like Business Systems in China

Keywords: by Meg Rithmire and Hao Chen

Fall 2020
Article

Business Credit Programs in the Pandemic Era

By: Samuel G. Hanson, Jeremy C. Stein, Adi Sunderam and Eric Zwick

We develop a pair of models that speak to the goals and design of the sort of business-lending and corporate-bond purchase programs that have been introduced by governments in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. An overarching theme is that, in contrast to the... View Details

Keywords: COVID-19; Business Lending; Government Intervention; Econometric Models; Health Pandemics; Credit; Governance; Policy

April 2002
Article

The Future of the Microprocessor Business

By: Michael J Bass and Clayton M. Christensen

Keywords: Hardware; Business Ventures; Computer Industry

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April 2014
Teaching Note

CP Group: Balancing the Needs of a Family Business with the Needs of a Family of Businesses

By: William C. Kirby and Erica M. Zendell

December 2019 (Revised February 2024)
Teaching Note

Ripple: The Business of Crypto and Ripple 2023

By: David B. Yoffie

The case explores Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse’s mission to disrupt the global payments industry by leveraging the cryptocurrency XRP. Students will learn about Bitcoin and the blockchain industry, as well as Ripple’s unique crypto business model. The case provides an... View Details

Keywords: Payment Systems; Cryptocurrency; Bitcoin; Blockchain; Fintech; Business Startups; Business Model; Disruption; Strategy

Article

The Impact of COVID-19 on Small Business Outcomes and Expectations

By: Alexander Bartik, Marianne Bertrand, Zoë B. Cullen, Edward L. Glaeser, Michael Luca and Christopher Stanton

To explore the impact of COVID on small businesses, we conducted a survey of more than 5,800 small businesses between March 28 and April 4, 2020. Several themes emerged. First, mass layoffs and closures had already occurred—just a few weeks into the crisis. Second, the... View Details

Keywords: COVID-19; Stimulus; CARES Act; Health Pandemics; Small Business; Surveys

February 2017 (Revised December 2018)
Module Note

The Entrepreneurial Manager, Module I: Defining and Developing the Business Model

By: William R. Kerr, Mark Roberge and Paul A. Gompers

The first module of The Entrepreneurial Manager (TEM) focuses on business model analysis and lean testing. Your business model defines your company and sets its strategic direction, including customer value proposition, operations, scaling, the context in which the... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurial Management; Business Models; Lean Startup; Business Model; Analysis; Entrepreneurship; Management

August 2013
Case

Harold Mills at ZeroChaos (A)

By: Lena G. Goldberg and Maurice L. Kuykendoll II

After leading a management buy-out, Harold Mills transformed ZeroChaos into a global staffing enterprise. Poised to raise additional capital to fund the company's next phase of growth, he was also confronting the liquidity demands of his early-stage investors and... View Details

Keywords: Legal Aspects Of Business; Law; Business Growth and Maturation; Corporate Finance

Educators

September 9, 2024
Article

Ten Questions for a Winning Climate-transition Business Strategy

By: George Serafeim

The move to a low-carbon economy will create opportunities for innovation and growth. To make the most of them, leaders must understand the challenges they could face along the way. View Details

Keywords: Technology; Organizational Transformations; Business Model Innovation; Innovation and Invention; Climate Change; Transformation; Leadership; Business Strategy; Environmental Sustainability; Change Management; Entrepreneurship

07 May 2008
Research & Ideas

The Intellectual History of Harvard Business School

Date: April 17-18, 2008 Faculty Chair: Richard S. Tedlow Faculty Summary Report: Colloquium: The Intellectual History of the Harvard Business School: Six Case Studies What were the overall goals View Details

Keywords: by Richard S. Tedlow; Education

Research Summary

Business Strategy at the Base of the Pyramid

By: V. Kasturi Rangan

Rangan is studying how businesses create value for the 4.2 billion low income, and poorer income residents at the base of the global income pyramid. These are individuals who live on less than $5/day. Providing food, water, sanitation, healthcare, education, skills... View Details

19 Oct 2012
Other Presentation

Building a Competitive Mexico: The Role of Business

By: Michael E. Porter

This presentation draws on ideas from Professor Porter's articles and books, in particular, The Competitive Advantage of Nations (The Free Press, 1990), "Building the Microeconomic Foundations of Competitiveness," in The Global Competitiveness Report... View Details

Keywords: Economics; Mexico