Publications

08 Aug 2018
News

The Neglected Benefits of the Commute

April 2004 (Revised May 2005)
Case

Confronting a Necessary Evil: The Firing of Alex Robins (A)

By: Joshua D. Margolis

A manager recounts his experience firing the person he was asked to replace and reflects on the challenges of the experience. Teaching Purpose: To role-play and reflect on tasks that entail harming other people to fulfill one's responsibility. View Details

Keywords: Ethics; Problems and Challenges; Leadership Development; Behavior; Decision Making; Resignation and Termination

July 2010 (Revised June 2016)
Case

Erik Peterson at Biometra (A)

By: John J. Gabarro, Thomas DeLong and Jevan Soo

Describes the problems facing a recent MBA graduate in his job as general manager of a medical device company owned by a parent corporation. Raises issues of corporate divisional relationships and the difficulties facing an inexperienced manager who seems to be... View Details

Keywords: Business Subsidiaries; Leadership; Managerial Roles; Product Launch; Organizational Structure; Problems and Challenges; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry

July 2004
Supplement

Harold Morton: Joining a Board

By: F. Warren McFarlan

A trustee reflects on his first several years' experience. View Details

Keywords: Governing and Advisory Boards; Governance; Experience and Expertise

January 2007 (Revised April 2008)
Case

The Case of the Unidentified Industries - 2006

By: William E. Fruhan Jr.

Helps students to understand how the characteristics of a business are reflected in its financial statements. View Details

Keywords: Financial Statements; Business Ventures; Forecasting and Prediction; Financial Management

29 Apr 2015
Video

Class of 2015: It’s just the beginning

Aug 05 2016
Short Film

The Accidental Professor

August 1983 (Revised June 1986)
Case

Johnson & Johnson (A)

By: Francis Aguilar

Describes the Johnson & Johnson culture and the corporate systems, structures, and procedures which reflect and promote it. The principal teaching objectives are to gain an understanding of the impact a strong culture can have on strategic decisions and to consider how... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Culture; Management Systems; Organizational Structure; Business Growth and Maturation; Corporate Strategy; Growth Management; Health Care and Treatment; Health Industry

08 May 2020
Research & Ideas

We’ve Now Been Asking “What Do You Think?” for 20 Years

This month marks the twentieth anniversary of the beginning of my “What do you think?” column. The Working Knowledge website was the brainchild of a faculty and staff committee organized in 2000 by then Dean Kim Clark to communicate the results of faculty research to a... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

02 May 2023
Blog Post

From Harvard Business School to Spotify: Four Lessons in My Journey to Land My Dream Job

Rodolfo A. Diaz Cabello (MBA 2021) reflects on how his experiences at Harvard Business School supported his path to building new products at Spotify. In October 2022 I joined Spotify as a Senior Product Manager leading a team that... View Details

26 Mar 2021
Blog Post

How to Build a Resume That Stands Above the Competition

Jill Huggett is the CEO & Founder of Bridgepath Career Advisors, LLC, a full-service career management firm, an Expert Content Contributor for Forbes.com, and an HBS Career Coach. She specializes in propelling people forward in their careers, and recently joined... View Details

April 2023
Case

Ryan Serhant: Time Management for Repeatable Success (A)

By: Ashley Whillans and Hawken Lord

From an open-concept 90’s-style stone and wood cabin in Dublin, New Hampshire, Ryan Serhant reflected on his career as a real estate broker. As Ryan stared into the fireplace that featured prominently in the center of the house, he wondered whether the period of... View Details

Keywords: Real Estate; Time Management; Decision Choices and Conditions; Personal Development and Career; Real Estate Industry