Factory - Publications - Faculty & Research

Empire of Cotton

The epic story of the rise and fall of the empire of cotton, its centrality to the world economy, and its making and remaking of global capitalism.

Cotton is so ubiquitous as to be almost invisible, yet understanding its history is key to understanding the... View Details

1982
Article

When Self-Descriptions Contradict Behavior: Actions do Speak Louder than Words

By: T. M. Amabile and L. Kabat

Subjects viewed two videotapes, one depicting a stimulus person's self-description and the other depicting that person's behavior in a conversation, according to a four-way factorial design personality descriptor used in the self-description ("introvert" or... View Details

Keywords: Behavior; Perception; Cognition and Thinking; Judgments

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South Asia - Global

partners in India as they calculated that India could remain intact amidst the rising tensions over trade between the U.S. and China. By choosing India to diversify away from China, the founders now had to tackle the challenges that they once experienced in their... View Details

16 Nov 2011
Working Paper Summaries

Private Equity and Employment

Keywords: by Steven J. Davis, John C. Haltiwanger, Ron S. Jarmin, Josh Lerner & Javier Miranda

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Asia Pacific - Global

diversify away from China, the founders now had to tackle the challenges that they once experienced in their Chinese factory more than two decades ago when China had not yet become a manufacturing superpower. Could their operation thrive... View Details

07 Jul 2022
HBS Case

How a Multimillion-Dollar Ice Cream Startup Melted Down (and Bounced Back)

Hills was running out of money and may not make it through the lean winter months, Smith and Cuscuna were surprised. Sales had been brisk. “They built a giant factory costing almost $7 million that required sales that were beyond their... View Details

Keywords: by Pamela Reynolds

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The Women in the Relay Assembly Test Room – The Human Relations Movement – Baker Library | Bloomberg Center, Historical Collections

Layman Zajac’s Paycheck, August 13, 1927 Theresa Layman Zajac Papers The women noted that the intimate atmosphere of the test room gave them a sense of freedom not experienced on the factory floor. They felt more at ease to talk and over... View Details

25 Jan 2021
Book

In a Nutshell, Why American Capitalism Succeeded

How did the United States become the world’s center of business growth following its founding in 1776? Surely a number of nations had powerful natural resources, stable financial and legal institutions, and dynamic entrepreneurs over that same span. Why was American... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Manufacturing

20 Aug 2020
Book

From the Plow to the Pill: How Technology Shapes Our Lives

For centuries, the creation of innovative technology—from steam engines and automobiles to computers and smartphones—has dramatically changed the nature of our work. Less deeply understood has been the impact of technology on the inner currents of our personal lives,... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

08 Dec 2022
HBS Case

The War in Ukraine and Nestlé’s Moral Dilemma: Stay or Leave Russia?

darling under Schneider’s tenure, with about $95 billion in 2021 revenue. Nestlé had six factories in Russia, and sales there accounted for roughly 2 percent of the company’s 2021 revenue. It employed 7,000 people in Russia and 5,800 in... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Consumer Products

Article

Healthy Buildings in 2070

By: John D. Macomber and Joseph G. Allen

Fifty years seems a very long time in the future for most industries. Not so in buildings and real estate; built structures routinely last decades if not hundreds of years, as long as they are economically competitive. Any discussion of the 50-year future has to... View Details

Keywords: Health ＆ Wellness; Real Estate; Architectural Innovation; Public Health; Health; Buildings and Facilities; Well-being

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29 Sep 2014
Research & Ideas

Why Do Outlet Stores Exist?

Why do outlet stores exist? The answer may seem obvious to most shoppers—they are places where companies get rid of factory seconds or outdated merchandise at fire-sale prices. Read: bargains, bargains, bargains. And indeed, that may have... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Apparel & Accessories; Fashion; Retail

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Human Relations and Harvard Business School – The Human Relations Movement – Baker Library | Bloomberg Center, Historical Collections

curriculum and research, which embraced applied, empirical-based studies and a multi-disciplinary approach incorporating biology, physics, biochemistry, psychology, sociology, and anthropology. “In Mayo’s time . . . the idea of considering human relations in View Details

08 Mar 2021
In Practice

COVID Killed the Traditional Workplace. What Should Companies Do Now?

A year ago, COVID-19 forced many companies to send employees home—often with a laptop and a prayer. Now, with COVID cases subsiding and vaccinations rising, the prospect of returning to old office routines appears more possible. But will employees want to flock back to... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

07 Jun 2023
Blog Post

My One Case: MBA Class of 2023 Looks Back

factory and bridal boutique pricing and realizes that by working directly with these factories, she can bring these boutique gowns to brides everywhere at a much more affordable price. As they continue to build their brand, the couple... View Details

Profile

Loujaine AlMoallim

business's factory for the first time. Growing up in a different city in Saudi Arabia meant that I hadn't had many opportunities to witness the inner workings of our family's business. But that day was different – it was like a scene... View Details

01 Oct 2001
Research & Ideas

How To Make Restructuring Work for Your Company

with formidable challenges. In addition to deciding how many employees should be laid off, management must decide which employees to target (e.g., white collar vs. factory workers, domestic vs. foreign employees, etc.) and set a timetable... View Details

Keywords: by Stuart C. Gilson

Research Summary

Overview

By: Ethan S. Bernstein

I have spent my career studying novel talent management practices and their effect on collaboration and performance. My core research focuses on two interrelated organizational trends that have become salient in the 21st century: workplace transparency (who gets to... View Details

07 Mar 2023
Blog Post

Deconstructing LEGO’s Decarbonization

their current carbon footprint, it’s unclear how reliant on offsets the company will have to be to neutralize the fossil-based energy for their own factories and operations. It’s even harder to see a viable pathway towards complete... View Details

01 Jun 2023
News

Elevator Pitch: Block by Block

Illustration by Drue Wagner Illustration by Drue Wagner Curtis Wong (MBA 2019) Founder and CEO, Cloud Apartments Concept: Cloud Apartments is a product company within the rental apartment space. Its flagship line of modular apartments, Cloud S, is built in View Details

Keywords: entrepreneurship; construction; housing; design; Construction of Buildings; Construction

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