Publications

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April 13, 2021
Article

Misinformation about Science in the Public Sphere

By: Dietram A. Scheufele, Andrew J. Hoffman, Liz Neely and Czerne M. Reid

This is an introduction to a special issue on a colloquium of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine titled, “Advancing the science and practice of science communication: Misinformation about science in the public sphere.” This event was the... View Details

Keywords: Knowledge Dissemination; Communication Strategy; Science; Information

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21 Apr 2009
First Look

First Look: April 21, 2009

care depends on the degree to which the hospital "co-specializes" in related areas (complementary spillovers). We find evidence of complementarities in specialization between cardiovascular care and related View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

August 2012
Teaching Note

Mekanism: Engineering Viral Marketing

By: Thales S. Teixeira

The Mekanism case introduces students to a digital media production company specialized in creating viral marketing campaigns for advertising agencies and their clients (e.g., Microsoft, AXE, eBay, Toyota, etc.). Mekanism has grown tremendously from 2007 to 2010 in... View Details

Keywords: Viral Marketing; Viral Ads; Virality; Mekanism; Advertising Agency; Social Media; Influencer; Storytelling; Advertising Content; Advertising; Advertising Industry; North and Central America

Teaching Interest

Investment Managment for Professional and Personal Investors

By: Luis M. Viceira

IMPPI is suitable for all students interested in gaining a broad perspective on investing and the asset management business, including those targeting careers in asset management and those interested in learning how to become sophisticated consumers of investment... View Details

25 Sep 2006
Research & Ideas

How Software Platforms Revolutionize Business

transformed nearly every major industry for the past quarter century." Think of software platforms as ring leaders of ecosystems in which a few or many companies can participate to reach users. These core products, like Windows, for example, offer software View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Web Services; Web Services

December 2019 (Revised December 2022)
Case

TXU (A): Powering the Largest Leveraged Buyout in History

By: Trevor Fetter, Erik Snowberg and Rebecca M. Henderson

This case is designed to support a lively discussion about the relative merits of shareholder vs. stakeholder perspectives in the context of a company that provides a vital public service that has important environmental implications. The 2007 purchase of TXU, the... View Details

Keywords: Leveraged Buyouts; Transformation; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Environmental Sustainability; Business and Shareholder Relations; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Energy Generation; Non-Renewable Energy; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Utilities Industry; Energy Industry; Texas

January 1997 (Revised February 1998)
Case

Elsie Y. Cross Associates, Inc. and CoreStates Financial Corp.

By: Rosabeth M. Kanter and Thomas Dretler

A consulting firm specializing in diversity and organizational change assists an 18,000-employee bank with a massive culture change effort. View Details

Keywords: Change; Size; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Diversification; Financial Services Industry; Financial Services Industry

June 2008 (Revised July 2008)
Case

Kit Hinrichs at Pentagram (A)

By: Linda A. Hill and Emily Stecker

This case focuses on Kit Hinrichs, a 65-year-old partner at Pentagram, a privately owned multidisciplinary design firm. One of the world's most prestigious design firms, Pentagram was founded by five designers from different disciplines in London in the 1970s. By 2008,... View Details

Keywords: Arts; Business Offices; Customer Relationship Management; Design; Leadership; Personal Development and Career; Groups and Teams; Creativity; Service Industry; San Francisco

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May 2013
Article

Here's a Tip: Prosocial Gratuities Are Linked to Corruption

By: Magnus Thor Torfason, Francis J. Flynn and Daniella Kupor

We investigated the link between tipping, an altruistic act, and bribery, an immoral act. We found a positive relationship between these two seemingly unrelated behaviors, using archival cross-national data for 32 countries, and controlling for per capita GDP, income... View Details

Keywords: Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Crime and Corruption; Behavior

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April 2012 (Revised April 2013)
Case

Mekanism: Engineering Viral Marketing

By: Thales S. Teixeira and Alison Caverly

Mekanism introduces students to a digital media production company specializing in creating viral marketing campaigns for advertising agencies and clients (e.g., Microsoft, AXE, eBay, Toyota, etc.) Mekanism has grown tremendously from 2007 to 2010 in part due to the... View Details

Keywords: Viral Marketing; Viral Advertising; Core Competencies; Growth Strategy; Online Media; Videos; Advertising Media; Internet and the Web; Expansion; Media; Marketing; Advertising; Advertising Industry; North and Central America

October 2006 (Revised May 2007)
Background Note

Design: More Than a Cool Chair

This introduction to the Design industry includes definitions, and industry statistics, as well as descriptions of geographic clustering, design education, organizational roles of designers, how designers work and get paid, and the growing role of design in management. View Details

Keywords: Design; Service Industry

September 2008 (Revised February 2009)
Case

Ocean Tomo: Building a Market for Intellectual Property

By: Peter A. Coles, Andrei Hagiu and Alison Berkley Wagonfeld

Ocean Tomo's management team sought to turn the company into the leading intermediary for intellectual property. Despite its increasingly important role in the global marketplace, IP remained a notoriously illiquid asset—difficult to value, harder to trade, and often... View Details

Keywords: Globalized Markets and Industries; Intellectual Property; Resource Allocation; Auctions; Market Design; Service Operations

08 Dec 2008
Research & Ideas

Thinking Twice About Supply-Chain Layoffs

increasing the amount of labor at a store is associated with an increase in profit margin. This did not come about through the impact of more labor on service quality, but through its impact on conformance quality—those "boring... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Retail

October 1989 (Revised June 1993)
Case

RKO Warner Video, Inc.: Incentive Compensation Plan

By: George P. Baker III

Details the design and implementation of an incentive bonus plan for video store managers. The problem for top management of the chain is to induce the store managers to "sweat the details," to keep the stores neat and well organized, and to deal courteously and... View Details

Keywords: Acquisition; Change; Strategic Planning; Performance Improvement; Sales; Management; Employee Relationship Management; Situation or Environment; Success; Motion Pictures and Video Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry

November 1989 (Revised January 1990)
Case

Paul Revere Insurance Co. (C): Competing For the Baldrige Award--The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Exercise

The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award requires firms to submit applications that conform to a rigorous quality-assessment system. This case consists of several parts of a service company's 1988 Baldrige application together with material from the Malcolm Baldrige... View Details

Keywords: Quality; Performance Improvement; Performance Evaluation

September 2007 (Revised February 2008)
Case

Partners in Health: The PACT Project

By: Richard M.J. Bohmer and Josh Friedman

Partners in Health is a Boston-based, not-for-profit that provides health care to people in some of the poorest regions of the world, including Haiti, Malawi, Rwanda, and Peru. In 1998, PIH established a program (PACT) in Boston to bring care to AIDS and TB patients... View Details

Keywords: Health Care and Treatment; Nonprofit Organizations; Non-Governmental Organizations; Developing Countries and Economies; Service Delivery; Health Industry