Publications

Research Summary

Statistical Methodology

William Simpson is developing methods of inference to use when assumptions of standard models are not met. He has created a hypothesis test to use for ipsative variables that adjusts for the non-zero correlations among variables expected under the null hypothesis. ... View Details

Program

Preparing to Be a Corporate Director

members who are in small and medium sized firms Learning and Living at HBS When you participate in an Executive Education program on the HBS campus, you enter an immersive experience where every aspect of the learning View Details

Program

Managing Health Care Delivery

Summary Today's health care organizations need leaders who can respond to the challenge of delivering greater value through a combination of higher quality, lower cost, and broader access. Managing Health... View Details

Keywords: Health Care; Health Care

Program

Mergers and Acquisitions

HBS When you participate in an Executive Education program on the HBS campus, you enter an immersive experience where every aspect of the learning model has been carefully designed to facilitate your growth.... View Details

January 2021
Article

Machine Learning for Pattern Discovery in Management Research

By: Prithwiraj Choudhury, Ryan Allen and Michael G. Endres

Supervised machine learning (ML) methods are a powerful toolkit for discovering robust patterns in quantitative data. The patterns identified by ML could be used for exploratory inductive or abductive research, or for post-hoc analysis of regression results to detect... View Details

Keywords: Machine Learning; Supervised Machine Learning; Induction; Abduction; Exploratory Data Analysis; Pattern Discovery; Decision Trees; Random Forests; Neural Networks; ROC Curve; Confusion Matrix; Partial Dependence Plots; AI and Machine Learning

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February 2021
Tutorial

Action Plans

By: Tsedal Neeley

This video offers insight into the value of action plans in leading organizations. It provides a 6-step model for identifying situations which would benefit from action plans and gives suggestions for how to successfully implement them. The video traces the journey of... View Details

Keywords: Action Plan; Organizations; Planning; Strategic Planning

Program

Risk Management for Corporate Leaders—Virtual

Summary All organizations—even those with sophisticated models of risk exposure—are vulnerable to disaster. In most organizations, risk management attempts to avoid disasters by emphasizing compliance,... View Details

2022
Working Paper

Pricing Power in Advertising Markets: Theory and Evidence

By: Matthew Gentzkow, Jesse M. Shapiro, Frank Yang and Ali Yurukoglu

Existing theories of media competition imply that advertisers will pay a lower price in equilibrium to reach consumers who multi-home across competing outlets. We generalize and extend this theoretical result and test it using data from television and social media... View Details

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February 2008
Case

SPECIALISTERNE: Sense & Details

Three-quarters of Specialisterne's expert software testing staff are diagnosed with some form of Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Usually a handicap, ASD conveys talents especially suited to software testing and other highly repetitive tasks that require very high... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; For-Profit Firms; Health Disorders; Employees; Performance Evaluation; Quality; Software; Information Technology Industry

February 1997 (Revised April 1998)
Case

first direct (A)

By: Jeffrey F. Rayport

Describes the operations and strategy of the world's largest, fastest growing branchless bank. Using a person-to-person interface over conventional phone lines, First Direct provides standard banking and related financial products to nearly 700,000 customers throughout... View Details

Keywords: Service Delivery; Customer Satisfaction; Banks and Banking; Innovation and Invention; Banking Industry; United Kingdom

Program

Strategic Marketing for Driving Growth

capture value Thrive in the era of digital marketing and digital business models Assess ROI for your marketing spend Balance performance and brand marketing Craft engaging, outcome-based omni-channel... View Details

2013
Teaching Note

Ningbo FOTILE Kitchen Ware Co., Ltd. (TN)

By: F. Warren McFarlan, Zheng Xiaoming, Yuren Fang and Hong Zhang

Since 2008, FOTILE has actively introduced philosophies of the traditional Chinese culture—such as benevolence, justice, courtesy, wisdom and faith—into its management, which it believes to compensate for deficiencies in Western management concepts and creates a new... View Details

Keywords: Human Resource Management; China; Human Resources; Leadership; Management; Strategy; China

May 2021 (Revised August 2021)
Case

Airbnb During the Pandemic: Stakeholder Capitalism Faces a Critical Test

By: Benjamin C. Esty and Allison Ciechanover

As the COVID pandemic spread in early 2020, global travel ground to a halt. For Airbnb, the San Francisco-based platform for renting accommodations, the impact was both swift and severe as revenues plummeted more than 70% over the prior year. Responding to the sudden... View Details

Keywords: COVID-19 Pandemic; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Corporate Governance; Crisis Management; Leadership; Digital Platforms; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Mission and Purpose; Value Creation; Decision Making; Goals and Objectives; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Travel Industry; Tourism Industry; Service Industry; United States

Research Summary

Flexibility, Information Technology and Operations

Upton is now examining the role of Information Systems in determining long-term operational effectiveness. As Corporate Information Systems have become increasingly monolithic, the dangers of long-term inflexibility loom large. In manufacturing/operations, the... View Details

September 2016 (Revised May 2018)
Case

Zurich Insurance: Zurich Oxygen

By: Boris Groysberg and Katherine Connolly

Zurich Insurance was undergoing organizational change after implementing five new people practices focused on manager development, diversity and inclusion, job model and data analytics, recruitment, and talent pipeline. The case “Zurich Insurance: Fostering Key People... View Details

Keywords: Managing Change; Management Development; Leadership; Organization Behavior; Management Skills; Organizational Culture; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Leading Change; Leadership Development; Human Capital; Human Resources; Insurance; Insurance Industry

June 2016
Case

Augustine Heard & Co.: Building a Family Business in the China Trade (B)

By: William C. Kirby and Joycelyn W. Eby

In 1861, the Heard brothers faced a decision: should they continue their family firm's business model that had made them a successful commission house in China, or was it time to make fundamental adjustments to their work? This case reveals that the brothers decided to... View Details

Keywords: China; Mercantilism; Family Business; China