Publications

22 Jul 2014
First Look

First Look: July 22

improving resource efficiency, optimizing care over the complete care cycle, and planning and budgeting of resource capacity. It also mentions that TDABC enhances quality of... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

February 1991
Case

Burlington Northern: The ARES Decision (A)

By: Julie H. Hertenstein and Robert S. Kaplan

Burlington Northern's decision whether to invest in ARES, an automated train control system, is a ($350 million) strategic investment in information technology. Although set in a service industry (railroad) the issues around this decision arise in many organizations... View Details

Keywords: Investment; Rail Transportation; Information Technology; Competitive Strategy; Performance Evaluation; Performance Effectiveness; Cost vs Benefits; Technology Adoption; Technological Innovation; Customers; Quality; Rail Industry

2010
Working Paper

Performance Tradeoffs in Team Knowledge Sourcing

By: Bradley R. Staats, Melissa Valentine and Amy C. Edmondson

This research examines how teams organize knowledge sourcing (obtaining access to others' knowledge or expertise) and investigates the performance trade-offs involved in two approaches to knowledge sourcing in teams. One approach a team can take is to specialize, such... View Details

Keywords: Information Management; Knowledge Sharing; Knowledge Use and Leverage; Performance Efficiency; Performance Productivity; Quality; Groups and Teams; Information Technology Industry; India

Read Now

08 Dec 2008
Research & Ideas

Thinking Twice About Supply-Chain Layoffs

one-standard-deviation increase in store labor brought about a 10 percent increase in profit margin. These findings ran contrary to the thinking of store managers that Ton interviewed. They consistently identified service quality as a top... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Retail

31 Mar 2009
First Look

First Look: March 31, 2009

http://www.hbs.edu/research/pdf/09-101.pdf Does Public Ownership of Equity Improve Earnings Quality? Authors:Dan Givoly, Carla Hayn, and Sharon P. Katz Abstract We compare the quality of accounting numbers... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

2021
Working Paper

Accounting for Product Impact in the Consumer-Packaged Foods Industry

By: Amanda Rischbieth, George Serafeim and Katie Trinh

We apply the product impact measurement framework of the Impact-Weighted Accounts Initiative (IWAI) in two competitor companies within the consumer-packaged goods industry. We design a methodology that allows us to calculate monetary impact estimates on customer... View Details

SSRN

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23 Feb 2021
Research & Ideas

COVID-19 Shines New Light on Working Conditions in Supply Chains

more than 20 years, the devastation in meatpacking is just one example of how lax regulation can make a grave situation deadly. The lack of safety guidance from the US Occupational Health and View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost; Apparel & Accessories

16 Aug 2017
Research & Ideas

Researchers Use Google Street View to See the Future of Cities

Media Lab) with Hidalgo and Raskar to develop a computer vision method for quantifying perceived safety of street scenes. The next breakthrough came when Google released a “time machine” feature, allowing... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Real Estate

10 Jun 2014
First Look

First Look: June 10

including how, and how aggressively, to improve safety and quality (A-2) and whether to expand into other asset... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

18 Feb 2014
First Look

First Look: February 18

effect. To discern whether status serves as a signal of quality under uncertainty or satisfies the motive of conspicuous consumption, I study a period of time during which the uncertainty about quality has... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

September 1987 (Revised December 1996)
Case

Patten Corp.

By: Krishna G. Palepu

Forbes Magazine criticized the revenue recognition policy of Patten Corp. As a result, the company's stock price dropped by a significant amount. The students are asked to discuss if the criticism by Forbes is justified, and if not, what the company should do. View Details

Keywords: Fair Value Accounting; Financial Statements; Budgets and Budgeting; Problems and Challenges; Financial Condition; Spending; Revenue; Planning; Quality; Stocks; Journalism and News Industry

08 Dec 2015
First Look

December 8, 2015

quality and efficiency. The introduction of this transparency contributed to a 22.2% increase in customer-reported quality and reduced throughput... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

Career Coach

Martin November

Marty (HBS '98) is an MD/MBA and practicing OBGYN physician who has broad expertise in the healthcare sector as the former Medical Director for Patient Safety and Risk... View Details

Keywords: Consulting; Education; Entrepreneurship; Government; Health Care; Insurance; Publishing / Communications / Advertising; Social Enterprise; Startup - Founder; Entrepreneurship; Startup - Joiner; Entrepreneurship

03 Sep 2020
Op-Ed

Why American Health Care Needs Its Own SEC

services of unknown quality. The lack of transparency protects providers and insurers from needing to compete on the price and quality of their services. Lack of competition,... View Details

Keywords: by Regina E. Herzlinger; Health

March 2011
Case

Grand Circle Travel: Where Risk Comes with the Territory

By: Herman B. Leonard

A worldwide travel company is intrinsically exposed to risks of natural and man-made disasters. How do you organize a business for success when it must on a nearly daily basis cope with hazards ranging from minor mishaps to large-scale catastrophes? Alan and Harriet... View Details

Keywords: Crisis Management; Risk and Uncertainty; Safety; Transportation; Organizational Design; Decision Choices and Conditions; Organizational Structure; Mission and Purpose; Competitive Advantage; Travel Industry

12 Apr 2016
First Look

April 12, 2016

views matter. And it can turn departing employees into corporate ambassadors for years to come. Unfortunately, too few leaders pay attention to this tool; their programs fail to either improve retention or produce useful information. The... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

02 Feb 2010
First Look

First Look: Feb. 2

various perspectives, raise conceptual and empirical concerns, underscore challenges for further development of this literature, and provide directions for future research. View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

01 Jun 2023
News

The Exchange: The Tech Leader’s Tightrope

revealed the telecom giant’s “extreme willingness” to hand over billions of emails—revelations that galvanized Professor Nien-hê Hsieh and Senior Lecturer Henry McGee. “Seeing a huge company in the middle of these privacy issues felt like... View Details

Keywords: Jen McFarland Flint; Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities; Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities

February 1987 (Revised January 1989)
Case

SmithKline Consumer Products: The Contac Relaunch

In March 1986, a tamperer contaminated CONTAC Cold Capsules, SmithKline Consumer Product's most popular product. To relaunch CONTAC after withdrawing it from the market, the management team had to present a plan of action to the corporation board. They knew CONTAC's 25... View Details

Keywords: Safety; Crisis Management; Product Launch; Pharmaceutical Industry