Publications

August 2024 (Revised November 2024)
Case

No Labels and the 2024 Presidential Insurance Plan

By: Robert F. White and Tom Quinn

After observing record voter dissatisfaction with the choices in the 2024 U.S. presidential election—Democratic nominee President Joe Biden and Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump—the bipartisan nonprofit No Labels decided to reserve ballot access in... View Details

Keywords: Disruption; Forecasting and Prediction; Lawsuits and Litigation; Failure; System Shocks; Political Elections; Motivation and Incentives; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; United States

10 Oct 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research and Ideas, October 10, 2017

Between Economic Planning and Market Competition: U.S. Law and Economics in the 1920s By: Phillips Sawyer, Laura Abstract—The impact of institutional economics in shaping the American regulatory tradition... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

07 Apr 2011
What Do You Think?

When Should the Public Sector Take Over in a Meltdown?

well as criteria for the timing of intervention and, just as important, "the exit process once the desired results (predefined) are achieved." Several argue that prevention whether through planning, View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett; Energy; Utilities

11 May 2011
Research & Ideas

Building a Better Board

company insiders, those most likely to understand a company's technology and customers are its competitors and—in the case of B2B enterprises—its customers. But senior executives from such companies are generally discouraged from serving... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

September 2019 (Revised September 2019)
Case

Facebook Fake News in the Post-Truth World

By: John R. Wells, Carole A. Winkler and Benjamin Weinstock

In August 2019, Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook, was surrounded by controversy. The first major storm of protest followed the surprise election of Donald Trump as President of the United States on November 8, 2016; many put the blame at the door of fake... View Details

Keywords: Facebook; Fake News; Mark Zuckerberg; Donald Trump; Algorithms; Social Networks; Partisanship; Social Media; App Development; Instagram; WhatsApp; Smartphone; Silicon Valley; Office Space; Digital Strategy; Democracy; Entry Barriers; Online Platforms; Controversy; Tencent; Agility; Social Networking; Gaming; Gaming Industry; Computer Games; Mobile Gaming; Messaging; Monetization Strategy; Advertising; Digital Marketing; Business Ventures; Acquisition; Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Headquarters; Business Organization; For-Profit Firms; Trends; Communication; Communication Technology; Forms of Communication; Interactive Communication; Interpersonal Communication; Talent and Talent Management; Crime and Corruption; Voting; Demographics; Entertainment; Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Moral Sensibility; Values and Beliefs; Initial Public Offering; Profit; Revenue; Geography; Geographic Location; Global Range; Local Range; Country; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Globalized Firms and Management; Globalized Markets and Industries; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Government and Politics; International Relations; National Security; Political Elections; Business History; Recruitment; Selection and Staffing; Information Management; Information Publishing; News; Newspapers; Innovation and Management; Innovation Strategy; Technological Innovation; Knowledge Dissemination; Human Capital; Law; Leadership Development; Leadership Style; Leading Change; Business or Company Management; Crisis Management; Goals and Objectives; Growth and Development Strategy; Growth Management; Management Practices and Processes; Management Style; Management Systems; Management Teams; Managerial Roles; Marketing Channels; Social Marketing; Network Effects; Market Entry and Exit; Digital Platforms; Marketplace Matching; Industry Growth; Industry Structures; Monopoly; Media; Product Development; Service Delivery; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Mission and Purpose; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Organizational Structure; Public Ownership; Problems and Challenges; Business and Community Relations; Business and Government Relations; Groups and Teams; Networks; Rank and Position; Opportunities; Behavior; Emotions; Identity; Power and Influence; Prejudice and Bias; Reputation; Social and Collaborative Networks; Status and Position; Trust; Society; Civil Society or Community; Culture; Public Opinion; Social Issues; Societal Protocols; Strategy; Adaptation; Business Strategy; Commercialization; Competition; Competitive Advantage; Competitive Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Customization and Personalization; Diversification; Expansion; Horizontal Integration; Segmentation; Information Technology; Internet and the Web; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Applications and Software; Information Infrastructure; Valuation; Advertising Industry; Communications Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Information Industry; Information Technology Industry; Journalism and News Industry; Media and Broadcasting Industry; Service Industry; Technology Industry; Telecommunications Industry; Video Game Industry; United States; California; Sunnyvale; Russia

04 Jul 2016
Research & Ideas

Is Your Org Chart Stuck in a Rut? Try a Scientific Experiment

continued to grow globally. Another, a seasoned lawyer, set out to evolve the organizational structure of his firm. “The emergence of new technologies and the trend toward unbundling legal services into... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

01 May 2006
Research & Ideas

What Companies Lose from Forced Disclosure

Increased financial disclosure standards on such issues as executive compensation should provide more useful information for investors, policy makers, and regulators. But do the companies themselves benefit? What researchers are now discovering is that increasing... View Details

Keywords: by Ann Cullen; Financial Services

25 May 2010
First Look

First Look: May 25

theories of corporate ownership assume that because markets are efficient, insiders ultimately bear agency costs and therefore have a strong incentive to minimize conflicts of... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

11 Sep 2019
Research & Ideas

Germany May Have the Answer for Reducing Drug Prices

to prove that a new medication’s benefits merit a higher price if cheaper, similar drugs are available. The process rewards companies whose drugs are more novel or help patients more, while forcing manufacturers of equally or less... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost; Health

March 2020
Case

Voi Technology

By: Jeffrey F. Rayport and Olivia Hull

Voi Technology, a fast-growing start-up out of Sweden, is competing in the highly contested European e-scooter sharing market. With a presence in nearly 40 cities in Europe by February 2020, the firm is working hard to improve its unit economics to reach profitability.... View Details

10 Oct 2005
Research & Ideas

Corporate Responsibility and the Environment: What is the Right Thing To Do?

been published in a new book: Environmental Protection and the Social Responsibility of Firms: Perspectives from Law, Economics, and Business. The coauthors are Bruce L. Hay, Harvard Law School; Robert N.... View Details

Keywords: by Manda Salls

17 Jul 2000
What Do You Think?

Where Is the Microsoft Board?

defending the right to innovate or standing up against the Government's regulatory bias. There was some feeling in this group that Microsoft was unlucky in drawing a judge who turned out to be hostile to their cause. Matt Deter's remarks typify this position. As he put... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

30 Sep 2014
First Look

First Look: September 30

supply chain factories' adherence to the global labor standards embodied in codes of conduct imposed by multinational buyers. We find that suppliers are more likely to adhere when they are embedded in states that participate actively in... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

02 Oct 2000
What Do You Think?

What Lies Beyond NAFTA?

Summing Up One of the defining issues in the 1992 U.S. presidential election, NAFTA, has fallen off the radar in the current campaign. This suggests either that many in the U.S. have lost interest in it or, more likely, the subset who... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

September 2015
Technical Note

The On-Demand Economy

By: Cynthia A. Montgomery, James Weber and Elizabeth Anne Watkins

This note describes the emerging on-demand economy, also referred to as the sharing economy. The note highlights several companies including Uber and Airbnb that exemplify this new mode of competition, a model that threatens to disrupt traditional firms. Uber provides... View Details

Keywords: Regulation; Reform; Disruption; Disruptive Innovation; Strategy; Technological Innovation; Labor; Employment; Working Conditions; Human Capital; Rights; Organizational Design; Social and Collaborative Networks; Service Industry