Publications

14 Jun 2010
Research & Ideas

The Hard Work of Measuring Social Impact

Ebrahim says. "But donors have a role to play in enabling impact, and they have an opportunity to connect nonprofits that are working on different pieces of a social problem in isolation. This might mean... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna

Ishita Sen

Ishita Sen is an assistant professor of business administration in the Finance Unit. She teaches the Finance I course in the MBA required curriculum. Professor Sen’s research focuses on financial intermediation, asset pricing, and insurance markets. In her current... View Details

20 Nov 2019
Research & Ideas

It's No Joke: AI Beats Humans at Making You Laugh

bring them into the lab and see how they performed and what people thought of them.” As Yeoman’s research shows, AI is often dead-on accurate in pinpointing which products and... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

April 2002
Background Note

Consolidation of Highly Fragmented Service Industries, The

Designed to familiarize students with the consolidation of highly fragmented labor-dependent service industries, offering insights into service firm growth and the ways services can, and cannot, increase their efficiency and effectiveness. Two frameworks are presented... View Details

Keywords: Consolidation; Acquisition; Growth and Development Strategy; Service Industry

24 May 2023
Blog Post

Innovating, Funding, and Scaling Climate Solutions at Harvard Business School: Day Three of Harvard Climate Action Week

This is a repost from HBS Newsroom, see the original post here. “Climate change, and the energy and materials transition, is one of the most complicated and View Details

2021
Chapter

Governing for Growth in Scope: Cultivating a Comparative Understanding of How Peer Production Collectives Evolve

By: Rebecca Karp, Amisha Miller and Siobhan O'Mahony

One of the early challenges for any peer production collective is how to govern the growth of new members or contributors. Scope growth was not a topic of concern when scholars were focused on understanding the emergence of peer production collectives as a phenomenon... View Details

Keywords: Peer Production Collectives; Scope Growth; Collaborative Innovation and Invention; Governance; Growth Management

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13 Nov 2013
Research & Ideas

Should Men’s Products Fear a Woman’s Touch?

really goes away. Since the dawn of advertising, retailers have made a point of marketing separate lines of branded products for men and women in many categories, even in cases where their functions are essentially the same. It's a... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Consumer Products; Food & Beverage; Auto

Web

Classroom and Field Work - Business Education For Women At Harvard University | Harvard Business School

hundreds of business cases, written by HBS faculty. Small study groups as well as teacher-facilitated classroom discussions provided opportunities for students to explore the business problems identified, recommend a course of action,... View Details

March 1996
Case

Ernst & Young United Kingdom (A) (Abridged)

By: John J. Gabarro and Samantha Graff

Intended to be a robust example of the challenges encountered during the early stages of a large-scale organizational transformation effort in a professional service firm. Describes a massive change program initiated and led by the new managing partner along with a... View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Leading Change; Management Teams; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Restructuring; Problems and Challenges; United Kingdom; London

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September 2011 (Revised October 2012)
Case

Ganging Up on Cancer: Integrative Research Centers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (A)

By: Heidi K. Gardner, Edo Bedzra and Shereef M. Elnahal

Dr. Barrett Rollins, Chief Scientific Officer of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, attempts to engender cross-scientist collaboration by applying project management principles to medical research. The resulting innovation, Integrative Research Centers, are novel in... View Details

Keywords: Problems and Challenges; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Change Management; Motivation and Incentives; Employees; Performance Evaluation; Leadership Style; Leadership; Collaborative Innovation and Invention; Innovation and Management

March 2006
Case

The Whitesides Lab

By: H. Kent Bowen and Francesca Gino

A significant part of the long-term economic growth in developed economies depends on the translation of scientific research into new products and processes. Focuses on the front end of this value creation stream. The laboratory of George Whitesides has a 30-year... View Details

Keywords: Research; Performance Productivity; Economic Growth; Infrastructure; Creativity; Groups and Teams; Value Creation; Factories, Labs, and Plants; Leadership; Resource Allocation

February 1975 (Revised December 1991)
Case

Elizabeth Best (C)

By: Wickham Skinner and Ardis Burst

Discusses a problem that confronted the appointee later--how to get a large, complex job accomplished without evident resources. View Details

Keywords: Projects; Problems and Challenges

Web

Career risks and professional growth: Finding a fulfilling career with Paige Arnof-Fenn (MBA 1991) - Recruiting

decision making. I later joined three tech startups as head of marketing. Their fast-paced environments pushed me to adapt quickly and think on my feet and brought new View Details

November 2008 (Revised November 2024)
Case

The Fall of Enron

By: Paul Healy and Krishna Palepu

The case traces the rise of Enron, covering the company's business innovations, personnel management, and risk management processes. It then examines the company's dramatic fall including the extension of its trading model into questionable new businesses, the... View Details

Keywords: Risk Management; Management Practices and Processes; Crime and Corruption; Financial Reporting; Corporate Governance; Governing and Advisory Boards

July 2008 (Revised January 2012)
Case

Enterprise Risk Management at Hydro One (A)

By: Anette Mikes

An early adopter of Enterprise Risk Management, energy giant Hydro One anticipated new threats and opportunities in an industry that faced climate change and carbon legislation, the deregulation of electricity markets, and the greater adoption of renewable... View Details

Keywords: Capital Budgeting; Knowledge Sharing; Managerial Roles; Risk Management; Strategic Planning; Situation or Environment; Environmental Sustainability; Renewable Energy; Energy Industry

Dennis Yao is the Lawrence E. Fouraker Professor of Business Administration and Chair of the Doctoral Programs at Harvard Business School. He joined the faculty in 2004 after having been at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. From 1991-1994 he served as... View Details

Keywords: automotive; defense; federal government; high technology

11 Apr 2023
Research & Ideas

Is Amazon a Retailer, a Tech Firm, or a Media Company? How AI Can Help Investors Decide

they are representative. I feel the S&P 500 could have a challenge down the road as an index, in my opinion, that is even more representative of the market and therefore give investors more of an idea of... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost; Consumer Products; Real Estate; Financial Services; Retail

April 1997
Case

Battle of Mannheim, The

By: Hugo Uyterhoeven

Focuses in detail on implementing a corporate restructuring program in ABB's German subsidiary. Special attention is given to Germany's unique form of industrial governance. Two major problem areas--power plants and power transformers--are described in detail, as is a... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Governance; Energy Generation; Salesforce Management; Business or Company Management; Restructuring; Programs; Energy Industry; Germany