Publications

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January 2003 (Revised May 2003)
Case

Heineken NV: Workplace HIV/AIDS Programs in Africa (B)

Second in a three-part series that explores the multifaceted organizational and strategic choices that companies now face as a result of the global AIDS epidemic. Heineken is considering becoming one of the first companies to offer AIDS drugs (antiretroviral therapy)... View Details

Keywords: Health Disorders; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Employees; Food and Beverage Industry; Africa

March 2010
Supplement

Whose Money Is It Anyway? (C)

By: V.G. Narayanan, Richard G. Hamermesh and Rachel Gordon

The case describes how the Brigham and Women's Physicians Organization and its corporate parent resolved the issue of how the disputed funds would be distributed and used. View Details

Keywords: Corporate Governance; Business Subsidiaries; Organizational Design; Conflict and Resolution; Resource Allocation; Health Industry

August 2022 (Revised November 2024)
Case

Sweet Teez Bakery: Projecting the Dough’s Rise

By: Emily R. McComb, Mel Martin and Amy Klopfenstein

In 2021, the HBS Impact Investment Fund student team met with entrepreneur Teresa Maynard, who had applied for a $25,000 impact investment loan. The students thought the former Harvard Data Scientist’s bakery business, Sweet Teez Bakery, showed promise. Maynard had... View Details

Keywords: Impact Investment; Entrepreneurship; Social Entrepreneurship; Finance; Investment; Goods and Commodities; Financial Reporting; Small Business; Food and Beverage Industry; United States; Massachusetts

December 1998 (Revised September 1999)
Case

Novartis: Betting on Life Sciences

By: Ray A. Goldberg, Carin-Isabel Knoop and Srinivas Sunder

The merger of Ciba-Geigy and Sandoz produced genomic-based synergies for health care, agribusiness, and nutritional supplements. How to build on the strength of the individual divisions and provide synergies that would continue Novartis' leadership role is the question... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Divisions; Health Care and Treatment; Leadership; Product Positioning; Science-Based Business; Corporate Strategy; Pharmaceutical Industry

July 2023
Article

Deep Responsibility and Irresponsibility in the Beauty Industry

By: Geoffrey Jones

This article employs the concept of deep responsibility to assess the social responsibility of the beauty industry over time. It shows that many of today’s problems with the industry have deep historical roots. Products have too many ingredients that are potential... View Details

Keywords: Business History; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry

November 1991 (Revised April 1994)
Case

Nucleon, Inc.

By: Gary P. Pisano

Nucleon is a small biotechnology company whose first potential product is about to enter clinical testing. Before Nucleon can begin clinical trials, however, its management must decide how and where to manufacture the product. Three options are being contemplated: 1)... View Details

Keywords: Factories, Labs, and Plants; Entrepreneurship; Health Testing and Trials; Rights; Product Development; Production; Partners and Partnerships; Research and Development; Biotechnology Industry

19 Jul 2019
Blog Post

Making a Broader Impact with Multiple Disciplines

management and business development roles within healthcare startups, and/or work in strategy and investing for early-stage health care VC funds. Autonomous surgical robots, health care artificial... View Details

April 1995 (Revised August 1995)
Case

Empire Blue Cross and Blue Shield (A)

By: Regina E. Herzlinger and Ramona Hilgenkamp

Mounting financial losses and increasing public scrutiny present many challenges to the board of directors of a large nonprofit health insurer. This case series presents chronologically the increasing problems of the company. View Details

Keywords: Governing and Advisory Boards; Corporate Governance; Financial Condition; Organizational Culture; Problems and Challenges; Nonprofit Organizations; Insurance Industry

February 2019 (Revised September 2021)
Case

The a2 Milk Company

By: Benjamin C. Esty and Daniel Fisher

The a2 Milk Company (a2MC) became the most valuable company listed on the New Zealand stock exchange in 2018 by capitalizing on a biochemical discovery related to the protein composition of cow's milk. Because many people find the A1 protein difficult to digest, and... View Details

Web

Faculty & Research

decision-making. This study addresses this gap by examining how organizations decide which innovations to implement and how the selection process influences their design and use. Drawing on a two-year ethnographic study, the research explores how 13 dyadic pairs of... View Details

03 Jan 2007
First Look

First Look: January 3, 2007

Working PapersCan Higher Prices Stimulate Product Use? Evidence from a Field Experiment in Zambia Authors:Nava Ashraf, James Berry, and Jesse M. Shapiro Abstract The pricing of health products in the developing world has become a center... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

08 Jan 2014
What Do You Think?

Do Productivity Increases Contribute to Social Inequality?

and) directly create millions of new US mfg jobs " Mark Clark expressed concerns about the link between inequality and democracy, advancing a proposal that might also address some concerns about productivity and inequality. As he put it, "A foundational step... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

Career Coach

Kelsey Holland

If you’re looking to launch or join a startup, Kelsey can help! Kelsey’s worked in a variety of roles ranging from product manager to corporate venture investor to co-founder during her 8.5 years working prior to HBS. She has extensive... View Details

June 1999 (Revised May 2000)
Case

EndoSonics

EndoSonics is a manufacturer of a sophisticated medical device--a catheter that can take ultrasonic images within the blood vessels of the heart. The company deals with a series of challenges that relate to implementing a difficult technology in the face of a complex... View Details

Keywords: Information Technology; Distribution; Decision Choices and Conditions; Corporate Strategy; Entrepreneurship; Health Care and Treatment; Problems and Challenges; Manufacturing Industry; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry

21 Feb 2007
Op-Ed

What a U.N. Partnership with Big Business Could Accomplish

for a local business to flourish, it must invariably be connected to world markets, credit, and technology. That's why multinational corporations must play a critical role. The goal of poverty reduction will not be reached unless the... View Details

Keywords: by George C. Lodge & Craig Wilson

10 Jan 2005
Research & Ideas

Motivation and the Cross-Sector Alliance

society through a cultural change that had solidarity as its core value. In our sample alliances, this motivation was associated with a specific company type: family-owned businesses. These are companies controlled by an individual or a family, despite the existence of... View Details

Keywords: by James Austin, Ezequiel Reficco & SEKN research team

Article

Tread Lightly Through These Accounting Minefields

By: H. David Sherman and S. David Young

In the current economic climate, there is tremendous pressure—and personal incentive for managers—to report sales growth and meet investors' revenue expectations. As a result, more companies have been issuing misleading financial reports, according to the SEC,... View Details

Keywords: Derivatives; Benchmarking Performance; Accounting; Revenue Recognition; Assets