History By Inference - Publications - Faculty & Research

29 Mar 2013
Working Paper Summaries

Entrepreneurs, Firms, and Global Wealth since 1850

28 Nov 2018
HBS Case

On Target: Rethinking the Retail Website

jimkruger In the mid-1990s, Target was a discount superstore behemoth. The retailer had set itself apart from chief rival Walmart with a focus on more upscale but wallet-friendly fashion and lifestyle lines, spurring double-digit growth View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Retail

29 May 2008
Research & Ideas

Global Change in the Built Environment

away with? We had sessions on innovation, real estate derivatives, the history of housing crises, trade deficits, the global economy, business ethics, stem cell research, and China's role in the new world economy. The link between them is... View Details

Keywords: by Arthur Segel; Construction; Real Estate

21 Aug 2006
Research & Ideas

How Europe Wrote the Rules of Global Finance

legal, and political history of financial globalization. This article is part of the larger project. My book, Capital Rules: The Construction of Global Finance, is going to be published by Harvard University... View Details

Keywords: by Ann Cullen

29 Oct 2012
Research & Ideas

Are You Paying a Tip--or a Bribe?

about and weighs the past and future. In some places, tips are provided not so much to reward good service but to encourage good service in the future—a perception that brings the tip closer to the purpose of a bribe, which is also focused on future service. A View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

04 Apr 2022
Research & Ideas

Tech Hubs: How Software Brought Talent and Prosperity to New Cities

note. Fold in the recent rise of remote work amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the question arises: Has the trend peaked? Tech history as told by patents To look at the trends, Kerr and Chattergoon examined... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

03 Oct 2005
Research & Ideas

The Truck Driver Who Reinvented Shipping

Malcolm P. McLean, a truck driver, fundamentally transformed the centuries-old shipping industry, an industry that had long decided that it had no incentive to change. By developing the first safe, reliable, and cost effective approach to... View Details

Keywords: by Anthony J. Mayo & Nitin Nohria; Manufacturing; Transportation; Aerospace

21 Mar 2016
Lessons from the Classroom

When Your Classmate is an NBA Superstar (or Fashion Model, or Movie Actress)

approach, spearheading efforts to cut the rising costs of programming at the network by directing staff members to choose less expensive content and rely less on pricey A-list actors. Horn’s strategy paid off: View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Entertainment & Recreation; Sports; Media & Broadcasting; Education

03 Jan 2011
Research & Ideas

Most Popular Articles of 2010

dispersed around the globe. But the one theme that has attracted the most HBS Working Knowledge readers over our 11-year history is how to improve personal leadership skills. A third of the articles on this page relate to improving work... View Details

Keywords: by Staff

21 Aug 2000
Research & Ideas

Inside the OR: Disrupted Routines and New Technologies

technology. Much of the research to date on innovation has focused on factors in an organization—timing of adoption decisions, overall organizational support of innovation, and an organization's history of innovation—that are one step... View Details

Keywords: by Hilah Geer

07 May 2018
Research & Ideas

Why Online Retailers Should Hide Their Best Discounts

tweaked the website, the overall sales conversion rate for buyers actually went up by as much as 23 percent, meaning that customers weren’t just buying higher-priced items, rather, they were buying more items overall. When Teixeira and... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Retail

07 May 2007
Research & Ideas

Rediscovering Schumpeter: The Power of Capitalism

personality. Something of a dandy, Schumpeter (1883-1950) was a hit with women, adored by students, and both made and lost a fortune in a matter of years. He also once initiated a sword fight with a librarian—and won. McCraw, the Isidor... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Education

30 May 2005
Research & Ideas

Germany’s Pioneering Corporate Managers

this interview he discusses the development of the German corporation and what modern managers can learn from that history. The book was edited by Thomas K. McCraw, the Isidor Straus Professor of Business View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

21 Aug 2017
Lessons from the Classroom

Companies Love Big Data But Lack the Strategy To Use It Effectively

design. Deighton discussed how new sources of data starting to be generated by the Internet of Things will impact the advertising-based hegemony of Google, Amazon, and Facebook. “The best picture we have today of an industry running on... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

October 2014
Article

Industrial Policy and the Creation of New Industries: Evidence from Brazil's Bioethanol Industry

By: Santiago Mingo and Tarun Khanna

Industrial policy programs are frequently used by governments to stimulate economic activity in particular sectors of the economy. This study explores how an industrial policy program can affect the creation and evolution of an industry and, ultimately, the long-term... View Details

Keywords: Economic Sectors; Policy; Economic Growth; Government and Politics; Energy Sources; Green Technology Industry; Energy Industry; Brazil

Citation

Find at Harvard

29 Mar 2022
Book

5 Qualities That Help Companies Thrive for Decades—Even Centuries

years. That’s a lot of war, natural disaster, and political turmoil to survive. The new book Leadership to Last: How Great Leaders Leave Legacies Behind looks at the ingredients of long-lasting businesses in South Asia, focusing specifically on companies in India.... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

13 Nov 2013
Research & Ideas

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

to an intensive study of a defining moment in the history of an iconic brand: when Porsche launched its first sport-utility vehicle, dubbed the Cayenne, after a long history of creating sports cars. Porsches... View Details

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

17 May 2010
Research & Ideas

What Brazil Teaches About Investor Protection

The current debate in the United States about how to regulate Wall Street focuses on laws, regulations, and monitoring. But lawmakers may want to look to history for guidance, to Brazil 100 years ago, when transparent governance and... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Banking; Financial Services

16 Feb 2021
Research & Ideas

To Fight Climate Change, Should Green Investors Reconsider Big Oil?

Should eco-conscious investors support a company that’s developing innovative solutions to climate change—even if that company is also a major polluter? The market’s answer to this question has been a resounding “no,” as evidenced by the... View Details

Keywords: by Kristen Senz; Energy

21 Mar 2016
Working Paper Summaries

Voluntary, Self-Regulatory, and Mandatory Disclosure of Oil and Gas Company Payments to Foreign Governments

Keywords: by Paul M. Healy and George Serafeim; Energy

Publications