Publications

April 2018 (Revised October 2023)
Case

Coco Chanel: From Fashion Icon to Nazi Agent

By: Geoffrey Jones and Emily Grandjean

This case describes the career of the iconic French fashion designer Coco Chanel who created a transformational business during the first half of the 20th century. Beginning in her early adulthood, Chanel leveraged relationships with acquaintances, friends, and... View Details

Keywords: Business History; Biography; Entrepreneurship; Relationships; Brands and Branding; Ethics; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry

24 Apr 2019
Blog Post

Meet the Latino Student Organization

initiatives related to MBA admissions, alumni, career development and more to advocate for and empower the Latino community on campus and beyond.... View Details

06 Mar 2025
Blog Post

IFC India 2025: Sustainability in Action: Inside Hindustan Unilever’s Public Sanitation and Plastic Recycling Facilities

across the country. Introduction and ContextOur time in India exposed the severe risks vulnerable populations face due to climate change, while showcasing the resilience of local communities working to... View Details

02 Nov 2023
Blog Post

Getting a Peek Into the HBS Experience

current students to learn about the HBS community and student experience, and hear about MBA admissions and financial aid. Recently, we had the... View Details

Reshmaan N. Hussam

Reshmaan Hussam is an associate professor of business administration in the Business, Government and International Economy Unit, a Faculty Research Fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), and a faculty affiliate at the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty... View Details

August 1986 (Revised May 1989)
Case

Timken Co.

Describes the efforts of the Timken Co., a major international producer of bearings and steel, to develop an effective employee communication program. The case examines the intense international competitive atmosphere, the recent record of job losses in related... View Details

Keywords: Employees; Communication Strategy; Manufacturing Industry; Steel Industry

April 2015
Supplement

Cynthia Carroll at Anglo American Video Supplement

By: Gautam Mukunda

This is a video supplement for the Cynthia Carroll at Anglo American case series. The video features Cynthia Carroll reflecting on her implementation of organizational transformation at Anglo American in regards to the mining company's safety culture. View Details

Keywords: Leadership And Change Management; Leadership, Personal Strategy ＆ Style; Change Management; Change; Safety; Organizational Culture; Leadership; Leadership Style; Mining Industry; South Africa

17 Oct 2022
Research & Ideas

Why Quiet Quitters Need More Than Money to Re-Engage

There’s a scene in the drama series Mad Men when junior ad exec Peggy Olson complains to her mercurial boss Don Draper, “You never say thank you.” Don peevishly replies: “That’s what the money is for!” Harvard Business School Professors Rawi E. Abdelal and Thomas J.... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

September 1998 (Revised April 2001)
Case

Sealed Air Taiwan (A)

By: Lynn S. Paine and Robert J. Crawford

The general manager for U.S.-based Sealed Air Corp.'s Taiwan subsidiary must decide whether he's hired the right person to bridge the gap between Sealed Air's corporate culture and Taiwan's business culture. This case details Bob Kayser's experiences in trying to... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Relationships; Service Operations; Motivation and Incentives; Management Skills; Compensation and Benefits; Taiwan; United States

Profile

Ann Chao

forward to in your career? I look forward to being a bridge between people and cultures - business and creative, the US and Asia. My dream since... View Details

Keywords: Entertainment / Media

June 2025
Article

Integral Outside: The Financial Curb Market, the Electric Telegraph, and the Politics of Pricing in Second Empire France

By: Charlotte Robertson

Financial markets in nineteenth-century France were far more complex than an analysis of the official Bourse or its state-authorized brokers would suggest. Most financial transactions occurred on an illegal yet tacitly tolerated curb market called the coulisse, which... View Details

Keywords: Financial Markets; History; Communication Technology; Knowledge Dissemination; France

Keywords: Sugar, Agribusiness, Bicycles, Insurance

2020
Working Paper

Performance Hacking: The Contagious Business Practice that Corrodes Corporate Culture, Undermines Core Values, and Damages Great Companies

By: Robert D. Austin and Richard L. Nolan

August 7, 1955 is an important date in commercial aviation history. You could say it began the jet airliner age, though other dates might also qualify. Jet engines had proven successful in military aircraft. But no one knew then whether members of the general public... View Details

Keywords: Performance; Organizational Culture; Values and Beliefs

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05 Sep 2018
Research & Ideas

The Hidden Benefit of Giving Back to Open Source Software

anyone. As part of the open source ethos, it is expected that people or companies who use open source code will “give back” to the community in the form of code improvements and enhancements. View Details

Keywords: by Kristen Senz; Computer

April 2022
Case

NIO: A Chinese EV Company's Global Strategy

By: William C. Kirby, Shu Lin and Noah B. Truwit

Founded in November 2014 and based in Shanghai, NIO designed, jointly manufactured, and sold premium “smart” EVs. Its mission was to “shape a joyful lifestyle by offering high-performance smart electric vehicles and being the best user enterprise. At NIO Day 2021,... View Details

Keywords: Electric Vehicles; Expansion; Technological Innovation; Market Entry and Exit; Competitive Strategy; Consumer Behavior; Green Technology; Auto Industry; China; Europe; Norway

February 2009 (Revised September 2011)
Case

Big Spaceship: Ready to Go Big?

By: Boris Groysberg and Michael Slind

Big Spaceship, a digital marketing agency, faced a rather big challenge: How to scale the distinctive culture that was essential to its competitive strategy? Renowned for the cutting-edge websites that it developed to market major Hollywood movies and leading consumer... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Innovation and Management; Human Capital; Growth and Development Strategy; Marketing; Organizational Culture; Organizational Design; Groups and Teams; Competitive Strategy; Value Creation

01 Apr 2011
Working Paper Summaries

When Power Makes Others Speechless: The Negative Impact of Leader Power on Team Performance

Keywords: by Leigh Plunkett Tost, Francesca Gino & Richard P. Larrick

October 2005 (Revised February 2008)
Case

Sales Force Integration at FedEx (A)

By: David B. Godes

Federal Express' (FedEx) recent acquisition of RPS--a ground delivery firm--gave the firm the potential to offer a single source for a client's delivery needs. However, to deliver on this potential, the firm needed to deliver the integrated solution through a single... View Details

Keywords: Horizontal Integration; Salesforce Management; Transportation; Compensation and Benefits; Transportation Industry

May 2000
Case

J & B

Michael Stoner finds himself called upon to reposition a once venerable and highly profitable brand of Scotch whisky. He must find a cultural trend. View Details

Keywords: Demand and Consumers; Product Positioning; Culture; Food and Beverage Industry