Publications

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Article

How Much (More) Should CEOs Make? A Universal Desire for More Equal Pay

By: Sorapop Kiatpongsan and Michael I. Norton

Do people from different countries and different backgrounds have similar preferences for how much more the rich should earn than the poor? Using survey data from 40 countries (N = 55,238), we compare respondents' estimates of the wages of people in different... View Details

Keywords: Inequality; Justice; Wage; Cross-cultural; Wages; Equality and Inequality; Fairness; Income; Employees; Management Teams; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues

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28 Jul 2008
Research & Ideas

Making the Decision to Franchise (or not)

demographic characteristics. Motivated Managers That is one of the biggest decisions a business can make, Campbell says. Franchising creates a strong motivation for local managers to maximize performance, since they're rewarded with a... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Retail

29 Sep 2023
Blog Post

HBS Latino Student Association Spotlight: Reyna Pacheco Rios (MBA 2025)

compared to any racial or ethnic demographic in the United States. 4. Latinos currently represent $1 trillion of spending while their market share continues to grow. I hope to use my education here to help change these statistics in my... View Details

21 Jul 2020
News

Starbucks Commits to Raising Awareness of Racial Bias

01 Oct 1999
News

Eight Among Many: Peter G. Harf

The room lights up when Peter Harf talks about perfume. His enthusiasm is contagious as he discusses a new cosmetics collection. The chairman and CEO of Coty Inc., one of the world's leading fragrance and cosmetics companies with $1.7 billion in annual sales, Harf is a... View Details

Keywords: Susan Young

June 2021
Case

Bozoma Saint John: Leading with Authenticity and Urgency

By: Francesca Gino and Frances X. Frei

In this multimedia case, Bozoma Saint John recounts numerous defining moments from her childhood and work experiences. We learn what empowered and inspired her to be her authentic self, to be vulnerable and open to new experiences, to find commonality with others, to... View Details

Keywords: Biases; Personal Development and Career; Identity; Interests; Ethics; Values and Beliefs; Opportunities; Leadership Style; Diversity

October 2003
Case

Henry Tam and the MGI Team

By: Jeffrey T. Polzer, Ingrid Vargas and Hillary Anger Elfenbein

Within a short time frame, seven diverse team members assemble to write a business plan for a new company and struggle to define their roles, make decisions together, and resolve conflict. Henry Tam, a second-year Harvard MBA student, who joins an aspiring start-up... View Details

Keywords: Interpersonal Communication; Business Plan; Groups and Teams; Decision Making; Jobs and Positions; Leadership Style; Human Resources; Management Teams; Conflict and Resolution; Diversity

September 2017 (Revised March 2019)
Case

Henry Kissinger: Negotiating Black Majority Rule in Rhodesia (A)

By: James K. Sebenius and Laurence A. Green

In 1976, a growing crisis in Southern Africa drew the attention of United States Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger. White Rhodesian leader Ian Smith's refusal to accede to black majority rule threatened to widen into a regional conflict involving apartheid South... View Details

Keywords: Equality and Inequality; Race; Negotiation Process; Negotiation Participants; Government and Politics; Africa; United States

22 Sep 2022
News

The Beauty Guide

Courtesy Michelle Freyre Courtesy Michelle Freyre When Michelle Freyre (MBA 1997) was a brand manager at Neutrogena, Michael McNamara, global president of the beauty brand at the time, asked what she wanted to do with her career. She answered, “I want to be you. I want... View Details

Keywords: Maureen Harmon

31 Aug 2020
News

Why Don’t More Organizations Understand the Power of Diversity and Inclusion?

February 2020
Case

Bill Riddick and the Durham S.O.S. Charrette

By: Francesca Gino and Jeffrey Huizinga

Bill Riddick employs the charrette process to help black and white community leaders overcome differences and desegregate local schools in Durham, North Carolina. View Details

Keywords: Charrette; Schools; Desegregation; Education; Social Issues; Race; Leading Change; History; Durham; North Carolina

September 2003 (Revised January 2004)
Case

Wal-Mart Stores in 2003

By: Pankaj Ghemawat, Stephen P. Bradley and Ken Mark

Examines Wal-Mart's development over three decades and provides financial and descriptive detail of its domestic operations. In 2003, Wal-Mart's Supercenter business has surpassed its domestic business as the largest generator of revenues. Its international operation... View Details

Keywords: Wages; Fairness; Corporate Strategy; Operations; Labor Unions; Problems and Challenges; Gender; Globalized Firms and Management; Competitive Advantage; Retail Industry; United States

06 Aug 2019
Blog Post

Entrepreneurship and Global Capitalism - Discovering the Business of Storytelling

languages, cities, interests. We’re also American. So how do we tell our stories? Especially as South Asians become the largest diaspora and the fastest-growing major demographic in the United States. Especially as people increasingly... View Details

05 Jun 2019
Blog Post

Exploring the Beauty Industry through an Independent Project

regularly, understand that different mediums attract different audiences across demographics and age groups, and engage brand partners who are able to elevate their status and help them reach new audiences. I had also taken an interest... View Details

15 Dec 2023
News

Like-Minded

Yumiko Murakami (MBA 1994), Miwa Seki (MBA 1993), and Kathy Matsui share the same month and year of birth, so the friends started an annual birthday get-together to reflect on the year ahead. Work was always a hot topic of discussion. Each woman had built a strong... View Details

March–April 2020
Article

What's Really Holding Women Back? It's Not What Most People Think

By: R. Ely and Irene Padavic

Ask people to explain why women remain so dramatically underrepresented in the senior ranks of most companies, and you will hear from the vast majority a lament that goes something like this: High-level jobs require extremely long hours, women's devotion to family... View Details

Keywords: Overwork; Employment; Gender; Equality and Inequality; Work-Life Balance; Organizational Culture

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June 2012 (Revised May 2013)
Case

A.P. Møller - Maersk Group: Evaluating Strategic Talent Management Initiatives

By: Boris Groysberg and Sarah Abbott

In 2012, Bill Allen and Maria Pejter, of Maersk Group's Human Resources Department, sat down to consider some key aspects of Maersk's talent management strategy. Headquartered in Copenhagen, Maersk was a global conglomerate with large shipping and oil & gas businesses.... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Development; Human Resource Management; Talent Management; Organizational Change And Transformation; Corporate Culture; Hiring; Employee Training; Strategy; Selection and Staffing; Talent and Talent Management; Training; Retention; Diversity; Denmark