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Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(1,434)
- People (2)
- News (314)
- Research (1,003)
- Events (9)
- Multimedia (10)
- Faculty Publications (506)
- September 2015 (Revised July 2025)
- Background Note
Ethical Analysis: Situation versus Character
When we think of human behavior, especially from a moral perspective, we often rely on explanations based on character. We think that good decisions and responsible behavior require people with integrity and strong character and that immoral behavior originates within... View Details
Keywords: Decision Choices and Conditions; Ethics; Behavior; Personal Characteristics; Power and Influence; Situation or Environment; Values and Beliefs; Social Psychology
Nohria, Nitin, Sandra J. Sucher, Joseph Badaracco, Edward H. Chang, and Bridget Gurtler. "Ethical Analysis: Situation versus Character." Harvard Business School Background Note 316-078, September 2015. (Revised July 2025.)
- 2014
- Working Paper
Evolution of Land Distribution in West Bengal 1967-2004: Role of Land Reform and Demographic Changes
By: Pranab Bardhan, Michael Luca, Dilip Mookherjee and Francisco Pino
This paper studies how land reform and population growth affect land inequality and landlessness, focusing particularly on indirect effects owing to their influence on household divisions and land market transactions. Theoretical predictions of a model of household... View Details
Keywords: Inequality; Land Reform; Household Division; Land Markets; Equality and Inequality; Property; West Bengal
Bardhan, Pranab, Michael Luca, Dilip Mookherjee, and Francisco Pino. "Evolution of Land Distribution in West Bengal 1967-2004: Role of Land Reform and Demographic Changes." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 14-066, January 2014.
- September 2011
- Article
How Did Increased Competition Affect Credit Ratings?
The credit rating industry has historically been dominated by just two agencies, Moody's and S&P, leading to longstanding legislative and regulatory calls for increased competition. The material entry of a third rating agency (Fitch) to the competitive landscape offers... View Details
Keywords: Credit; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Competition; Forecasting and Prediction; Theory
Becker, Bo, and Todd Milbourn. "How Did Increased Competition Affect Credit Ratings?" Journal of Financial Economics 101, no. 3 (September 2011): 493–514.
- April 2008
- Module Note
Service Design in the Context of Customer-Operators
By: Frances X. Frei
Taught as the second module in a Harvard Business School course on Managing Service Operations: Understanding the Customer Operating Role (606-092). Addresses the design and management of service operations with significant customer operating roles. The focus is on... View Details
Frei, Frances X. "Service Design in the Context of Customer-Operators." Harvard Business School Module Note 608-134, April 2008.
- February 2008 (Revised December 2023)
- Case
Digital Music: From MP3 to Streaming
By: Willy Shih
The emergence of the MP3 file-based music format not only disrupted the market for portable audio players, it also impacted the business models of major record labels. Modularity, and the commoditization spillover enabled by modularity in the personal computer... View Details
Keywords: Recording; Digital Devices; Digital Media; Digital Music; Digital; Digital Economics; Consumer Electronics; Customer Value and Value Chain; Disruptive Innovation; Technological Innovation; Information Technology; Music Industry; Technology Industry; Electronics Industry; United States
Shih, Willy. "Digital Music: From MP3 to Streaming." Harvard Business School Case 608-119, February 2008. (Revised December 2023.)
- 2008
- Working Paper
How Did Increased Competition Affect Credit Ratings?
The credit rating industry has historically been dominated by just two agencies, Moody's and S&P, leading to longstanding legislative and regulatory calls for increased competition. The material entry of a third rating agency (Fitch) to the competitive landscape offers... View Details
Keywords: Credit; Financial Markets; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Quality; Reputation; Competition; Financial Services Industry
Becker, Bo, and Todd Milbourn. "How Did Increased Competition Affect Credit Ratings?" Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 09-051, October 2008. (Revised July 2009, September 2010.)
- December 2019
- Case
Steemit: A New Social Media?
By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell, Alexander White and Karen Elterman
This case discusses the alternative social media site Steemit, including the principles it was founded on in 2016 and the challenges it faced in 2019. Steemit was a blockchain-based platform that aimed to differentiate itself from other social media companies by... View Details
Keywords: Decision Making; Decisions; Voting; Economic Systems; Money; Fairness; Values and Beliefs; Goals and Objectives; Digital Platforms; Product Design; Design; Problems and Challenges; Network Effects; Motivation and Incentives; Social and Collaborative Networks; Reputation; Business Strategy; Competition; Internet and the Web; Social Media; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; United States; Virginia; New York (city, NY)
Casadesus-Masanell, Ramon, Alexander White, and Karen Elterman. "Steemit: A New Social Media?" Harvard Business School Case 720-428, December 2019.
- 2014
- Book
Can China Lead? Reaching the Limits of Power and Growth
By: Regina M. Abrami, William C. Kirby and F. Warren McFarlan
At the time of the American Revolution, China was the strongest, richest, and most powerful civilization in the world. The Great Qing Empire ruled China and dominated East Asia by a combination of power and cultural prestige. China's economy was the world's largest.... View Details
Abrami, Regina M., William C. Kirby, and F. Warren McFarlan. Can China Lead? Reaching the Limits of Power and Growth. Harvard Business Review Press, 2014.
- 1978
- Article
An Incentive Compatible Planning Procedure for Public Good Production
By: Jerry R. Green and Jean-Jacques Laffont
It is only recently that economic theorists have faced the fact that the proposed allocation mechanisms in economies with public goods might have bad incentive properties. In this paper we introduce a new planning procedure such that truthful revelation of the marginal... View Details
Green, Jerry R., and Jean-Jacques Laffont. "An Incentive Compatible Planning Procedure for Public Good Production." Scandinavian Journal of Economics 80, no. 1 (1978): 20–33.
- February 2003
- Other Article
The Emergence and Sustainability of Abnormal Profits
By: Michael E. Porter and Anita M. McGahan
In this paper, we examine the emergence and the sustainability of abnormal profits among businesses that were part of U.S. public corporations between 1981 and 1994 and that reported financial results for at least six years. Our results reveal strong asymmetries... View Details
Porter, Michael E., and Anita M. McGahan. "The Emergence and Sustainability of Abnormal Profits." Strategic Organization 1, no. 1 (February 2003): 79–108.
- October 2003 (Revised March 2004)
- Case
Symbian: Setting the Mobility Standard
By: Fernando F. Suarez and Thomas R. Eisenmann
Symbian, a joint venture owned by companies who collectively sold a dominant share of the world's cell phones, faced competition from Microsoft in developing the operating system for "smartphones," which integrated mobile communications and computing functions. In... View Details
Keywords: Competition; Joint Ventures; Information Technology; Software; Wireless Technology; Mobile Technology; Information Technology Industry; Telecommunications Industry
Suarez, Fernando F., and Thomas R. Eisenmann. "Symbian: Setting the Mobility Standard." Harvard Business School Case 804-076, October 2003. (Revised March 2004.)
- November 1989 (Revised January 1991)
- Case
Honda Motor Co. and Honda of America (A)
In its 43-year history, Honda grew from an also-ran in the Japanese motorcycle market to a dominant force in the worldwide motorcycle and automobile markets. To do this, Honda has developed a unique organizational style based on constructive conflict and organizational... View Details
Keywords: Expansion; Organizational Culture; Business Processes; Motorcycle Industry; Auto Industry; Japan; United States
Pearson, Andrall E. "Honda Motor Co. and Honda of America (A)." Harvard Business School Case 390-111, November 1989. (Revised January 1991.)
- Research Summary
India Transformed? Insights from the Firm Level 1988-2005 (with Anusha Chari)
By: Laura Alfaro
Using firm-level data this paper analyzes, the transformation of India’s economic structure following the implementation of economic reforms. The focus of the study is on publicly-listed and unlisted firms from across a wide spectrum of manufacturing and services... View Details
- 2009
- Working Paper
India Transformed: Insights from the Firm Level 1988-2005
By: Laura Alfaro and Anusha Chari
Using firm-level data this paper analyzes, the transformation of India's economic structure following the implementation of economic reforms. The focus of the study is on publicly-listed and unlisted firms from across a wide spectrum of manufacturing and services... View Details
Keywords: Transformation; Economic Sectors; Economy; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Growth and Development Strategy; India
Alfaro, Laura, and Anusha Chari. "India Transformed: Insights from the Firm Level 1988-2005." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 10-030, October 2009. (NBER Working Paper Series, No. 15448, October 2009.)
- July 2020 (Revised July 2023)
- Case
Live Nation and Pharrell Williams
By: Anita Elberse and Kate Christensen
“We’re in business together, and whether we lose a few million dollars or make a few million dollars, let’s do this. If you think you can pull it off, I’m behind you.” Michael Rapino, chief executive officer of Live Nation, the world’s leading live entertainment... View Details
Keywords: Music; Entertainment; Superstars; Talent; Labor Economics; General Management; Music Entertainment; Media; Talent and Talent Management; Joint Ventures; Marketing; Strategy; Music Industry
Elberse, Anita, and Kate Christensen. "Live Nation and Pharrell Williams." Harvard Business School Case 521-005, July 2020. (Revised July 2023.)
- April 2021
- Case
Transforming BlackBerry: From Smartphones to Software
By: Ranjay Gulati and Nicole Tempest Keller
On the verge of failure, BlackBerry brought in John Chen as CEO in 2013 to orchestrate a bold turnaround of the company. Once an iconic leader in the smartphone market, BlackBerry was best known for its tactile QWERTY keyboard, strong security, and a focus on business... View Details
Keywords: Pivot; Managing Change; Turnaround; Smartphone; Change Management; Leading Change; Transformation; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Digital Platforms; Change; Information Infrastructure; Applications and Software; Competitive Strategy; Cybersecurity; Technology Industry; Transportation Industry; Canada
Gulati, Ranjay, and Nicole Tempest Keller. "Transforming BlackBerry: From Smartphones to Software." Harvard Business School Case 421-052, April 2021.
- January 2025
- Case
COMAC - Chinese Aviation Soars to New Heights
By: William C. Kirby and Daniel Fu
COMAC's C919 manifested the first challenge to the Boeing-Airbus duopoly since it came to dominate aircraft manufacturing in the 1990s. Beijing sought to export the C919 abroad in its quest to become a "transportation superpower." Was it a wise decision for COMAC to... View Details
- March 2024
- Case
Lyft 2023: Roads to Growth and Differentiation
By: Ranjay Gulati and Jeffrey Huizinga
Set in San Francisco in winter 2023, this case explores the strategic challenges and initiatives at Lyft under the leadership of its new CEO, David Risher. Confronted with declining market share and financial pressures, Risher spent his first six months at the helm... View Details
Keywords: Technology; Turnarounds; Ridesharing; Transition; Strategy; Culture; Change Management; Transportation Industry; Technology Industry
Gulati, Ranjay, and Jeffrey Huizinga. "Lyft 2023: Roads to Growth and Differentiation." Harvard Business School Case 424-060, March 2024.
- April 18, 2023
- Article
The Rebirth of Software as a Service
By: Frank V. Cespedes and Jacco van der Kooij
Traditional sales models focus on customer acquisition and the “funnel” or “pipeline” metrics that dominate talk about sales. But this approach falls short when applied to a recurring revenue business, where the customer life cycle looks more like a bowtie, not a... View Details
Cespedes, Frank V., and Jacco van der Kooij. "The Rebirth of Software as a Service." Harvard Business Review (website) (April 18, 2023).
- 2015
- Working Paper
Understanding Conformity: An Experimental Investigation
By: B. Douglas Bernheim and Christine L Exley
Some theories of conformity hold that social equilibrium either standardizes inferences or promotes a shared understanding of conventions and norms among individuals with fixed heterogeneous preferences (belief mechanisms). Others depict tastes as fluid and hence... View Details
Keywords: Conformity; Norms; Image Motivation; Prosocial Behavior; Motivation and Incentives; Behavior; Standards
Bernheim, B. Douglas, and Christine L Exley. "Understanding Conformity: An Experimental Investigation." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 16-070, December 2015.