Publications

September 2021 (Revised November 2022)
Case

Community Solutions

By: Brian Trelstad and Tom Quinn

Community Solutions was an anti-homelessness nonprofit founded in 2011 after protagonist Rosanne Haggerty grew frustrated with the limited impact of traditional housing and outreach strategies. It set an ambitious goal, reached in some partner communities, of ending... View Details

Keywords: Change; Change Management; Disruption; Transformation; Communication; Communication Strategy; Decision Making; Cost vs Benefits; Decision Choices and Conditions; Decisions; Forecasting and Prediction; Social Entrepreneurship; Ethics; Values and Beliefs; Capital Budgeting; Capital Markets; Country; Government Administration; Government Legislation; Housing; Disruptive Innovation; Innovation and Invention; Innovation Strategy; Knowledge Sharing; Leading Change; Resource Allocation; Mission and Purpose; Performance Evaluation; Performance Improvement; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Opportunities; Social Enterprise; Nonprofit Organizations; Human Needs; Public Opinion; Social Issues; Societal Protocols; Poverty; Welfare; Well-being; System; Equality and Inequality; Consulting Industry; Real Estate Industry; United States; New York (city, NY); Florida; Texas

2006
Article

Performance Measure Properties and the Effect of Incentive Contracts

By: J. Bouwens and L. van Lent

Using data from a third-party survey on compensation practices at 151 Dutch firms, we show that less noisy or distorted performance measures and higher cash bonuses are associated with improved employee selection and better-directed effort. Specifically, (1) an... View Details

Keywords: Motivation and Incentives; Data and Data Sets; Problems and Challenges; Performance Evaluation; Compensation and Benefits; Netherlands

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14 Jul 2015
First Look

First Look: July 14, 2015

big hype. As is usually the case, the truth is somewhere between these two extremes. This article highlights the potential impact of big data on business practices in three broad areas: applications, methods, and infrastructure.... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

01 Jun 2023
HBS Case

A Nike Executive Hid His Criminal Past to Turn His Life Around. What If He Didn't Have To?

history checks until later in the application process, allowing candidates to be evaluated based on their skills, at least at first. Still, more than 95 percent of employers require applicants to undergo background checks before hiring... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Apparel & Accessories

2013
Working Paper

International Health Economics

By: Mark Egan and Tomas J. Philipson

Perhaps because health care is a local service sector, health economists have paid little attention to international linkages between domestic health care economies. However, the growth in domestic health care sectors is often attributed to medical innovations whose... View Details

Keywords: Health Care and Treatment; Innovation and Invention; Global Range; Economics

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Read Now

November 1999 (Revised July 2001)
Case

New Profit Inc.: Governing the Nonprofit Enterprise

By: Robert S. Kaplan

New Profit, Inc. (NPI) is an innovative venture philanthropy fund. Founded by social entrepreneur Venessa Kirsch, NPI intends to raise large donations from individuals who wish to invest in nonprofit enterprises that could have a significant social impact and the... View Details

Keywords: Balanced Scorecard; Nonprofit Organizations; Venture Capital; Social Entrepreneurship; Corporate Governance; Performance Evaluation; Financial Statements; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Service Industry

25 Apr 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research, April 25

be aware of the range of powerful, dynamic, and often conflicting forces shaping the emerging competitive environment. The globalization of markets, the increasing homogeneity of customer needs worldwide, the impact of the digital... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

23 Apr 2024
In Practice

Getting to Net Zero: The Climate Standards and Ecosystem the World Needs Now

With each month clocking record-breaking temperatures across the planet, this Earth Day reflected the renewed urgency of regulators and businesses to find climate-change solutions. The US Securities and Exchange Commission recently adopted new rules that will mandate... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

12 Jul 2016
First Look

July 12, 2016

questions, the paper applies the framework to explore some unexplained features of Penrosian diversification strategies. The paper concludes by suggesting a research agenda for dynamic capabilities. Download working paper:... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

09 Nov 2022
In Practice

COP27: What Can Business Leaders Do to Fight Climate Change Now?

The US government’s newly passed Inflation Reduction Act will direct $370 billion toward advancing renewal energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions—the country's largest investment in fighting climate change so far. As business and government leaders around the... View Details

Keywords: by Lynn Schenk and Danielle Kost

30 Oct 2012
First Look

First Look: October 30

and by the effects of their private governance mechanisms. These organizational characteristics affect the stringency of monitoring through reputation, customer loyalty, differential impacts of government sanctions, and the... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

03 Feb 2015
First Look

First Look: February 3

records of all one-on-one meetings between senior management and investors for an NYSE-traded firm, we investigate the impact of private meetings on investor decisions. We find that when investors meet privately with management they make... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

30 Nov 2009
Research & Ideas

Tracks of My Tears: Reconstructing Digital Music

the findings suggest that music buyers evaluate bundles in other ways. Consumers respond more favorably to a bundle if its items are more consistent in their appeal. That is, bundles that are highly uneven in how popularity is distributed... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Music

09 May 2017
First Look

New Research and Ideas, May 9

sudden rise of new entrants, especially Germany. The study shows that natural resource endowment is a poor explanatory variable for this geographical skewing. Public policy was a more important factor, although its impact was nuanced. The... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

16 May 2023
In Practice

After Silicon Valley Bank's Flameout, What's Next for Entrepreneurs?

when things are communicated are as important as the resolution itself. Now that the dust has settled a bit, founders should take stock and evaluate how they’ll manage crises going forward. A “code red” crisis—one where the business is... View Details

Keywords: by Avery Forman; Technology; Financial Services

11 Sep 2018
First Look

New Research and Ideas, September 11, 2018

designing service interactions so that citizens can see the often-hidden work that government performs. Across three studies, we find that revealing the “submerged state” through operational transparency impacts citizens’ attitudes and... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

September 1996 (Revised May 1997)
Case

Mobil USM&R (C): Lubricants Business Unit

By: Robert S. Kaplan

The general manager of a Lubricants Business Unit in Mobil's U.S. Marketing and Refining division launched a project to develop a Balanced Scorecard (BSC) for his unit. The purpose was to provide focus for all employees of the unit, enabling it to operate on an... View Details

Keywords: Balanced Scorecard; Employees; Customization and Personalization; Performance Evaluation; Measurement and Metrics; Management Teams; Projects; Energy Industry; Mining Industry; United States