Publications

January 1986 (Revised December 1986)
Case

Smartfood

By: William A. Sahlman

Contains a description of a major financing decision confronting the management and advisors of Smartfood, Inc., a company which hopes to market a cheese flavored popcorn product. The primary pedagogic objective is to teach students about matching the financing plan... View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Financing and Loans; Financial Strategy; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Market Entry and Exit; Decision Choices and Conditions; Financial Management; Food and Beverage Industry

Find at Harvard

22 Dec 2008
Research & Ideas

10 Reasons to Design a Better Corporate Culture

the answer lies in recognizing that strong, adaptive cultures can foster innovation, productivity, and a sense of ownership among employees and customers. They also outlast any individual charismatic leader. But how can you as a manager... View Details

Keywords: by James L. Heskett, W. Earl Sasser & Joe Wheeler

14 Sep 2020
Research & Ideas

You're Right! You Are Working Longer and Attending More Meetings

to keep working from home part of the time after COVID-19 abates, researchers are probing how virtual interaction might reshape organizations. In the first large-scale analysis of digital communication early in the crisis, the team—Sadun; Jeffrey T. Polzer, the UPS... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost

October 2019 (Revised February 2020)
Case

Thermax—Changing of the Guard

By: Christina R. Wing and Inakshi Sobti

Thermax is an engineering company in India that provides integrated solutions in energy, environment, and chemicals. The Aga family along with family trusts owns 62% of the company. Post a restructuring exercise in 2000, Thermax transforms itself from a small family... View Details

Keywords: Family Business; Transformation; Business Conglomerates; Strategy; Management Succession; Selection and Staffing; Organizational Culture

Web

Confronting Climate Change - Business & Environment

scientists over 50 years ago — business is vital. Managers have a key role to play in confronting climate change in the market sectors in which they operate and in the political and civic circles in which they hold influence. Policy... View Details

February 2016 (Revised March 2019)
Case

Bankruptcy at Caesars Entertainment

By: Kristin Mugford and David Chan

Caesars Entertainment was a large casino operator in the United States that had been purchased in a 2008 leveraged buyout by Apollo and TPG. In January 2015, Caesars Entertainment Operating Company (CEOC), its largest subsidiary, filed for Chapter 11. This set up a... View Details

Keywords: Gaming; Chapter 11; Fraudulent Conveyance; Apollo; TPG; Bankruptcy; Leveraged Buyouts; Restructuring; Capital Structure; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Private Equity; Financial Management; Lawsuits and Litigation; Negotiation; Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Las Vegas

22 Apr 2019
Research & Ideas

Why Salespeople Struggle at Leading

new ability to collect and store an incredible amount of data. And that has made sales management a more complex job, requiring a level of analytical and business acumen that wasn’t needed 20 years ago. Sales View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

05 Jun 2023
What Do You Think?

Is the Anxious Achiever a Post-Pandemic Relic?

business practices that employ AI Apart from restrictions on human behavior, I doubt that any regulations on AI could be very effective." Rafael Fernandez MacGregor said, "I see one simple regulation to begin with. ‘You break it, you pay... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

01 Jun 2024
News

Quantum Leap

quantum computing. Qubit is shorthand for “quantum bit,” a bit being the basic unit of information used in digital, or classical, computing. The equipment required to manage even 100 qubits would pack the room, floor to ceiling. SEEQC,... View Details

Keywords: Alexander Gelfand; photographed by Chris Sorensen; quantum computing; innovation; leadership; Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing; Manufacturing

09 Sep 2015
HBS Seminar

Judith A. Chevalier, Yale University

29 Mar 2022
Book

5 Qualities That Help Companies Thrive for Decades—Even Centuries

says Khanna, the Jorge Paulo Lemann Professor at HBS. “And even in the US, when you look at sources of early-stage capital for new entrepreneurs, it tends to be friends and family.” But making sure families will work well together can be... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

September 2005
Case

IBM Network Technology (A) (Abridged)

By: Michael L. Tushman

An unconventional manager within IBM leads the creation of a business unit with multibillion-dollar potential, winning over customers and nudging the organization to make the changes needed to achieve dramatic growth. Exemplifies how organizational design and... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Design; Management Teams; Leadership Style; Growth and Development; Growth and Development Strategy; Employees; Information Technology Industry

09 May 2017
First Look

New Research and Ideas, May 9

as the sector faced increased competition from foreign innovation hubs, was being reshaped by the growth of Multinational Corporations (MNCs) locating R&D centers in Israel, and had to contend with a vexing shortage of human View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

Web

Business Finance Course Online | HBS Online

potential projects Examine how capital markets work and how they affect your business Develop a financial intuition that will give you the confidence to make effective decisions in your career and life Who Will Benefit Early and... View Details

27 Jun 2007
Lessons from the Classroom

Learning to Make the Move to CEO

all contact with his or her organization—in other words, leave the BlackBerry at home. But participants soon recognize the value they are receiving at a crucial time in their careers, Simons says. The program includes rigorous dives into View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Education

05 Jun 2020
Research & Ideas

How Anchor Investors Help Impact Funds Succeed

so-called impact funds, or funds that hope to create positive social or environmental impact. In Anchors Aweigh: Analysis of Anchor Limited Partner Investors in Impact Investment Funds, the authors describe anchors as “generally the first investor to make a substantial... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Financial Services

May 2022
Case

Deborah Quazzo at GSV Ventures

By: William A. Sahlman, Michael D. Smith and Nicole Tempest Keller

As COVID-19 swept across the globe in 2020, the education sector faced unprecedented disruption. Schools and colleges worldwide shut down, forcing over a billion students and teachers to move to online learning. Investor interest in the EdTech space exploded as... View Details

Keywords: Edtech; Technology; Online Learning; COVID-19 Pandemic; Education; Information Technology; Venture Capital; Change Management; Strategy; Education Industry; Financial Services Industry; Chicago; California

May 13, 2024
Article

What Companies Get Wrong About Skills-Based Hiring

By: Joseph B. Fuller and Matthew Sigelman

In recent years companies have removed college-degree requirements from many of their job postings. They’ve done this for good reason: Talent is scarce, and requiring degrees eliminates almost two-thirds of workers from consideration, a disproportionate number of them... View Details

Keywords: Selection and Staffing; Recruitment; Talent and Talent Management