Publications

06 Jan 2021
News

Addressing Challenges and Accelerating Development for Women of Color

09 Jun 2008
Lessons from the Classroom

Monetizing IP: The Executive’s Challenge

intellectual property law around the world and their consequences for businesses. Appreciate the growing interest in the sharing of intellectual property, and how it represents a major View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Video Game; Web Services

October 2002 (Revised May 2021)
Case

Group Process in the Challenger Launch Decision (A)

By: Amy C. Edmondson and Laura Feldman

The night before the launch of the Challenger shuttle, officials from Morton Thiokol (Solid Rocket Booster manufacturer) and NASA participated in a teleconference to discuss whether to postpone the shuttle launch due to predicted low temperatures at Kennedy Space... View Details

Keywords: Process Analysis; Problems and Challenges; Groups and Teams; Engineering; Risk Management; Analysis; Decision Making; Aerospace Industry; United States

February 2014 (Revised May 2014)
Background Note

Finding the Money: An Overview of Infrastructure Finance Challenges and Opportunities

By: Rosabeth Moss Kanter and Daniel Fox

This overview describes how the United States funds and finances infrastructure investment to maintain its economic competitiveness. It considers the roles of taxpayers, users, government allocators and lenders, and private investors in the infrastructure funding... View Details

Keywords: Finance; Infrastructure; Technology; United States

July 9, 2018
Editorial

The Real Problem with Stock Buybacks

By: Jesse M. Fried and Charles C.Y. Wang

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09 Feb 2016
News

Applying Business Principles to Military Problems

and combat, they have the right capabilities for their success on the battlefield and in their operations. “Some of the biggest challenges I face in the military is trying to... View Details

06 Jul 2018
News

The Real Problem With Stock Buybacks

Jan 2016
Video

Video: The Challenge of Shared Prosperity

Professor Michael E. Porter and Professor Jan W. Rivkin discuss the findings of Harvard Business School’s 2015 Alumni Survey on U.S. Competitiveness, The Challenge of Shared Prosperity. Alumni are optmistic... View Details

March 2005 (Revised May 2005)
Case

Ito-Yokado: The Challenge of Apparel

By: Rajiv Lal and Arar Han

Ito-Yokado, the 16th largest retail conglomerate in the world, has struggled with the declining performance in the apparel division of its superstores for over a decade. Apparel sales are slipping, eating hard-won gains in the retailer's food division. CEO Toshifumi... View Details

Keywords: Business Conglomerates; Transformation; Performance; Problems and Challenges; Sales; Strategy; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Japan

30 Sep 2015
News

The Problem of Too Much Talent

2007
Working Paper

Warren Persons, the Harvard Economic Service, and the Problems of Forecasting

By: Walter A. Friedman

06 May 2019
Podcast

33. Solving the Problem of Fit: Todd Rose and Bob Moesta

A not to be missed conversation. We sit down with Bob Moesta and Todd Rose, Harvard professor and author of The End of Average, for a deep-dive on the underpinnings of jobs theory and analysis. You'll learn when to average vs. when to aggregate data and why... View Details

February 1991 (Revised November 2010)
Case

Tennessee Controls: The Strategic Ranking Problem

By: Robert L. Simons and Dale Geiger

Tennessee Controls has instituted a new formal asset acquisition process to rank competing proposals. Judy Starnes, the new division manager, is asked to rank three proposals by using techniques to quantify economic returns, risk, as well as the credibility of the... View Details

Keywords: Capital Budgeting; Governance Controls; Management Systems; Strategic Planning; Mathematical Methods; Electronics Industry

May 1986 (Revised January 1989)
Case

Gillette Co.: Dry Idea Advertising (A), The Creative Problem

Presents the first of two cases describing the struggle to solve creative problems on the Dry Idea antiperspirant brand introduced in 1978 by the Gillette Co. and its advertising agency (Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborne). Provides company and industry background plus... View Details

Keywords: Creativity; Advertising; Product Marketing; Consumer Products Industry; United States

Sep 2016
Survey

Problems Unsolved & A Nation Divided

America retains and enjoys many strengths. However, various economic indicators show that the U.S. economy has failed to deliver strong growth and shared prosperity for nearly two decades. These structural... View Details

2016
Report

Problems Unsolved and a Nation Divided: The State of U.S. Competitiveness 2016

By: Michael E. Porter, Jan Rivkin, Mihir Desai and Manjari Raman

In this report, the authors synthesize their views on U.S. competitiveness and unveil the findings of the 2016 HBS surveys on U.S. competitiveness. Specifically, the report documents the faltering performance of the U.S. economy and the erosion of America’s business... View Details

Keywords: U.S. Competitiveness; Competitive Strategy; Macroeconomics; Government and Politics; United States

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2019
Report

U.S. Nuclear Energy Leadership: Innovation and the Strategic Global Challenge

By: Joseph B. Lassiter III

Throughout 2018, the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center convened a “Task Force on US Nuclear Energy Leadership,” which comprised civilian and military experts in foreign policy, defense, and nuclear energy. Senators Mike Crapo (R-ID) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)... View Details

Keywords: Nuclear Energy; Environment; Energy Sources; Energy; Energy Generation; Energy Conservation; Energy Policy; Global Range; Energy Industry