Publications

January 2021 (Revised February 2021)
Case

Tech with a Side of Pizza: How Domino's Rose to the Top

By: Boris Groysberg, Sarah L. Abbott and Susan Seligson

After hitting an all-time low in 2008, Domino’s Pizza underwent a vigorous rebranding, product development, and embraced innovative technologies to become the world’s leading international fast-food retailer. Domino’s considered itself as much a tech company as it was... View Details

2007
Working Paper

Evidence from Goodwill Non-impairments on the Effects of Unverifiable Fair-Value Accounting

By: Karthik Ramanna and Ross L. Watts

SFAS 142 requires firms to use unverifiable fair-value estimates to determine goodwill impairments. Standard setters suggest managers will use the discretion given by such estimates to convey private information on future cash flows, while agency theory predicts... View Details

Keywords: Fair Value Accounting; Goodwill Accounting; Standards; Agency Theory

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February 2010 (Revised April 2011)
Case

The Political Economy of Carbon Trading

By: Forest L. Reinhardt, J. Gunnar Trumbull, Mikell Hyman, Patia McGrath and Nazli Zeynep Uludere

Global climate change is an increasingly prominent political and business problem. Design of market-based systems to reduce carbon emissions has proven difficult. More broadly, national attempts to comply with the provisions of the Kyoto Protocol present both... View Details

Keywords: Policy; International Relations; Risk Management; Agreements and Arrangements; Business and Government Relations; Natural Environment; Pollutants; Climate Change; Environmental Sustainability; Public Administration Industry

Web

Faculty & Research | Social Enterprise | Harvard Business School

PayJoy: Finance for the Next Billion By: Boris Groysberg and Sarah L. Abbott January 2025 | Faculty Research PayJoy, an impact-driven financial technology company founded in 2015, provides smartphone financing and other financial products to View Details

Article

The Dark Side of Strategic Alliances: Lessons from Volvo-Renault

By: Robert Bruner and Robert Spekman

This article explores sources of failure in strategic alliances drawing on field research into one of the most prominent alliance collapses in recent years. The alliance of Volvo and Renault married the two largest enterprises in their respective countries for economic... View Details

Keywords: Business or Company Management; Alliances; Failure; Auto Industry; Europe

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March 2007 (Revised October 2008)
Case

The New York Times Co.

The Sulzberger family owns 20% of the New York Times Co. (NYT) but controls 70% of the board through a dual-class share structure. At the company's April 2006 annual shareholder meeting, Morgan Stanley Investment Management (MSIM) and other investors, holding 28% of... View Details

Keywords: Family Business; Investment Activism; Corporate Governance; Governance Controls; Governing and Advisory Boards; Business and Shareholder Relations; Publishing Industry; New York (city, NY)

March 2008 (Revised August 2009)
Case

Linden Lab: Opening Second Life

By: Thomas R. Eisenmann and Alison Berkley Wagonfeld

In early 2008, managers in Linden Lab, creator of the virtual world Second Life, faced decisions about the company's strategy. Despite profound initial skepticism about demand for a user-generated virtual world that was not a traditional game, Second Life had achieved... View Details

Keywords: Business Growth and Maturation; Decision Choices and Conditions; Entrepreneurship; Growth and Development Strategy; Open Source Distribution; Partners and Partnerships; Software

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30 Sep 2014
First Look

First Look: September 30

enterprise in management and organization research, the lack of a cohesive knowledge base in this area is concerning. In this chapter, we propose that the underdevelopment of the attendant research infrastructure is an important, but... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

10 Feb 2020
In Practice

6 Ways That Emerging Technology Is Disrupting Business Strategy

itself, companies are considering their user data and their tech employees as the primary drivers of competitive advantage.” Frank Nagle (@frank_nagle), an assistant professor who is also affiliated with the HBS Digital Initiative, the View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost

July 2000 (Revised October 2000)
Case

Petstore.com

By: Thomas R. Eisenmann

Petstore.com is one of four contenders for leadership in the highly competitive online pet supply business. Petstore.com faces decisions regarding potential merger partners and how to brand its service within the website managed by its ultimate merger partner,... View Details

Keywords: Competition; Internet and the Web; Mergers and Acquisitions; Partners and Partnerships; Internet and the Web; Brands and Branding; Marketing Strategy; Retail Industry

November 1991 (Revised June 1992)
Case

AT&T: The Dallas Works (A)

Describes the organizational challenges facing an AT&T plant a few years after the breakup of AT&T. In an effort to empower workers and to unite the factory behind change, management proposes an unusual team-based approach to driving the change. Teaching Objective: To... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Change Management; Groups and Teams; Organizational Culture; Telecommunications Industry; Texas

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09 Dec 2008
First Look

First Look: December 9, 2008

project goes poorly, and Hrad is left with the decision of how to rescue the relationship and avoid a similar problem in the future. The case allows the examination of how to manage an outsourcing project... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

Web

Becoming a Board Member - Alumni

Marketing, financial, or technical expertise Risk management experience + – Resume Tips Your resume should include a Summary section that highlights your attributes relevant to a board role, as opposed to a View Details

07 Mar 2023
Blog Post

Deconstructing LEGO’s Decarbonization

chain to reflect its commitment to meeting climate goals. They are well positioned to use their significant customer relationships to engage people in the sustainability conversation. As such an iconic part... View Details

December 2012 (Revised April 2013)
Case

Olam: On a New Course

By: David E. Bell, Forest Reinhardt and Mary Shelman

From modest beginnings as a cashew trader in Nigeria, Olam, founded by Indian nationals in 1989, has grown into a leading global agricultural trading company, with annual revenues of $14 billion. The company recently has begun investing in farms and in the production... View Details

Keywords: Risk Management; Leadership; Customer Value and Value Chain; Corporate Strategy; Organizational Culture; Environmental Sustainability; Expansion; Competitive Advantage; Agribusiness; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Nigeria