Publications

07 Jun 2023
HBS Case

3 Ways to Gain a Competitive Advantage Now: Lessons from Amazon, Chipotle, and Facebook

are going to limit how many people are going to be able to access your product, creating a natural barrier if you want to sustain your position.” In cases such as these, she says, it’s essential that companies seek out other markets or... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

October 2010 (Revised October 2011)
Case

Polyface: The Farm of Many Faces

By: Deishin Lee and Stephanie van Sice

This case explores a method of value creation through exploiting synergies that exist in an environment where there is diversity. The context of the case is a farm where biodiversity is leveraged to create value. This is contrasted to industrial farming, which operates... View Details

Keywords: Agribusiness; Product Development; Production; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Environmental Sustainability; Value Creation; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry

Research Summary

Diversity Orientations: Construct, Antecedents, and Consequences

Researchers have identified a number of different methods with which a group can handle its diversity. Some of the methods gaining the most attention mirror popular ideologies around colorblindness, pride in one's own subgroup, or integrative cultural pluralism.... View Details

2017
Chapter

Toward Transparent Reporting of Psychological Science

By: Etienne P. LeBel and Leslie K. John

In this chapter we make a case for increased transparency of the methods used to obtain research findings. Although comprehensive reporting facilitates accurate assessment of a paper’s claims, the current reporting norm is secrecy, not openness. We begin by putting... View Details

Keywords: Research; Problems and Challenges

Read Now

20 Sep 2011
First Look

First Look: September 20

on Cancer: Integrative Research Centers at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute Heidi K. Gardner, Edo Bedzra, and Shereef M. ElnahalHarvard Business School Case 412-029 Dr. Barrett Rollins, chief scientific... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

2011
Chapter

Developing an Effective Organization: Intervention Method, Empirical Evidence, and Theory

By: Michael Beer

The field of organization development is fragmented and lacks a coherent and integrated theory and method for developing an effective organization. A 20-year action research program led to the development and evaluation of the Strategic Fitness Process (SFP)-a platform... View Details

Keywords: Learning; Corporate Governance; Leadership Development; Growth and Development Strategy; Management Teams; Organizational Design; Performance Effectiveness; Research; Alignment; Theory; Value

2022
Article

Nonparametric Subset Scanning for Detection of Heteroscedasticity

By: Charles R. Doss and Edward McFowland III

We propose Heteroscedastic Subset Scan (HSS), a novel method for identifying covariates that are responsible for violations of the homoscedasticity assumption in regression settings. Viewing the problem as one of anomalous pattern detection, we use subset scanning... View Details

Keywords: Scan Statistics; Anomaly Detection; Regression; Model Diagnostics

March 2015 (Revised January 2020)
Case

Behavioural Insights Team (A)

By: Michael Luca and Patrick Rooney

The Behavioural Insights Team case introduces students to the concept of choice architecture and the value of experimental methods (sometimes called A/B testing) within organizational contexts. The exercise provides an opportunity for students to apply these principles... View Details

Keywords: Behavioral Economics; Experiments; Choice Architecture; Public Entrepreneurship; Decision Choices and Conditions; Consumer Behavior; Taxation; Economics; Public Administration Industry; United Kingdom

February 2013 (Revised December 2015)
Case

Groom Energy Solutions: Selling Efficiency

By: Michael W. Toffel, Kira R. Fabrizio and Stephanie van Sice

Groom Energy Solutions helps organizations reduce their energy use and costs through the implementation of energy efficiency measures, which create long-term financial and environmental benefits. With early success serving customers in the cold storage and industrial... View Details

Keywords: Groom Energy Solutions; Jon Guerster; Salem, MA; Energy Management; Energy Efficiency Paradox; Sustainability Management; Manufacturing; Cold Storage; Commercial Real Estate; Enterprise Smart Grid; Carbon Accounting; LED Lighting; Sustainability Research; Entrepreneurship; Environmental Entrepreneurship; Energy Entrepreneurship; Energy Services; Electricity; Startup; Expansion; Growth; Sustainability; Business Startups; Forecasting and Prediction; Energy Conservation; Revenue; Geographic Location; Human Resources; Management; Growth and Development Strategy; Market Entry and Exit; Operations; Service Delivery; Strategic Planning; Science; Environmental Sustainability; Climate Change; Society; Social Issues; Technology Adoption; Energy Industry; Green Technology Industry; Technology Industry; Utilities Industry; United States; Boston

February 2008 (Revised August 2011)
Case

Olympia Machine Company, Inc.

By: Frank V. Cespedes and Benson P. Shapiro

The management team of an industrial equipment supplier is debating the company's method of compensating salespeople. Different executives have offered different alternatives to the current method of straight salary plus expenses. Each option has different implications... View Details

Keywords: Governance Controls; Compensation and Benefits; Mission and Purpose; Salesforce Management; Motivation and Incentives; Business Strategy; Industrial Products Industry

2007
Chapter

Collaborative R&D in Management: The Practical Experience of Fenix and TruePoint in Bridging the Divide Between Scientific and Managerial Goals

By: Michael Beer and Niclas Adler

The gap between theory and practice has been of concern to both practitioners and academics, yet other than pleas to close the gap with more accessible writing by academics and more interest in research by practitioners few systematic efforts have been made to close... View Details

Keywords: Transformation; Knowledge Management; Management; Goals and Objectives; Performance Effectiveness; Performance Improvement; Practice; Research and Development; Social and Collaborative Networks; Theory; Value; United States

Research Summary

Entrepreneurial Management: Customer Discovery and Business Development

This research focuses on: (a) market research methods and tactics suitable to startups seeking their initial customers and validation of their initial business model; (b) guidelines for conducting visits with potential customers as part of the startup ptrocess; and (c)... View Details

31 Mar 2018
Working Paper Summaries

Expected Stock Returns Worldwide: A Log-Linear Present-Value Approach

Keywords: by Akash Chattopadhyay, Matthew R. Lyle, and Charles C.Y. Wang; Financial Services; Accounting

May 1989 (Revised April 1998)
Case

Dynatronics, Inc.

By: William E. Fruhan Jr.

The student must determine the financing requirements posed by growth, change of inventory policy, and introduction of new product and then select the best method of financing them. Has been used as a four-hour exam. A revised and updated version of an earlier case by... View Details

Keywords: Financial Strategy; Financing and Loans; Growth and Development; Product Launch