Publications

December 2004
Supplement

Basic Statistics from the World Bank's World Development Indicators, 2004

By: David A. Moss, Sarah A. Brennan and Peter Epstein

Provides basic economic and social indicators for 145 countries, drawn from the World Bank's World Development Indicators (2004). The data include: population, land area, GNP per capita, real GDP growth, life expectancy, adult illiteracy, fertility rate, access to... View Details

Keywords: Equality and Inequality; Wealth and Poverty; Standards; Economics; Society

November 2002 (Revised March 2006)
Case

ApproTEC Kenya: Technologies to Fight Poverty and Create Wealth

By: V. Kasturi Rangan

ApproTEC markets a range of technologies to improve the income of subsistence farmers and other small-scale entrepreneurs in East Africa. Having achieved considerable success in its first eight years, the two founders/entrepreneurs are seeking ways to scale the impact... View Details

Keywords: Social Enterprise; Development Economics; Poverty; Information Technology; Entrepreneurship; Nonprofit Organizations; Growth and Development Strategy; Kenya; Africa

04 Jul 2019
News

Old Money: Should the wealthy pay more tax?

06 Dec 2017
News

Largest Mass. Companies Are Mostly Silent On GOP Tax Plans

HBX: Sustainable Business Strategy

Climate change. Income inequality. Institutional collapse. Sustainable Business Strategy is a flexible, 3 week, highly-interactive online course designed to provide participants with the tools they need to build thriving businesses while... View Details

September 1992 (Revised March 1997)
Case

Summit Distributors (A)

By: William J. Bruns Jr. and Amy P. Hutton

Summit Distributors was in danger of violating loan covenants because of slow economic activity and forecasted losses and was faced with a choice. Changing the inventory valuation method from LIFO to FIFO would avoid default but would require higher future income... View Details

Keywords: Taxation; Cost Accounting; Cash Flow; Interest Rates; Economic Systems; Borrowing and Debt; Financial Statements; Valuation; Accounting Audits; Financing and Loans; Accounting Industry; Legal Services Industry

30 Sep 2014
News

Why are US workers being left behind?

April 2013 (Revised April 2013)
Case

Justin Anson Distillery, Inc.

A distiller increases whiskey production and income declines because of accounting methods in use. Questions are raised regarding the treatment of expenditures which can be classified as production, inventory, or period costs. The necessary aging process raises added... View Details

Keywords: Financial Statements; Financing and Loans; Cost; Accounting; Food and Beverage Industry

06 Jun 2023
Cold Call Podcast

The Opioid Crisis, CEO Pay, and Shareholder Activism

Keywords: Re: Suraj Srinivasan; Health; Pharmaceutical; Distribution

The Hidden Costs of Flexible Labor Models: How Working Multiple Jobs Affects Employees

As operations increasingly rely upon flexible labor models — such as gig, part-time, and remote work — it has become commonplace for individuals to work multiple jobs. Across three studies, relying on a combination of... View Details

1980
Article

Consumer Impulse Purchase and Credit Card Usage: An Empirical Examination Using the Log Linear Model

By: Rohit Deshpandé and S. Krishnan

Most of the work in impulse purchase behavior has investigated the association of socioeconomic variables and unplanned purchases with equivocal results. This paper examines the interrelationship between impulse purchases, credit card usage, cost of items bought, and... View Details

Keywords: Consumer Behavior; Mathematical Methods; Credit Cards; Income

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06 Sep 2024
Blog Post

Harvard Business School Announces 2024 Goldsmith Fellows

from the nonprofit and public sector to attend HBS, these fellowships enable the School to award $10,000 to a select number of incoming MBA students for each of their two years in the MBA Program. Beginning with the Class of 1990, 267... View Details

2014
Working Paper

Islam, Inequality, and Pre-Industrial Comparative Development

By: Stelios Michalopoulos, Alireza Naghavi and Giovanni Prarolo

This study explores the interaction between trade and geography in shaping the Islamic economic doctrine and in turn the comparative development of the Muslim world. We build a model where an unequal distribution of land quality in presence of trade opportunities... View Details

Keywords: Islam; Inequality In Land Quality; Wealth Accumulation; Public Good Investment; Conflict; Wealth; Geography; Religion; Trade

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2006
Book

Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism

By: Arthur C. Brooks

We all know we should give to charity, but who really does? Approximately three-quarters of Americans give their time and money to various charities, churches, and causes; the other quarter of the population does not. Why has America split into two nations: givers and... View Details

Keywords: Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Demographics; United States

Find at Harvard

01 Aug 2017
Working Paper Summaries

Business History, the Great Divergence and the Great Convergence

Keywords: by Geoffrey Jones

September 2008
Case

Steven Scheyer: Renegotiating the Newell Rubbermaid Relationship with Wal-Mart

By: James K. Sebenius and Ellen Knebel

In April 2001, Newell Rubbermaid's incoming CEO Joe Galli tapped Steve Scheyer to become President of Newell Rubbermaid's soon-to-be-created Wal-Mart Division. Scheyer had to renegotiate a partnership with Wal-Mart--Rubbermaid's largest customer--that had grown... View Details

Keywords: Customer Focus and Relationships; Distribution Channels; Partners and Partnerships; Negotiation Process

March 2006
Case

Wells Fargo Convertible Bonds

By: Malcolm P. Baker and Elizabeth Kind

Howard Atkins, the chief financial officer of Wells Fargo, is considering issuing $3 billion in convertible debt. With an investment-grade credit rating, Wells Fargo is not the typical issuer of convertible securities, but the market conditions in 2003 are unusual.... View Details

Keywords: Capital Structure; Financial Institutions; Banks and Banking; Debt Securities; Financial Management; Financial Strategy; Strategy; Banking Industry