Publications

13 Dec 2017
News

The Power of Courageous Leadership

June 1993 (Revised November 2006)
Background Note

Why I Use the Case Method to Teach Accounting

By: William J. Bruns Jr.

Thoughts on choosing teaching methods and the advantages of the case method for achieving the objectives of a survey course in accounting. Criteria for selecting or preparing good cases, developing a course outline, and for evaluating student and teacher performance. View Details

Keywords: Accounting; Business Education

November 1999 (Revised October 2009)
Case

Virtualis Systems (A)

By: Jay O. Light and Michael J. Roberts

Describes a second-year MBA's attempts to make money for a fledgling Web-hosting business. As the case ends, he must both sort out the company's business model and financing needs, as well as select from an array of financing and acquisition alternatives. View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Model; Business Startups; Financial Strategy; Financing and Loans; Web Services Industry

January 2013
Case

Andrew Ryan at VC Brakes

By: Frank V. Cespedes and Sunru Yong

An aftermarket brake component manufacturer, VC Brakes, is bought out by a global automotive parts corporation after the 2008 financial crisis. Unlike its previous parent company, the new owner attempts to change VC Brakes' autocratic management style and... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Culture; Quality Management; Crisis Management; Human Resource Management; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Quality; Change Management; Leading Change; Restructuring; Management Practices and Processes; Problems and Challenges; Auto Industry

2022
Working Paper

Stories, Statistics and Memory

By: Thomas Graeber, Christopher Roth and Florian Zimmermann

For most decisions, we rely on information encountered over the course of days, months or years. We consume this information in various forms, including abstract summaries of multiple data points – statistics – and contextualized anecdotes about individual instances... View Details

Keywords: Decision Choices and Conditions; Information Types; Media; Cognition and Thinking

Read Now

Co-Chair, Driving Digital Strategy

Sunil Gupta is the Edward W. Carter Professor of Business Administration and co-chair of the executive program on Driving... View Details

Keywords: advertising; communications; consumer products; credit card; education industry; financial services; high technology; marketing industry; telecommunications

19 Apr 2017
News

Two MBA Students Awarded Soros Fellowships for New Americans

November 2007 (Revised March 2009)
Case

Allston: Brand vs. Architecture

By: Andre F. Perold, Arthur I Segel and Christopher M. Gordon

Harvard President Lawrence Summers had presided over the final interviews of world-renowned architects being considered for the science complex planned for Harvard's expanded campus in Allston. The selection process had absorbed nine months in 2005 and amplified the... View Details

Keywords: Decision Choices and Conditions; Brands and Branding; Design; Urban Development; Selection and Staffing; Construction Industry; Boston

July 2017
Background Note

An Overview of the NGO and Philanthropy Sectors in India

By: V. Kasturi Rangan and Shashank Shah

The note provides an overview of the size and structure of India’s philanthropic sector. It describes the evolution of the sector and its size in numbers and money. It also provides brief descriptions of selected NGOs/Nonprofits in India in different categories to give... View Details

Keywords: Social Sector; Nonprofit Sector; Philanthropic Sector; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Nonprofit Organizations; India

01 Jan 2003
News

11 May 2017
Working Paper Summaries

Coordination Frictions in Venture Capital Syndicates

Keywords: by Ramana Nanda and Matthew Rhodes-Kropf; Banking

30 Oct 2017
News

Harvard Business School’s Rock Center Announces 15 Teams for Rock Accelerator Program

June 2005
Case

Billy Beane: Changing the Game

Describes how Billy Beane, general manager of the Oakland A's baseball team, employs statistical methodologies to select who is undervalued in the marketplace. Examines why few teams have imitated his organization's successful strategy. Explores threats to Oakland's... View Details

Keywords: Resource Allocation; Competitive Advantage; Sports; Sports Industry; California

January 2017 (Revised December 2017)
Case

Merging American Airlines and US Airways (A)

By: David G. Fubini, David A. Garvin and Carin-Isabel Knoop

In February 2013, US Airways announced that it would merge with American Airlines to create the world’s largest airline. Doug Parker, the CEO of US Airways, would become CEO of the new American Airlines Group (AAL). The case describes a number of critical decisions... View Details

Keywords: Airlines; Merger; Takeover; Integration Strategy; Merger Integration; Mergers and Acquisitions; Decision Making; Governance; Management Teams; Operations; Organizational Culture; Air Transportation Industry; United States

12 AM – 11:59 PM EDT, 13 Apr 2016

Take an Alum to Lunch Day

Are you tired of eating lunch at your desk alone? Want to make some new HBS friends and connections? Then join HBS alumni around the world for a new, unique networking event Take an Alum to Lunch Day Wednesday, April 13, 2016. It's simple: invite a... View Details

2024
Working Paper

The Crowdless Future? Generative AI and Creative Problem Solving

By: Léonard Boussioux, Jacqueline N. Lane, Miaomiao Zhang, Vladimir Jacimovic and Karim R. Lakhani

The rapid advances in generative artificial intelligence (AI) open up attractive opportunities for creative problem-solving through human-guided AI partnerships. To explore this potential, we initiated a crowdsourcing challenge focused on sustainable, circular economy... View Details

Keywords: Large Language Models; Crowdsourcing; Generative Ai; Creative Problem-solving; Organizational Search; AI-in-the-loop; Prompt Engineering; AI and Machine Learning; Innovation and Invention

SSRN

Read Now

May 1998 (Revised October 1998)
Case

Teleswitch (A)

Describes the financing history of Teleswitch, a maker of small digital telephone switches for the wireless/cellular industry. As the case ends, Teleswitch is revisiting its selection of an investment banker for its hoped-for IPO. A rewritten version of an earlier... View Details

Keywords: Initial Public Offering; Investment Banking; Entrepreneurship; Financing and Loans; Wireless Technology; Manufacturing Industry; Telecommunications Industry

21 Jan 2016
Working Paper Summaries

The Globalization of Angel Investments: Evidence across Countries

Keywords: by Josh Lerner, Antoinette Schoar, Stanislav Sokolinksi & Karen Wilson; Financial Services

January 1987 (Revised January 2002)
Case

Baker Precision Instruments, Inc.

By: Ramchandran Jaikumar, Roy Shapiro, Donald Rosenfield and Kathryn E. Stecke

A rapidly growing machine parts manufacturer is trying to decide whether to acquire an advanced Flexible Manufacturing System or Systems. The selection decisions must address the impact of new technology, the effect of setup times on production planning and capacity,... View Details

Keywords: Information Technology; Cost vs Benefits; Machinery and Machining; Production; Decision Choices and Conditions; Management Systems; Manufacturing Industry; Industrial Products Industry