Publications

October 2011 (Revised June 2013)
Case

Becton Dickinson: Opportunities and Challenges on the Road to the 'Envisioned Future'

By: Michael Beer and Russell A. Eisenstat

The case depicts a mission and values driven firm, how it was turned around, and its unique strategy of enabling others to succeed. View Details

Keywords: Corporate Strategy; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry

20 May 2025
Blog Post

How Student-Proposed Internships Can Create Value

Bing—and how her proactive outreach turned into a strategic internship opportunity. Not every summer internship starts with a job posting. For Jessica Zukhovich (MBA 2024), her summer role with fashion brand Anine Bing began with... View Details

27 May 2011
News

The Hidden Demons of High Achievers

04 Jul 2005
Research & Ideas

Should You Outsource Your Marketing?

turning to marketing partners. Harvard Business School professors Gail J. McGovern and John Quelch documented the trend in an article in the March issue of Harvard Business Review. One reason behind the move? While company marketing... View Details

Keywords: by Poping Lin

29 May 2025
Blog Post

Alumni Career Video | Jeffrey Tillus (MBA 2020)

a long-term mindset helped him in his career switch and the unexpected turns that can come with job searching in a difficult market. Discover more career stories and perspectives in our full alumni video series. View Details

19 Nov 2015
Working Paper Summaries

The US Experiment with Fair Trade Laws: State Police Powers, Federal Antitrust, and the Politics of 'Fairness', 1890–1938

Keywords: by Laura Phillips Sawyer; Retail

23 Jun 2015
News

Upgrading School with a Startup Mentality

09 Mar 2021
Cold Call Podcast

A Family Business at a Crossroads: Scaling and Succession

Keywords: Re: Christina R. Wing; Real Estate

2023
Working Paper

ESG: From Process to Product

By: George Serafeim

ESG measurement, analysis, management, and communication is a process that the financial industry has turned into a product, resulting in many investment funds using the ESG label. This has caused confusion, generating demand for a framework that defines... View Details

Keywords: ESG; ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) Performance; ESG Ratings; ESG Reporting; Investment Fund; Investment; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Financial Services Industry

Read Now

Dec 18 2013
Testimonial

Preparing Tomorrow's Leaders

30 Jan 2019
What Do You Think?

Who Will Measure up to These Two Remarkable Leaders?

obituaries 40 years from now? Who will we credit with turning an entire global industry upside down in a way that delivered unbelievably low costs as well as differentiated product/service performance to Customers, a great place to work... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Air Transportation; Financial Services

July – August 2008
Article

Reduce the Risk of Failed Financial Judgments

By: Robert G. Eccles Jr. and Edward J. Riedl

When crucial financial estimates rely on judgment, companies can minimize their risk by turning to appraisers, actuaries, and evaluators, whether internal, external, or a combination. View Details

Keywords: Financial Statements; Judgments; Financial Management; Risk Management

Find at Harvard

September 2012 (Revised January 2013)
Case

J.C. Penney's 'Fair and Square' Pricing Strategy

By: Elie Ofek and Jill Avery

As a he gets ready to release 2nd quarter 2012 results, Ron Johnson, the new CEO of department store J.C. Penney, is reconsidering the dramatic changes he initiated for the business model and brand image of his company. A new pricing scheme he put in place in February,... View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Consumer Behavior; Management Teams; Business Model; Marketing Strategy; Price; Brands and Branding; Decision Making; Retail Industry; United States

16 Jun 2016
Blog Post

Why Entrepreneurs Should Consider Business School

non-entrepreneurial courses. Maybe I'd learn how to discount a cash flow (what was a cash flow, anyway?) or how to read a balance sheet. I wasn't sure how much of "general management" would apply to what I'd done, or what I wanted to do in the future. As it... View Details

09 Jul 2012
Research & Ideas

The Unconscious Executive

What strategy do you use when making complex decisions? Do you burn the midnight oil to carefully weigh the pros and cons of each alternative? Or do you take your mind off the decision and follow the age-old wisdom of "sleeping on it"? “Careful consideration... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

12 Jun 2019
Research & Ideas

Investors Have More Than Money to Offer Entrepreneurs

Their Funds, How Can Your Investors Be Helpful? About the Author Julia B. Austin is a Senior Lecturer of Business Administration at Harvard Business School [Image: tolgart] Related Reading: Startup or Established Company? Which Is Best for You? How Entrepreneurs Can... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Austin

April 1993 (Revised May 1994)
Case

General Dynamics and Computer Sciences Corporation: Outsourcing the IS Function (A)

By: F. Warren McFarlan and Katherine Seger

Designed to generate discussion on the issues of outsourcing from the perspective of a firm thinking about turning over its IS activities to a third-party vendor. View Details

Keywords: Management Systems; Management Style; Information Technology; Job Cuts and Outsourcing; Business Strategy; Economic Systems; Business or Company Management; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Business Processes; Employment; Emerging Markets; Activity Based Costing and Management; Information Technology Industry; Consulting Industry

March 2023
Case

Ownership Works: Scaling a Profitable Social Mission

By: Ethan Rouen, Dennis Campbell and Andrew Robinson

Pete Stavros was on a high after his latest experiment with employee ownership. As the head of industrial investments for KKR, Stavros orchestrated the sale of CHI Overhead Doors, which turned into KKR’s best investment in more than two decades and created $360 million... View Details

Keywords: Employee Ownership; Knowledge Sharing; Nonprofit Organizations