Publications

February 2015
Case

Continental Hope Group

By: Christopher Marquis and Qi Li

This case provides an opportunity to examine and discuss how a traditional Chinese private business was launched and developed into a globalizing, multi-industry corporation. It also highlights how second generation entrepreneurs successfully developed an innovative... View Details

Keywords: Globalization; China; Technology; Real Estate; Talent Retention; Incentives; Talent and Talent Management; Diversification; Family Business; Business Growth and Maturation; Entrepreneurship; Global Strategy; Construction Industry; Tourism Industry; Energy Industry; Real Estate Industry; Chemical Industry; China

September 2023 (Revised January 2024)
Case

Icahn Enterprises: Ponzi Scheme or Sound Investment

By: Aiyesha Dey, Jonas Heese and James Weber

Icahn Enterprises, a publicly traded limited partnership founded and operated by famed activist investor Carl Icahn, had earned above market returns for over a decade. Between 2018 and early 2023, it had a compound annual return of 31%. Icahn invested in undervalued... View Details

Keywords: Stock Shares; Investment Return; Business Model; Valuation; Financial Services Industry

01 Jun 1997
News

Competition and Strategy Unit at HBS Sets Pace In Its Field

entrepreneurship, joint action, and the creation of value. Their work shows that value creation is an interdependent process in which an enterprise must align itself with... View Details

Keywords: Susan Young

June 2010
Article

Are You a High Potential?

By: Douglas A. Ready, Jay A. Conger and Linda A. Hill

Some employees are more talented than others, and nearly every company has its method for identifying their high-potential managers. So how can you get on your company's high-potential list? Douglas A. Ready, of the talent-management research center ICEDR; Jay A.... View Details

Keywords: Talent and Talent Management; Employees; Leadership Development; Personal Development and Career; Personal Characteristics

Find at Harvard

January 2014
Supplement

Patagonia (B)

By: Forest Reinhardt, Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and Lauren Barley

Patagonia produces high-quality environmentally friendly garments that command significant price premiums. In Spring 2010, Patagonia rolled out a new, radical environmental initiative called "Product Lifecycle Initiative" (PLI), which was committed to lengthening the... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Strategy; Environmental Management; Business Models; Beliefs; Product Differentiation; Product Lines; Yvon Chouinard; Rose Marcario; Retailing; Corporate Social Responsibility; Apparel Manufacturing; Strategy; Apparel and Accessories Industry; United States

02 Apr 2010
What Do You Think?

Why Are Fewer and Fewer U.S. Employees Satisfied With Their Jobs?

over their own needs)." Mark Isaac pointed out that "Succession plans, open communication, and knowing that the company cares, create a learning environment." Gerald Nanninga's reference to... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

09 Jul 2018
Research & Ideas

Overcoming the Challenges of Selling Brand New Technology (Hey, Need a 3-D Printer?)

range of home and small-business users. The question the company faced was how to convince potential customers to buy it. The key ingredient: the product launch. “Product... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Technology; Consumer Products; Electronics; Industrial Products; Information Technology; Manufacturing; Medical Devices & Supplies; Retail

01 Jun 2000
News

VC Luminary John Doerr: Education Reform Critical to Success of New Economy

Last February, in his first speech at HBS in six years, L. John Doerr (MBA '76), a partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and one of the world's foremost venture capitalists, confessed that he stumbled... View Details

01 Dec 2019
News

Action Plan: Tapping into a Legacy

As the new managing director of Hall & Woodhouse, one of England’s leading regional breweries, Matt Kearsey (AMP 193, 2017) knows that the best-tasting beer requires more than... View Details

Keywords: Leah Flickinger; manufacturing; craft beer; leadership; management; Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing; Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing

01 Jun 2023
News

Action Plan: Net Proceeds

properly composted; otherwise, the material is no better than current products. Get involved now. People at the height of their careers, who control budgets, manage people, and... View Details

Keywords: April White; recycling; corporate social responsibility; waste management; water; Waste Management and Remediation Services; Waste Management and Remediation Services

DJ DiDonna

Dennis “DJ” DiDonna has dedicated his career to commercializing social science research to create organizations which positively impact the world.

He is a Senior Lecturer in the Entrepreneurial Management Unit at Harvard Business School where he teaches the... View Details

November 2003 (Revised August 2005)
Case

First Commonwealth Financial Corporation

By: Robert S. Kaplan

First Commonwealth Financial Corp., a financial institution in central and southwestern Pennsylvania, implemented the Balanced Scorecard for describing and implementing its new customer-focused strategy. Its founder and chairman decided that the Balanced Scorecard also... View Details

Keywords: Balanced Scorecard; Corporate Strategy; Customers; Corporate Governance; Governing and Advisory Boards; Customer Relationship Management; Executive Compensation; Financial Services Industry; Banking Industry; Pennsylvania

Article

Should Business Have Human Rights Obligations?

By: Nien-he Hsieh

Businesses and their managers are increasingly called upon to take on human rights obligations. Focusing on the case of multinational enterprises (MNEs), the paper argues we have reason to reject assigning human rights obligations to business enterprises and their... View Details

Keywords: Human Rights; Ruggie Principles; Corporate Responsibility; Multinationals; Rights; Multinational Firms and Management; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact