Publications

Find at Harvard

11 Sep 2006
Research & Ideas

Negotiating When the Rules Suddenly Change

and acting. He concluded that tactical and strategic victory hinges on cycling through this loop faster than the enemy (or by disrupting the enemy's ability to connect those activities efficiently). The first two elements—observing and... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Wheeler; Sports

February 2018 (Revised June 2018)
Case

Uruguay: Facing the 21st Century

By: Sophus A. Reinert, Michael Chu and Carin-Isabel Knoop

In the fall of 2017, self-made business leader Edgardo Novick pondered his campaign to be elected President of Uruguay, “the Switzerland of Latin America.” Inspired by populist revolts against the status quo observable worldwide, Novick hoped he could ride popular... View Details

Keywords: Uruguay; Edgardo Novick; Business Cycles; Macroeconomics; Geographic Location; Government and Politics; Wealth and Poverty; Economic Slowdown and Stagnation; Globalization; Pulp and Paper Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Uruguay

March 1997 (Revised January 1999)
Case

SureCut Shears, Inc.

By: W. Carl Kester

A bank loan officer must determine whether to waive convenants and extend terms on a line of credit granted to SureCut Shears. At issue is whether the inability of SureCut to pay down its line of credit is due to a temporary cyclical downturn or other long-term... View Details

Keywords: Business Cycles; Finance; Performance; Problems and Challenges

November 1999 (Revised July 2003)
Case

Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc.

By: Paul M. Healy and Jacob Cohen

Pre-Paid Legal Services' business model reveals two key issues--managing the sales force and sales growth and managing claims. Students analyze the economics of the business and consider how to measure firm performance, how to evaluate and reward the sales force, and... View Details

Keywords: Financial Management; Financial Strategy; Salesforce Management; Marketing Strategy; Accrual Accounting; Business Cycles; Forecasting and Prediction; Insurance; Business Growth and Maturation; Insurance Industry

11 Dec 2018
Research & Ideas

Free Trade Needs Nurturing—and Other Lessons from History

Question: What patterns emerge from history that can help us better understand where we are today? Sophus Reinert: To many people, globalization is teleological, something that necessarily becomes stronger over time and leads to an ever-more economically interconnected... View Details

Keywords: by Staff; Auto; Aerospace; Chemical; Consumer Products; Electronics; Energy; Industrial Products; Manufacturing; Shipping; Transportation

19 Nov 2010
Research & Ideas

The Landscape of Integrated Reporting: An E-Book

where this trust has been badly damaged. We've reached a place that feels like a vicious cycle, where nothing progressive is going to happen. Somehow, we have to turn this cycle in the other direction, and restore business to a place... View Details

Keywords: by Nitin Nohria; Accounting

August 2002 (Revised February 2003)
Case

Siebel Systems: Anatomy of a Sale, Part 2

By: John A. Deighton and Das Narayandas

How does a $2 million software sale happen? This case traces efforts by Siebel Systems to sell lead management software to discount broker Quick & Reilly. The buying process is mapped out over four years. Covers in detail the last six months--from Siebel's initial... View Details

Keywords: Business Cycles; Leadership; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Marketing Strategy; Consumer Behavior; Organizational Structure; Behavior; Competition; Applications and Software; Technology Industry

02 Nov 2016
Op-Ed

Government and Financial Tech Can Fix Cash Woes for Small Businesses

cycle can mean the difference between a small business growing or just staying flat. And, the good news is that we’re seeing innovative ideas in both policy and products on this front—ideas that actually help small businesses manage their... View Details

Keywords: by Karen Mills

2016
Working Paper

Wesley Mitchell's Business Cycles after 100 Years

By: Walter A. Friedman

This article looks back at the publication and influence of Wesley Mitchell's Business Cycles, published in 1913. It surveys some of the key ideas in the book and explains the reasons why it resonated with a variety of people, including economists,... View Details

Keywords: Business Cycles; Books

28 Oct 2014
First Look

First Look: October 28

October 2014 Quarterly Journal of Economics Waves in Ship Prices and Investment By: Greenwood, Robin, and Samuel G. Hanson Abstract—We study the link between investment boom and bust cycles and returns on capital in the dry bulk shipping... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

30 Sep 2008
First Look

First Look: September 30, 2008

larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and robbery, as opposed to other kinds of crime like arson, assault, homicide, and rape. Temporal patterns in crime are observed in jurisdictions in which disbursements are focused at the beginning of monthly welfare payment View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

15 May 2007
First Look

First Look: May 15, 2007

the vicious cycle of poverty, and/or how aid can be used effectively. Purchase this case: http://www.hbsp.harvard.edu/b01/en/common/item_detail.jhtml?id=707029 Aid, Debt Relief, and Trade: An Agenda for Fighting World Poverty (B) Harvard... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

19 Aug 2002
Research & Ideas

Here Comes Internet2—Time to Shed Dot Vertigo

Internet2 was born. Today, sophisticated networks are being hooked up today among Europe, North and South America, and the Asia-Pacific region. Cisco and Microsoft are involved "in a big way," Nolan said. Right now, Internet2 is probably going through the... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

September 1992
Case

Star Cablevision Group (A): Harvesting in a Bull Market

By: William A. Sahlman

First case in a series of six cases that follow the experience of a cable television company as it adjusts to the rapid rise and precipitous decline of the stock market in the late 1980s. In this case Don Jones, the company's founder and owner, sees the rise in public... View Details

Keywords: Behavioral Finance; Financial Markets; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Restructuring; Corporate Strategy; SWOT Analysis; Wealth; Business Cycles; Entertainment and Recreation Industry