Publications

24 Jul 2018
News

How Amy Hood Won Back Wall Street and Helped Reboot Microsoft

to the failing performance and then encouraging everyone to focus on making hard decisions quickly," says Microsoft President and Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith, whose office shares a small hallway with Hood’s. So what was the plan to... View Details

September 2017 (Revised August 2018)
Case

The Productivity Decline: Demographics, Robots, or Globalization?

By: Laura Alfaro, Hayley Pallan and Sarah Jeong

In the early 21st century, there was a noticeable trend of declining productivity growth. Despite the persistent decline in productivity growth, a consensus on its explanation had not been reached. Some of the debate focused on the technicalities of productivity... View Details

Keywords: Productivity; Performance Productivity; Measurement and Metrics; Technological Innovation; Economic Slowdown and Stagnation; Globalization; Business and Government Relations

February 1987 (Revised February 2000)
Case

Polysar Limited

By: Robert L. Simons

Canada's largest chemical company produces and markets butyl rubber in two divisions, each treated as a profit center. The new plant in the North American Division operates below capacity resulting in a significant volume variance and an operating loss. The European... View Details

Keywords: Loss; Profit; Financial Management; Volume; Performance Capacity; Financial Statements; For-Profit Firms; Market Participation; Chemical Industry; Rubber Industry; Canada

28 Oct 2020
Blog Post

Keep Your Weary Workers Engaged

employees’ long-term prospects via continuing education/development or ownership options may allow for a discount in pay. Sharply differentiate good performance from average and poor performance. This should be based on View Details

Keywords: All Industries

08 Dec 2020
Blog Post

Keep Your Weary Workers Engaged

employees’ long-term prospects via continuing education/development or ownership options may allow for a discount in pay. Sharply differentiate good performance from average and poor performance. This should be based on View Details

June 2011
Article

The Paradox of Excellence

By: Thomas J. DeLong and Sara DeLong

Why is it that so many smart, ambitious professionals are less productive and satisfied than they could be? We argue that it's often because they're afraid to demonstrate any sign of weakness. They're reluctant to ask important questions or try new... View Details

Keywords: Employees; Innovation and Invention; Strength and Weakness; Performance Productivity; Risk and Uncertainty; Motivation and Incentives; Satisfaction

Find at Harvard

May 2008
Article

Excess Comovement of Stock Returns: Evidence from Cross-sectional Variation in Nikkei 225 Weights

By: Robin Greenwood

In the presence of limits to arbitrage, cross-sectional variation in periodic investor demand should be related to the degree of comovement of returns. I exploit the unusual weighting system of the Nikkei 225 index in Japan to identify cross-sectional variation in... View Details

Keywords: Stocks; Investment; Investment Return; Market Transactions; Weight; Performance Expectations; Behavior; Japan

August 2009 (Revised October 2009)
Case

Indian Railways: Building a Permanent Legacy?

By: Tarun Khanna, Aldo Musacchio and Rachna Tahilyani

Keywords: Government and Politics; Managerial Roles; Size; State Ownership; Performance; Transportation Industry; India

Web

Managing Customers for Growth - Course Catalog

Customer-Driven Growth Focuses on valuing customers, assessing customer-base dynamics, and measuring growth strategies. Students will analyze customer data and perform a Customer-Base Audit exercise to evaluate business health. Topics... View Details

2010
Working Paper

Accounting Scholarship that Advances Professional Knowledge and Practice

By: Robert S. Kaplan

Recent accounting scholarship has used statistical analysis on asset prices, financial reports and disclosures, laboratory experiments, and surveys of practice. The research has studied the interface among accounting information, capital markets, standard setters, and... View Details

Keywords: Accounting; Business Education; Information; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Risk Management; Measurement and Metrics; Business Processes; Performance Improvement; Practice

Keywords: Andrew Clark; Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries; Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries; Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries; Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries; Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries; Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries

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Web

Field Course: Value Creation in Small and Medium Firms - Course Catalog

field to the students”. Course Content and Organization: Selected course sessions: 1. First day speech role play and early actions post acquisition 2. Financial systems, accounting, and metrics 3. Difficult conversations: Demotion,... View Details

01 Mar 2015
News

The Next Big Swing

disappointing 71–91 season, it’s imperative for the franchise to stay at the cutting edge of the data wars. For Tippett, that means continuing to add to his arsenal: a massive database of baseball metrics and minutiae that he and the team... View Details

01 Sep 2010
News

Reinventing the Annual Report

combining the financial and CSR/sustainability reports into something I call “One Report,” which provides the essential information on a company’s financial, environmental, social, and governance performance and shows the relationships... View Details

Keywords: Robert G. Eccles

September 1996 (Revised May 1997)
Case

Mobil USM&R (C): Lubricants Business Unit

By: Robert S. Kaplan

The general manager of a Lubricants Business Unit in Mobil's U.S. Marketing and Refining division launched a project to develop a Balanced Scorecard (BSC) for his unit. The purpose was to provide focus for all employees of the unit, enabling it to operate on an... View Details

Keywords: Balanced Scorecard; Employees; Customization and Personalization; Performance Evaluation; Measurement and Metrics; Management Teams; Projects; Energy Industry; Mining Industry; United States

11 Oct 2022
News

On Balance

renamed and given a broad purview to collect data on equality metrics like composition, pay, policies, and practices from all private-sector employers in Australia with 100 or more employees, criteria that currently cover about 40 percent... View Details

Keywords: April White

August 2000
Case

Project ACHIEVE - January 2000

By: H. Kent Bowen and Elizabeth Kind

Education services target public schools to assist the school with technology and services that will improve their communication with students, parents, and the community. There is also the goal of increasing scores of measured learning. How does a small company do... View Details

Keywords: Information Technology; Service Delivery; Learning; Interactive Communication; Measurement and Metrics; Performance Consistency; Business and Community Relations; Expansion; Technology Adoption; Education Industry