Publications

1989
Chapter

Technocratic Organization and Technological Development in China, 1928-1953

By: William C. Kirby

Keywords: History; Information Technology; Technological Innovation; Organizational Design; Developing Countries and Economies; China

2008
Working Paper

The Ethnic Composition of U.S. Inventors

By: William R. Kerr

The ethnic composition of US scientists and engineers is undergoing a significant transformation. This study applies an ethnic-name database to individual patent records granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office to document these trends with greater... View Details

Keywords: Inventors; Scientists; Engineers; Information Technology; Patents; Ethnicity; Innovation and Invention; Research and Development; Immigration; China; United States; India

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March 1982 (Revised September 1985)
Case

Sealed Air Corporation

By: Robert J. Dolan

Market leadership and technological innovation have marked Sealed Air's participation in the U.S. protective packaging market. Several small regional producers have introduced products which are less effective than Sealed Air's but similar in appearance and cheaper.... View Details

Keywords: Product Marketing; Product; Technological Innovation; Supply and Industry; Competitive Advantage; Consumer Products Industry; United States

July 1995 (Revised April 1996)
Case

Cambridge Technology Partners (A)

By: Teresa M. Amabile, George P. Baker III and Michael Beer

Cambridge Technology Partners uses a highly innovative product strategy, supported by a human resources strategy, that has been very successful. However, high growth rates jeopardize product quality while tension about relative compensation levels between sales and... View Details

Keywords: Growth Management; Compensation and Benefits; Organizational Culture; Quality; Human Resources; Relationships; Innovation and Invention; Consulting Industry; Massachusetts

16 Feb 2023
News

Clearing the Air

Animation by Richard Borge Aaron Sabin (MS/MBA Candidate) HBS senior lecturer Jim Matheson Aaron Sabin (MS/MBA Candidate) HBS senior lecturer Jim Matheson Can We Really Engineer a Climate Fix? The opportunity—and necessity—of carbon capture Photo credits: Aaron Sabin;... View Details

04 Sep 2019
News

Impact: Where Science and Business Intersect

The creation, commercialization, and scaling of science-based enterprises will be a crucial segment of the global economy in the decades to come. Harvard Business School—through its educational programs, the research of its faculty members, and activities and resources... View Details

01 Mar 2018
News

Can a Digital Platform Open Up the Opaque Metals Industry?

image by Edmon de Haro image by Edmon de Haro Boris Eykher (MBA 2009) and Ilya Chernilovskiy (MBA 2013) watched the 2015 global price slump in commodities with horror. Prices for commodities fell to their lowest levels since the financial crisis, sending mining... View Details

Keywords: Nicole Torres

01 Mar 2016
News

A Club for the Cosmos

In May, as Khaled Al-Hashmi (GMP 11, 2011) was introducing the UAE Space Agency at the Global Space and Satellite Forum in Abu Dhabi, another launch was taking place inside the confines of the larger conference. The Harvard Business School Aerospace Alumni Group, the... View Details

Keywords: Robert S. Benchley

10 Feb 2016
News

Investing in Sustainability

Nicholas Tiller (MBA 1998) grew up in a farming community, but it was his experience in hedge-fund management in the food and energy sectors that led him to establish Sustainable America, a nonprofit with the aim of reducing US oil consumption while increasing the... View Details

01 Jun 2015
News

The End of Cows?

Price is a market barrier for lab-grown beef, with production costs currently exceeding 250,000 euros per burger. (Photo courtesy of Cultured Beef) Price is a market barrier for lab-grown beef, with production costs currently exceeding 250,000 euros per burger. (Photo... View Details

Keywords: Jason Feifer; Food and Beverage Stores; Retail Trade; Scientific Research and Development Services

08 Dec 2014
News

Democratic Capitalism Needs Design Thinking

Keywords: design process; public policy; government innovation; government legislation; education; infrastructure; healthcare; Government

01 Sep 2005
News

Taking Flight

IN HIS ELEMENT: Peter Thayer has spotted nearly 3,500 species of birds...and counting. Peter Thayer (MBA ’73) didn’t recognize the little bird hopping about in his backyard outside Cincinnati. His parents had given him a field guide for his 11th birthday, but he hadn’t... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna; Finance; Publishing Industries (except Internet); Information; Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, and Book Stores; Retail Trade

September 2002 (Revised January 2013)
Case

Siebel Systems: Organizing for the Customer

By: Robert Simons and Antonio Davila

Siebel Systems is one of the fastest growing companies in America. Tom Siebel, the company's founder, has organized the business to accommodate growth and focus on the customer. Innovative information technology systems and clear accountability prove to be essential to... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Structure; Applications and Software; Business Growth and Maturation; Information Technology; Performance Evaluation; Performance Expectations; Innovation and Management; Technological Innovation; Customer Focus and Relationships; Management Teams; Information Technology Industry; North and Central America

25 Oct 2013
Working Paper Summaries

Management: Theory and Practice, and Cases

Keywords: by Richard L. Nolan; Education

13 Aug 2024
Op-Ed

Can AI Save Physicians from Burnout?

In the past decade, physician burnout has evolved from a serious concern to a troubling epidemic, affecting 50 percent of physicians and physicians-in-training. Excessive workloads, process inefficiencies, and administrative burdens related to electronic medical... View Details

Keywords: by Susanna Gallani, Lidia Moura, and Katie Sonnefeldt; Health

April 2025
Case

Sharon Goldberg and BastionZero

By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang, James Barnett and Maxim Pike Harrell

In December 2023, BastionZero co-founder and CEO Sharon Goldberg considered her startup’s future. Established in 2017 as a blockchain company focused on improving the security of cryptocurrency trading, in March 2020 the VC-backed startup shifted focus to a new... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Entrepreneurial Finance; Technological Innovation; Business Strategy; Business Exit or Shutdown

2024
Book

Smart Rivals: How Innovative Companies Play Games That Tech Giants Can't Win

By: Feng Zhu and Bonnie Yining Cao

A fresh, research-based look at how companies can better compete, on their own terms, with tech giants. View Details

Keywords: Growth and Development Strategy; Product Design; Disruptive Innovation; Competitive Advantage

2023
Working Paper

Centralization and Organization Reproduction: Ethnic Innovation in R&D Centers and Satellite Locations

By: William R. Kerr

We study the relationship between firm centralization and organizational reproduction in satellite locations. For decentralized firms, the ethnic compositions of inventors in satellite locations mostly resemble their host cities, with little link to the inventor... View Details

Keywords: Ethnicity; Business Offices; Research and Development; Innovation and Invention; Organizational Design

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Article

Hurry or Wait: The Pros and Cons of Going Fast or Slow on Climate Change

By: Eleanor Denny and Jurgen Weiss

Climate change risk will likely force the de-carbonization of our electricity sector and thus involve massive investments in long-lived assets using many new and emerging technologies. Since technological progress (independent or dependent on deployment) will likely... View Details

Keywords: Electricity Sector; Environmental Risks; Fat Tails; Greenhouse Gas Emissions; Climate Change; Information Technology; Investment; Technological Innovation; Cost vs Benefits