Publications

December 2014 (Revised May 2015)
Case

Growth Hacking at Bazaart (A)

By: Jeffrey Bussgang and Matthew G. Preble

The four founding members of Bazaart—a young Israeli company whose sole product was its eponymous mobile application (app) which allowed users to create collages from photographs and other images—face an important strategic decision in June 2014. Since its founding... View Details

Keywords: Growth Hacking; Customer Acquisition; Startup Marketing; Startup; Startup Nation; Business Startups; Growth and Development Strategy; Customers; Marketing; Social Marketing; Fashion Industry; Technology Industry; Israel

June 2017
Article

Is Operating Flexibility Harmful under Debt?

By: Nikolaos Trichakis, Dan A. Iancu and Gerry Tsoukalas

We study the inefficiencies stemming from a firm's operating flexibility under debt. We find that flexibility in replenishing or liquidating inventory, by providing risk-shifting incentives, could lead to borrowing costs that erase more than a third of the firm's... View Details

Keywords: Covenants; Risk-shifting; Inventory; Agency Costs; Debt Financing; Risk Management; Borrowing and Debt

Find at Harvard

17 Jan 2019
Research & Ideas

Why Business Should Support Employees Who Are Caregivers

supporting caregivers a critical talent management issue, according to a new report, The Caring Company: How Employers Can Cut Costs and Boost Productivity by Helping Employees View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost; Health

01 Jan 2011
News

Karen Gordon Mills, MBA 1977

financing that ranges from micro loans to help home-based businesses buy delivery trucks to sophisticated loans to build factories, she believes the SBA can stimulate "not just initial product creation, but View Details

12 Sep 2023
Blog Post

Harvard Climate Entrepreneurs Circle: Taking Climate Solutions from Idea to Action, Faster

Sustainability Manager at HBS, and Leah Ricci, Associate Director of Sustainability and Energy Management at HBS–who were members of Harvard’s Environmental and Sustainability Professionals Network,... View Details

26 Mar 2018
Research & Ideas

To Motivate Employees, Give an Unexpected Bonus (or Penalty)

Gallani, an assistant professor in the Accounting and Management Unit at Harvard Business School. How much those systems spur employees, however, may depend on how fair employees perceive them to be. “We have a tendency to attribute... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Manufacturing

Web

William R. Kerr | About

The Managing the Future of Work project considers the unprecedented set of challenges and opportunities presented to businesses, including rapid technological revolutions, shifting global product and labor... View Details

04 Aug 2011
What Do You Think?

How Dangerous Is Common Sense to Managers?

Article Some of the more interesting writing that is relevant to management these days is found in out-of-the-way places in my local bookstore. In addition to the management and economics sections, you... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

September 2011 (Revised December 2012)
Case

Pepsi-Lipton Brisk

By: Thales S. Teixeira and Alison Caverly

This case showcases key decisions in promoting the re-launch of Brisk, a ready-to-drink iced tea by Pepsi-Lipton. The decisions are: creative, media and metrics selection. It also deals with budget allocation to traditional (Super Bowl, television) and new (viral ads... View Details

Keywords: Marketing Channels; Marketing Communications; Advertising Campaigns; Decision Making; Media; Product Launch; Resource Allocation; Performance Effectiveness; Budgets and Budgeting; Food and Beverage Industry

01 Dec 2022
News

Future Vision

seashells washing up on the shore—all of which would also require time and attention, be they challenges or opportunities. You can’t ignore them; but you also can’t let them consume you, because you still have to manage the rest of the... View Details

Keywords: Brian Kenny; Educational Support Services; Educational Services

February 2019 (Revised August 2019)
Case

KangaTech

By: Karim R. Lakhani, Patrick J. Ferguson, Sarah Fleischer, Jin Hyun Paik and Steven Randazzo

On a warm January afternoon in 2019, Steve Saunders, Dave Scerri, Carl Dilena, and Nick Haslam (see Exhibit 1 for biographies), co-founders of KangaTech, wrapped up the latest round of discussions about the future direction of their sports-technology start-up. Focused... View Details

Keywords: Startup; Technology Commercialization; Prototype; Business Startups; Technological Innovation; Sports; Health; Commercialization; Research and Development; Decision Making; Growth and Development Strategy; Technology Industry; Sports Industry; Health Industry; Australia

January 2025
Case

GE Appliances 2025: Energizing Change

By: Rosabeth Moss Kanter and Jacob A. Small

At the turn of 2025, Kevin Nolan, CEO of GE Appliances following its acquisition by Chinese appliance giant Haier in 2016, is reviewing progress toward his net zero carbon vision for homes, which would otherwise exacerbate the global warming climate crisis. An... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Transformation; Climate Change; Environmental Sustainability; Technological Innovation; Leading Change; Product Development; Organizational Culture

07 Jan 2002
Research & Ideas

How Marketing Can Reduce Worldwide Poverty

at the societal benefit while at the same time taking care of the individual. That in essence is what we're trying to get at. McCaffrey: In a standard marketing situation, there's usually somebody who pays for it—such as a corporate employer who hires marketing to... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

22 Aug 2005
Research & Ideas

The Hard Work of Failure Analysis

requires a spirit of inquiry and openness, patience, and a tolerance for ambiguity. However, most managers admire and are rewarded for decisiveness, efficiency, and action rather than for deep reflection and painstaking analysis. Third,... View Details

Keywords: by Amy Edmondson & Mark D. Cannon

01 Nov 2019
What Do You Think?

Should Non-Compete Clauses Be Abolished?

many risks, unknowns like they are in trouble financially, they are behind in product development, etc. particularly when there is no compensation other than employment for the present and nothing once the employment ends.” An argument... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

March 2023
Case

Best Buy: Renew Blue (A)

By: Sunil Gupta, Dave Habeeb and Amram Migdal

Preabstract: The A Video Case should be assigned to students in advance of class. The B case is intended to be used in class by educators and the C case can be assigned to students during or after class. The product is designed as a low-prep case for students, with... View Details

Keywords: Job Offer; Management Succession; Personal Development and Career; Business or Company Management; Leadership; Selection and Staffing; Retail Industry

July 2023 (Revised May 2024)
Case

Vytal: Packaging-as-a-Service

By: George Serafeim, Michael W. Toffel, Lena Duchene and Daniela Beyersdorfer

The Germany-based startup Vytal operated the largest digital-native reusable packaging-as-a-service network globally, having raised nearly €15 million, established a large network of restaurant partners, and prevented the use of millions of single-use take-out food... View Details

Web

Modern Capitalism: Mergers and Syndicates - Railroads and the Transformation of Capitalism | Harvard Business School

Railroads Finance Management Business Analysts Mass Distribution Mergers & Syndicates Research Links Modern Capitalism: Mergers and Syndicates Productivity rose almost six-fold in the United States during... View Details

January 2017
Teaching Note

SOHO China: Transformation in Progress

By: Charles F. Wu and Alexander W. Schultz

In 2016 against the backdrop of a challenging Chinese macroeconomic environment, SOHO China, the largest owner and developer of Class-A real estate in Beijing and Shanghai, was struggling to convince analysts of the merits of their new “build-to-hold” strategy. Founded... View Details

Keywords: Merchant Builder; Real Estate Development; Public Markets; China; Shared Office Space; Growth and Development Strategy; Property; Construction; Stocks; Financial Markets; Marketing Strategy; Real Estate Industry; Construction Industry; China