Publications

22 Mar 2017
Research & Ideas

What's the Ideal Frequency for a Sales Quota?

from a Field Experiment, authored by Harvard Business School marketing professors Doug J. Chung and Das Narayandas. “With so many people and resources at stake, the design of the sales force compensation plan becomes of great strategic... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

01 Mar 2018
What Do You Think?

Two Decades Later, is the 'New Economy' Finally Here?

kinwun Summing Up: What are the Earmarks of a “New Economy?” Responses to this month’s column rightly focused on the need for measures and standards before deciding whether we are entering an era of social and economic change as... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

28 Oct 2014
First Look

First Look: October 28

Designed around the course at Harvard Business School, Collis' new text takes the firm that operates across borders as a unit of analysis and the senior manager in a multinational as the typical decision maker. Illustrated with examples... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

February 2011 (Revised June 2011)
Case

Stock Reform of Shenzhen Development Bank

By: Li Jin, Li Liao, Aldo Sesia and Jianyi Wu

Shenzhen Development Bank, China's first publicly traded company, was undergoing the non-tradable share reform. Its current controlling shareholder, private equity firm Newbridge Capital LLC, needs to negotiate with its diverse minority shareholders to find a... View Details

Keywords: Capital; Private Equity; Investment; Corporate Governance; Managerial Roles; Emerging Markets; Negotiation; Business and Shareholder Relations; Conflict of Interests; Banking Industry; China

January 2006 (Revised July 2007)
Case

Juan Trippe and Pan American World Airways

By: Nitin Nohria, Anthony Mayo and Mark Rennella

A fascination with flight and a forceful personality helped to create a market for air travel and shape the modern airline industry. Masterfully wielding his power and influence, Juan Trippe built Pan American Airways by combining bold moves and blind ambition. Across... View Details

Keywords: Decision Choices and Conditions; Leadership; Growth and Development Strategy; Industry Growth; Business and Government Relations; Power and Influence; Air Transportation; Air Transportation Industry; Travel Industry

Find at Harvard

12 Oct 1999
Research & Ideas

Where Main Street Meets Wall Street

as the congressional proposal to augment the Social Security system with a program of private savings, a plan that presumably would include the mutual fund industry. Ultimately, it is the fundamentals upon which the mutual fund industry... View Details

Keywords: by Garry Emmons; Financial Services

09 Feb 2009
Research & Ideas

Uncompromising Leadership in Tough Times

long-term study of successful CEOs, some of them outlined in the August 2008 Harvard Business Review article, "The Uncompromising Leader," cowritten with Russell A. Eisenstat, Nathaniel Foote, Tobias Fredberg, and Flemming... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

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

14 May 2020
Research & Ideas

What Leaders Can Do to Fight the COVID Fog

deftly: “How to most effectively communicate with all employees remotely and show empathy, while running around with [my] hair on fire trying to save the current business while at the same time trying to shape the future of the company in... View Details

Keywords: by Boris Groysberg and Robin Abrahams

10 Nov 2008
What Do You Think?

How Much Can You Ask of Your Customers?

volunteerism and "ownership." Those were messages in the very thoughtful responses to this month's column. Dianne Jacobs commented, "This builds on the real social need for people to connect in sync with a purpose."... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

December 2022 (Revised February 2023)
Case

Marfrig's Quest for Sustainable Beef

By: Jose B. Alvarez, Pedro Levindo and Ruth Costas

Marfrig, one of the world’s leading meatpackers, strived to comply with its commitment to have a deforestation-free value chain in Brazil by 2030. The company also pledged to reduce its emissions of greenhouse gases in accordance with the guidelines set by the... View Details

Keywords: Agribusiness; Animal-Based Agribusiness; Plant-Based Agribusiness; Acquisition; Family Business; Communication Strategy; Environmental Management; Climate Change; Environmental Regulation; Environmental Sustainability; Bonds; Food; Global Strategy; Goods and Commodities; Government and Politics; Political Elections; Leading Change; Marketing; Product Marketing; Product Positioning; Supply Chain; Supply Chain Management; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Business and Government Relations; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Partners and Partnerships; Strategy; Adaptation; Business Strategy; Commercialization; Competitive Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Diversification; Expansion; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Brazil; Latin America; Argentina; Uruguay; North America; United States; Europe; Asia; China

15 Mar 2011
First Look

First Look: March 15

That They Are Now Losing Authors:Michael I. Norton and Samuel R. Sommers Publication:Perspectives on Psychological Science (forthcoming) Abstract Although some have heralded recent political and cultural developments as signaling the arrival of a post-racial era in... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

September 1993 (Revised October 1994)
Case

Environment and International Trade

By: Forest L. Reinhardt

During the 1990s, environmental activists became interested in trade issues for the first time. Whereas GATT, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, had previously been the province of trade specialists, a new poster popular among environmentalists depicted the... View Details

Keywords: Trade; Environmental Sustainability; Science-Based Business; Policy; Government and Politics; Agreements and Arrangements; Alliances; Globalization; International Relations; Conflict of Interests

09 Jul 2013
Research & Ideas

Catching Up With Boards--Jay Lorsch

performance and succession, corporate strategy, and executive compensation. In a recent interview at Harvard Business School, governance expert Jay Lorsch, the School's Louis Kirstein Professor of Human Relations, offered his insights.... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Aisner

22 Oct 2012
Research & Ideas

Not Your Father’s State-Run Capitalism

In addition, businesses in which the government is a majority shareholder may be more suitable for countries that recognize a "double bottom line" where compelling social interests—such as energy security,... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

29 May 2013
Research & Ideas

Faculty Symposium Showcases Breadth of Research

"We're trying to see how this new form of organizing people is disrupting business," said Lakhani, the Lumry Family Associate Professor of Business Administration at HBS and the Principal Investigator of the Harvard-NASA... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Financial Services

02 Jan 2018
Op-Ed

'Dear Working Knowledge'--Our Favorite Reader Comments of the Year

They are often born of deep business experience, delivered with great style, wit, and humor. Here are some of our favorite comments in 2017. Some have been edited for clarity. Want to be Happier? Spend Some Money Avoiding Household Chores... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

March 2022 (Revised November 2022)
Case

When Should CEOs Speak Out Publicly? The 2021 Georgia Voting Law

By: William W. George, Hubert Joly and Amram Migdal

This case describes the March 2021 passage of a voting and elections law in the U.S. state of Georgia and reactions by corporations and corporate leaders to the law. Included are a brief history of voting rights in the United States and Georgia and an overview of the... View Details

July 2019 (Revised November 2022)
Case

Backstage at Boston Ballet

By: David G. Fubini, Ryan Raffaelli, Begum Agca Okutgen and Julia Kelley

This case asks students to consider how to prioritize goals when placed in a new leadership role. In August 2014, Meredith “Max” Hodges became the youngest Executive Director (ED) in the Boston Ballet’s 51-year history. In her first year, she was able to claim several... View Details