Publications

March 2002 (Revised June 2002)
Case

EMCF: A New Approach at an Old Foundation

By: Allen S. Grossman and Daniel F. Curran

Michael Bailin, president of the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation (EMCF), embarked on a three-year effort to transform the foundation's grant-making in theory and practice. This case details his efforts to move from an "initiatives-based" approach in philanthropy to a... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Leadership; Management Practices and Processes; Performance Expectations; Non-Governmental Organizations; Cognition and Thinking; Customization and Personalization; Theory

July 2016 (Revised June 2019)
Case

Hamilton: An American Musical

By: Anita Elberse and Jennifer Schoppe

In July 2013, composer, writer, actor and rapper Lin-Manuel Miranda, director Tommy Kail, and producer Jeffrey Seller met to discuss how to launch Hamilton, a new musical based on the life of the first Treasury Secretary of the United States, Alexander Hamilton.... View Details

Keywords: Entertainment; Creative Industries; Performing Arts; (General) Management; Blockbusters; Non-profit; Theater Entertainment; Strategy; Risk Management; Nonprofit Organizations; Arts; Creativity; Product Launch; Product Development; Marketing; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; United States

December 2011
Article

Prices or Knowledge? What Drives Demand for Financial Services in Emerging Markets?

By: Shawn A. Cole, Thomas Sampson and Bilal Zia

Financial development is critical for growth, but its micro-determinants are not well understood. We test leading theories of low demand for financial services in emerging markets, combining novel survey evidence from Indonesia and India with a field experiment. We... View Details

Keywords: Price; Knowledge; Demand and Consumers; Emerging Markets; Banks and Banking; Education; Finance; Behavior; Service Operations; Financial Services Industry; India; Indonesia

Find at Harvard

Career Coach

Alejandro Maldonado

Alejandro (HBS '08) has spent most of his career in the areas of direct investing and strategy, with a recent focus on human capital leadership and development. He has had experience in investment banking at Credit Suisse First Boston and in strategy consulting at Bain... View Details

Keywords: Social Enterprise; Social Enterprise; Social Enterprise; Social Enterprise; Social Enterprise; Social Enterprise; Social Enterprise; Social Enterprise; Social Enterprise; Social Enterprise

December 2007 (Revised October 2008)
Case

The American National Red Cross (A)

By: Jay W. Lorsch, Eliot Sherman and David Chen

Describes the governance issues facing the Board of Governors of the American Red Cross. After a series of issues--FDA consent decree on its blood operations; the response to 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina--the Red Cross board was under pressure to fix its governance from... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Governance; Governing and Advisory Boards; Management Practices and Processes; Service Operations; Business Processes; Non-Governmental Organizations; Service Industry

June 2004
Case

TechnoServe and the Tanzanian Specialty Coffee Industry

In 2003, TechnoServe, a U.S.-based, international, nonprofit organization, was deciding how to structure the capital investments required for Tanzanian business groups to acquire coffee bean central pulperies. This case explores the challenges of capital budgeting and... View Details

Keywords: Small Business; Nonprofit Organizations; Cash Flow; Emerging Markets; Financing and Loans; Capital Budgeting; Tanzania

12 Mar 2006
Research & Ideas

Global Poverty Needs a Global Answer

project's early stages. It would organize the interface with supporting institutions such as the World Bank and the UNDP, and with local business partners. And since the WDC would have NGO representation on its board, it would assure NGO... View Details

Keywords: by Cynthia Churchwell

2010
Chapter

The Many Faces of Nonprofit Accountability

By: Alnoor Ebrahim

Calls for greater accountability are not new. Leaders of organizations, be they nonprofit, business, or government, face a constant stream of demands from various constituents demanding accountable behavior. But what does it mean to be accountable? By and large,... View Details

Keywords: Crime and Corruption; Corporate Accountability; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Taxation; Leadership; Management; Nonprofit Organizations; Behavior; Trust

Web

HBS - From The Dean

Action Week, welcoming alumni and other private and public sector leaders for a day of discussions on the role of business in driving solutions to the climate challenge. The Institute for the Study of Business in Global Society introduced... View Details

01 Mar 2012
News

In Memoriam

Emeritus, passed away in October at the age of 78. His work focused on exploring the strategic uses of technology by corporations and the relationship between technological change and competitive strategy, as well as the social... View Details

Keywords: obituraries; Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services

October 1993
Case

United Way of America: Governance in the Nonprofit Sector (A), The United Way

By: Jay W. Lorsch

Discusses the management practices of William Aramony at the United Way of America (UWA). First, the case describes the United Way movement, focusing on both the local chapters and the national organization. Second, it sets forth the Washington Post reports that lead... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Governance; Nonprofit Organizations; Management Practices and Processes; Managerial Roles; Management Teams; Crisis Management; Public Administration Industry; United States

25 Sep 2007
First Look

First Look: September 25, 2007

Divergent Organizational Change: The Enabling Role of Actors' Social Position Author:Julie Battilana Periodical:Best Paper Proceedings of the Academy of Management (2007) Abstract This study addresses the paradox of embedded human agency,... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

15 Jan 2025
Blog Post

Building Bridges to Sustainable Infrastructure with Allied Climate Partners

interviews. As we talked, the concept evolved, and ultimately; we co-created a role that matched both my learning objectives and ACP’s needs. The Social Enterprise Summer Fellowship, which supports students... View Details

01 Jan 2011
News

Peter Harf, MBA 1974

Chairman and CEO, Joh. A. Benckiser SE Download Harf profile (pdf) Return to Alumni Achievement Awards main page TIMELINE 1946 Born, Cologne, Germany 1973 Earns PhD, Monetary Economics, University of Cologne 1981 Joins Joh. A. Benckiser Gmbh 1988 Named CEO and... View Details

12 Aug 2010
News

Building a Community

Keywords: Construction of Buildings; Construction; Real Estate

Web

2022 Symposium - Race, Gender & Equity

Internal Medicine, American Sociological Review, American Behavioral Scientist, Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Contexts, Ethnic and Racial Studies, The Journal of Marriage and Family, Sociology of Race and... View Details

October 2012
Teaching Plan

Vertex Pharmaceuticals and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation: Venture Philanthropy Funding for Biotech (TP)

By: Robert F. Higgins

This is the teaching note related to HBS case 808005. In 2001, Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated acquired the San Diego-based biotech company, Aurora Biosciences. The combination of Vertex's and Aurora's technologies would improve the flow of novel drug candidates... View Details

Keywords: Venture Philanthropy; Biotechnology; Funding Philanthropy Venture; Cystic Fibrosis; Foundations; Pharmaceuticals; Mergers and Acquisitions; For-Profit Firms; Venture Capital; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Science-Based Business; Nonprofit Organizations; Pharmaceutical Industry; Biotechnology Industry; United States; San Diego

November 2008 (Revised October 2009)
Case

American Cancer Society: Access to Care

By: Robert L. Simons and Kathryn Rosenberg

CEO John Seffrin decides to radically change the strategy of the American Cancer Society. The new Access to Care strategy relies on advocacy to change public policy and increase the number of Americans eligible for cancer prevention and treatment. The new strategy... View Details

Keywords: Values and Beliefs; Governance Controls; Leading Change; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Structure; Nonprofit Organizations; Business Strategy; Health Industry; United States