Publications

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Article

Dying Is Unexpectedly Positive

By: Amelia Goranson, Ryan S. Ritter, Adam Waytz, Michael I. Norton and Kurt Gray

In people’s imagination, dying seems dreadful; however, these perceptions may not reflect reality. In two studies, we compared the affective experience of people facing imminent death with that of people imagining imminent death. Study 1 revealed that blog posts of... View Details

Keywords: Death; Language; LIWC; Positivity; Affective Forecasting; Open Materials; Perspective; Attitudes

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November 2011
Book Review

Smokeless Sugar: The Death of a Provincial Bureaucrat and the Construction of China's National Economy, in Twentieth-Century China

By: Elisabeth Koll

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26 Jan 2015
Research & Ideas

National Health Costs Could Decrease if Managers Reduce Work Stress

negative health outcomes. They determined, among other findings, that workplace stress contributes to at least 120,000 deaths each year. The biggest factor in this calculation is lack of health insurance (leading to lack of treatment),... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Health

April 2005 (Revised July 2009)
Case

IBM's Decade of Transformation: Turnaround to Growth

By: Lynda M. Applegate, Robert D. Austin and Elizabeth Collins

Describes IBM's decade of transformation. Provides background on the company's history and the factors that led to its near death in the early 1990s and to its remarkable turnaround during Gerstner's reign as CEO. A rewritten version of an earlier case. View Details

Keywords: History; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Leading Change; Transformation; Growth and Development Strategy

November 2017 (Revised October 2018)
Case

Brandless: Disrupting Consumer Packaged Goods

By: Jill Avery

Brandless, an online direct-to-consumer seller of upscale private-label consumer packaged goods, offered consumers a limited assortment of values-conscious products delivered directly to their homes with the simplicity of one fixed $3 price point that promised an... View Details

October 1982 (Revised May 1992)
Case

Johnson & Johnson: The Tylenol Tragedy

By: Stephen A. Greyser

In October 1982, Johnson & Johnson was confronted with a major crisis when seven deaths were attributed to poisoned Tylenol. The case reviews the facts as known a week after the incident occurred, and raises a wide range of questions regarding consumer behavior,... View Details

Keywords: Consumer Behavior; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Competitive Strategy; Crisis Management; Health Care and Treatment; Pharmaceutical Industry

March 5, 2020
Editorial

Murky Data Calls into Question Quarantine Strategy

By: Amar Bhide

Like sepsis, a life-threatening, uncontrolled immune response to infections, draconian efforts to contain the coronavirus outbreak may cause more harm than the infection itself. Yet the measures now paralysing the western world before many have actually died are based... View Details

Keywords: Coronavirus; Coronavirus Pandemic; Data; Health Pandemics; Data and Data Sets

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2010
Article

Geography, Poverty and Conflict in Nepal

By: Quy-Toan Do and Lakshmi Iyer

This paper conducts an empirical analysis of the geographic, economic and social factors that contributed to the spread of civil war in Nepal over the period 1996-2006. This within-country analysis complements existing cross-country studies on the same subject. Using a... View Details

Keywords: Ethnicity; War; Poverty; Geography; Conflict and Resolution; Government and Politics; Economics; Nepal

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June 2002
Background Note

Note on the Value of Life

By: Michael A. Wheeler and Carlos Gonzalez

This case summarizes how American courts measure damages in wrongful death suits. Various standards are compared, as are their implications for business management. View Details

Keywords: Judgments; Courts and Trials; Business or Company Management; Standards; Negotiation; United States

March 1980 (Revised September 1982)
Case

Parker Brothers (B)

Describes the recall program designed by Parker Brothers following the death of two children, which may have been related to a new product. View Details

Keywords: Safety; Risk Management; Product; Consumer Products Industry

23 Jun 2003
Research & Ideas

Psychology, Pathology, and the CEO

enters a kind of death spiral. Reversing that downward trend requires deliberate efforts by the CEO to address each of the pathologies. ... Sparking Collaboration Turnaround leaders know that problem solving requires collaboration across... View Details

Keywords: by Rosabeth Moss Kanter

October 2003
Case

Fire at Mann Gulch

Describes the 1949 firefighting tragedy in Montana that led to the deaths of 12 smoke jumpers. Explores the myriad of poor decisions by the firefighting crew and their foreman. View Details

Keywords: Decisions; Decision Choices and Conditions; Crisis Management; Public Administration Industry; Montana

July 2024
Article

Acceptance of Automated Vehicles Is Lower for Self than Others

By: Stuti Agarwal, Julian De Freitas, Anya Ragnhildstveit and Carey K. Morewedge

Road traffic accidents are the leading cause of death worldwide for people aged 2–59. Nearly all deaths are due to human error. Automated vehicles could reduce mortality risks, traffic congestion, and air pollution of human-driven vehicles. However, their adoption... View Details

Keywords: Transportation; Risk and Uncertainty; Technology Adoption; Prejudice and Bias

February 2016 (Revised October 2016)
Case

Linda Rabbitt at rand* construction

By: Boris Groysberg and Katherine Connolly

Linda Rabbitt, founder and CEO of rand* construction, walked into her office at the company's headquarters in Alexandria, VA, and closed the door behind her. It was 10:00 a.m. on Monday, September 22, 2014, and she had just addressed her staff after the sudden and... View Details

Keywords: Women And Leadership; Women Executives; Succession Planning; Leadership; Entrepreneurship; Management Succession; Construction Industry; District of Columbia

August 2008 (Revised November 2015)
Supplement

Yataro Iwasaki: Founding Mitsubishi (B)

By: Geoffrey G. Jones, Masako Egawa and Mayuka Yamazaki

This brief (B) case documents the fate of Mitsubishi and the shipping company NYK after the death of Yataro Iwasaki in 1885. The case supplements case 808-158, “Yataro Iwaski: Founding Mitsubishi (A).” View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Globalized Firms and Management; Business History; Leadership; Japan

February 2002
Background Note

Mediating in the Wake of Disaster: The MIT Settlement

By: Michael A. Wheeler and Gillian Morris

In 1997, MIT freshman Scott Kruger died from alcohol poisoning after a ritual fraternity ceremony. His death sparked national controversy over the responsibility of universities for their students. For his parents, though, the pain was personal and almost solely... View Details

Keywords: Higher Education; Negotiation Deal; Moral Sensibility; Leadership; Situation or Environment; Framework; Legal Services Industry; Education Industry