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Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(571)
- People (1)
- News (73)
- Research (405)
- Multimedia (2)
- Faculty Publications (116)
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- March 1987 (Revised October 1993)
- Case
Au Bon Pain: The French Bakery Cafe, The Partner/Manager Program
By: W. Earl Sasser
In recent years, Au Bon Pain (ABP), a chain of upscale French bakeries/sandwich cafes based in Boston, confronted a set of human resource problems endemic to the fast food industry (i.e., a labor shortage which made it difficult to attract and maintain quality crew... View Details
Keywords: Motivation and Incentives; Managerial Roles; Retention; Employees; Performance Improvement; Recruitment; Problems and Challenges; Compensation and Benefits; Food and Beverage Industry; Service Industry; Boston
Sasser, W. Earl. "Au Bon Pain: The French Bakery Cafe, The Partner/Manager Program." Harvard Business School Case 687-063, March 1987. (Revised October 1993.)
- 2025
- Working Paper
Better Keep the Twenty Dollars: Incentivizing Innovation in Open Source
By: Annamaria Conti, Vansh Gupta, Jorge Guzman and Maria P. Roche
Open source is key to innovation yet is assumed to be done largely through intrinsic motivation. How can we incentivize it? In this paper, we examine the impact of a program providing monetary incentives to motivate innovators to contribute to open source. The Sponsors... View Details
Keywords: Open Source; Innovation; Incentives; Financial Rewards; Crowding Out; Open Source Distribution; Innovation and Invention; Motivation and Incentives; Technology Industry
Conti, Annamaria, Vansh Gupta, Jorge Guzman, and Maria P. Roche. "Better Keep the Twenty Dollars: Incentivizing Innovation in Open Source." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 24-014, September 2023. (Revised January 2025. NBER Working Paper Series, No. 31668, September 2023)
- November 2018 (Revised July 2023)
- Case
The Weir Group: Reforming Executive Pay (A)
By: Lynn S. Paine and Federica Gabrieli
In February 2018, the Remuneration Committee together with the full Board of Directors of the Scotland-based engineering company The Weir Group had to decide whether to seek a shareholder vote at the upcoming Annual General Meeting in April on a proposal to reform the... View Details
Keywords: General Management; Board Of Directors; Executive Committees; Human Resource Management; Compensation; Pay For Performance; Incentives; Bonuses; Incentive Programs; Employee Stock Ownership Plans; Performance Measurement; Corporate Governance; Governing and Advisory Boards; Human Resources; Management; Executive Compensation; Change; Performance Evaluation; Employee Stock Ownership Plan; Europe; United Kingdom; Scotland
Paine, Lynn S., and Federica Gabrieli. "The Weir Group: Reforming Executive Pay (A)." Harvard Business School Case 319-046, November 2018. (Revised July 2023.)
- Article
Spending Variation Among ACOs in the Medicare Shared Savings Program
By: Michael Anne Kyle, J. Michael McWilliams, Mary Beth Landrum, Bruce E. Landon, Paul Trompke, David J. Nyweide and Michael E. Chernew
OBJECTIVES: Understanding variation in spending across organizations, rather than across geographic areas, is important because care is delivered by organizations and interventions increasingly focus on organizations. Accountable care organizations (ACOs) are... View Details
Keywords: Medicare; Accountable Care Organizations; ACOs; Health Care and Treatment; Spending; Analysis
Kyle, Michael Anne, J. Michael McWilliams, Mary Beth Landrum, Bruce E. Landon, Paul Trompke, David J. Nyweide, and Michael E. Chernew. "Spending Variation Among ACOs in the Medicare Shared Savings Program." American Journal of Managed Care 26, no. 4 (April 2020): 170–175.
- December 2021
- Article
Cash-for-Information Whistleblower Programs: Effects on Whistleblowing and Consequences for Whistleblowers
By: Aiyesha Dey, Jonas Heese and Gerardo Pérez Cavazos
We study the effect of financial incentives on whistleblowing and the consequences for whistleblowers under the cash-for-information program of the False Claims Act (FCA). Exploiting appeals-court decisions that increase financial incentives for whistleblowing, we find... View Details
Keywords: Whistleblowers; Cash-for-information Whistleblower Programs; False Claims Act; Corporate Misconduct; Consequences For Whistleblowers; Crime and Corruption; Information; Cost
Dey, Aiyesha, Jonas Heese, and Gerardo Pérez Cavazos. "Cash-for-Information Whistleblower Programs: Effects on Whistleblowing and Consequences for Whistleblowers." Journal of Accounting Research 59, no. 5 (December 2021): 1689–1740.
- November 2020
- Article
Accelerator or Brake? Cash for Clunkers, Household Liquidity, and Aggregate Demand
By: Daniel Green, Brian Melzer, Jonathan Parker and Arcenis Rojas
This paper evaluates the Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS) by comparing the vehicle purchases and disposals of households with eligible "clunkers" to those of households with similar, but ineligible, vehicles. CARS caused roughly 500,000 purchases during the program... View Details
Keywords: Automobiles; Purchasing; Government Incentives; Household; Financial Liquidity; Income; Behavior
Green, Daniel, Brian Melzer, Jonathan Parker, and Arcenis Rojas. "Accelerator or Brake? Cash for Clunkers, Household Liquidity, and Aggregate Demand." American Economic Journal: Economic Policy 12, no. 4 (November 2020): 178–211.
- 2018
- Working Paper
Ratcheting, Competition, and the Diffusion of Technological Change: The Case of Televisions Under an Energy Efficiency Program
By: Tomomichi Amano and Hiroshi Ohashi
In differentiated goods markets with societal implications, quality standards are commonly implemented to avoid the under-provision of innovation. Firms have clear incentives to engage in strategic behavior because policymakers use market outcomes as a benchmark in... View Details
Keywords: Product Differentiation; Energy Efficiency Standards; Ratcheting; Diffusion Of Innovation; Technological Innovation; Competition; Quality; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Policy
Amano, Tomomichi, and Hiroshi Ohashi. "Ratcheting, Competition, and the Diffusion of Technological Change: The Case of Televisions Under an Energy Efficiency Program." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 19-021, September 2018.
- 2023
- Article
Conduit Incentives: Eliciting Cooperation from Workers Outside of Managers' Control
By: Susanna Gallani
Can managers use monetary incentives to elicit cooperation from workers they cannot reward for their efforts? I study “conduit incentives,” an innovative incentive design, whereby managers influence bonus-ineligible workers’ effort by offering bonus-eligible employees... View Details
Keywords: Organizational Behavior Modification; Peer Monitoring; Persistence Of Performance Improvements; Crowding Out; Implicit Incentives; Compensation; Healthcare; Social Pressure; Image Motivation; Incentives; Motivation; Performance; Behavior; Motivation and Incentives; Compensation and Benefits; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Organizational Culture; Health Industry; California
Gallani, Susanna. "Conduit Incentives: Eliciting Cooperation from Workers Outside of Managers' Control." Accounting Review 93, no. 3 (2023): 1–28.
- November 2011
- Case
WrapItUp: Developing a New Compensation Plan
By: W. Earl Sasser Jr. and Rachel Shelton
A restaurant chain based in California offers made-to-order sandwich wraps using fresh, healthy ingredients. The founders of the company take a very active role in day-to-day business and tightly control every aspect of the restaurant operation from hiring store... View Details
Keywords: Empowerment; Middle Management; Human Resource Management; Compensation; Incentives; Motivation; Motivation and Incentives; Change Management; Business Growth and Maturation; Service Delivery; Entrepreneurship; Employees; Compensation and Benefits; Service Industry; Retail Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; California
Sasser, W. Earl, Jr., and Rachel Shelton. "WrapItUp: Developing a New Compensation Plan." Harvard Business School Brief Case 114-362, November 2011.
- May 2013
- Supplement
From Little Things Big Things Grow: The Clontarf Foundation Program for Aboriginal Boys (B)
By: F. Warren McFarlan and Michael Vitale
This case focuses on the growth of an innovative non-profit institution that motivates aboriginal children to attend school by harnessing their love of football. View Details
McFarlan, F. Warren, and Michael Vitale. "From Little Things Big Things Grow: The Clontarf Foundation Program for Aboriginal Boys (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 913-416, May 2013.
- 2023
- Working Paper
Point Four and the Politics of Foreign Direct Investment in the United States during the Early Cold War
By: Melanie Sheehan
This article traces business influence in the formulation of the Point Four technical assistance program, the first US Cold War-era international development program. It focuses specifically on business interest associations’ efforts to secure federal incentives to... View Details
Keywords: Point Four Program; Business Interest Association; International Development; Cold War; Foreign Direct Investment; Business History; Business and Government Relations
Sheehan, Melanie. "Point Four and the Politics of Foreign Direct Investment in the United States during the Early Cold War." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 23-078, June 2023.
- March 2018
- Case
GiveDirectly
How should nonprofits design compensation systems to attract and retain talent? GiveDirectly is a respected charitable organization with an unconventional approach. Instead of spending on traditional aid programs in areas such as health care and food access in... View Details
Keywords: Nonprofits; Charity; Effective Altruism; International Aid; Compensation; Goals; Bonuses; Incentives; GiveDirectly; Compensation and Benefits; Motivation and Incentives; Goals and Objectives; Recruitment; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving
Beshears, John, Joshua Schwartzstein, Tiffany Y. Chang, and Brian J. Hall. "GiveDirectly." Harvard Business School Case 918-036, March 2018.
- March–April 2017
- Article
Advancing Conservation by Understanding and Influencing Human Behavior
By: Sheila M. Reddy, Jensen Montambault, Yuta J. Masuda, Ayelet Gneezy, Elizabeth Keenan, William Butler, Jonathan R. Fisher and Stanley T. Asah
Behavioral sciences can advance conservation by systematically identifying behavioral barriers to conservation and how to best overcome them. Behavioral sciences have informed policy in many other realms (e.g., health, savings), but they are a largely untapped resource... View Details
Keywords: Adaptive Management; Awareness; Behavioral Economics; Behavioral Science; Conservation Intervention; Conservation Planning; Decision-making; Incentives; Nudge; Management; Motivation and Incentives; Behavior; Marketing; Decision Making; Environmental Sustainability; Economics
Reddy, Sheila M., Jensen Montambault, Yuta J. Masuda, Ayelet Gneezy, Elizabeth Keenan, William Butler, Jonathan R. Fisher, and Stanley T. Asah. "Advancing Conservation by Understanding and Influencing Human Behavior." Conservation Letters 10, no. 2 (March–April 2017): 248–256. (doi:10.1111/conl.12252.)
- January 2018
- Article
The Effect of Cost Sharing on an Employee Weight Loss Program: A Randomized Trial
By: Leslie K. John, Andrea Troxel, William Yancy, Joelle Y. Friedman, Jingsan Zhu, Lin Yang, Robert Galvin, Karen Miller-Kovach, Scott Halpern, George Loewenstein and Kevin Volpp
Purpose: We tested the effects of employer subsidies on employee enrollment, attendance, and weight loss in a nationally-available weight management program.
Design: A randomized trial tested the impact of employer subsidy: 100%; 80% 50% and a hybrid 50% subsidy... View Details
Design: A randomized trial tested the impact of employer subsidy: 100%; 80% 50% and a hybrid 50% subsidy... View Details
Keywords: Affordable Care Act (ACA); Subsidies; Weight Loss; Obesity; Incentives; Behavioral Economics; Motivation and Incentives; Behavior; Health Disorders; Health Care and Treatment; Compensation and Benefits; United States
John, Leslie K., Andrea Troxel, William Yancy, Joelle Y. Friedman, Jingsan Zhu, Lin Yang, Robert Galvin, Karen Miller-Kovach, Scott Halpern, George Loewenstein, and Kevin Volpp. "The Effect of Cost Sharing on an Employee Weight Loss Program: A Randomized Trial." American Journal of Health Promotion 32, no. 1 (January 2018): 170–176.
- Article
Analyzing Scrip Systems
By: Kris Johnson, David Simchi-Levi and Peng Sun
Scrip systems provide a nonmonetary trade economy for exchange of resources. We model a scrip system as a stochastic game and study system design issues on selection rules to match potential trade partners over time. We show the optimality of one particular rule in... View Details
Keywords: ＂Repeated Games＂; Stochastic Trust Game; Dynamic Program; P2P Lending; Scrip Systems; Artificial Currency; Non-monetary Trade Economies; Marketplace Matching; Currency; Operations; Game Theory
Johnson, Kris, David Simchi-Levi, and Peng Sun. "Analyzing Scrip Systems." Operations Research 62, no. 3 (May–June 2014): 524–534.
- 09 Apr 2018
- Sharpening Your Skills
The Dark Side of Performance Bonuses
anticipation of a reward or punishment than the actual payoff. What do you think of this research? Have you seen incentive programs that incented the wrong behavior? Give us... View Details
Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne
- 17 Jul 2023
- Research & Ideas
Money Isn’t Everything: The Dos and Don’ts of Motivating Employees
offers four research-backed strategies leaders should put into place now to create incentive programs that work, and three important pitfalls to avoid. Do: Offer equity ‘with juice’ For senior-level... View Details
Keywords: by Avery Forman
- 30 Jan 2024
- Research & Ideas
‘Intrinsic Joy’ Sparks Ideas Better than Cash
tanked, with each sponsored user creating 16 percent fewer repos per month than unsponsored users. “This is like any other incentive program and organization when they roll them out,” Roche says. “Even if... View Details
- October 2000 (Revised June 2017)
- Case
Vyaderm Pharmaceuticals: The EVA Decision
By: Robert Simons and Indra A. Reinbergs
In 2016, the new CEO of Vyaderm Pharmaceuticals introduces an Economic Value Added (EVA) program to focus the company on long-term shareholder value. The EVA program consists of three elements: EVA centers (business units), EVA drivers (operational practices that... View Details
Keywords: Compensation and Benefits; Employee Relationship Management; Economic Growth; Economic Systems; Management; Motivation and Incentives; Organizational Design; Organizational Structure; Performance Evaluation; Decision Choices and Conditions; Pharmaceutical Industry; Washington (state, US)
Simons, Robert, and Indra A. Reinbergs. "Vyaderm Pharmaceuticals: The EVA Decision." Harvard Business School Case 101-019, October 2000. (Revised June 2017.)
- 2008
- Working Paper
Using Financial Innovation to Support Savers: From Coercion to Excitement
By: Peter Tufano
We review a wide variety of programs that support savings by families, in particular by low- and moderate-income families. These programs range from ones that literally compel families to save, to those that make it hard not to save, make it easier to save, provide... View Details
Keywords: Saving; Motivation and Incentives; Programs; Income; Personal Finance; Family and Family Relationships; Performance Effectiveness
Tufano, Peter, and Daniel Schneider. "Using Financial Innovation to Support Savers: From Coercion to Excitement." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 08-075, April 2008.