Spar, Debora - Publications - Faculty & Research

20 Aug 2020
Book

From the Plow to the Pill: How Technology Shapes Our Lives

For centuries, the creation of innovative technology—from steam engines and automobiles to computers and smartphones—has dramatically changed the nature of our work. Less deeply understood has been the impact of technology on the inner currents of our personal lives,... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

11 Sep 2020
News

Two Books Wonder: How Long Until You Fall in Love With a Robot?

14 Feb 2023
HBS Case

Is Sweden Still 'Sweden'? A Liberal Utopia Grapples with an Identity Crisis

Swedish capitalism is like.” Could this lead to the end of the high-tax “Swedish model” that like-minded nations have come to admire? Harvard Business School Professor Debora Spar, who has analyzed Sweden... View Details

Keywords: by Lane Lambert

06 Dec 2021
News

How Technology Changes Who You Are & The Nuts and Bolts of Making Friends

17 Nov 2003
Research & Ideas

The Business of Babies

We prefer to think of babies as cuddly bundles of joy, but they are also products at the center of a multibillion-dollar market in adoptions and scientific conception, a market that few people acknowledge and that functions like no other. Harvard Business School... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Health

23 Jun 2003
Research & Ideas

Historically Speaking: A Roundtable at HBS

their work. Joining the discussion was Professor Debora Spar, a political scientist who recently traced the historical development of several pioneering technologies. Leading Research: Let's begin by talking... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Aisner

24 Jul 2000
Research & Ideas

Linking the Globe: The Role of Media and Communications

CEO Peter Job from the U.K. and the panel's moderator, HBS Professor Debora Spar, for a look at the critical role of the media industry in how today's global information revolution plays out. "The media... View Details

Keywords: by Kenneth Liss; Information; Publishing; Journalism & News; Media & Broadcasting

23 Mar 2003
Research & Ideas

AIDS in Africa—What’s the Solution?

illneses take a financial and emotional toll on businesses operating in Africa. "This is not just a disease we're talking about. This is a disease that has the power to destroy economies," said Harvard Business School Professor View Details

Keywords: by Julie Jette

21 Oct 2022
News

An Introduction to BiGS

25 Apr 2000
Research & Ideas

Adjusting the Fit for Government

"This takes people with initiative, commitment and training." "Be fighters against corruption," Ezekwesili told the students. "We've got to look at our continent beyond the telescope which others use." Panel moderator View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

Web

Publications - Faculty & Research

and Manila Water (A) and (B) By: Debora L. Spar and Sarah Sasso Teaching Note for HBS Case Nos. 324-038 and 324-039. View Details Citation Purchase Related Spar, Debora L., and... View Details

Web

General Management - Faculty & Research

(A) and (B) By: Debora L. Spar and Sarah Sasso April 2025 | Teaching Note | Faculty Research Teaching Note for HBS Case Nos. 324-038 and 324-039. Citation Purchase Related Spar, View Details

21 Oct 2022
Research & Ideas

People Trust Business, But Expect CEOs to Drive Social Change

Public trust in business remains relatively unshaken amid economic turbulence and a lingering pandemic, even as faith in the media and government falters, but leaders could do more to address social issues, a new global opinion survey shows. However, not everyone... View Details

Keywords: by Scott Van Voorhis

Web

Doing Business in a Divided World - Alumni

This session will unpack recent research conducted by Harvard Business School and the Edelman Trust Institute to explain the contours of these shifts, and the risks—and opportunities—they pose. Richard Edelman, CEO, Edelman Professor View Details

01 Sep 2023
News

Global Outposts Expand HBS’s Intellectual Footprint

Since taking over as CEO of Tata Steel in 2013, T. V. Narendran had sought to transform India’s oldest steel manufacturing firm to ready it for a rapidly evolving business world. He instilled financial discipline, acquired new businesses, and launched digital... View Details

Keywords: Jennifer Gillespie

Web

Podcast - Business & Environment

Faculty Chair, Business & Environment Initiative Moderator/Panelists: George Serafeim, Charles M. Williams Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School Carter Roberts, President & CEO, World Wildlife Fund Debora L. View Details

Web

HBS - The year in Review

Research Centers Convened The Global Centers, in partnership with External Relations and under the leadership of Professor Debora Spar, brought together close to 100 global leaders from the Global Advisory... View Details

01 Dec 2023
News

A Continuum of Innovation

it forces both students and faculty to grapple with questions that don’t really have clear answers,” said Debora Spar, the Jaime and Josefina Chua Tiampo Professor of Business Administration and senior... View Details

Keywords: Jennifer Gillespie

08 Nov 2021
News

New Director Named for Mid-US Research Office

Research Office; its work will be conducted in coordination with the new HBS Institute for the Study of Business in Global Society (BiGS), to be led by Professor Debora Spar, Senior Associate Dean, Business... View Details

November 2023 (Revised July 2024)
Case

'Care in Every Drop': Ayala Corporation and Manila Water (A)

By: Debora L. Spar, Paul Healy, Tricia Peralta and Julia M. Comeau

Since 1834, eight generations of the Ayala family have used their conglomerate to fund nation-building projects in the Philippines, including investments in tramcars, telecommunications, hospitals, and schools. In 1997, Ayala’s subsidiary, Manila Water, took control of... View Details