Filter Results:
(170)
Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(375)
- News (103)
- Research (170)
- Events (2)
- Multimedia (6)
- Faculty Publications (79)
Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(375)
- News (103)
- Research (170)
- Events (2)
- Multimedia (6)
- Faculty Publications (79)
Sort by
- March–April 2016
- Article
Scrutiny, Norms, and Selective Disclosure: A Global Study of Greenwashing
By: Christopher Marquis, Michael W. Toffel and Yanhua Zhou
Under increased pressure to report environmental impacts, some firms selectively disclose relatively benign impacts, creating an impression of transparency while masking their true performance. We identify key company- and country-level factors that limit firms' use of... View Details
Keywords: Disclosure Strategy; Disclosure; Environmental Performance; Environmental Strategy; Environment; Symbolic; Reporting; Corporate Disclosure; Integrated Corporate Reporting; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact
Marquis, Christopher, Michael W. Toffel, and Yanhua Zhou. "Scrutiny, Norms, and Selective Disclosure: A Global Study of Greenwashing." Organization Science 27, no. 2 (March–April 2016): 483–504. (Formerly titled "When Do Firms Greenwash? Corporate Visibility, Civil Society Scrutiny, and Environmental Disclosure.")
- 9 Dec 2011 - 10 Dec 2011
- Conference Presentation
Taste Contested: The Construction of American Wine Culture, 1967-1976
By: Ai Hisano
This paper examines the role of taste in American consumer society by analyzing how wine came to symbolize sophistication during the 1960s and 1970s. View Details
Hisano, Ai. "Taste Contested: The Construction of American Wine Culture, 1967-1976." Paper presented at the International Conference on Food Studies, Food Studies Knowledge Community, Las Vegas, NV, December 9–10, 2011.
- Article
On the Causality and Cause of Returns to Organizational Status: Evidence from the Grands Crus Classés of the Médoc
By: Daniel Malter
This paper identifies the causal symbolic effect of status on the prices organizations charge for their products. I exploit the classification of the châteaux of the Médoc, which sorted 61 wine producers into five growth classes in 1855, as a fixed hierarchical symbol... View Details
Keywords: Organizational Status; Quality Signals; Conspicuous Consumption; Wine Classification Of 1855; Grand Cru; Status and Position; Quality; Reputation; Price; France
Malter, Daniel. "On the Causality and Cause of Returns to Organizational Status: Evidence from the Grands Crus Classés of the Médoc." Administrative Science Quarterly 59, no. 2 (June 2014): 271–300.
- October 1987 (Revised October 1989)
- Background Note
Moving Ideas into Action: Mastering the Art of Change
Discusses elements in organizing a large scale change effort: defining a shared vision, coalition building, management structure and process, communication and education, local participation and innovation, standards and measures, and symbols and signals. View Details
Keywords: Change Management; Communication; Policy; Innovation and Invention; Standards; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Strategy
Kanter, Rosabeth M. "Moving Ideas into Action: Mastering the Art of Change." Harvard Business School Background Note 388-002, October 1987. (Revised October 1989.)
- March 29, 2021
- Editorial
Research: A Little Recognition Can Provide a Big Morale Boost
By: Shibeal O'Flaherty, Michael Sanders and A.V. Whillans
As organizations large and small face the twin challenges of increasingly strained budgets and burned out workforces, what can managers do to keep employees engaged—without breaking the bank? In this piece, the authors share new research on the power of symbolic awards... View Details
O'Flaherty, Shibeal, Michael Sanders, and A.V. Whillans. "Research: A Little Recognition Can Provide a Big Morale Boost." Harvard Business Review (website) (March 29, 2021).
- November 2009
- Article
Neural Mechanisms of Social Influence
By: Malia Mason, Rebecca Dyer and Michael I. Norton
The present investigation explores the neural mechanisms underlying the impact of social influence on preferences. We socially tagged symbols as valued or not-by exposing participants to the preferences of their peers-and assessed subsequent brain activity during an... View Details
Mason, Malia, Rebecca Dyer, and Michael I. Norton. "Neural Mechanisms of Social Influence." Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 110, no. 2 (November 2009): 152–159.
- October 2021
- Article
Board Design and Governance Failures at Peer Firms
By: Shelby Gai, J. Yo-Jud Cheng and Andy Wu
Our study introduces board committees as a crucial determinant of board actions. We examine how directors who structurally link different board committees—referred to as multi-committee directors (MCDs)—explain why some board actions are merely symbolic while others... View Details
Keywords: Board Committees; Board Monitoring; New Director Nomination; Peer Financial Restatements; Governing and Advisory Boards; Corporate Governance; Performance Effectiveness
Gai, Shelby, J. Yo-Jud Cheng, and Andy Wu. "Board Design and Governance Failures at Peer Firms." Strategic Management Journal 42, no. 10 (October 2021): 1909–1938.
- 24 May 2017
- Working Paper Summaries
Reinventing the American Wine Industry: Marketing Strategies and the Construction of Wine Culture
- July 2022
- Article
When Alterations Are Violations: Moral Outrage and Punishment in Response to (Even Minor) Alterations to Rituals
By: Daniel H. Stein, Juliana Schroeder, Nicholas M. Hobson, Francesca Gino and Michael I. Norton
From Catholics performing the sign of the cross since the 4th century to Americans reciting the Pledge of Allegiance since the 1890s, group rituals (i.e., predefined sequences of symbolic actions) have strikingly consistent features over time. Seven studies (N = 4,213)... View Details
Keywords: Ritual; Morality; Groups; Norms; Commitment; Groups and Teams; Values and Beliefs; Change; Moral Sensibility; Behavior
Stein, Daniel H., Juliana Schroeder, Nicholas M. Hobson, Francesca Gino, and Michael I. Norton. "When Alterations Are Violations: Moral Outrage and Punishment in Response to (Even Minor) Alterations to Rituals." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 123, no. 1 (July 2022): 123–153.
- April 2022
- Case
The First Opium War and Global Free Trade
By: Jeremy Friedman and Allison Lazarus
The First Opium War (1839-1842) symbolized the peak of the era of European imperialism, with a political and cultural legacy that remains potent to this day. The British Empire, “acquired in a fit of absent-mindedness” as one observer famously claimed, seemed to be... View Details
Keywords: Imperialism; Narcotics; Importing; History; Globalized Markets and Industries; Trade; Social Issues
Friedman, Jeremy, and Allison Lazarus. "The First Opium War and Global Free Trade." Harvard Business School Case 722-052, April 2022.
- September 2010
- Article
Making Self-Regulation More Than Merely Symbolic: The Critical Role of the Legal Environment
By: Jodi L. Short and Michael W. Toffel
Using data from a sample of U.S. industrial facilities subject to the federal Clean Air Act from 1993 to 2003, this article theorizes and tests the conditions under which organizations' symbolic commitments to self-regulate are particularly likely to result in improved... View Details
Keywords: Adoption; Code Law; Environmental Sustainability; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Organizations; Governance Compliance; Strategy; Motivation and Incentives; United States
Short, Jodi L., and Michael W. Toffel. "Making Self-Regulation More Than Merely Symbolic: The Critical Role of the Legal Environment." Administrative Science Quarterly 55, no. 3 (September 2010): 361–396. (Lead article; Featured in the Stanford Social Innovation Review (Summer 2011) and in Behind the scenes of the Administrative Science Quarterly.)
- Article
Don't Stop Believing: Rituals Improve Performance by Decreasing Anxiety
By: Alison Wood Brooks, Julianna Schroeder, Jane Risen, Francesca Gino, Adam D. Galinsky, Michael I. Norton and Maurice Schweitzer
From public speaking to first dates, people frequently experience performance anxiety. And when experienced immediately before or during performance, anxiety harms performance. Across a series of experiments, we explore the efficacy of a common strategy that people... View Details
Brooks, Alison Wood, Julianna Schroeder, Jane Risen, Francesca Gino, Adam D. Galinsky, Michael I. Norton, and Maurice Schweitzer. "Don't Stop Believing: Rituals Improve Performance by Decreasing Anxiety." Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 137 (November 2016): 71–85.
- August 22, 2019
- Article
CEOs Say Their Aim Is Inclusive Prosperity. Do They Mean It?
By: Lynn S. Paine
Earlier this week, the Business Roundtable issued a statement on corporate purpose. It is noteworthy both for its endorsement of inclusive prosperity as an ideal and for its rejection of maximizing shareholder returns as the sole corporate objective. However, the real... View Details
Paine, Lynn S. "CEOs Say Their Aim Is Inclusive Prosperity. Do They Mean It?" Harvard Business Review (website) (August 22, 2019).
- September 1994 (Revised January 1997)
- Case
This Case Sucks: Beavis, Butt-head, and TV Content (A)
By: Joseph L. Badaracco Jr. and Jerry Useem
Beginning in 1992, "Beavis and Butt-head," an animated series on MTV about two uncivilized teenaged misfits, became both a runaway popular sensation and the symbol of a heated national debate about violent and inappropriate programming on television. Especially after... View Details
Keywords: Debates; Decision Choices and Conditions; Animation Entertainment; Fairness; Governance Controls; Media; Outcome or Result; Social Issues; Entertainment and Recreation Industry
Badaracco, Joseph L., Jr., and Jerry Useem. "This Case Sucks: Beavis, Butt-head, and TV Content (A)." Harvard Business School Case 395-053, September 1994. (Revised January 1997.)
- June 2017
- Case
Magellan Boatworks
By: John A. Quelch and James T. Kindley
Magellan Boatworks is a midsize manufacturer of customized, power "cruising yachts." In the face of economic and political uncertainty in late 2016, Magellan's VP of sales and marketing, Walt Robinson, wonders whether he should request a budget increase for 2017.... View Details
Quelch, John A., and James T. Kindley. "Magellan Boatworks." Harvard Business School Brief Case 917-547, June 2017.
- April 2023 (Revised July 2023)
- Case
Dena Almansoori at e&: Fostering Culture Change at a UAE Telco Transforming to a Global Techco (Abridged)
By: Emily Truelove, Michelle Zhang and Alpana Thapar
Dena Almansoori, the first female and one of the youngest members of the United Arab Emirates-based e&’s leadership team, joined in 2020 just before e& began a strategic transition from being a regional telecommunications company to becoming a global technology... View Details
Keywords: Technology; Telecommunications; Employee Mobility; Leading Change; Human Resources; Organizational Culture; Transformation; Change Management; Employee Relationship Management; Leadership; Talent and Talent Management; Telecommunications Industry; Technology Industry; Middle East; United Arab Emirates
Truelove, Emily, Michelle Zhang, and Alpana Thapar. "Dena Almansoori at e&: Fostering Culture Change at a UAE Telco Transforming to a Global Techco (Abridged)." Harvard Business School Case 423-059, April 2023. (Revised July 2023.)
- July–August 2018
- Article
How CEOs Manage Time
By: Michael E. Porter and Nitin Nohria
In 2006 Harvard Business School’s Michael E. Porter and Nitin Nohria launched a study tracking how large companies’ CEOs spent their time, 24/7, for 13 weeks: where they were, with whom, what they did, and what they were focusing on. To date, Porter and Nohria have... View Details
Keywords: CEOs; Executives; Time Management; Attitudes; Managerial Roles; Leadership; Performance Effectiveness; Strategy; Decision Making; Organizational Culture
Porter, Michael E., and Nitin Nohria. "How CEOs Manage Time." Harvard Business Review 96, no. 4 (July–August 2018): 42–51.
- December 2014
- Case
Henry A. Kissinger as Negotiator: Background and Key Accomplishments
By: James K. Sebenius and Laurence A. Green
Following a brief summary of Henry A. Kissinger's career, this case describes three of his most pivotal negotiations: the historic establishment of U.S. diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China, the easing of geopolitical tension with the Soviet Union,... View Details
Keywords: Kissinger; Negotiation; Bargaining; Diplomacy; Multiparty Negotiations; Dispute Resolution; Mediation; Israel; Sinai; Egypt; Cold War; Detente; China; Nixon; Conflict Management; Negotiation Types; International Relations; Personal Development and Career; Israel; Egypt; China; United States; Soviet Union
Sebenius, James K., and Laurence A. Green. "Henry A. Kissinger as Negotiator: Background and Key Accomplishments." Harvard Business School Case 915-020, December 2014.
- April 2019
- Article
Rituals and Nuptials: The Emotional and Relational Consequences of Relationship Rituals
By: Ximena Garcia-Rada, Ovul Sezer and Michael I. Norton
Four studies reveal the benefits of relationship rituals: couples with relationship rituals report more positive emotions and greater relationship satisfaction and commitment than those without them. We show that rituals are crucial for understanding consumption... View Details
Keywords: Rituals; Relationship Satisfaction; Relationships; Satisfaction; Spending; Behavior; Perception; Emotions
Garcia-Rada, Ximena, Ovul Sezer, and Michael I. Norton. "Rituals and Nuptials: The Emotional and Relational Consequences of Relationship Rituals." Journal of the Association for Consumer Research 4, no. 2 (April 2019): 185–197.