by Walter Kiechel - Publications - Faculty & Research

25 Jan 2021
Book

In a Nutshell, Why American Capitalism Succeeded

How did the United States become the world’s center of business growth following its founding in 1776? Surely a number of nations had powerful natural resources, stable financial and legal institutions, and dynamic entrepreneurs over that same span. Why was American... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Manufacturing

19 Apr 2004
Research & Ideas

Birth of the American Salesman

Walter A. Friedman's new book Birth of a Salesman chronicles the rise and development of modern sales management from the 18th century to the present day. Its fascinating cast of dynamic business figures and academic leaders includes John... View Details

Keywords: by Laura Linard

09 Jun 2003
Research & Ideas

Around the World of Entrepreneurial Ventures

Walter Kuemmerle. These realities include the importance of local context and the need to adhere to a global perspective on opportunities and access to resources. These same issues provide fascinating research fodder for the course he... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

09 Jan 2014
Research & Ideas

The Entrepreneurs Who Invented Economic Forecasting

economic future, and in essence moderate the risk of investing in capitalistic ventures. “Forecasters found a ready audience during a time of social and economic turbulence” In his book Fortune Tellers: The Story of America's First Economic Forecasters, Harvard... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

24 Mar 2002
Lessons from the Classroom

Case Study: A Lesson in Private Venture Financing

financing private ventures, it can also offer unique rewards. Harvard Business School associate professor Walter Kuemmerle highlighted some of the issues confronting entrepreneurs and investors in a case discussion on Gray Security... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna

08 Jun 2009
Research & Ideas

The Return of the Salesman

Michael French and Andrew Popp) We asked BHR coeditor Walter A. Friedman, whose book Birth of a Salesman: The Transformation of Selling in America has contributed to the literature, to help us understand why salesmen are again the subject... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Retail

21 Nov 2019
Research & Ideas

Do TV Debates Sway Voters?

pinpoint exactly when a voter decided on a candidate—before or after a debate—without having to rely on voters’ memories. They found: A large fraction of voters change their minds during the campaign. The percentage of voters who had settled on a candidate rose View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost

09 Dec 2002
Research & Ideas

Unilever—A Case Study

1920s to 8.5 percent in 1932. 18 Brands were built up by spending heavily on advertising. As a percentage of sales, advertising averaged 25 percent between 1921 and 1933, thereby funding a series of noteworthy campaigns conceived View Details

Keywords: by Geoffrey Jones; Consumer Products; Entertainment & Recreation; Food & Beverage; Manufacturing; Retail

13 Jan 2003
Research & Ideas

The Subconscious Mind of the Consumer (And How To Reach It)

thinking? HBS Working Knowledge staffer Manda Mahoney questioned Zaltman about the new book, published by Harvard Business School Publishing. Mahoney: You state that 95 percent of all cognition occurs in the subconscious mind. How can... View Details

Keywords: by Manda Mahoney

15 Jun 2007
Research & Ideas

Remembering Alfred Chandler

academics talk a good game about the need for interdisciplinary thinking, but we usually fall back on the strengths (or prejudices) of our primary discipline. Chandler was heavily influenced by sociologists such as Max Weber and Talcott... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

27 Oct 2017
News

Lessons for 2017 from a Man Who ‘Called’ the Crash of 1929

16 Aug 2004
Research & Ideas

Luxury Isn’t What It Used to Be

Cashing in on the $60 billion global luxury goods market has never been tougher—or more rewarding. Competition is keen. And consumer preferences are constantly shifting, causing the concept of luxury itself to change over time. As a result, the market's most... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Consumer Products

Dorothy A. Leonard

Dorothy Leonard*, the William J. Abernathy Professor of Business Administration Emerita, joined the Harvard faculty in 1983 after teaching for three years at the Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She has taught MBA courses in... View Details

Keywords: computer; consulting; education industry; electronics; federal government; high technology; information technology industry; software; venture capital industry

05 May 2015
News

Get in the Right State of Mind for Any Negotiation

11 Feb 2014
News

The Trouble with Sunspots

05 Sep 2012
What Do You Think?

Will Business Management Save US Health Care?

Summing Up What Role Will Management Play in Saving US Health Care? The verdict is in, according to respondents of this month's column: Problems confronting health care in the US are much larger and broader than those that can be solved View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett; Health

03 Oct 2005
What Do You Think?

What’s the Future of Globally Organized Labor?

labor organizations should be in their death throes." The kind of thinking needed to meet these challenges for organized labor can be found, according to Walter Blass, in Japan. In his words, "I suggest you look at Japanese... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

07 Nov 2006
First Look

First Look: November 7, 2006

"Washington Crossing the Delaware" in Düsseldorf. The article narrates how by means of various cooperative efforts growing out of a sense of paternal social engagement, which we would today call corporate social responsibility,... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

03 Jul 2013
What Do You Think?

What Are the Limits of Transparency?

government organizations disclose information to general public without reservations and let them make use of the one relevant to them." Walter Blass was among those who would err on the side of more transparency, arguing that... View Details