Publications

September 2019 (Revised September 2019)
Case

Facebook Fake News in the Post-Truth World

By: John R. Wells, Carole A. Winkler and Benjamin Weinstock

In August 2019, Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook, was surrounded by controversy. The first major storm of protest followed the surprise election of Donald Trump as President of the United States on November 8, 2016; many put the blame at the door of fake... View Details

Keywords: Facebook; Fake News; Mark Zuckerberg; Donald Trump; Algorithms; Social Networks; Partisanship; Social Media; App Development; Instagram; WhatsApp; Smartphone; Silicon Valley; Office Space; Digital Strategy; Democracy; Entry Barriers; Online Platforms; Controversy; Tencent; Agility; Social Networking; Gaming; Gaming Industry; Computer Games; Mobile Gaming; Messaging; Monetization Strategy; Advertising; Digital Marketing; Business Ventures; Acquisition; Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Headquarters; Business Organization; For-Profit Firms; Trends; Communication; Communication Technology; Forms of Communication; Interactive Communication; Interpersonal Communication; Talent and Talent Management; Crime and Corruption; Voting; Demographics; Entertainment; Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Moral Sensibility; Values and Beliefs; Initial Public Offering; Profit; Revenue; Geography; Geographic Location; Global Range; Local Range; Country; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Globalized Firms and Management; Globalized Markets and Industries; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Government and Politics; International Relations; National Security; Political Elections; Business History; Recruitment; Selection and Staffing; Information Management; Information Publishing; News; Newspapers; Innovation and Management; Innovation Strategy; Technological Innovation; Knowledge Dissemination; Human Capital; Law; Leadership Development; Leadership Style; Leading Change; Business or Company Management; Crisis Management; Goals and Objectives; Growth and Development Strategy; Growth Management; Management Practices and Processes; Management Style; Management Systems; Management Teams; Managerial Roles; Marketing Channels; Social Marketing; Network Effects; Market Entry and Exit; Digital Platforms; Marketplace Matching; Industry Growth; Industry Structures; Monopoly; Media; Product Development; Service Delivery; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Mission and Purpose; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Organizational Structure; Public Ownership; Problems and Challenges; Business and Community Relations; Business and Government Relations; Groups and Teams; Networks; Rank and Position; Opportunities; Behavior; Emotions; Identity; Power and Influence; Prejudice and Bias; Reputation; Social and Collaborative Networks; Status and Position; Trust; Society; Civil Society or Community; Culture; Public Opinion; Social Issues; Societal Protocols; Strategy; Adaptation; Business Strategy; Commercialization; Competition; Competitive Advantage; Competitive Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Customization and Personalization; Diversification; Expansion; Horizontal Integration; Segmentation; Information Technology; Internet and the Web; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Applications and Software; Information Infrastructure; Valuation; Advertising Industry; Communications Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Information Industry; Information Technology Industry; Journalism and News Industry; Media and Broadcasting Industry; Service Industry; Technology Industry; Telecommunications Industry; Video Game Industry; United States; California; Sunnyvale; Russia

31 May 2016
HBS Case

Who Owns Space?

substantial number of humans live. That’s big. If you have grand goals of how to change the world, there’s nothing bigger than space.” Back on earth, Weinzierl is looking forward to building up a robust treatment of a sector that hasn’t... View Details

Keywords: Re: Matthew C. Weinzierl; Aerospace

06 Apr 2015
Research & Ideas

After Germanwings, More Attention Needed on Employee Mental Health

for fear of being accused of not being able to help themselves. "If someone has diabetes and they have to manage that chronic condition, no one bats an eyelid," says Quelch. "But if I say I have to manage a mental health problem, co-workers and the View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Health; Air Transportation

05 Dec 2012
What Do You Think?

Should Managers Bother Listening to Predictions?

predictors. Taleb, in The Black Swan, worried that cataclysmic events (Sandy) are next to impossible to predict and too costly to prepare for, given the small probability that they will ever occur. Human beings by and large do not have... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

24 Aug 2009
Research & Ideas

SuperCorp: Values as Guidance System

another aligned with the core set of principles. This kind of human control system does not work perfectly by itself, but it certainly reduces the need for rules and thus helps people feel autonomous. Rather than feeling forced into... View Details

Keywords: by Rosabeth Moss Kanter

07 Nov 2005
Research & Ideas

Exit Interview: HBS Dean Kim Clark

won't be able to do this job. Q: What was the toughest part of the job? A: It always comes down to people. The hardest decisions are about who to promote and who not to. The toughest situations are dealing with real-life human problems... View Details

Keywords: by HBS Alumni Bulletin Staff

28 Feb 2005
Research & Ideas

How to Harness Auction Fever

Internet Auctions" currently in press in the journal Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes. Malhotra says the research carries lessons for business people who bid on everything from services to new employees.... View Details

Keywords: by Manda Salls; Web Services; Technology

30 Aug 2004
Research & Ideas

Mapping Your Board’s Effectiveness

The objectives in this perspective identify which jobs (the human capital), which systems (the information capital), and what kind of climate (the organization capital) are required to support the value-creating internal processes. These... View Details

Keywords: by Robert S. Kaplan

28 Apr 2003
Research & Ideas

Shareholders Key to Corporate Reform

be actually brought home to the investor." Most of our social contracts are built on the assumption that individual accountability influences human behavior. Indeed, the recent move by the SEC to require CEOs to personally attest to... View Details

Keywords: by Cynthia A. Montgomery & Rhonda Kaufman

26 Nov 2001
Research & Ideas

Manager or Mentor? Why You Must Be Both

for creating those conditions, Thomas added. As for their employees, he said, "I think all people want to grow. Not all people have the conditions around them that facilitate growth. ... Human nature leads people on. There's... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

November 2015 (Revised February 2017)
Case

Cisco Systems: In Search of the Next CEO

By: Boris Groysberg, Sarah L. Abbott, Olivia Hull and J. Yo-Jud Cheng

It’s August 2014 and John Chambers is expected to announce his retirement after 17 years as CEO of global technology giant Cisco Systems. Under Chambers’s leadership, Cisco has grown from $2.2 billion in annual revenues and under 4,000 employees to revenues of $46... View Details

Keywords: Leadership; Succession Planning; CEO Succession; Managing Change; Person-organization Fit; Management Succession; Transition; Talent and Talent Management; Change Management; Retirement; Innovation Leadership; Recruitment; Corporate Governance; Experience and Expertise; Technology Industry; Information Technology Industry; United States; San Jose; California

September 1997 (Revised October 1997)
Case

French Pension System, The: On the Verge of Retirement?

By: David A. Moss, Anne Dias and Bertrand O. Stephann

Surveys the French pension system, its particular institutional characteristics, and some of the critical challenges and opportunities facing French reformers. Like almost every other industrialized country, France has a large pay-as-you-go public pension system that... View Details

Keywords: Retirement; Compensation and Benefits; Capital Markets; Economic Growth; Labor; Problems and Challenges; Opportunities; Welfare; Investment; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Public Administration Industry; France

23 Sep 2008
First Look

First Look: September 23, 2008

accounting, control, and reporting systems in firms. How Can Decision Making Be Improved? Authors:Katherine L. Milkman, Dolly Chugh, and Max H. Bazerman Publication: Perspectives on Psychological Science (forthcoming) Abstract The optimal moment to address the question... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

02 Aug 2016
First Look

August 2, 2016

forthcoming Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes Don't Stop Believing: Rituals Improve Performance by Decreasing Anxiety By: Brooks, Alison Wood, Julianna Schroeder, Jane Risen, Francesca Gino, Adam D. Galinsky, Michael I.... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

01 Oct 2013
First Look

First Look: October 1

practicing executives in case learning. The work is built on the foundation of HBS field cases employing the monomyth "hero's journey" classic story structure along with the creation of associated fictional case characters designed to engage readers in the... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

February 2018 (Revised October 2024)
Case

Hikma Pharmaceuticals Governance Journey

By: Lynn Paine, Suraj Srinivasan and Gamze Yucaoglu

The case opens with Said Darwazah, chairman and CEO of Hikma Pharmaceuticals, the multinational generics company, anticipating the company’s 2017 AGM and reflecting on changes made over the previous year to address concerns expressed by proxy advisors and some... View Details

Keywords: Boards Of Directors; Pharmaceuticals; Remuneration; Shareholder Engagement; Corporate Governance; Governing and Advisory Boards; Business and Shareholder Relations; Executive Compensation; Business Growth and Maturation; Emerging Markets; Private Sector; For-Profit Firms; Pharmaceutical Industry; Jordan

April 2001 (Revised July 2001)
Case

Zaplet, Inc.

By: Dorothy A. Leonard and Brian DeLacey

Start-up Zaplet, Inc., has radical software, prestigious venture capital funding, and a multitude of business opportunities. New CEO Alan Baratz must select a strategy and redesign the organization to deliver. This case describes the roles and philosophies of the... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Entrepreneurship; Business or Company Management; Information Technology; Organizational Design; Venture Capital; Valuation; Business Strategy; Restructuring; Expansion; Product Development; Innovation Strategy; Human Resources; Information Technology Industry; California