Publications

17 Jan 2012
First Look

First Look: January 17

We also show how the local farmer can leverage polyculture farming, a farming practice that increases the resilience and yield of crops, to mitigate risk of weather or pest damage, increasing his... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

April 2010 (Revised October 2010)
Case

Vale: Global Expansion in the Challenging World of Mining

By: Tarun Khanna, Aldo Musacchio and Ricardo Reisen de Pinho

In 2009 the management of Vale, a Brazilian diversified mining company and the largest iron ore producer in the world, was under pressure from at least two fronts. First, the emergence of China as the most important consumer of iron ore in the last few years had... View Details

Keywords: Financial Crisis; Investment; Global Strategy; Risk Management; Market Entry and Exit; Business and Government Relations; Competitive Strategy; Mining Industry; Brazil

October 1997 (Revised March 1998)
Case

Komatsu Ltd.: Project G's Globalization

By: Christopher A. Bartlett

This case describes the major strategic and organizational transformation at Komatsu aimed at changing it from a Japan-based producer of construction equipment to a truly global company with the ability to leverage its groupwide portfolio of resources and capabilities... View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Construction; Asset Pricing; Investment Portfolio; Global Strategy; Leadership; Resource Allocation; Risk Management; Expansion; Manufacturing Industry; Japan

2005
Class Lecture

Organizational Learning in the Face of Ambiguous Threats

By: Amy C. Edmondson, Michael A. Roberto and Richard M.J. Bohmer

Keywords: Learning; Risk and Uncertainty; Crisis Management; Organizational Culture; Organizational Structure; Groups and Teams

28 Oct 2013
Research & Ideas

Responsible Leadership in an Unforgiving World

company-no matter how large-was immune to failure, and that the lessons he was learning from startups could be applied far more broadly. "I realized it wasn't just small companies who were fragile, and whose... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

01 Dec 1999
News

New Jakurski Chair Supports Research in Global Finance

endow a chair at the School. After graduating from HBS as a Baker Scholar, he worked for a number of years at Unibanco, Brazil's third largest bank, including service as executive director. In 1983, he and three partners founded Pactual,... View Details

24 Sep 2018
Blog Post

Working to Keep Pirates At-Bay: My Summer in Cyber Security

Security Insurance. I joined the company as its first MBA intern. It was a truly transformative experience for me and for the company itself! It was exciting to work and develop in such a dynamic... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship

June 1995
Teaching Note

Basic Industries TN

By: Joseph L. Bower

Teaching Note for (9-313-121). View Details

Keywords: Policy; Capital Budgeting; Risk and Uncertainty; Organizations; Business Conglomerates; Technology; Construction Industry

20 May 2019
Research & Ideas

Activist CEOs Are Rising Up—and Their Customers Are Listening

When former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz announced earlier this year he was thinking about running for president of the United States, it wasn’t a new idea. Past CEOs seeking the White House have included Carly Fiorina, Ross Perot, Herman Cain, Steve Forbes, Mitt... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

25 Sep 2007
First Look

First Look: September 25, 2007

Data were analyzed for type of failure and frequency of occurrence. Interviews were conducted with frontline staff. Principal Findings. The two most frequent categories of operational failures, equipment/supplies View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

23 Jul 2001
Research & Ideas

Looking for CEOs in All the Wrong Places

when the candidate list has been winnowed to a few individuals, the directors again return to the forefront, calling upon their many contacts to provide information about candidates' personal and professional qualifications. "There... View Details

Keywords: by Peter K. Jacobs; Employment

21 Jan 2014
First Look

First Look: January 21

in bond risk premia. Specifically, bond risk premia are high when aggregate MBS duration is high. The model offers an explanation for why long-term rates may appear to be "excessively sensitive" to... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

11 Dec 2007
First Look

First Look: December 11, 2007

primary goals are to (a) develop and validate an interdisciplinary multidimensional model, which focuses on the complex interrelationships among requirements workflow related risk factors, individual, team... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

12 Oct 2016
Research & Ideas

Break the Rules of How Business is Done

Taking a risk by breaking with standard operating procedure can make your company more innovative. Credit: maxsattana In addition to creating a new company that is disrupting the status quo, many founders are also challenging the old... View Details

Keywords: by Julia B. Austin

February 2010
Case

Amyris Biotechnologies: Commercializing Biofuel

By: Gary P. Pisano and Alison Berkley Wagonfeld

In 2009, Amyris Biotechnologies was building a plant in Brazil that used synthetic biology to convert sugarcane into both renewable fuels and renewable chemicals. The Amyris' marketing team was investigating the commercial interest for both types of products, while the... View Details

Keywords: Renewable Energy; Chemicals; Risk Management; Product Marketing; Product Development; Production; Environmental Sustainability; Commercialization; Biotechnology Industry; Brazil

November 1973 (Revised April 1983)
Case

Southport Minerals, Inc.

By: William E. Fruhan Jr.

Examines how the attractiveness of an investment project can be enhanced by making financing and operating decisions which either manage investment returns or reduce project risks. View Details

Keywords: Decisions; Financing and Loans; Investment; Investment Return; Risk Management; Operations; Projects

March 2023 (Revised June 2023)
Teaching Note

Ransomware Attack at Springhill Medical Center

By: Suraj Srinivasan and Li-Kuan (Jason) Ni

Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 123-065. In July, 2019, Springhill Medical Center (“SMC”) in Mobile, Alabama fell prey to a malicious ransomware attack that crippled the hospital’s internal network systems and public-facing web page. While the hospital rushed to... View Details