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June 23, 2021
Article

Research: When A/B Testing Doesn't Tell You the Whole Story

By: Eva Ascarza

When it comes to churn prevention, marketers traditionally start by identifying which customers are most likely to churn, and then running A/B tests to determine whether a proposed retention intervention will be effective at retaining those high-risk customers. While... View Details

Keywords: Customer Retention; Churn; Targeting; Market Research; Marketing; Investment Return; Customers; Retention; Research

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July 2010 (Revised September 2023)
Case

Werner von Siemens and the Electric Telegraph

By: Geoffrey Jones and Bjoern von Siemens

This case describes the nineteenth century founding by Werner Siemens of the Siemens electrical business in Germany. Werner's dual role as inventor and entrepreneur is explored as he created one of the world's first multinational enterprises, whose growth initially... View Details

Keywords: Business Organization; Family Business; Entrepreneurship; Multinational Firms and Management; Business History; Growth and Development Strategy; Electronics Industry; Telecommunications Industry; Germany

Article

The Supply Chain Economy: New Policies to Drive Innovation and Jobs

By: Mercedes Delgado and Karen G. Mills

The debate in economic policymaking about the drivers of innovation and job creation has long centered on manufacturing versus services. The predominant view is that manufacturing drives innovation, wages, and growth, and that services provide less innovation and... View Details

Keywords: Supply Chain Industries; Supply Chain; Economy; Policy; Innovation and Invention; Jobs and Positions

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28 May 2019
News

Turning Point: Into the Wild

on one of our host’s horses. It was a beautiful day, and as I rode I began to see all kinds of wildlife—impalas, dik-diks, wildebeests, giraffes. I got closer to the game on... View Details

20 Jan 2017
News

Bringing Power to the People

Xavier Barbaro (MBA 2006) is CEO of Neoen, a French firm that generates electricity from renewable sources, operating in multiple countries. In this interview, he talks about how View Details

Jan 2014
Case

Rail Transportation in the United States

structured way of thinking through the issues facing rail transportation and discusses three recent freight rail infrastructure projects that hold promise for View Details

03 Jun 2015
What Do You Think?

Is the Time Right for Self-Management?

increasing complexity and unpredictability of our world is such that only a highly distributed decision-making structure will be able to adapt and respond effectively, she continued. "Most View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Retail

July 2003 (Revised February 2004)
Background Note

Multinationals and the First Global Economy before 1914

By: Geoffrey G. Jones

Reviews the literature on the growth of globalization before 1914 and examines the role of multinationals in the process. View Details

Keywords: History; Multinational Firms and Management; Growth and Development

15 May 2019
Research Event

The Unconventional Capitalism That Shapes Business History

policies, and identity politics. In San Jose, many women were elected to political positions. As state governments cut funding for schools, they turned to Silicon Valley firms for philanthropy, unintentionally handing control View Details

Keywords: by Geoffrey G. Jones; Education

10 Sep 2021
Blog Post

Perspectives on Anti-Racism in the HKS Curriculum

Brewton-Johnson (a Black woman from Atlanta, Georgia) and Austin Boral (a white man from Jericho, New York) share their thoughts on the course. Why was the course so important? Morgan: View Details

14 Nov 2013
Working Paper Summaries

What Shapes the Gatekeepers? Evidence from Global Supply Chain Auditors

Keywords: by Jodi L. Short, Michael W. Toffel & Andrea Hugill; Financial Services; Legal Services

December 2019 (Revised June 2024)
Case

The Dutch East India Company in 1612 (A)

By: Lynn S. Paine and Giuseppe Dari-Mattiacci

The Dutch East India Company’s board of directors must decide what to do about an impending legal requirement to liquidate the company’s assets and return to shareholders their capital and any profits earned during a ten-year lock-up period. The charter granted to the... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Governance; Globalized Firms and Management; Organizational Structure; Laws and Statutes; Financial Markets; Business and Shareholder Relations; Business and Government Relations; Business History; Shipping Industry; Netherlands

September 2019 (Revised May 2021)
Case

pymetrics: Early Days

By: John R. Wells and Benjamin Weinstock

In 2013, CEO Frida Polli was contemplating the next steps for her start-up business, pymetrics. After receiving her PhD in neuropsychology and MBA from HBS, she was determined to put her scientific and academic knowledge to work to build a business solving real world... View Details