Margins - Publications - Faculty & Research

15 Apr 2015
Research & Ideas

Why Americans Voted for an Income Tax

rich. We ask the highest earners among us to pay a greater share of their income than the rest of us. But, despite the well-known fact that inequality in incomes is now at levels not seen since FDR's time, President Obama faced stiff opposition in Congress when he... View Details

Keywords: by Matthew C. Weinzierl

08 Mar 2022
Research & Ideas

Representation Matters: Building Case Studies That Empower Women Leaders

To realize the hopes of those early International Women’s Day activists—to make power more accessible and recognize the capabilities of marginalized voices—we need to tackle the systems that keep these barriers locked in place and move... View Details

Keywords: by Colleen Ammerman and Boris Groysberg

28 Nov 2005
Research & Ideas

Unilever: Transformation and Tradition

were not strong enough to prevent the growth of private labels in Europe, but they were sufficient to maintain Unilever's strong position in higher margin products. It was able to leverage knowledge of brands and products between... View Details

Keywords: by Geoffrey Jones; Consumer Products

Research Summary

Reverse Innovation

VG and Chris Trimble reveal a bold discovery with far-reaching implications in REVERSE INNOVATION: Create Far From Home, Win Everywhere (Harvard Business Review Press; April 10, 2012;... View Details

13 Dec 2021
Research & Ideas

The Unlikely Upside of Mergers: More Diverse Management Teams

marginalized racial and ethnic groups were 54 percent less likely to be promoted than whites, and women were 36 percent less likely to be promoted than men, despite diversity efforts by advocates and government regulators. Bias-driven... View Details

Keywords: by Lane Lambert

09 Nov 2021
Research & Ideas

The Simple Secret of Effective Mentoring Programs

need mentoring, they are likely to see, at best, only marginal productivity gains, while broad-based mentoring programs, with no opt-out provision, are likely to generate more impressive results, says Stanton. The companies that stand to... View Details

Keywords: by Jay Fitzgerald

Research Summary

Overview

By: Reshmaan N. Hussam

Engaged with field work in South Asia and East Africa, Professor Hussam places a focus on exploring questions with strong theoretical motivation in the economics literature as well as relevant downstream policy implications. Her research spans four broad interests.... View Details

06 Sep 2004
Research & Ideas

The Innovator’s Battle Plan

least attractive. Sales can go up (high price points replace low price points). Margins typically go way up. The incumbent stops worrying about disloyal, dissatisfied, low-paying (overshot) customers whom outsiders may term... View Details

Keywords: by Clayton M. Christensen, Scott D. Anthony & Erik A. Roth

21 Feb 2023
Research & Ideas

What's Missing from the Racial Equity Dialogue?

returning citizens, we are leaving a lot of talented but undervalued people off the table.” It is also important to keep in mind that, when we talk about returning citizens, we’re often including other marginalized and stigmatized... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost

31 May 2011
Research & Ideas

Japan Disaster Shakes Up Supply-Chain Strategies

Taiwan, stored in Hong Kong, aggregated in parts, and sent in kits to China for assembly." All the suppliers in this chain are typically operating on very thin margins and tight schedules—any disruption can have severe consequences... View Details

Keywords: by Dennis Fisher; Auto; Technology; Computer; Electronics

10 Mar 2020
Research & Ideas

The Little Understood Problem Confronting Diverse Workplaces

if someone has trouble ‘fitting in.’ Moreover, the people whose job it is to acculturate members of marginalized groups into these dominant group expectations are also finding it challenging. Building productive relationships across... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna

06 May 2021
HBS Case

How Four Women Made Miami More Equitable for Startups

her hometown of New Orleans before moving to Miami. Gibson shifted her focus to cultivating higher-wage jobs in marginalized communities and drew on her background in environmental sciences to form EcoTech Visions, a company providing... View Details

Keywords: by Carolyn DiPaolo

31 May 2017
What Do You Think?

Can Amazon Do What Walmart Couldn’t, Stop the 'Wheel of Retailing'?

of customers and the volume of sales increase, the retailer gains a dominant position in the market. The goal gradually shifts from attracting more customers to increasing prices and margins in order to achieve higher profits. That... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Retail

03 May 2023
Research & Ideas

Why Confronting Racism in AI 'Creates a Better Future for All of Us'

all of us. DeLollis: When it comes to race, technology, and tomorrow’s business outcomes, what advice would you give to CEOs, CMOs, and other top decision makers? Turner: I advise them that if marginalized people and women weren’t... View Details

Keywords: by Barbara DeLollis

18 Sep 2019
Op-Ed

WeWork—The IPO That Shouldn’t?

require them to allocate all of it in an EBIDTA calculation. If these items are included, WeWork’s contribution margin becomes substantially negative. Ultimately, the metric WeWork proposes to use is of View Details

Keywords: by Nori Gerardo Lietz; Financial Services; Real Estate

28 Jun 2004
Research & Ideas

How to Avoid a Price Increase

Gourville discusses the price-versus-quantity dilemma in this e-mail interview. Manda Salls: When prices for raw materials increase, companies need to compensate to keep their profit margin on target. What are the typical responses? John... View Details

Keywords: by Manda Salls

05 Mar 2012
Research & Ideas

Is JC Penney’s Makeover the Future of Retailing?

with revenue falling year over year by 4.9%, to $5.42 billion. Johnson, who took over in November, is revamping Penney's 1,000-plus stores to target "all Americans." Standing out in the crowd, making the pricing scheme work, and reinvesting in the company despite... View Details

Keywords: by Kim Girard; Retail

21 May 2012
Research & Ideas

OSHA Inspections: Protecting Employees or Killing Jobs?

doctorate. "But we found it to be an across-the-board effect." Just as important are the findings about the costs to companies of complying with regulations. Testing every measure they could find—jobs, wages, sales, and credit ratings among them—the researchers found... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

24 May 2022
Research & Ideas

Career Advice for Minorities and Women: Sharing Your Identity Can Open Doors

Past studies have bolstered the idea that marginalized groups might find more career opportunities if they downplay their identities. But women and minorities may actually benefit by explicitly mentioning their identities, at least when... View Details

Keywords: by Pamela Reynolds

31 Oct 2011
Research & Ideas

The Most Powerful Workplace Motivator

indifferent to waiting for greater commissions and closing the deal now and getting inducted into the club. The willingness-to-pay statistic at the software firm is calculated to be nearly $30,000, or approximately 5 percent of take-home pay. "My research shows that... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

Publications