Publications

Program

Senior Executive Leadership Program—China

global context, drive new levels of innovation, and build accountable, high-performance organizations. Key Benefits Taught in both Chinese and English with simultaneous translation, this program is designed to strengthen the leadership... View Details

March 2021 (Revised October 2023)
Case

Mary Kay Ash: Changing the World

By: Robert Simons and Shirley Sun

This case describes the rise of Mary Kay, the founder of the worldwide cosmetics company. As a young single mother, Mary Kay had to overcome many obstacles to start her business and guide it to success. Today, there are more than 3.5 million Mary Kay beauty consultants... View Details

Keywords: Business Start-ups; Entrepreneurship; Values and Beliefs; Business Startups; Work-Life Balance; Success; Religion; Family Business; Personal Development and Career; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry

2019
Working Paper

Understanding and Overcoming Roadblocks to Environmental Sustainability. Past Roads and Future Prospects

By: Ann-Kristin Bergquist, Shawn A. Cole, John Ehrenfeld, Andrew A. King and Auden Schendler

This working paper examines key barriers to business sustainability discussed at a multidisciplinary conference held at the Harvard Business School in 2018. Drawing on perspectives from both the historical and business literatures, speakers debated the historical... View Details

Keywords: Environmental Sustainability; Problems and Challenges; History; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Opportunities

Read Now

November 1985 (Revised December 1994)
Case

Leckenby Co.

This game is a highly structured exercise in labor-management bargaining. If union and management cannot reach agreement within two days, then the union will strike. The costs of a strike are not the same for the two sides. Similarly, the cost of a settlement to... View Details

Keywords: Negotiation; Accounting; Labor and Management Relations

20 May 2013
News

Use your money to buy happier time

14 Sep 2016
News

Building a Disclosure Box for the Digital Age

12 Leadership Books to Watch For in 2015

With the new year comes a host of new resolutions. To work smarter. Lead better. Get organized. Read more. Yet among business and leadership books — an overcrowded, underwhelming genre if there ever was one — what's worth picking up?

We scanned publishers'... View Details

June 2024 (Revised January 2025)
Background Note

Politics Comes to ESG Investing

By: Shawn Cole and Jonah Zahnd

While the past decade has seen a dramatic increase in the incorporation of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) standards into investor practices, this momentum has shifted recently in the United States, as some politicians argued that ESG investing practices... View Details

Keywords: Investment; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; United States

September 2023
Technical Note

Work Arrangements in the Post-Pandemic World

By: Leslie A. Perlow and Salvatore J. Affinito

Whether you are choosing your job based on geographic location, work arrangements (i.e., fully in-person, hybrid, fully virtual), or other unrelated factors (e.g., career, family, partner, hobbies), in the post-pandemic world you will likely be surrounded by people... View Details

Keywords: Hybrid Work; Remote Work; Working Conditions; Geographic Location

07 Nov 2010
News

The Honorable Senator's buddies

27 Jul 2021
News

How to Use Your Privilege to Even the Playing Field

20 Sep 2011
News

Do Taxes Narrow the Wealth Gap?

Person Page

Blog Post Collection

By: Sunil Gupta

“In Mobile Advertising, Timing is Everything,” Nov 4, 2015
https://hbr.org/2015/11/in-mobile-advertising-timing-is-everything

“2015: A Decisive Year for... View Details

14 Dec 2021
Op-Ed

To Change Your Company's Culture, Don't Start by Trying to Change the Culture

systems. Not much happens from pure culture conversations because they don’t result in a clear idea of what needs to change and how it will be changed to reinforce key strategic priorities.” Harvard Business... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Beer

22 Mar 2012
News

To Build Trust, Competence is Key

03 Nov 2021
Blog Post

Alumni Viewpoints: Confronting the Climate Change Challenge

Business leaders around the world are currently focused on the discussions and negotiations taking place at the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow from October 31 to November 12. The outcome View Details

22 May 2019
Blog Post

What is FIELD Global Immersion?

The FIELD Global Immersion (FGI) is a semester-long first-year (RC) MBA course. The course is a capstone of sorts, and it requires students to build on learnings from their first-year courses and apply them to real-world business... View Details

11 Mar 2021
Video

Meet the i-Lab‘s “Unicorns”: Celebrating Venture Success Stories

April 1989 (Revised January 1994)
Case

Novo Industri

By: Michael E. Porter and Michael J. Enright

Describes the structure of the insulin industry, a treatment for diabetes and Novo's strategy and competitive position in early 1982. The industry is undergoing significant change and Novo must decide how to defend and build its international position. Designed as an... View Details

Keywords: Change; Global Strategy; Industry Structures; Alliances; Competitive Strategy; Health Disorders; Pharmaceutical Industry