Publications

April 2004 (Revised September 2007)
Case

Accounting Fraud at WorldCom

By: Robert S. Kaplan and David Kiron

The principal players in WorldCom's accounting fraud included CFO Scott Sullivan, the General Accounting and Internal Audit departments, external auditor Arthur Andersen, and the board of directors. The case provides sufficient detail to allow for a full discussion of... View Details

Keywords: Governance Controls; Governing and Advisory Boards; Crime and Corruption; Ethics; Financial Reporting; Organizational Culture; Corporate Governance; Accounting Audits

06 Feb 2021
News

Money in Politics, One Month Later

December 2022 (Revised January 2023)
Case

Cann: High Hopes for Cannabis Infused Beverages

By: Ayelet Israeli and Anne V. Wilson

Founded in 2018 by Jake Bullock and Luke Anderson, Cann sold “social tonics,” or cannabis-infused beverages. By 2022, the company had several notable celebrity investors and talent partners, had sold over 10 million beverages to consumers, was distributing in six... View Details

1 PM – 2:15 PM EDT, 27 Oct 2020
Virtual Programming

The Role of American Business Leaders in a Challenging Election Season

Amidst a pandemic, economic challenges, and social, racial, and political turmoil, the upcoming US presidential election has the potential to calm fears and help restore order at home and around the world--or to ignite a new wave of discord and dissent. In this... View Details

November 2021 (Revised January 2022)
Case

Scott Tucker (A): Race to the Top

By: Aiyesha Dey and Amram Migdal

The case tells the story of the rise and fall of Scott Tucker, an entrepreneur, businessman, passionate race car driver, competitor, and owner of a professional racing team. From 1997 to 2012, Tucker built a nationwide network of payday lending businesses, becoming a... View Details

Keywords: Business Ventures; Crime and Corruption; Ethics; Fairness; Financing and Loans; Personal Finance; Governance; Corporate Accountability; Corporate Governance; Governance Compliance; Governance Controls; Financial Services Industry; United States

15 Dec 2016
HBS Seminar

Joel Isaac, University of Cambridge

March 2023 (Revised January 2024)
Case

Nigeria: Africa's Giant

By: Marlous van Waijenburg

"Nigeria: Africa’s Giant" delves into the economic development and state building record of Africa’s most populous country. Despite being one of the continent’s largest oil-exporters, Nigeria’s economy has been struggling, and poverty is widespread. The country’s... View Details

Keywords: Crime and Corruption; Developing Countries and Economies; Government Administration; Poverty; Africa; Nigeria

March 2021
Supplement

Facebook's Libra (B): The Privatization of Money?

By: Marco Di Maggio, Ethan Rouen, George Serafeim and Amy Klopfenstein

This case addresses the events that took place following the conclusion of the case “Facebook’s Libra (A): The Privatization of Money?” In October 2019, several months after the conclusion of the A case, multiple members of the Libra Association announced that they... View Details

July 1990 (Revised October 1999)
Case

Nordstrom: Dissension in the Ranks? (A)

By: Robert L. Simons and Hilary Weston

In 1989, the performance measurement systems and compensation policies of Nordstrom Department Stores unexpectedly came under attack by employees, unions, and government regulators. The case describes the "sales-per-hour" monitoring and compensation system that many... View Details

Keywords: Performance Consistency; Performance Evaluation; Compensation and Benefits; Motivation and Incentives; Labor Unions; Salesforce Management; Retention; Growth and Development; Industrial Products Industry; Utilities Industry

04 Apr 2024
Blog Post

Climate Stories: Water Series - Episode #16: Tim Murdoch, HBS MBA 1990 – Learning about Climate Change and Water

pleasure. Some 75 years ago, Tim’s grandfather began spending summers in a remote section of Ontario, Canada. He homesteaded a three-acre island for $90 in the Upper French River and built a house on the property, which was View Details

28 Feb 2010
News

America, the fragile empire

Julie Battilana

Julie Battilana is the Joseph C. Wilson Professor of Business Administration in the Organizational Behavior unit at Harvard Business School and the Alan L. Gleitsman Professor of Social Innovation at Harvard Kennedy School, where she is also the founder and faculty... View Details

2009
Comment

Testimony on 'The World Bank's Disclosure Policy Review, and the Role of Democratic Participatory Processes in Achieving Successful Development Outcomes'

By: Alnoor Ebrahim

Keywords: Banks and Banking; Policy; Success; Growth and Development; Outcome or Result

Read Now

June 2004 (Revised November 2004)
Case

Restoring Trust at WorldCom

By: Jay W. Lorsch and Ashley Robertson

Examines the changes in corporate governance at WorldCom/MCI as proposed by the company's court-appointed corporate monitor, Richard Breeden. Following the largest bankruptcy ever and the downfall of the company, Breeden wrote "Restoring Trust," a report comprised of... View Details

Keywords: Change; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Corporate Governance; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Business and Government Relations; Trust

Book Review

Review of Power Loss: The Origins of Deregulation and Restructuring in the American Electric Utility System, by Richard F. Hirsh

By: Willis Emmons

Keywords: Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Energy; Energy Industry; Utilities Industry

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2008
Book

Gross National Happiness: Why Happiness Matters for America—and How We Can Get More of It

By: Arthur C. Brooks

Who are the happiest Americans? Surveys show that religious people think they are happier than secularists, and secularists think they are happier than religious people. Liberals believe they are happier than conservatives, and conservatives disagree. In fact, almost... View Details

Find at Harvard