Publications

25 Jan 2012
Research & Ideas

A Few Firms Have Outsized Influence in D.C.

It's a truism for many that in American politics money buys influence. In one recent poll, 75 percent of respondents said they believed "money buys results in Congress." But the question of whose money View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

11 Dec 2017
News

Porter & Gehl on Politics: In Their Own Words

August 2012 (Revised March 2014)
Technical Note

4M: Four-Markets Analysis for Emerging Economies

By: Eric Werker

This technical note describes a methodology for evaluating the political economy of business-government relations in an emerging or frontier economy. The note argues that there are not one but four markets in an emerging economy: the market of "rentiers" such as mining... View Details

Keywords: Frontier Markets; Emerging Markets

03 Apr 2009
Working Paper Summaries

Applying the Care Delivery Value Chain: HIV/AIDS Care in Resource Poor Settings

Keywords: by Joseph Rhatigan, Sachin Jain, Joia S. Mukherjee & Michael E. Porter; Health

Trang Nguyen

Trang Nguyen is a student at the Ph.D. Business Administration program jointly offered by Harvard Business School and Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

Trang is interested in research at the intersection of corporate governance... View Details

January 2025
Case

Blue Frontier: Disrupting Air Conditioning

By: Rosabeth Moss Kanter and Jacob A. Small

Serial entrepreneur Daniel Betts founded Blue Frontier in South Florida to offer a climate-friendly solution to increase air conditioning efficiency and dehumidify using new technology he developed. Backed by significant venture capital, Blue Frontier had to choose... 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

Chiara Farronato is Glenn and Mary Jane Creamer Associate Professor of Business Administration in the Technology and Operations Management Unit at Harvard Business School, and co-Principal Investigator of the Platform Lab at the Digital... View Details

Raffaella Sadun

Raffaella Sadun is Charles E. Wilson Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, and is a Co-Chair of Harvard Business School’s Project on Managing the Future of Work and co-PI of the Digital Reskilling Lab. Sadun received her PhD in Economics... View Details

February 2004 (Revised August 2018)
Case

The American System

By: David A. Moss, Tiffany Morris and Sarah Brennan

Traces the economic development of the United States from 1790 to 1857, focusing especially on the struggle between free traders and protectionists over federal tariff policy. Devotes considerable attention to the nation's political system, its evolving common law,... View Details

Keywords: Business History; Economic Growth; Government and Politics; United States

June 2010
Article

A Gap-Filling Theory of Corporate Debt Maturity Choice

By: Robin Greenwood, Samuel G. Hanson and Jeremy C. Stein

We argue that time-series variation in the maturity of aggregate corporate debt issues arises because firms behave as macro liquidity providers, absorbing the large supply shocks associated with changes in the maturity structure of government debt. We document that... View Details

Keywords: Business Ventures; Decision Choices and Conditions; Borrowing and Debt; Financial Liquidity; Investment Return; Government and Politics

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September 1994
Case

Otis Elevator Company: China Joint Venture (B-2)

By: Michael Y. Yoshino

Asks the students to evaluate the challenges a company faced in the summer of 1989 in the light of great political uncertainties. A rewritten version of an earlier case. View Details

Keywords: Joint Ventures; Risk and Uncertainty; Business Strategy; Government and Politics; Globalization; Construction Industry; Manufacturing Industry; China

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September 2011 (Revised November 2011)
Case

Liberté, Égalité, Sororité: How Should France Achieve Boardroom Parité?

By: Boris Groysberg and Hilary Fischer-Groban

The French government is considering mandating a gender quota for corporate boards. Other countries have approached the question of gender equity in corporate governance in various ways; which model might best work for France? View Details

Keywords: Equality and Inequality; Governing and Advisory Boards; Gender; Corporate Governance; France

August 2004 (Revised June 2008)
Case

Debating the Expropriation of Mexican Oil

By: Geoffrey G. Jones and R. Daniel Wadhwani

In 1938, the Mexican government expropriated the assets of foreign oil companies. Explores the legal and moral arguments in favor of and against expropriation. View Details

Keywords: Ethics; Globalized Firms and Management; Government and Politics; Business History; Lawfulness; Business and Government Relations; Energy Industry; Mexico

December 2005 (Revised January 2007)
Case

Ben & Jerry's: Preserving Mission & Brand within Unilever

By: James E. Austin and James Quinn

In the months after Ben & Jerry's was acquired by Unilever, Ben & Jerry's head social mission faces challenges and opportunities unique in the company's history, including: how to manage employee morale; whether to include synthetic ingredients to meet consumer... View Details

Keywords: Brands and Branding; Problems and Challenges; Mergers and Acquisitions; Mission and Purpose; Social Enterprise; Management Teams; Governing and Advisory Boards; Value Creation; Corporate Governance; Employee Relationship Management; Food and Beverage Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; United States

10 Oct 2013
Interview

Why U.S. Business is Stalling: Professor Michael Porter in an interview with David Wessel

By: Michael E. Porter

In an interview with WSJ's David Wessel, Michael Porter from Harvard Business School talks about the challenges business in the U.S. is facing, including political gridlock in Washington and an ever-deepening skills shortage. View Details

Keywords: U.S. Competitiveness; Business or Company Management; Competition; Global Strategy; Problems and Challenges; United States

July 2023 (Revised April 2024)
Case

Raymond Jefferson: Trial by Fire

By: Anthony Mayo and Carin-Isabel Knoop

In the spring of 2021, Raymond (Ray) Jefferson applied for a job in President Joseph Biden’s administration. Ten years earlier, false allegations were used to force him to resign from his prior U.S. government position as Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans’... View Details

Keywords: Leadership Style; Personal Development and Career; Ethics; Lawsuits and Litigation

Article

Fixing What Really Ails Japan

By: Michael E. Porter and Hirotaka Takeuchi

Conventional wisdom claims that Japan’s “economic miracle” stemmed from its unique model of government guidance and its revolutionary corporate management techniques. An in-depth study proves this seriously wrong. Rampant government intervention has caused more... View Details

Keywords: Leadership; Competition; Innovation and Invention; Business and Government Relations; Japan