California - Publications - Faculty & Research

Fast Answer

Sustainability in the Transportation Industry

converging with dramatic technological advances. Although these changes – including shared mobility and automation – are rapidly altering the mobility landscape, predictions about the future of transportation are complex, nuanced, and widely debated. View Details

Armand Hammer

Hammer expanded Occidental Oil from a tiny, near-bankrupt California oil firm into one of the “Big Oil” companies - turning it into a conglomerate, beginning with the acquisition of an oil concession from Libya. Hammer was also... View Details

Keywords: Utilities & Energy

William R. Hearst

Beginning with the San Francisco Examiner in 1887, Hearst used aggressive acquisition techniques to build a publishing empire. His acquisition of the New York Journal in 1895 set the stage for fierce competition with cross-town rival Joseph Pulitzer. Hearst's explicit... View Details

Keywords: Publishing & Print Media

Donald G. Fisher

Fisher opened his first store in 1969 selling exclusively Levi’s jeans. Five years later, Fisher created his own line of women’s jeans, called Gap jeans. Fisher expanded his company to include 2,300 retail stores in the U.S., Canada, France, Germany, Japan and the U.... View Details

Keywords: Retail

01 Sep 2011
News

‘Green’ Trailblazers

estate investment management Beau D'Arcy (MBA 2010) Effortless Efficiency, Inc. Naperville, IL Residential energy retrofit consulting, finance, and installation Justin Dawe (MBA 2007) C12 Energy Cambridge, Massachusetts and Berkeley, View Details

Keywords: Health, Social Assistance; Management; Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services; Professional Services

01 Dec 2007
News

Harvard Management’s El-Erian Steps Down

Mohamed El-Erian, the president and CEO of Harvard Management Company (HMC) and a member of the HBS faculty, announced in September that he would step down from HMC at the end of this year and return to California and his former firm,... View Details

Keywords: Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services; Finance

Glen W. Bell

Bell foresaw the possibilities for fast food restaurants in the early 60’s, and in so doing, built an 800+ chain business. He is principally responsible for making Mexican fast food (especially tacos) accessible and affordable for all Americans. Sold to PepsiCo in... View Details

Keywords: Restaurants & Lodging

Steven P. Jobs

Jobs was a pioneer in the personal computer industry. He was instrumental in bringing computers to the masses – spawning a multi-million dollar industry. Apple’s attractive, small and inexpensive computers were an instant success. View Details

Keywords: Computers & Electronics

Ernest Gallo

A marketing genius, Gallo targeted the “low end” of the wine market when he introduced Thunderbird in the 1950s. The marketing strategy was a resounding success, and Gallo sold an unprecedented 2.5 million cases of the wine in less than a year. In 1985, Gallo... View Details

Keywords: Food & Tobacco

01 Oct 2002
News

New HBSAA Board Members

Flavia B. Almeida (MBA '94) São Paulo, Brazil Principal McKinsey & Company David L. Anderson (MBA '68) Palo Alto, California Managing Director and General Partner Sutter Hill Ventures Eve S. Benton (MBA '71) Bethesda, Maryland Cochairman... View Details

16 Apr 2013
News

A Walkabout to the Ocean

the air outside New York City's JFK airport and eventually hitchhiked across the country." Merkl fell in love with California and decided to stay. Enrolling at the University of California at Santa Cruz, he... View Details

Keywords: Ocean; Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles; Finance; Administration of Environmental Quality Programs; Government

26 Feb 2007
Research & Ideas

The Power of the Noncompete Clause

company in Boston, I was recruited by another speech recognition firm in Silicon Valley. At first I thought I wouldn't be able to take the job given the noncompete agreement I had signed in Boston, but I was nonetheless able to make the move because the View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

24 Apr 2014
News

Working to improve California's public education system

ago that I realized the depths to which the public education system in California had sunk,” she recalls. “I was working seven or eight hours a week in my community. I had been on the board at a charter school in San Francisco for five... View Details

Robert G. Mondavi

Founding his winery in 1966, Mondavi is credited with putting California wineries on par with the “best in the world.” Prior to Mondavi, U. S. wines were considered “cheap imitations” at best. He was a tireless promoter of the Napa Valley... View Details

Keywords: Food & Tobacco

Robert F. Six

Six transformed Continental Airlines from a one-route “puddle-jumper” into one of the world’s major airlines. He is credited with dramatically expanding air travel by being one of the first executives to introduce low and discounted airfares. Through his efforts,... View Details

Keywords: Transportation

George W. Lucas

Lucas has produced and directed some of the most successful films in history including the Star Wars Trilogy and the Indiana Jones series. Through his Industrial Light and Magic subsidiary, he has pioneered some of the most dramatic digital special effects on screen.... View Details

Keywords: Entertainment & Broadcast Media

Walter A. Haas

Haas led Levi’s transformation from a family business to a worldwide corporation. Haas introduced a number of innovative employment policies and refused to lay off workers even during the time of the Great Depression – gaining a long-standing reputation for considerate... View Details

Keywords: Fabric & Apparel

Amadeo Peter Giannini

Giannini grew Bank of America into the world’s largest bank. Three years after surviving the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, Giannini’s banking operations expanded by opening its first branch in San Jose. He continued to open banks throughout California,... View Details

Keywords: Finance

Roy L. Ash

In 1953, Ash and his partner, Tex Thornton, bought Litton Industries, a small West Coast producer of microwave tubes. Litton embarked on an aggressive acquisition course. By 1961, the same year Ash became president of the company, Litton had completed 25 mergers and... View Details

Keywords: Fabricated Goods

Scott D. Cook

Though he was not the first individual to launch a personal finance software company, Cook was the most successful. His focus on easy of use and customer service helped to develop Quicken into one of the most successful software applications introduced in the last two... View Details