Continuous Improvement - Publications - Faculty & Research

25 Sep 2017
Research & Ideas

Why Politics is Failing America, and What Business Can Do To Help

industrial complex that limits healthy competition in order to promote its continued growth and caters to the power and profit-driven demands of its best customers instead of the broader public interest. During the 2016 election cycle,... View Details

Keywords: by Christina Pazzanese, Harvard Gazette

29 Mar 2016
First Look

March 29, 2016

institution’s patient portal. Conclusions. As healthcare costs continue to rise in the United States and around the world, a value-based approach with explicit, transparently reported patient outcomes will not only create opportunities... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

18 Nov 2014
First Look

First Look: November 18

churn problem. Netflix used Cinematch, its proprietary movie recommendation software, to promote individually determined best-fit movies to customers. Hastings determined that a 10% improvement to the Cinematch algorithm would decrease... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

13 Sep 2016
First Look

September 13, 2016

Samsung, however, has succeeded by its ability to strike a balance between the two. Publisher's link: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=51604 in press Journal for the Association of Consumer Research Family Rituals Improve... View Details

26 Aug 2024
Research & Ideas

Can AI Match Human Ingenuity in Creative Problem-Solving?

When ChatGPT and other large language models began entering the mainstream two years ago, it quickly became apparent the technology could excel at certain business functions, yet it was less clear how well artificial intelligence could handle more creative tasks. Sure,... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Information Technology; Information; Technology

04 Aug 2008
Research & Ideas

How Female Stars Succeed in New Jobs

analyst moves, he or she continues to cover the same companies and serve the same clients. Most investment banks are within a mile radius of each other, so even the commute does not change. “A company that is willing to double your... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Financial Services

11 Jun 2007
Lessons from the Classroom

Teaching the Next Generation of Energy Executives

You may think that being an energy executive—especially a manager in a leading oil company—might be the easiest job around. Just flip the production switch, and watch gas prices head toward $4 a gallon. But students enrolled in Harvard Business School professor Forest... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Energy; Utilities

29 Oct 2008
Research & Ideas

The Next Marketing Challenge: Selling to ’Simplifiers’

manufacturers benefited. Larger homes with bigger refrigerators can absorb more inventory. Flat birth rates in developed economies have put pressure on durable consumer-goods companies desperate for top-line growth. Product quality View Details

Keywords: by John Quelch; Retail; Consumer Products; Entertainment & Recreation

04 Nov 2002
Research & Ideas

From Lone Star to Team Player

collaboration and cooperation over decentralized individualism. How can large firms like BP collaborate among units and divisions and still remain financially profitable? A: The approach at BP was developed precisely to improve the... View Details

Keywords: by Mallory Stark

13 Aug 2024
Research & Ideas

Why Companies Shouldn't Delay Software Updates—Even After CrowdStrike's Flaw

highlights one simple change companies could make: updating software sooner after improved versions hit the market. The research finds that some 60 percent of US organizations continued to use a popular... View Details

Keywords: by Jay Fitzgerald; Technology; Information Technology; Computer; Web Services

26 Mar 2007
Research & Ideas

Learning from Failed Political Leadership

of Illusion: American Leadership in the Media Age. The book weaves together insights from economics, leadership studies, history, geopolitics, and national security to make a case for strategic independence and improved leadership... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

23 May 2000
Research & Ideas

Minding the Muse: The Impact of Downsizing on Corporate Creativity

counting on to drive sales over the next few years might not be forthcoming. Corporate downsizing is hardly anything new. Indeed, in recent years it has often been management's tool of choice for improving competitiveness. Ironically, new... View Details

Keywords: by Peter K. Jacobs

27 Oct 2008
Lessons from the Classroom

Achieving Excellence in Nonprofits

to whom the nonprofit is accountable to understand the organization's intentions, so that they can determine in advance whether they want to offer their support, and then assess after the fact whether the organization is making progress to determine whether they want... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

06 Jun 2005
Research & Ideas

Microsoft vs. Open Source: Who Will Win?

this e-mail interview. Sean Silverthorne: Why should OSS ever displace traditional software? Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and Pankaj Ghemawat: One main advantage of open source software is that because users can modify the code directly (as they encounter problems or have... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Technology

02 Jul 2013
First Look

First Look: July 2

and goad managers. This response assesses Caesars Entertainment's CodeGreen scorecard, advocates a more comprehensive environmental assessment to target subsequent improvement efforts, and describes how the company can leverage and scale... View Details

Keywords: Anna Secino

14 May 2020
Research & Ideas

What Leaders Can Do to Fight the COVID Fog

needed while some are not. How to change the organization and management teams to create new competencies without changing your essence and core values?” Skills needed now: Continuous learning and integrating new information; developing... View Details

Keywords: by Boris Groysberg and Robin Abrahams

29 May 2007
First Look

First Look: May 29, 2007

needs of the "poorest of the poor," who cannot even repay loans and therefore do not qualify as Habitat beneficiaries? How can Makar continue to innovate to achieve the greatest mission impact while maintaining funding and... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

08 Apr 2011
Research & Ideas

Will the Japan Disaster Remake the Landscape for Green Energy in Asia?

to be just the start of much more privately financed initiatives to come in the next few years. Most recently, the first offshore RMB bond issue for wind energy was completed by China WindPower in Hong Kong and led by HSBC, reinforcing investor appetite for the sector.... View Details

Keywords: by Dennis Fisher; Energy; Utilities

28 Aug 2007
First Look

First Look: August 28, 2007

exercise and review of concepts such as capacity, bottlenecks, and throughput times. Students should be able to make several useful suggestions for improving the system. Purchase this case:... View Details