Publications

September 21, 2018
Article

Innovation Should Be a Top Priority for Boards. So Why Isn't It?

By: J. Yo-Jud Cheng and Boris Groysberg

Corporate directors and executives alike recognize that today’s pace of change continues to accelerate and that firms need to innovate to stay ahead. But are boards doing enough to support innovation, as they should? We conducted a survey of over 5,000 board members... View Details

Keywords: Board Of Directors; Innovation; Technology; Innovation and Invention; Corporate Governance; Governing and Advisory Boards; Business Strategy

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04 Dec 2019
News

Skydeck Live: The Case for Funding Female Founders

see that there are a lot more female investors that are getting involved. But there’s a bottleneck for the exits that typically venture capitalists are looking for in terms of going public. Now you have a... View Details

18 Nov 2021
Op-Ed

5 Principles for Scaling Change from IBM’s High School Innovation

students are graduates of Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH), an innovative six-year public high school program spearheaded by IBM that has improved college completion rates among disadvantaged youth and created a hiring pipeline View Details

Keywords: by Kristen Senz

01 Jun 1998
News

Excitement Building for HBS Global Conference in Chicago

established companies and examine how emerging growth firms are developing competitive products and strategies for the global marketplace. Over a dozen presentations and panel... View Details

December 2016
Supplement

Ron Johnson: A Career in Retail

By: Ryan Raffaelli, Joshua D. Margolis and Das Narayandas

This is a video supplement, to be used when teaching the Ron Johnson case. See abstract:

In April 2013, Ron Johnson (HBS '84) stepped down after just 18 months as CEO of J.C. Penney. In his brief tenure, Johnson, an acclaimed retailer respected for his... View Details

Keywords: Leadership; Leadership Development; Legal Industry; Procurement; Professional Service Firms; Pricing; Competition; Organizational Behavior; Change Management; Innovation Leadership; Situation or Environment; Failure; Management Teams; Brands and Branding; Retail Industry; United States

2009
Chapter

Self-regulatory Institutions for Solving Environmental Problems: Perspectives and Contributions from the Management Literature

By: Andrew A. King and Michael W. Toffel

Scholars of management have long considered how institutions can help resolve market imperfections and thereby improve human welfare. Most previous research has emphasized the use of for-profit firms. Such institutions cannot effectively address many environmental... View Details

Keywords: For-Profit Firms; Investment; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Environmental Sustainability; Competitive Advantage

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March 2020 (Revised January 2023)
Case

Nadine Vogel: Transforming the Marketplace, Workplace, and Workforce for People with Disabilities

By: Lakshmi Ramarajan, Hannah Riley-Bowles and Michael Norris

In 2019, Nadine Vogel, founder and CEO of Springboard Consulting, a firm that worked with Fortune 500 companies on issues related to disability and their workforce, faced the decision of the best path forward to grow her small company. Should she build more and better... View Details

Keywords: Diversity; Entrepreneurship; Personal Development and Career; Decision Choices and Conditions; Growth and Development Strategy; Product Development; Market Entry and Exit; Consulting Industry; United States; Florida; New York (state, US)

11 Jun 2020
Blog Post

Know Your Audience - Recruiting HBS Students for Venture Capital

prior finance experience, they bring a combined 14 years of Career & Professional Development expertise, helping firms develop their HBS recruiting strategy and connect with students. A Vested Interest... View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital / Private Equity

23 Mar 2020
Research & Ideas

Product Disasters Can Be Fertile Ground for Innovation

In 2009, a stroke victim at a Los Angeles medical center started losing his hair following a CT brain perfusion scan. After some confusion, doctors determined he had been subject to a radiation overdose—a serious accident that might lead to a lifetime of increased risk... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Health; Medical Devices & Supplies

22 Mar 2017
Research & Ideas

What's the Ideal Frequency for a Sales Quota?

decrease in sales of high-margin items. Ultimately, the Swedish firm decided that the benefits of a daily quota outweighed the costs. At the end of the study, the retailer switched its quota plan from monthly to daily across the company... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

29 Aug 2016
Blog Post

First Year at HBS: A Foundation for Business

year students with the required content and learning to form a firm foundation for a bright future in business. Breadth and Depth The RC is comprised of 12 courses. I personally have grouped these 12 courses... View Details

August 2012 (Revised November 2012)
Case

Viterra

By: Ray A. Goldberg and Matthew Preble

As Mayo Schmidt's tenure as CEO of the Canadian-based agribusiness Viterra wound down before its sale to the Swiss-based commodity company Glencore, he reflected on his tenure, which had seen the firm grow from a Canadian-focused agricultural cooperative to an... View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Vision; Strategy And Execution; Growth Strategy; Organizational Change And Transformation; International Business; Farm Cooperatives; Agribusiness; Leading Change; Growth and Development Strategy; Market Entry and Exit; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Canada; Australia; Asia; North America; Europe

10 Jan 2018
Research & Ideas

Working for a Shamed Company Can Hurt Your Future Compensation

do some sophisticated talent arbitrage” In order to gauge the effect on executive pay, the researchers obtained a data set from a large global headhunting company, one of many consulting firms that act as intermediaries between companies... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Financial Services

March 2011
Case

United Cereal: Lora Brill's Eurobrand Challenge

By: Christopher A. Bartlett and Carole Carlson

The case, set within the European organization of a giant multinational breakfast foods company, describes a launch decision for a new cereal product. As the case evolves, the decision has major strategic and organizational implications for Lora Brill, European VP. The... View Details

Keywords: Subsidiaries; Market Entry; Multinational Corporations; Strategy; Business Subsidiaries; Managerial Roles; Multinational Firms and Management; Organizational Design; Organizational Structure; Marketing Strategy; Market Entry and Exit; Product Launch; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Retail Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Europe

April 2011
Teaching Note

Office of Technology Transfer - Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences (TN)

By: Willy Shih and Sen Chai

Teaching Note for 611057. View Details

Keywords: Patents; Rights; Infrastructure; Multinational Firms and Management; Research and Development; Complexity; Commercialization; Technology Adoption; Motivation and Incentives; Biotechnology Industry; Pharmaceutical Industry; Shanghai

September 2019
Article

The Persistence of Broadband User Behavior: Implications for Universal Service and Competition Policy

By: Andre Boik, Shane Greenstein and Jeffrey Prince

In several markets, firms compete not for consumer expenditure but consumer attention. We examine user priorities over the allocation of their time, and interpret that behavior in light of salient tensions in policy discussions over universal service, data caps, and... View Details

Keywords: Broadband Service; Attention Allocation; Consumer Behavior; Household; Internet and the Web; Competition; Policy

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01 May 2020
In Practice

COVID-19’s Hard Lessons Might Prepare Business for Climate Change

about the importance of government effectiveness, the need for scenario planning, and the importance in investing in more resilient infrastructure—steps that would help all of us be better prepared for... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost

December 2007
Background Note

Tools and Tactics for Transformation: Three "Whats" and Three "Hows"

By: James K. Sebenius and Stephen Friedman

Important transformation at Goldman Sachs, where one of the authors was Chairman, required analysis, political leadership, and management in order to fundamentally shift the strategy, people, and culture on a sustainable basis. After describing the actions needed to... View Details

Keywords: Negotiation Tactics; Business Strategy; Organizational Culture; Transition; Strategic Planning; Core Relationships; Multinational Firms and Management; Leadership Style; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Private Equity

Article

Organizational Innovation in the Multinational Enterprise: Internalization Theory and Business History

By: Teresa da Silva Lopes, Mark Casson and Geoffrey Jones

This article engages in a methodological experiment by using historical evidence to challenge a common misperception about internalization theory. The theory has often been criticized for maintaining that it assumes a hierarchically organized MNE based on knowledge... View Details

Keywords: Internalization; Multinational Strategy; Business History; Organization And Management Theory; Globalization; Entrepreneurship; Governance; History; Organizations; Theory; Africa; Asia; Europe; Latin America; North and Central America