Publications

May 2020
Article

Scalable Holistic Linear Regression

By: Dimitris Bertsimas and Michael Lingzhi Li

We propose a new scalable algorithm for holistic linear regression building on Bertsimas & King (2016). Specifically, we develop new theory to model significance and multicollinearity as lazy constraints rather than checking the conditions iteratively. The resulting... View Details

Keywords: Mathematical Methods; Analytics and Data Science

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28 Jun 2016
First Look

June 28, 2016

pressure for antitrust revision came from the states. A perhaps unlikely leader, Edna Gleason, organized California's retail pharmacists and coordinated trade networks to monitor and enforce Resale Price Maintenance (RPM) contracts, View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

29 Oct 2013
First Look

First Look: October 29

negotiators thrive in the face of chaos and uncertainty. They don't trap themselves with rigid plans. Instead they understand negotiation as a process of exploration that demands ongoing learning, adapting,... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

September 2010 (Revised April 2013)
Case

Gazelle in 2012

By: Andrei Hagiu and James Weber

Gazelle has pioneered a reCommerce intermediation model: it buys used electronics from consumers and resells them on eBay or to wholesalers. Going forward, its two main strategic challenges are 1) deciding how much to rely on partnerships with large retailers for... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Growth and Development Strategy; Markets; Two-Sided Platforms; Partners and Partnerships; Business Strategy; Service Industry; Service Industry

March 2025
Case

Harvey: AI for Lawyers

By: Suraj Srinivasan, Charles Krumholz and Radhika Kak

In early 2025, Winston Weinberg and Gabe Pereyra, co-founders of Harvey AI, reflected on the company’s meteoric rise as a pioneer in AI-powered legal technology. Since its founding in 2022, Harvey had transformed how lawyers approached research, drafting, and document... View Details

Keywords: Innovation Strategy; Business Startups; AI and Machine Learning; Technological Innovation; Growth and Development Strategy; Product Positioning; Legal Services Industry; Legal Services Industry; New York (city, NY); San Francisco; London

August 2018 (Revised April 2019)
Case

Fair Value Accounting at Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (A)

By: Jonas Heese, Suraj Srinivasan, Francois Brochet and Christine Johnson

In May 2018, Berkshire Hathaway announced an unprecedented loss of more than $1 billion for the first quarter of 2018. Warren Buffett blamed this loss on the new accounting rules for equity securities which he criticized. In the case ‘Fair Value Accounting at Berkshire... View Details

Keywords: Equity Securities; FASB; Fair Value Accounting; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Financial Services Industry

December 2016 (Revised April 2017)
Case

BASF: Co-Creating Innovation (A)

By: V. Kasturi Rangan, Emilie Billaud and Vincent Dessain

In 2016, BASF's chief executive officer and chief technology officer reflected on the co-creation innovation program started almost 18 months ago as part of BASF's 150th anniversary celebration. Five hundred project ideas had been created, of which 100 had already... View Details

Keywords: Sustainability; Knowledge Sharing; Innovation Strategy; Innovation and Management; Chemicals; Environmental Sustainability; Collaborative Innovation and Invention; Consumer Products Industry; Europe

01 Dec 2018
News

Digital Transformation

Hyder Ahmad (MBA 1995) Hyder Ahmad (MBA 1995) sees the advancing digital transformation of business and society as a seismic shift, likening it to the changes brought on by the Industrial Revolution. “This... View Details

Profile

Bobby Tuohy

his dream. With a desire to serve his country – and to follow the path of other astronauts – Bobby enrolled in the Naval Academy with an eye toward becoming an aviator. In 2011, he got his wings as View Details

13 Aug 2012
Research & Ideas

When Good Incentives Lead to Bad Decisions

sample of actual applications from entrepreneurs seeking commercial loans for the first time. They acquired the loan files from a large commercial lender in India, a country challenged by View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Banking

Web

HBS Entrepreneurship Summit - Alumni

Service Challenges Mitchell B. Weiss (MBA 2004), Richard L. Menschel Professor of Management Practice Five Technologies Changing the Future Shikhar Ghosh (MBA 1980), MBA Class of 1961 Professor of Management Practice of Business... View Details

February 2016 (Revised March 2022)
Case

Express Scripts: Promoting Prescription Drug Home Delivery (B)

By: John Beshears, Patrick Rooney and Jenny Sanford

The pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) sector processes prescription drug claims on behalf of companies that offer a prescription drug benefit to their employees. This case follows Bob Nease, Chief Scientist at Express Scripts, as he considers methods to promote home... View Details

Keywords: Pharmaceuticals; Prescription Drugs; Pharmacy Benefit Manager; PBM; Healthcare; Behavioral Economics; Choice Architecture; Active Choice; Health Care and Treatment; Service Delivery; Decision Choices and Conditions; Order Taking and Fulfillment; Compensation and Benefits

June 2012 (Revised January 2013)
Case

Great Western Hospital: High-risk Pregnancy Care

By: Michael E. Porter, Emma Stanton and Samuel Takvorian

Great Western Hospital (GWH) is a community hospital in Wiltshire, South West England and one of England's largest maternity providers; responsible for delivering over 9,000 babies per year. The case discusses the efforts of Dr. Harini Narayan, consultant obstetrician... View Details

Keywords: Health Care; Health Care and Treatment; Medical Specialties; Service Delivery; Risk Management

October 1995 (Revised June 1996)
Case

ABN-AMRO Holding N.V. and Smit Transformatoren N.V. (A)

By: Peter Tufano

ABN-AMRO, the largest bank in the Netherlands, must decide whether to take any action in regard to the poor performance of Smit Transformatoren, a Dutch transformer manufacturer. ABN-AMRO acted as lead underwriter for the IPO of Smit, and also released a favorable... View Details

Keywords: Initial Public Offering; Capital Markets; Investment Banking; Financial Services Industry; Financial Services Industry; Netherlands

Web

The Railroads: The First Big Business - Railroads and the Transformation of Capitalism | Harvard Business School

Railroads Finance Management Business Analysts Mass Distribution Mergers & Syndicates Research Links The Railroads: The First Big Business Beginning in the mid-sixteenth century, local railroads around the world served as View Details

November 2015 (Revised August 2016)
Case

Unilever's New Global Strategy: Competing through Sustainability

By: Christopher A. Bartlett

In January 2009, when Paul Polman was appointed CEO of Unilever, he inherited a company in long-term decline at the beginning of a major global financial crisis. As the first outsider ever recruited to lead the company, Polman lost little time in challenging the... View Details

Keywords: Globalized Firms and Management; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Competitive Strategy; Environmental Sustainability; Consumer Products Industry