Publications

December 1982 (Revised April 1998)
Case

U.K. and the Gold Standard in 1925, The

Describes the issues and priorities involved in countries' use of the gold standard as the basis for managing their money supply. The setting of the United Kingdom in 1925 permits a real-world exploration of the important tradeoffs in "going back on gold" versus moving... View Details

Keywords: Money; Currency Exchange Rate; Standards; Cost vs Benefits; United Kingdom

2024
Working Paper

What Triggers National Stock Market Jumps?

By: Scott R. Baker, Nicholas Bloom, Steven J. Davis and Marco Sammon

We examine newspapers the day after major stock-market jumps to evaluate the proximate cause, geographic source, and clarity of these events from 1900 in the US, 1930 in the UK and 1980 in 12 other countries. We find four main results. First, the United States plays an... View Details

Keywords: Uncertainty; Policy Uncertainty; Stock Market; Financial Markets; Volatility; Risk and Uncertainty; Policy; Newspapers

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March 2012
Article

The Looming Challenge to U.S Competitiveness

By: Michael E. Porter and Jan W. Rivkin

The United States is a competitive location to the extent that companies operating in the U.S. are able to compete successfully in the global economy while supporting high and rising living standards for the average American. By this standard, U.S. competitiveness is... View Details

Keywords: Problems and Challenges; Competition

05 Oct 2021
Cold Call Podcast

How the Clean Network Changed the Future of Global Technology Competition

Keywords: Re: Meg Rithmire

04 Aug 2011
Working Paper Summaries

A Dynamic Perspective on Ambidexterity: Structural Differentiation and Boundary Activities

Keywords: by Sebastian Raisch & Michael L. Tushman

August 2009 (Revised September 2011)
Case

Whole Foods: Balancing Social Mission and Growth

By: Christopher Marquis, Marya Besharov and Bobbi Thomason

In 2009, Whole Foods stands at a crossroads. Their incredible growth over the past 25 years has vaulted them into the ranks of the largest US supermarkets and they have arguably led to the widespread acceptance of natural and organic foods in the United States. Yet... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Leadership; Growth and Development Strategy; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Environmental Sustainability; Food and Beverage Industry; Retail Industry; United States

August 2015 (Revised January 2022)
Case

George Washington and the Foundations of American Democracy

By: Tom Nicholas and Matthew G. Preble

George Washington is perhaps the most well-known of the U.S.'s founding fathers because of his political and military achievements. However, Washington also operated a number of successful business ventures out of his Mount Vernon estate, and he became a landowner on... View Details

Keywords: Government; History; George Washington; Democracy; Decision Making; Entrepreneurship; Government and Politics; Business History; Leadership; United States

July 2009 (Revised May 2010)
Case

The Millennium Challenge Corporation and Ghana

By: Alnoor Ebrahim and V. Kasturi Rangan

A U.S. government agency, the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), provides aid to developing countries, focusing on poverty reduction through economic growth. It measures results through an economic rate of return based on increases in farmer incomes anticipated... View Details

Keywords: Developing Countries and Economies; Economic Growth; Investment Return; Measurement and Metrics; Welfare; Ghana; United States

16 May 2013
Working Paper Summaries

Marketplace or Reseller?

Keywords: by Andrei Hagiu & Julian Wright; Retail

27 Jan 2003
Research & Ideas

New Cluster Mapping Project Helps Companies Locate Facilities

Silicon Valley or the Napa wine country) that can lead to competitive advantage. Porter's Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness has just introduced a new database tool to help corporations and policy makers pinpoint these clusters, which number forty-one in the... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

July 1991
Case

Explaining the Decline of the British Economy

Why has Britain declined? The case provides three interpretations: from a neoclassical economist, two institutional economic historians, and a sociologist. Their explanations partly overlap and partly conflict over such areas as technology, national culture, and social... View Details

Keywords: Economy; Great Britain

2007
Working Paper

Facts and Fallacies about U.S. FDI in China

By: Lee Branstetter and C. Fritz Foley

Despite the rapid expansion of U.S.-China trade ties, the increase in U.S. FDI in China, and the expanding amount of economic research exploring these developments, a number of misconceptions distort the popular understanding of U.S. multinationals in China. In this... View Details

Keywords: Macroeconomics; Trade; Foreign Direct Investment; Multinational Firms and Management; Expansion; China; United States

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May 2004 (Revised June 2005)
Background Note

Exchange Rate Regimes

By: Rafael M. Di Tella and Ingrid Vogel

There are many options for a country in the management of monetary policy. At the most basic level is the decision of whether to adopt a fixed or a floating exchange rate. Introduces the economics behind exchange rates and the debate between fixed vs. floating regimes. View Details

Keywords: Currency Exchange Rate; Policy; Macroeconomics; Country

February 2008 (Revised April 2008)
Case

The Offshoring of America

By: Richard H.K. Vietor, Jan W. Rivkin and Juliana Seminerio

The movement from jobs in the United States to developing countries, in a process known as offshoring, has become quite a controversial topic. Managers not only need to decide which activities, if any, to move offshore, but where to move them. This case describes the... View Details

Keywords: Developing Countries and Economies; Job Cuts and Outsourcing; Operations; Business Processes; United States

09 Jul 2014
Research & Ideas

How Business Leaders Can Strengthen American Schools

its human capital," says Rivkin. "So if we're really falling down in that arena, we have an economic problem so important that business leaders can't sit on the sidelines." On the positive side, this could be a promising... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Education

December 2006 (Revised April 2008)
Case

China and the WTO: What Price Membership?

By: Richard H.K. Vietor and Julia Galef

China has been a member of the WTO for more than five years. Its implementation of requirements has been a mixed bag. While China's growth is still spectacular, many institutional problems remain. And there is a new problem--a spectacular trade asymmetry with the... View Details

Keywords: Trade; Governance Compliance; International Relations; Problems and Challenges; China; United States

10 Nov 2020
Sharpening Your Skills

Research News and Tips: Innovating Across Time Zones

stock valuation President Trump’s executive order in June suspending new work visas barred nearly 200,000 foreign workers from entering the United States and prevents American companies from hiring skilled immigrants using H-1B or L1... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

19 Jun 2009
Research Event

Business Summit: The Evolution of Agribusiness

to be seen not just as economically important, but as a critical part of society. Agribusiness touches on health, nutrition, safety, science, and government. One particular step in the evolutionary process is a transformation that... View Details

Keywords: Re: David E. Bell & Ray A. Goldberg; Agriculture & Agribusiness

21 Feb 2023
Interview

How Miami Can Become a Global Climate Solutions Hub

By: Rosabeth M. Kanter

Miami has been described as the epicenter of the climate change crisis in the country. But how can Miami transform its climate vulnerability into solutions? Harvard Business School professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter released a study in 2022 that focused on Miami’s climate... View Details

Keywords: Climate Change; ＂Solutions Approach; Network; Future; Change; Economic Growth; Environmental Management; City; Miami