by James Sebenius - Publications - Faculty & Research

29 Aug 2024
Research & Ideas

Shoot for the Stars: What to Know About the Space Economy

A new space race—one fueled more by commercial conquest than intergalactic domination—is charting solutions to pressing problems in national security, climate change, and communication. With costs poised to drop and innovation on the... View Details

Keywords: by Kara Baskin; Aerospace

04 Sep 2012
Research & Ideas

Why Most Leaders (Even Thomas Jefferson) Are Replaceable

like to think of themselves as truly indispensable—impact makers, history movers, culture changers—few reach the bar set by Steve Jobs, Napoleon, or Martin Luther King Jr., Mukunda says. (Even some people you might think would be shoo-ins... View Details

Keywords: by Kim Girard

02 Apr 2015
Research & Ideas

Digital Initiative Summit: The Business of Crowdsourcing

this a scam?' For us, the most important thing we've done is build trust with the community," said James DeJulio, co-founder and chief product officer of Tongal. "Our marketing strategy was to pay people as fast as we possibly could. If... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

21 Apr 2020
Research & Ideas

7 Successful Battle Strategies to Beat COVID-19

government, and not-for-profits. To war against COVID To aid the fight against COVID-19, here are seven key frameworks and approaches with roots in military strategy that are taught in leading Agile and strategy programs. They can help your organization adapt quickly... View Details

Keywords: by Euvin Naidoo

25 Aug 2017
Op-Ed

Op-Ed: After Charlottesville, Where Does a CEO's Responsibility Lie?

strongly disagree with President Trump’s reaction to the events that took place in Charlottesville over the past several days. Racism, intolerance and violence are always wrong.” Even James Murdoch, the son of Rupert Murdoch and Chief... View Details

Keywords: by Gautam Mukunda

10 Nov 2008
What Do You Think?

How Much Can You Ask of Your Customers?

the biggest challenges for organizations are to have the necessary competencies and resources to act upon inputs." Sowmia Gopinathan echoed this comment: " (the) downside is only where expectations of the customers are made high View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

18 Jun 2001
Lessons from the Classroom

Why Leaders Need Great Books

year, will eventually earn them a decent funeral by the time they die. The problem, though, is that if they miss even two weeks' worth of payments, they forfeit everything they've contributed to date. Big Demand According to Joseph L.... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

03 Jun 2022
Blog Post

HiHome Sweet HiHome

The story of HiHome is really the story of all the resources available to students at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering (SEAS). Co-founders James Parker and Tony Shu met at a SEAS event in 2019. Parker was in his first... View Details

14 Oct 2013
Research & Ideas

Blockbuster! Why Star Power Works

cannot afford not to do so. I present several case studies, such as on basketball's LeBron James and actor Tom Cruise, that vividly illustrate the ongoing tug-of-war between stars and entertainment companies, with each party vying for a... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Entertainment & Recreation

September 1998
Case

McDonald's: International Expansion Strategy

By: Gary W. Loveman and Sabina M. Ciminero

James Cantalupo, CEO of McDonald's International, and top management have a few months to decide how the McDonald's brand should be transferred into India. Faced with the challenges presented by the Indian market--80% of Indians are Hindus and cherish cows as sacred... View Details

Keywords: Globalized Firms and Management; Expansion; Brands and Branding; Strategy; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Service Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; United States; India

Citation

Educators

08 Oct 2012
Research & Ideas

The Immigrants Who Built America’s Financial System

of the many immigrant policymakers who played a part in establishing the foundational financial system of this country, along with Robert Morris [England], Haym Solomon [Poland], Alexander James Dallas [Jamaica], Stephen Girard [France]... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Financial Services; Banking

24 Oct 2005
Research & Ideas

IPR: Protecting Your Technology Transfers

visited factories producing clothing and fabric and compared the techniques used by competitors in different parts of the world, I began thinking about the factors firms consider when deciding what kinds of technology should be deployed... View Details

Keywords: by Cynthia Churchwell

Kym Lew Nelson

Kym Lew Nelson joined the NOM unit of the Harvard Business School as a Visiting Lecturer in January of 2020. In July of 2020, she became a Senior Lecturer in the Negotiations unit. Prior to joining the faculty, Kym was a guest lecturer in the Negotiations class at... View Details

01 Apr 1996
News

Technology for Learning's Sake

telecommunications." McFarlan, in fact, was involved in overseeing one of the earliest regular uses of computers in the MBA Program when the "Business Game" became an annual exercise for generations of MBAs beginning in the mid-1960s. Originally introduced View Details

Keywords: by Deborah Blagg; photo by David Zadig

04 Jan 2010
Research & Ideas

Best of HBS Working Knowledge 2009

advantages, great employee and customer loyalty, and a smoother on-ramp in leadership succession. A book excerpt from The Ownership Quotient: Putting the Service Profit Chain to Work for Unbeatable Competitive Advantage by HBS professor... View Details

Keywords: by Staff

24 Sep 2012
Research & Ideas

Why Do We Tax?

call that goal the "Utilitarian criterion" after the philosophical framework that supports it. Since pioneering work in the 1970s by Nobel laureate James Mirrlees, the Utilitarian criterion has dominated tax... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Legal Services

09 Nov 2006
Research & Ideas

Andy Grove: A Biographer’s Tale

Podcast with: Richard TedlowInterviewer: James AisnerRunning Time: 29 min., 09 sec.Transcript My name is Jim Aisner and I am Director of Media Relations at Harvard Business School. This is the first in a series of podcasts for the... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Computer

20 Jan 2017
Research & Ideas

Here’s How Businessman Trump Is Likely to Approach the Presidency

approach to the presidency. Their insights follow. Real estate rarely a zero-sum game John D. Macomber, Senior lecturer of business administration You have to start by distinguishing between a branding operation that’s supported View Details

Keywords: by Christina Pazzanese

12 Apr 2010
Research & Ideas

One Report: Better Strategy through Integrated Reporting

shareholders by attracting customers who support this. A sustainable strategy with a multi-stakeholder perspective means that sometimes trade-offs must be made. As Joshua Margolis and James Walsh point out,... View Details