Publications

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General Management - Faculty & Research

and Composition", a manual of corporate governance published by the NYSE and J.P. Morgan. In our chapter, we outline six key decisions every board must address: What is the board’s purpose? Who should serve on it? How should the board be... View Details

Web

Faculty & Research - Entrepreneurship

Faculty & Research July–August 2025 Article Case Study: Do We Reskill or Replace Our Workforce? By: William R. Kerr More Research August 2025 Article Revenue Collapses and the Consumption of Small Business Owners in the COVID-19 Pandemic... View Details

30 Mar 2010
First Look

First Look: March 30

are discussed. The Role of Experience in the Gambler's Fallacy Authors:Greg Barron and Stephen Leider Publication:Journal of Behavioral Decision Making 23, no. 1 (2009) Abstract Recent papers have demonstrated that the way people acquire information about a decision... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

2014
Other Teaching and Training Material

Entrepreneurship Reading: Financing Entrepreneurial Ventures

By: William R. Kerr, Ramana Nanda and James McQuade

"Financing Entrepreneurial Ventures" introduces students to the key issues involved in the financing of entrepreneurial enterprises. The Reading begins by examining how business models shape external financing requirements. It then contrasts the choice to bootstrap... View Details

April 2006 (Revised April 2012)
Background Note

The Role of Private Equity Firms in Merger and Acquisition Transactions

By: William E. Fruhan Jr.

Explores the importance of private equity firms in merger and acquisitions activity around the globe. In many countries, these firms now account for one quarter of the total merger and acquisition activity of all firms. The larger private equity firms generate fees for... View Details

Keywords: Leveraged Buyouts; Mergers and Acquisitions; Private Equity; Investment Funds; Value Creation

01 Mar 2019
News

The Burden Legacy

William A.M. Burden Sr. graduated from Harvard College in 1900. (Harvard University Archives) William A.M. Burden Sr. graduated from Harvard College in 1900. (Harvard University Archives) For nearly half a... View Details

Keywords: Linda Kush

Web

Research - Global

Before in Centers of Learning Such as Berlin and Beijing. Is Boston Next? By: William C. Kirby 2025 Book Chapter Critical Choices in Designing a Board: An Overview By: Suraj Srinivasan and Lynn S. Paine Board design is never... View Details

2022
Article

The Great Resignation Didn't Start with the Pandemic

By: Joseph B. Fuller and William R. Kerr

COVID-19 spurred on the Great Resignation of 2021, during which record numbers of employees voluntarily quit their jobs. But what we are living through is not just short-term turbulence provoked by the pandemic. Instead, it’s the continuation of a trend of rising quit... View Details

Keywords: Quit Rate; Labor Market; Great Resignation; Jobs and Positions; Employees; Resignation and Termination; Health Pandemics

Read Now

May 2022
Case

Honeywell: Transforming a Century Old Industrial

By: William W. George, Michael Norris and John Masko

In late 2021, Darius Adamczyk, Chairman and CEO of Honeywell is considering the changes he has made to the company since he took over the top leadership position in 2017. The company he had inherited from his predecessor, David Cote, was seen by most as a... View Details

Keywords: Business Conglomerates; Transformation; Technological Innovation; Leading Change; Business Strategy; Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Organization; Aerospace Industry; Chemical Industry; Electronics Industry; Green Technology Industry; Industrial Products Industry; Technology Industry; North Carolina; New Jersey

Web

Entrepreneurship - Faculty & Research

Entrepreneurship Entrepreneurship Article Entrepreneurship as Experimentation By: William R. Kerr , Ramana Nanda and Matthew Rhodes-Kropf Entrepreneurship research is on the rise, but many questions about its fundamental nature still... View Details

Web

Research - Managing the Future of Work

help employees manage their caregiving responsibilities—while reducing costs and increasing productivity By: Joseph B. Fuller and Manjari Raman October 2017 Report Dismissed by Degrees: How degree inflation is undermining U.S.... View Details

January 2021 (Revised April 2022)
Case

Best Buy's Corie Barry: Confronting the COVID-19 Pandemic

By: William W. George and Amram Migdal

This case examines the leadership of Corie Barry, the new CEO of Best Buy, with a focus on actions the company took in 2020 to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic. The case includes a history of Best Buy’s strategy and leadership, including the transitions between the... View Details

Keywords: COVID-19 Pandemic; Change; Disruption; Volatility; Communication; Competency and Skills; Customers; Decision Making; Ethics; Fairness; Moral Sensibility; Values and Beliefs; Finance; Cash Flow; Financial Condition; Financial Liquidity; Goods and Commodities; Corporate Governance; Health Pandemics; Human Resources; Executive Compensation; Employees; Employee Relationship Management; Resignation and Termination; Retention; Selection and Staffing; Innovation and Invention; Jobs and Positions; Job Cuts and Outsourcing; Job Design and Levels; Job Interviews; Job Offer; Labor; Employment; Human Capital; Working Conditions; Law; Leadership; Leadership Development; Leadership Style; Management; Business or Company Management; Crisis Management; Growth and Development Strategy; Management Practices and Processes; Management Style; Management Succession; Management Systems; Management Teams; Risk Management; Operations; Distribution; Order Taking and Fulfillment; Logistics; Service Delivery; Service Operations; Supply Chain; Organizations; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Outcome or Result; Personal Development and Career; Retirement; Work-Life Balance; Planning; Strategic Planning; Problems and Challenges; Relationships; Business and Community Relations; Labor and Management Relations; Risk and Uncertainty; Safety; Science; Strategy; Retail Industry; North and Central America; United States; Minnesota

Web

About the Institute - Institute For Strategy And Competitiveness

HBS ISC About the Institute About the Institute Contact Us Faculty & Staff Institute Associates Ludcke FAQs About the Institute The Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness (ISC) is a nonprofit research and education organization founded View Details

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Faculty & Research - Business & Environment

that when firms compete via supply functions, transferring high-cost capacity to the largest, most efficient firm—thereby diversifying its production technologies while increasing concentration—can lower prices by prompting the leader to... View Details

April 2020 (Revised October 2020)
Case

Unilever's Response to the Future of Work

By: William R. Kerr, Emilie Billaud and Mette Fuglsang Hjortshoej

In February 2020, Nick Dalton, executive vice president HR business transformation at Unilever, reflected on the changing nature of work marked by rapid advances in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and automation. Launched in 2016, Unilever’s Future of Work... View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Human Capital; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Mission and Purpose; Organizational Structure; Transformation; Human Resources; Consumer Products Industry; Europe