Publications

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21 Feb 2019
Blog Post

Machine Learning and Behavioral Economics

“because my future is all about how we apply technology to problems. At Harvard, there are enormous opportunities to collaborate with students and faculty across many schools, like the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Few schools have... View Details

William R. Kerr

William Kerr is the D’Arbeloff Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. Bill is Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Development and Research, co-director of Harvard’s Managing the Future of Work initiative, and faculty chair of the... View Details

Keywords: communications; computer; consulting; high technology; information technology industry; management consulting; manufacturing; telecommunications; venture capital industry

25 Mar 2021
Blog Post

Meet the Student Academic Services Support Team at HBS!

the myriad social and co-curricular opportunities available during their time here. So how can they help? The MBA Student & Academic Services Support Services team provides direct support, counseling, and advising to all HBS students... View Details

26 Apr 2024
Blog Post

How I Spent my 2+2 Deferral: Matthew Young

We sat down with Matthew Young (MBA 2025) to hear more about how he spent his deferral years. Why did you decide to apply to HBS via the 2+2 deferred admissions process? I decided to apply to HBS via 2+2 following my junior year of undergrad. During my internship that... View Details

21 Mar 2014
Blog Post

East Asia MBA Market Update

Over the past several months I have engaged with organizations across East Asia regarding job opportunities for MBA candidates. While economic growth has slowed in the region, the job market is still good overall for MBA graduates and... View Details

Keywords: Technology; Consumer Products / Retail

February 2010 (Revised September 2011)
Case

Roche's Acquisition of Genentech

By: Carliss Y. Baldwin, Bo Becker and Vincent Marie Dessain

Franz Humer, CEO of the Roche Group, must decide whether to mount a hostile tender offer for the publicly-owned shares of Roche's biotechnology subsidiary, Genentech. The case provides opportunities to analyze Roche's strategy with respect to Genentech, the pros and... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Subsidiaries; Negotiation Offer; Organizational Culture; Corporate Strategy; Biotechnology Industry; Pharmaceutical Industry; Switzerland

25 Apr 2023
Blog Post

How Short Intensive Programs (SIPs) Transform Your MBA Learning Journey

As mentioned in a previous post, Short Intensive Programs (SIPs) are courses that offer a great opportunity for students to think about career choices, gain practical skills, and explore new topics. These are no-fee, no-credit courses... View Details

04 Aug 2023
Blog Post

Aaron Sabin (MS/MBA 2023): Engineering a Climate Change Solution by Cutting the Cost of Carbon Capture

closing window of opportunity to secure a livable and sustainable future for all.” To keep temperature rise to 1.5°C and avoid a cascade of climatological catastrophes—flood, drought, famine, disease, species extinction, and many, many... View Details

November 2021
Article

The Effects of Retirement on Sense of Purpose in Life: Crisis or Opportunity?

By: Ayse Yemiscigil, Nattavudh Powdthavee and Ashley V. Whillans

Does retirement lead to an existential crisis or present an opportunity to experience a renewed sense of purpose in life? Prior research has documented a negative association between retirement and sense of purpose in life, suggesting that retirement could lead people... View Details

Keywords: Aging; Meaning; Socioeconomic Status; Life Experiences; Retirement; Well-being

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December 2007 (Revised June 2009)
Background Note

Identifying and Exploiting the Right Entrepreneurial Opportunity...For You

By: Howard H. Stevenson and Shirley Spence

This note provides an analytical framework for assessing potential opportunities in the context of an entrepreneur's life. The framework has two parts -- a business analysis and a personal analysis -- each comprised of a set of yes/no questions for critical assessment... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Opportunities

24 Sep 2019
Blog Post

Launching a Career in Clean Energy

business & environment opportunities and risks. BEI helps to connect current MBAs with these alumni for learning and careers. We recently spoke with one such alum about her career journey. When Heather March Takle (MBA 2006) came to... View Details

Article

Pursuing the American Dream with 'WFA'

By: Prithwiraj Choudhury

U.S. immigration is unlikely to change soon, but those hoping to access opportunities could still have a new choice. View Details

Keywords: Work-from-anywhere; Immigration; Opportunities

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October 2008 (Revised February 2012)
Case

Amazon Web Services

By: Robert S. Huckman, Gary P. Pisano and Liz Kind

Considers the development of Amazon Web Services (AWS), a division of Amazon.com, Inc., specializing in the provision of web-based storage and computing services to web developers. The case focuses on the issues facing Andy Jassy, the head of AWS, in 2008 as AWS faces... View Details

Keywords: Price; Market Entry and Exit; Service Operations; Competition; Diversification; Retail Industry; Web Services Industry

October 1991 (Revised January 2000)
Case

Workplace Safety at Alcoa (A)

By: Kim B. Clark and Joshua D. Margolis

Examines the challenge facing the managers of a large aluminum manufacturing plant in its drive to improve workplace safety. The CEO of the company has made safety a top priority. The plant has made good progress in reducing the injury rate, but now confronts the need... View Details

Keywords: Working Conditions; Safety; Problems and Challenges; Change Management; Operations; Resignation and Termination; Factories, Labs, and Plants; Manufacturing Industry; United States

June 2013 (Revised July 2017)
Case

Angus Cartwright IV

By: Kenneth J. Hatten, William J. Poorvu, Howard H. Stevenson, Arthur I Segel and John H. Vogel, Jr.

Judy and John DeRight, looking to diversify their investment portfolios, have retained Angus Cartwright, Jr. to identify prospective real estate acquisitions. Mr. Cartwright has four potential properties that he feels merit an in-depth financial analysis. The case... View Details

Keywords: Acquisition; Cash Flow; Investment Return; Investment Portfolio; Taxation; Balanced Scorecard; Valuation

July 2018 (Revised November 2018)
Case

The Robin Hood Army

By: Susanna Gallani

In 2014, Neel Ghose and a handful of friends spent one evening distributing excess food they had collected from local restaurants to the less fortunate people living under the Hauz Khas flyover in South Delhi. Four years later, this initiative had developed into The... View Details

Keywords: Volunteer-based Organization; Food Redistribution; Nonprofit Organizations; Food; Human Needs; Expansion; Global Range; Growth and Development

June 2007 (Revised September 2021)
Case

Thomas J. Watson, IBM and Nazi Germany

By: Geoffrey Jones, Grace Ballor and Adrian Brown

Considers the strategy of U.S.-owned IBM, then a manufacturer of punch cards, in Nazi Germany before 1937. Opens with IBM CEO Thomas J. Watson meeting Adolf Hitler in his capacity as President of the International Chamber of Commerce. IBM had acquired a German company... View Details

Keywords: Business History; Values and Beliefs; Multinational Firms and Management; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Investment; Business and Government Relations; Germany; United States