Publications

September 2018 (Revised November 2018)
Case

Careem: Base Camp or Mountain Peak? Designing an OS for Scaling

By: Shikhar Ghosh, Gamze Yucaoglu and Alpana Thapar

This case focuses on designing a fast growing organization. It is part of a two-case set that is taught together to cover the scaling journey.
Careem, a Dubai-based ride-hailing service aimed to ‘simplify and improve the lives of people, and build an awesome... View Details

Keywords: Scale; Values; Rights; Operating Systems; Business Startup; Transportation; Organizational Design; Entrepreneurship; Information Technology; Organizational Culture; Values and Beliefs; Decision Making; Managerial Roles; Dubai; United Arab Emirates; Middle East

03 Sep 2009
What Do You Think?

Are Retention Bonuses Worth the Investment?

Sopory. Nisar Moosa called them "bribes." Imelda Bickham commented that "Time and again, I've seen people get the bonuses, only to leave the organization shortly afterwards." As R. Jennings put it, "Without a... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

July 2002 (Revised August 2002)
Case

Washington Hospital Center (C): Progress and Prospects, 1995-2001

By: Rosabeth M. Kanter and Michelle Heskett

Dr. Craig Feied and Dr. Mark Smith have already transformed a "worst-in-area" emergency medicine department into the best in the area. Industry-wide and hospital system-specific challenges remain, including their newest project of national importance--creating an... View Details

Keywords: History; Higher Education; Organizational Culture; Medical Specialties; Technological Innovation; Change Management; Nonprofit Organizations; Expansion; Crisis Management; Health Care and Treatment; Health Industry; District of Columbia

2020
Case

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation: Accelerating a Circular Economy for Plastic Packaging

By: Andrew J. Hoffman

Plastic has become essential to global day-to-day activities, yet it is also causing extreme environmental degradation. Many leaders in the plastics industry are starting to question its sustainability. This case presents insights into the future of the plastic... View Details

Keywords: Plastic Waste; Environmental Sustainability; Cooperation; Supply Chain Management; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Consumer Products Industry

2014
Chapter

Corporate Social Responsibility and Multinational Corporations

By: Nien-he Hsieh and Florian Wettstein

A central question that arises from the perspective of global ethics is what standards ought to apply to the activities of multinational corporations (MNCs). This chapter surveys the contemporary theoretical literature on this question. The first section provides... View Details

Keywords: Multinational Corporation; Multinational Firms and Management; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Standards

April 2011 (Revised May 2012)
Case

City Year: The Journey

By: Rosabeth Moss Kanter and James Weber

Throughout its first two decades, City Year, a non-profit organization, was dedicated to recruiting young adults to give a year of public service. It had passed through several growth phases but by 2010 a new challenge, and opportunity, had arisen when City Year and... View Details

Keywords: Education; Service Operations; Nonprofit Organizations; Growth and Development Strategy; Performance Efficiency; Resource Allocation

March 2007 (Revised April 2007)
Case

The University of Utah and the Computer Graphics Revolution

By: H. Kent Bowen and Courtney Purrington

Computer science departments were new to universities in the 1960s, and the one created at the University of Utah by David Evans and Ivan Sutherland had a research mission to invent the field of computer graphics. Details the research process that led to many of the... View Details

Keywords: Engineering; Entrepreneurship; Management Practices and Processes; Mission and Purpose; Research and Development; Technology Adoption; Computer Industry; Education Industry; Utah

23 Apr 2020
Blog Post

Fireside Chats with Harvard Faculty: A COVID-19 Symposium

leading role in organizing the business community in the fight against COVID-19—will be the symposium’s keynote speaker. Perspectives on the COVID-19 Pandemic: View Video Keynote Speaker Mr. Ken Chenault, CEO of General Catalyst, and HBS... View Details

November 2002 (Revised May 2003)
Case

ConAgra Foods

By: Ray A. Goldberg and Ingrid Vargas

In 2002, ConAgra Foods CEO Bruce Rohde was deliberating the next steps in the process of transforming the company from an agribusiness giant to a value-added food processor. ConAgra had become the second largest food company and number one food service supplier in the... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Strategy; Leading Change; Change Management; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Food; Agribusiness; Product; Business Processes; Management Teams; Expansion; Brands and Branding; Food and Beverage Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; United States

Web

Leadership Execution and Action Planning (LEAP) - Course Catalog

challenges for companies in crisis situations. Unlike a turnaround, a crisis can be a catastrophic event, or a series of seemingly small events, that often surprise leaders. Most organizations are not designed to prevent or View Details

April 2002 (Revised May 2005)
Case

GE's Digital Revolution: Redefining the E in GE

By: Christopher A. Bartlett and Meg Glinska

This case details the implementation of the e-business initiative--the last of Jack Welch's four company-wide strategic thrusts. First, it summarizes the 20-year change process that Welch led, detailing the initiatives he put in place. It then traces how Gerry Podesta,... View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Transformation; Decision Choices and Conditions; Leadership Style; Business or Company Management; Organizational Culture; Organizational Structure; Performance Effectiveness; Corporate Strategy; Internet and the Web

Keywords: Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations; Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations; Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations; Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations

Web

Online AI Course | HBS Online

diverse applications of AI, machine learning, predictive modeling, and data science Explore ethical AI-related challenges to implement it responsibly and manage risks Develop the skills and frameworks to shape your organization’s digital... View Details

20 Mar 2020
Research & Ideas

How Small Businesses Can Survive the Coronavirus Outbreak

from that experience in recent weeks as she helps government officials explore ways to shore up the 30 million small businesses that provide almost half of the country’s jobs. THE CORONAVIRUS CRISIS More Business-Related Pandemic Coverage from Around Harvard and Beyond... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost; Service; Food & Beverage

01 Sep 2010
News

RX for Change

(“Bing”) Sherrill (MBA ’62), William Joyce (MBA ’76), and Pamela Germain (MBA ’85 and an MHCD attendee), the club, with the help of matching funds provided by HBS, sent eight managers and clinicians from three View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna; Health, Social Assistance; Hospitals; Health, Social Assistance

13 Jul 2011
News

How Generation Next is Rebuilding Japan

01 Jun 2025
News

Making Difficult Decisions: The General Manager’s Job

One of the most essential roles of the general manager is to be the person who can move an organization forward through the most tangled of circumstances, says Professor Amy Edmondson, “where there is uncertainty, different points of view, and high stakes, whether... View Details

Keywords: Jen Mcfarland Flint; Illustration by Peter Arkle; Educational Support Services; Educational Services

October 1987
Case

Philips Group--1987, The

By: Francis Aguilar and Michael Y. Yoshino

Discusses how Philips, a major Dutch-based multinational company, attempts to bring about a fundamental change in its strategy, organization, and culture in response to a rapidly changing market and competitive environment. View Details

Keywords: Multinational Firms and Management; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Organizational Structure; Corporate Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Markets; Change Management; Netherlands

01 Jun 2000
News

Books

the world needs more ambition, not less. It's our desire to inoculate as many people as possible with [the] confidence to use their talents." HBS Press Books in Brief Learning in Action: A Guide to Putting the Learning Organization to... View Details

October 2023 (Revised June 2024)
Case

Catalent: Catalyzing the Next Era of Growth

By: Satish Tadikonda, William Marks and Kevin Emancipator

Catalent's newly appointed CEO, Alessandro Maselli, experienced the highs of the pharmaceutical contract development manufacturing (CDMO) space during COVID-19 while helping Moderna and others bring vaccines to market quickly and safely. After rushing to add capacity... View Details

Keywords: Leadership; Business or Company Management; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Pharmaceutical Industry