Publications

December 2012 (Revised April 2013)
Case

Olam: On a New Course

By: David E. Bell, Forest Reinhardt and Mary Shelman

From modest beginnings as a cashew trader in Nigeria, Olam, founded by Indian nationals in 1989, has grown into a leading global agricultural trading company, with annual revenues of $14 billion. The company recently has begun investing in farms and in the production... View Details

Keywords: Risk Management; Leadership; Customer Value and Value Chain; Corporate Strategy; Organizational Culture; Environmental Sustainability; Expansion; Competitive Advantage; Agribusiness; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Nigeria

10 Jan 2022
Research & Ideas

How to Get Companies to Make Investments That Benefit Everyone

Regulators often punish companies for bad behavior—for instance, by fining them if they pollute the environment. But instead of focusing on what business leaders are doing wrong and constantly slapping their hands, government officials... View Details

Keywords: by Lane Lambert

14 Sep 2023
Blog Post

MBAs Accelerate Their Social Enterprise Ventures

startup to tackle product accessibility for the disability community. Many products and websites today are inaccessible to people with disabilities despite over 30 years of the Americans Disabilities Act which prohibits disability discrimination. Very few of the... View Details

Profile

Kiran Gandhi

heroines. At the very least, I felt grateful that “girl power” was the marketing message they chose to sell. I want to first be someone who contributes to making the music industry a healthier business space... View Details

Keywords: Entertainment/Media

November 2023
Case

Copilot(s): Generative AI at Microsoft and GitHub

By: Frank Nagle, Shane Greenstein, Maria P. Roche, Nataliya Langburd Wright and Sarah Mehta

This case tells the story of Microsoft’s 2018 acquisition of GitHub and the subsequent launch of GitHub Copilot, a tool that uses generative artificial intelligence to suggest snippets of code to software developers in real time. Set in late 2021, when Copilot was... View Details

Keywords: Business Ventures; Strategy; AI and Machine Learning; Applications and Software; Product Launch; Information Technology Industry; Technology Industry; Web Services Industry; United States; California

29 May 2012
First Look

First Look: May 29

issue facing firms, that the business press has outlined a recurring set of prescriptive advice about the topic to practitioners, and why (despite its recurring nature) that advice seems to have limited usefulness. The chapter then... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

07 Jul 2003
What Do You Think?

Can We Have Too Much Productivity Improvement?

whether or not too much money is a good or bad thing... it depends upon what you do with the money." An equally strong set of voices doubted whether an economy could have too much productivity. Chris Walker summed up many of these views by commenting, "...... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

03 Jun 2020
Blog Post

How to Thrive as a Remote Manager and Employee

of COVID-19, companies are shifting their priorities and business plans. While this creates a challenging job market in many industries, it also surfaces an opportunity for job seekers to show their ability... View Details

13 Oct 2009
Research & Ideas

7 Lessons for Navigating the Storm

Authentic Leadership. "Everyone inside and outside the company is watching what they do. It is imperative that they stay focused on their True North as it sets a standard internally for principled business behavior and will make... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

2016
Working Paper

Shareholder Activism on Sustainability Issues

By: Jody Grewal, George Serafeim and Aaron Yoon

Shareholder activism on sustainability issues has become increasingly prevalent over the years, with the number of proposals filed doubling from 1999 to 2013. We use recent innovations in accounting standard setting to classify 2,665 shareholder proposals that address... View Details

Keywords: Sustainability; Activism; Activist Investors; Activist Shareholder; Corporate Social Responsibility; Environment; Corporate Performance; Corporate Accountability; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Performance; Environmental Sustainability; Corporate Governance; Business and Shareholder Relations; Investment Activism

SSRN

14 Dec 2010
First Look

First Look: Dec. 14

opportunities and ensuing marketing and channel-management challenges. Purchase this case:http://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cb/product/511055-PDF-ENG Cresud S.A., Farmer or Real Estate Developer? Ray A. Goldberg, Arthur I Segel, Gustavo A.... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

December 2006 (Revised January 2008)
Case

ViaGen: Revolutionizing the Livestock Industry

By: David E. Bell, Reed Martin and Mary L. Shelman

ViaGen has invested heavily to develop cloning technology for the livestock industry. Cloning has the potential to significantly improve the genetics of livestock, leading to higher quality meat, healthier animals, and more efficient production. Since 2003, the firm... View Details

Keywords: Animal-Based Agribusiness; Business Plan; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Marketing Communications; Industry Structures; Business and Government Relations; Genetics; Commercialization; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Biotechnology Industry

26 Mar 2019
First Look

New Research and Ideas, March 26, 2019

strategies aimed at improving working conditions in global supply chains. Download working paper: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=51347 Harvard Business School Case 919-411 AIME High: A Social Entrepreneur's Moon Shot... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

12 Dec 2006
First Look

First Look: December 12, 2006

Working PapersNone available this week Cases & Course MaterialsAnalyzing Work Groups Harvard Business School Note 407-032 Purchase this note: http://www.hbsp.harvard.edu/b01/en/common/item_detail.jhtml?id=407032 Ayala Corp Harvard... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

08 Jul 2019
News

When the World Matches the Apocalypse in Your Novel

11 Apr 2023
Blog Post

BTG Bioliquids: Creating Fast Pyrolysis Bio-Oil from Biomass Residue Streams

essays posted on the HBS Business and Environment Initiative’s Blog that highlights their reflections. Learn more about this IFC course on Decarbonization and Sustainable Production by watching this five minute video summary. As part of... View Details

March 2008 (Revised April 2010)
Case

Ashdown Contracting

By: Joseph B. Lassiter III and Firas Alkhatib

Ashdown's "growth" plan called for Mustafa Khalaf to leave his job as Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Ashdown Contracting and to focus his attention on the growth of a separate business entity, Ashdown Pipeline, where Ashdown believed the greatest potential for the... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Leadership; Growth and Development Strategy; Management Succession; Market Entry and Exit; Business Strategy

2008
Casebook

The Rules of Globalization: Case Book

By: Rawi Abdelal

This is a book about the politics of the global economy — about how firms prosper by understanding those politics, or fail by misunderstanding them. Understanding the politics of globalization may once have been a luxury; it is now, for most high-level managers, simply... View Details

Keywords: Trade; International Finance; Globalized Economies and Regions; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Policy; Government and Politics; Business and Government Relations

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