Publications

August 2011 (Revised October 2015)
Case

Boardroom Battle Behind Bars: Gome Electrical Appliances Holdings—A Corporate Governance Drama

By: William C. Kirby and Tracy Yuen Manty

Despite widespread news of the incarceration of Gome Electronics' CEO, Huang Guangyu, Bain Capital felt they carefully undertook due diligence before making a significant investment in the company. The venture capital firm was confident that it and the current... View Details

Keywords: China; Legal Aspects Of Business; Corruption; Risk; Corporate Governance; Crime and Corruption; Power and Influence; Risk Management; Business and Shareholder Relations; Venture Capital; Ethics; Governing and Advisory Boards; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Values and Beliefs; Private Equity; China

February 2018 (Revised October 2024)
Case

Hikma Pharmaceuticals Governance Journey

By: Lynn Paine, Suraj Srinivasan and Gamze Yucaoglu

The case opens with Said Darwazah, chairman and CEO of Hikma Pharmaceuticals, the multinational generics company, anticipating the company’s 2017 AGM and reflecting on changes made over the previous year to address concerns expressed by proxy advisors and some... View Details

Keywords: Boards Of Directors; Pharmaceuticals; Remuneration; Shareholder Engagement; Corporate Governance; Governing and Advisory Boards; Business and Shareholder Relations; Executive Compensation; Business Growth and Maturation; Emerging Markets; Private Sector; For-Profit Firms; Pharmaceutical Industry; Jordan

01 Jun 2001
News

Donella Rapier to Head External Relations

Donella Rapier (MBA ’92) has recently been appointed associate dean for External Relations at HBS, following the resignation of James C. Schroeder, who accepted a position as chief development officer at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester,... View Details

Keywords: Business Schools & Computer & Management Training; Business Schools & Computer & Management Training

Research Summary

Overview

By: Debora L. Spar

My work focuses generally on the intersection between technological change and societal structures, and on the many areas in which business both shapes and is shaped by societal norms. View Details

Keywords: Technological And Scientific Innovation; Technological Change: Choices And Consequences; Business ＆ Government Relations; Business And Community; Capitalism; Reproduction; Technological Innovation; Government and Politics; Gender; Business History; Business and Government Relations; Education Industry; United States; Europe; Africa; Asia

2017
Working Paper

Rethinking Measurement of Pay Disparity and its Relation to Firm Performance

By: Ethan Rouen

I develop measures of firm-level pay disparity and examine their relation to firm accounting performance. Using comprehensive compensation data for a large sample of firms, I find no statistically significant relation between the ratio of CEO-to-mean employee... View Details

Keywords: Pay Disparity; Pay Ratio; CEO Pay Ratio; Income Inequality; Executive Compensation; Wages; Equality and Inequality; Business Ventures; Performance

SSRN

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01 Jun 2012
News

A Chapter in US–China Trade Relations

foreigners were allowed to live and to do business with the Chinese. (Peabody Essex Museum) The old Shanghai customshouse, ca. 1869. It was demolished in 1925 to make way for the current customshouse. (Harvard-Yenching Library) A bill of... View Details

Keywords: Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions; Arts, Entertainment

March 2020
Article

Voluntary, Self-Regulatory, and Mandatory Disclosure of Oil and Gas Company Payments to Foreign Governments

By: Paul M. Healy and George Serafeim

Concerns about high rates of government corruption in resource-rich countries have led transparency advocates to urge oil and gas firms to disclose payments to host governments for natural resources. Transparency, they argue, can increase government accountability and... View Details

Keywords: Oil ＆ Gas; Corruption; Transparency; Self-regulation; Industry Self-regulation; Regulation; Disclosure; Disclosure Regulation; Energy Sources; Crime and Corruption; Corporate Disclosure; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Energy Industry

SSRN

October 1980 (Revised April 1981)
Background Note

Note on Government Contracting and Methods of Government Procurement

By: J. Ronald Fox

Keywords: Contracts; Business and Government Relations

March 2014 (Revised May 2014)
Case

China Vanke (A-1)

By: Lynn S. Paine, John Macomber and Keith Chi-ho Wong

As China's largest homebuilder, China Vanke Co. Ltd. (Vanke) was facing an industry downturn sparked by strong government intervention. Faced with falling prices, Vanke's president must decide whether to keep the company's pricing and product positioning intact, and... View Details

Keywords: Real Estate; China; Green Building; Sustainable Development; Business Government Relations; Leadership; Business and Government Relations; Urban Development; Growth and Development Strategy; Safety; Real Estate Industry; China

1982
Manual

Teacher's Manual for Managing Business-Government Relations

By: J. Ronald Fox

Keywords: Management; Relationships; Government and Politics; Business Ventures

1981
Other Teaching and Training Material

The Business Administrator and Government Policy - A Course Description for Teachers

By: J. Ronald Fox

Keywords: Business and Government Relations

March 2015 (Revised May 2015)
Case

Turkey and the Southern Corridor

By: Rawi Abdelal, Esel Çekin and Cigdem Çelik

In December 2014, Russia cancelled the South Stream pipeline that was envisaged to deliver natural gas through the Black Sea basin on to Europe and replaced it with a new pipeline through Turkey. The Turkish Stream was a great opportunity for Turkey to turn itself into... View Details

Keywords: Business ＆ Government Relations; Energy; Energy Security; Energy Corridor; Hub; Turkey; European Union; Eurasia; Politics; International Relations; Trade; Energy Sources; Business and Government Relations; Energy Industry; European Union; Turkey; Russia

10 Mar 2008
Research & Ideas

Encouraging Entrepreneurs: Lessons for Government Policy

funding. The natural experiment created by this tax reform shows that, contrary to popular belief, a certain efficiency exists in the market when it comes to which businesses get off the ground and which don't." Examining View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna

19 Jul 2017
Research & Ideas

Why Government 'Nudges' Motivate Good Citizen Behavior

merits of different policies,” Beshears says. “Doing so makes the case that nudges are often a particularly fruitful avenue to invest in.” Related Reading: The Business of Behavioral Economics 5 Weight Loss... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

April 2012 (Revised March 2013)
Module Note

State Capitalism and State-Owned Enterprise Reform

By: Aldo Musacchio

The note examines state capitalism in the twenty-first century. It introduces a series of topics and cases related to state capitalism, such as the debate about the causes of inefficiency in state owned enterprises, possible ways of turning them around, as well as a... View Details

Keywords: State Capitalism; State-owned Enterprises; Business Government Relations; Political Economy; Turnarounds; Economic Systems; State Ownership; Business and Government Relations

2022
Book

Les multinationales suisses dans l'arène politique (1942–1993) [Swiss Multinationals in the Political Arena (1942–1993)]

By: Sabine Pitteloud

En décembre 2020, les Suisses votaient sur l’initiative populaire « pour des multinationales responsables ». Cet épisode récent a rappelé que la régulation de l’activité des sociétés multinationales fait l’objet de luttes politiques, auxquelles participent les... View Details

Keywords: Multinational Enterprise; Multinational Companies; Multinational Corporations; Lobbying; Business ＆ Government Relations; Labor Relations; Relocation; Offshoring And Outsourcing; Corporate Regulation; Transnational Regulation; Multinational Firms and Management; Business and Government Relations; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; International Relations; Food and Beverage Industry; Pharmaceutical Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Switzerland

2021
Working Paper

The Changing Role of Business in Society

By: Michael E. Porter

Business interaction with the U.S. government, historically based on securing industry or company special interests at the expense of the public good, has enabled and furthered government dysfunction. Gridlock within the American political system has precluded the... View Details