Publications

2014
Working Paper

Hidden Substitutes

By: John William Hatfield and Scott Duke Kominers

In this paper, we show that preferences exhibiting some forms of complementarity in fact have an underlying substitutable structure. Specifically, we show that some preferences that are not substitutable in the setting of many-to-one matching with contracts become... View Details

Keywords: Many-to-One Matching; Many-to-Many Matching; Stability; Substitutes; Matching With Contracts; Slot-Specific Priorities; Sherlock; Market Design; Contracts; Marketplace Matching; Balance and Stability

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14 Feb 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research: February 14

in employment at small firms in high-tech industries, which are a frequent target of patent trolls. By contrast, the laws have no significant impact on employment at larger or... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

March 2001 (Revised April 2002)
Case

Ginzel et al v. Kolcraft Enterprises et al (A)

By: Michael A. Wheeler

Examines the wrongful death lawsuit brought by the family of an infant who died after a portable crib collapsed. The manufacturer, Kolcraft, licensed the Playskool brand name from the co-defendant, Hasbro Industries. Raises difficult questions about what the two... View Details

Keywords: Safety; Product; Negotiation; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Lawsuits and Litigation; Legal Liability; Brands and Branding; Consumer Products Industry; United States

25 Jan 2024
Research & Ideas

Being a Team Player: Why College Athletes Succeed in Business

Persistence. Teamwork. Grit and grace in victory and defeat. Intercollegiate varsity sports may build such skills that employers prize—and that later propel former players into management roles faster than their classmates, suggests a... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

01 Jun 2023
HBS Case

A Nike Executive Hid His Criminal Past to Turn His Life Around. What If He Didn't Have To?

succeed. The government has made recent strides to help the formerly incarcerated gain employment. By 2022, 75 percent of states had adopted “Ban the Box” laws that prohibited employers from asking about a... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Apparel & Accessories

11 Apr 2024
In Practice

Why Progress on Immigration Might Soften Labor Pains

School experts discuss the current quandary and potential policy and corporate solutions. William Kerr: Untangling migration and employment The immigration system to the United States is very complex. We have many people coming at many... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

20 Feb 2008
First Look

First Look: February 20, 2008

explanation of price rigidity has the advantage of being consistent with the observation that the typical size of price increases is nearly invariant to inflation. Lastly, the paper turns to some government policies regarding prices that appear to have some consumer... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

February 2019 (Revised January 2020)
Case

Pierre Foods Acquisition of Advance Foods (A)

By: Guhan Subramanian and Mike Harmon

This case (A), and its related cases (B-E), establish a setting to discuss an M&A transaction and some of the key legal contracts that are associated with it. In 2010, private equity backed food manufacturer Pierre Foods is contemplating the acquisition of a key... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Contracts; Agreements and Arrangements; Negotiation; Complexity

January 2009 (Revised April 2009)
Case

Disaster in April: The Obligations of Kelly Construction

By: John D. Macomber, Christopher M. Gordon and Ben Creo

A construction company experiences a crane accident with multiple fatalities. The CEO, a client, and an employee must make choices to meet the company's obligations. Set in 2006, the case looks at the choices faced by board members of a museum that is an important... View Details

Keywords: Business Exit or Shutdown; Family Business; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Governing and Advisory Boards; Compensation and Benefits; Contracts; Crisis Management; Construction Industry

27 Sep 2018
Research & Ideas

Religion in the Workplace: What Managers Need to Know

leaders need to start preparing clear answers. After all, the number of religious discrimination complaints has increased by more than 50 percent in the past 15 years, and settlement amounts have more than doubled, according to data collected by the US Equal View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Food & Beverage; Apparel & Accessories

27 Feb 2024
Research & Ideas

Why Companies Should Share Their DEI Data (Even When It’s Unflattering)

increases brand attitude, and the company is seen as having more commitment to diversifying the workforce.” US law requires companies with more than 100 employees to report their workforce’s gender, race, and ethnicity by job category to... View Details

Keywords: by Shalene Gupta

03 Mar 2003
Research & Ideas

Top Ten Legal Mistakes Made by Entrepreneurs

their agreements with the current employer and their knowledge of trade secrets. The law is clear that if someone is currently working for a company, particularly if her or she is a key employee, they cannot... View Details

Keywords: by Staff

16 Nov 2021
HBS Case

How a Company Made Employees So Miserable, They Killed Themselves

In 2009, a 51-year-old man killed himself in Marseille, a city in southern France, leaving behind a suicide note that blamed his employer for “overwork” and “management by terror.” “I am committing suicide because of my work at France... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

10 Dec 2021
Research & Ideas

Truth Be Told: Unpacking the Risks of Whistleblowing

complaint, but the class discussion turned to the motivations of the man who revealed the wrongdoing. Have you ever thought about blowing the whistle? Dey asked her students. Their response: We’ve thought about it, but it is so costly. At a time when regulators and... View Details

Keywords: by April White

May 2006 (Revised November 2006)
Case

IKEA's Global Sourcing Challenge: Indian Rugs and Child Labor (A)

By: Christopher A. Bartlett, Vincent Marie Dessain and Anders Sjoman

Traces the history of IKEA's response to a TV report that its Indian carpet suppliers were using child labor. Describes IKEA's growth, including the importance of a sourcing strategy based on its close relationships with suppliers in developing countries. Details the... View Details

Keywords: Developing Countries and Economies; Moral Sensibility; Policy; Employment; Contracts; Supply Chain Management; Organizational Culture; Natural Environment; Non-Governmental Organizations; Social Issues

04 Jan 2012
First Look

First Look: January 4

variety of important domains, from education and business to law and societal discourse. An emerging research literature has revealed the many ways in which colorblindness shapes individual, group, and institutional efforts to handle... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

02 May 2023
What Do You Think?

How Should Artificial Intelligence Be Regulated—if at All?

outside on what is acceptable. After interviewing Google CEO Sundar Pichai for 60 Minutes last month, CBS correspondent Scott Pelley said Pichai “told us society must quickly adapt with regulations for AI in the economy, laws to punish... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Information Technology; Technology

March 2025
Case

Metaphysic AI: Rethinking the Value of Human Expertise

By: Zoë B. Cullen, Shikhar Ghosh and Shweta Bagai

In early 2025, Thomas Graham, CEO of Metaphysic, a leading AI generative video company confronted fundamental questions about who should control digital identity in a world where AI could perfectly recreate human likeness. Founded in 2021, Metaphysic first rose to fame... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Ethics; AI and Machine Learning; Intellectual Property; Rights; Negotiation; Value; Motion Pictures and Video Industry; Technology Industry