Publications

Article

Business, Governments and Political Risk in South Asia and Latin America since 1970

By: G. Jones and Rachael Comunale

This article contributes to the literature on political risk in business and economic history by examining both new perspectives (risk encountered by companies domestically, rather than risk for foreign investors) and new settings (emerging markets economies in Latin... View Details

Keywords: Political Risk; Emerging Market; Bribery; Business ＆ Government Relations; Turbulence; Violence; Risk and Uncertainty; Emerging Markets; Crime and Corruption; Business and Government Relations; Business History; India; Latin America

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Research Summary

Individual Effectiveness

By: Frances X. Frei

This research investigates how to create the conditions for individuals to thrive. The work is guided by the observation that individuals and organizations have the opportunity to vastly enhance individual effectiveness. View Details

Keywords: Individual; Effective Leadership In Turbulent Times

Teaching Interest

Overview

By: Nancy F. Koehn

My teaching and research focus on crisis leadership and how men and women use crises to make themselves better leaders. I currently teach a module in the Advanced Management Program and an HBS Online LIVE course on Courageous Leadership. The purpose of each course is... View Details

Keywords: History Of Leadership; Effective Leadership In Turbulent Times; Crisis Management; Change Management; Entrepreneurship; History; Media and Broadcasting Industry; Advertising Industry; United States; Europe

Research Summary

Overview

By: Nancy F. Koehn

My research focuses on crisis leadership and how leaders and their teams rise to the challenges of high-stakes situations. Using the lens of history, my work examines how individual leaders from business, government and other walks accomplish important—often seemingly... View Details

Keywords: Courageous Leadership In Turbulent Times; Emotional Experience Of Leaders; History Of Leadership; Leadership; Entrepreneurship; History; Media And Broadcasting Industry; Health Industry; Beauty And Cosmetics Industry; Fashion Industry; Advertising Industry; United States; Europe

26 Jun 2020
Research & Ideas

Why Japanese Businesses Are So Good at Surviving Crises

On March 11, 2011, a 9.1-magnitude earthquake triggered a powerful tsunami, generating waves higher than 125 feet that ravaged the coast of Japan, particularly the Tohoku region of Honshu, the largest and most populous island in the country. Nearly 16,000 people were... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

03 Dec 2020
Research & Ideas

Cut Payroll Costs with Transparency, Fairness, and Compassion

2020 has been a challenging year for leaders, their companies, and their employees. When we asked 600 CEOs earlier this year what keeps them awake at night during this global pandemic, many cited the need to reduce expenses, including payroll costs, in response to... View Details

Keywords: by Boris Groysberg and Sarah Abbott

2013
Book

The Good Struggle: Responsible Leadership in an Unforgiving World

By: Joseph L. Badaracco Jr.

The question of how to lead successfully and responsibly is crucially important in our uncertain, high-pressure, turbulent world. In this book, Joseph Badaracco answers this question in practical and, at times, provocative ways. View Details

Keywords: Ethics; Leadership Style

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November 1996 (Revised June 1999)
Case

Living on Internet Time: Product Development at Netscape, Yahoo!, NetDynamics, and Microsoft

By: Marco Iansiti and Alan D. MacCormack

Describes how four companies in the Internet software market approach product development. Drawing upon short case studies of three recent projects, students are invited to synthesize the common attributes of development practice in turbulent environments. View Details

Keywords: Product Development; Internet and the Web; Applications and Software; Situation or Environment; Volatility; Risk and Uncertainty; Research and Development; Information Technology Industry; United States

July 2000 (Revised May 2001)
Case

WebMD (A)

Discusses the emerging role of the Internet in the health care industry and describes the strategy of WebMD in this new "ehealth" space. Issues include technology strategy, industry transformation, competition in turbulent environments, and strategic alliances. View Details

Keywords: Internet and the Web; Alliances; Competitive Advantage; Industry Structures; Health Care and Treatment; Health Industry

December 2009 (Revised June 2010)
Supplement

Goldman Sachs: A Bank for All Seasons (B)

By: Lena G. Goldberg and Tiffany Lynne Obenchain

Having taken steps to shore up investor confidence, during the turbulent fourth quarter of 2008, Goldman Sachs confronts the challenge of whether its business model will continue to be viable under radically altered market conditions and a new regulatory regime. View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Financial Crisis; Investment Banking; Financial Management; Financial Strategy; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Business Strategy; Banking Industry

09 Jan 2014
Research & Ideas

The Entrepreneurs Who Invented Economic Forecasting

In the severe economic, social, and scientific turbulence churning at the dawn of the twentieth century, people were eager for any semblance of stability and predictability. From this need for certainty emerged a group of entrepreneurs... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

October 2021
Case

Esquel Group: Turning Crises into Transformation

By: William C. Kirby, Adina Wong, Noah B. Truwit and John McHugh

Focuses on a Hong Kong-based, globally-established textile and apparel manufacturer and its experience in navigating turbulent geopolitical environments. Identifies ways the company has pursued business priorities while upholding its sustainability values. View Details

Keywords: Growth and Development Strategy; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Business and Government Relations; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Manufacturing Industry; China; Hong Kong

22 Jun 2021
Research & Ideas

The COVID-19 Mutiny: When Teams Leave and Take Their Clients

When the COVID-19 virus spread worldwide and normal life ground to a halt last year, we thought voluntary employee turnover would drop as well. But the opposite happened in one area: Lift outs—a group of workers who defect together—increased, with more teams moving... View Details

Keywords: by Robin Abrahams, Boris Groysberg, and Steven L. Manchel

January 2003
Case

Mountain Dew: Selecting New Creative

The key role of selecting creative in brand communications, the problems with building a brand in a turbulent cultural environment, the challenges of extending an advertising campaign, and the senior management skills needed to interpret ads are highlighted. View Details

Keywords: Advertising Campaigns; Culture; Brands and Branding

21 May 2018
Working Paper Summaries

Business, Governments, and Political Risk in South Asia and Latin America Since 1970

Keywords: by Geoffrey Jones and Rachael Comunale

October 2001
Case

Mountain Dew: Selecting New Creative

Highlights the key role of selecting creative in brand communications, the challenges of building a brand in a turbulent cultural environment, the challenges of extending an advertising campaign, and the interpretation of ads as a crucial senior management skill.... View Details

Keywords: Creativity; Advertising; Brands and Branding

November 5, 2013
Article

How to Turn Around Nearly Anything

By: Rosabeth M. Kanter

In turbulent times, turnarounds are increasingly a fact of life. Some companies need to be rescued from the brink of extinction, but that’s not the only kind of turnaround. Others need a course correction while still profitable, or a momentum shift because of... View Details

Keywords: Turnarounds; Change; Purpose; Team Building; Voice; Positivity; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Change Management; Value; Assets; Mission and Purpose

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August 2010 (Revised December 2016)
Case

Kaweyan: Female Entrepreneurship and the Past and Future of Afghanistan

By: Geoffrey Jones and Gayle Tzemach Lemmon

Explores the challenges of female entrepreneurship in Afghanistan through the case of Kemeli Sediqi, who built a business under the Taliban, and founded a consultancy in 2004. The case positions Sediqi's experiences against the background of Afghanistan's turbulent... View Details

Keywords: Opportunities; Social Entrepreneurship; Problems and Challenges; Welfare; Gender; Afghanistan