Publications

June 2020 (Revised October 2020)
Case

Muddy Waters vs. eHealth: The Debate of a 'Lifetime'

By: Jonas Heese and Cristo Liautaud

In May 2020, an analyst was assessing eHealth’s performance. eHealth was an online / tele-sales broker of health insurance products. The stock had recently hit all-time highs, closing at a peak of $146 on March 4, 2020. But now, May 4, 2020, eHealth traded at $103. The... View Details

Keywords: Revenue Recognition; Health; Insurance; Online Technology; Insurance Industry

October, 2023
Article

Cleaning Up the Great Lakes: Housing Market Impacts of Removing Legacy Pollutants

By: Alecia Cassidy, Robyn C. Meeks and Michale R. Moore

The Great Lakes and their tributaries make up the largest freshwater system on the planet, providing drinking water and recreational value to millions of people. Yet manufacturing plants left a legacy of toxic pollutants in the region, tarnishing it as part of the... View Details

Keywords: Valuation Of Environmental Effects; Housing Demand; Water Pollution; Water Quality; Infrastructure; Pollution; Consumer Behavior

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2015
Case

Advanced Leadership Pathways: Robert Meaney and Technology for Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa

By: Rosabeth Moss Kanter and Renee Vuillaume

Two Valmont Industries (an international leader in infrastructure products and services) colleagues, Robert (Bob) Meaney and Richard Berkland hoped to improve the lives of small and medium-sized farmers in the developing world through modern irrigation technology. In... View Details

January 1994 (Revised August 1994)
Case

Ocean Spray Cranberries: Environmental Risk Management

By: Richard H.K. Vietor

Ocean Spray Cranberries, one of the nation's most successful agricultural cooperatives, faces some difficult environmental management problems associated with water usage and wetlands development. Because of federal and state wetlands laws, new bogs for expansion had... View Details

Keywords: Agribusiness; Innovation and Invention; Risk Management; Cooperative Ownership; Environmental Sustainability; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry

August 2012 (Revised October 2012)
Supplement

Milwaukee (B8): Richard Meeusen, CEO, Badger Meter and Co-chair, Water Council

By: Rosabeth Moss Kanter and Matthew Bird

Keywords: Management; Wisconsin

31 May 2017
Sharpening Your Skills

10 Harvard Business School Research Stories That Will Make Your Mouth Water

Starbucks Reinvented Nancy Koehn's case study on the rebirth of Starbucks under Howard Schultz "distills 20 years of [her] thinking about the most important lessons of strategy, leadership, and managing in turbulence." How... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Food & Beverage

10 Apr 2023
Blog Post

Creating Emerging Markets Sustainability Series - Innovations to Address the Global Water Crisis

and methods have allowed local farmers to use water more efficiently, while also boosting their production and crop yields. Rosario Bazán is the Co-Founder and General Manager of Danper, a leading... View Details

August 2012 (Revised October 2012)
Supplement

Milwaukee (B3): Paul Jones, CEO, A. O. Smith and Co-chair, Water Council

By: Rosabeth Moss Kanter and Matthew Bird

Keywords: Management; Change; Wisconsin

01 Jun 2023
News

Action Plan: Net Proceeds

was designed to provide business expertise to places in need; Goodwin brought his emergency-response experience to provide safe water systems and support medical programs. Months later, he was alarmed by a cholera outbreak rapidly... View Details

Keywords: April White; recycling; corporate social responsibility; waste management; water; Waste Management and Remediation Services; Waste Management and Remediation Services

02 Jul 2024
Blog Post

Climate Story #19: Nicole Neeman Brady (MBA 2008): The Critical Role of Business in Tackling Water Challenges

to and efficiency of irrigation, utility control and monitoring software." She added “leak detection,” “water treatment,” and “infrastructure” to the list and noted, “our aging infrastructure struggles to efficiently deliver clean water... View Details

11 Apr 2024
Blog Post

Climate Stories: Water Series - Episode #17: Leni Peterson Redondo (HBS MS/MBA 2023), Founder & CEO of Celeste

Cover image features Leni Peterson Redondo (HBS MS/MBA 2023), Founder & CEO, and Taryn Stamper (MBA 2023), High Touch Advisor, of Celeste. BEI is delighted to bring you this mini-series on HBS alumni tackling problems related to water... View Details

12 Jul 2004
Research & Ideas

Enron’s Lessons for Managers

Some events mark a generation. If a marker is a source of deep learning about ourselves, as Malcolm Salter believes it is, then the Enron crisis is exactly that for business people. Political scientists have the Bay of Pigs; engineers have the Challenger disaster. And... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

Fast Answer

Water: management strategy in agriculture

Where to find information on water management strategies in agriculture? GeoRef is a database by the American Geological Institute. It provides studies on the topic from various publications including... View Details

07 Apr 2022
Blog Post

Product Management at HBS: Roll Up Your Sleeves and Learn by Doing

Battalion. While at HBS and SEAS (the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences), Weston built his own video game, Regent, and honed his product management and entrepreneurial skillset. He is also Co-President of the HBS Show... View Details

June 2013 (Revised January 2024)
Case

Governance and Sustainability at Nike (A)

By: Lynn S. Paine, Nien-hê Hsieh and Lara Adamsons

Two members of Nike's executive team must decide what sustainability targets to propose to Nike's CEO and to the corporate responsibility committee of Nike's board of directors. Set in 2012, the case traces the evolution of Nike's approach to environmental and social... View Details

Keywords: Nike; Hannah Jones; Mark Parker; Phil Knight; Philip Knight; Eric Sprunk; Jill Ker Conway; Phyllis Wise; Don Blair; Sustainable Business And Innovation; SB＆I; Flyknit; DyeCoo; Footwear; Athletic Footwear; Apparel; Athletic Apparel; Sustainability; Greenpeace; Detox Campaign; Dirty Laundry; Water; Water Use; Water Pollution; Water Resources; Corporate Responsibility Committee; Judgment; Board Of Directors; Board Committees; Environmental And Social Sustainability; Footwear Industry; Decision Choices and Conditions; Decisions; Ethics; Fairness; Globalized Firms and Management; Multinational Firms and Management; Globalized Markets and Industries; Governance; Corporate Accountability; Corporate Governance; Innovation and Invention; Innovation and Management; Innovation Leadership; Innovation Strategy; Goals and Objectives; Management Practices and Processes; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Performance; Alignment; Supply Chain; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Judgments; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Asia; China; United States; Oregon; Portland

Research Summary

Climate Adaptation

By: John D. Macomber

It's clear that challenges like wildfires, river flooding, extreme heat, and storm surge are increasing. How will homeowners, businesses, instituations, goverments, and all of society decide what and whom to protect and what and whom to not protect? What is the timing?... View Details

Keywords: Climate Change; Climate Risk; Hurricanes; Fire Protection; Water Management; Insurance And Reinsurance

07 Jul 2008
Research & Ideas

Innovation Corrupted: How Managers Can Avoid Another Enron

for natural gas, and to create derivative supply contracts that could help customers manage the risks of demand volatility and price swings more effectively than before. In this way, Skilling and his colleagues solved a major contracting... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Energy; Utilities

January 2017
Case

Danaher Corporation, 2007–2017

By: John R. Wells and Gabriel Ellsworth

On July 2, 2016, Danaher Corporation completed the spinoff of Fortive Corporation. The previous day, Danaher’s stock price had reached an all-time high. In 2015, Danaher had decided to split off its test and measurement, fuel and fleet management, and automation... View Details

Keywords: Danaher; Fortive; Larry Culp; Beckman Coulter; Pall; Life Sciences; Diagnostics; Environmental Operations; Water Management; Dental; Testing; Measurement; Fuel; Fleet Management; Automation; Toolmaking; Tools; Disease Management; Continuous Improvement; Toyota Production System; Divestiture; Spinoffs; Spin-off; Networks; Acquisition; Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Conglomerates; Business Divisions; Business Subsidiaries; Business Units; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Model; For-Profit Firms; Joint Ventures; Restructuring; Engineering; Chemicals; Construction; Machinery and Machining; Profit; Revenue; Globalized Firms and Management; Multinational Firms and Management; Health; Health Care and Treatment; Health Disorders; Medical Specialties; Business History; Job Cuts and Outsourcing; Business or Company Management; Growth and Development Strategy; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Management Practices and Processes; Management Succession; Management Systems; Resource Allocation; Market Entry and Exit; Measurement and Metrics; Logistics; Business Processes; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Public Ownership; Problems and Challenges; Science; Genetics; Natural Environment; Wastes and Waste Processing; Science-Based Business; Opportunities; Strategy; Adaptation; Business Strategy; Competition; Competitive Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Consolidation; Corporate Strategy; Diversification; Expansion; Technology; Software; Technology Networks; Technology Platform; Value; Valuation; Aerospace Industry; Auto Industry; Biotechnology Industry; Chemical Industry; Computer Industry; Construction Industry; Consumer Products Industry; Distribution Industry; Electronics Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Health Industry; Industrial Products Industry; Information Technology Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry; Pharmaceutical Industry; Retail Industry; Rubber Industry; Semiconductor Industry; Shipping Industry; Technology Industry; Telecommunications Industry; Utilities Industry; United States; District of Columbia