Publications

16 May 2016
HBS Case

Food Safety Economics: The Cost of a Sick Customer

a long time to build up a culture of integrity for any inspection service,” Quelch says. Plus in China, some suspect that foreign brands are at times unfairly targeted, accused of food safety violations that... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Food & Beverage

4 Oct 2021
Other Presentation

Amy Edmondson, Professor Leadership & Management at Harvard

By: Amy C. Edmondson and Guy Bloom

Amy C. Edmondson is an American scholar of leadership, teaming, and organizational learning. She is currently the Novartis Professor of Leadership at Harvard Business School. Amy is the author of seven books and more than 75 articles and case studies.
She is... View Details

Keywords: Psychological Safety; Leadership; Organizations; Performance Effectiveness

03 Jun 2020
Research & Ideas

Who Guarantees Your Workplace Is Safe for Return?

As we start to think about returning to work, shopping, and recreation, there is much talk about transformed workplaces and innovative social distancing designs. But how will companies, workers, and customers have confidence that these... View Details

Keywords: by John Macomber and Joseph Allen; Real Estate

October 2023
Article

Improving Regulatory Effectiveness Through Better Targeting: Evidence from OSHA

By: Matthew S. Johnson, David I. Levine and Michael W. Toffel

We study how a regulator can best target inspections. Our case study is a U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) program that randomly allocated some inspections. On average, each inspection averted 2.4 serious injuries (9%) over the next five years.... View Details

Keywords: Safety Regulations; Regulations; Regulatory Enforcement; Machine Learning Models; Safety; Operations; Service Operations; Production; Forecasting and Prediction; Decisions; United States

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12 Oct 1999
Research & Ideas

Spirit at Work: The Search for Deeper Meaning in the Workplace

into the workplace means creating a place where it's all right for people to bring their whole selves, with all their talents and complex emotions; where there's enough safety so that people can speak the... View Details

Keywords: by Marguerite Rigoglioso

Fall 2022
Book Review

Book review of 'Havoc and Reform: Workplace Disasters in Modern America,' by James P. Kraft

By: Melanie Sheehan

Keywords: Safety; Policy; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Risk and Uncertainty

21 May 2012
Research & Ideas

OSHA Inspections: Protecting Employees or Killing Jobs?

killing jobs at a time when the United States can ill afford to lose them. Few regulatory agencies have a more direct effect on businesses than the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the federal agency responsible for... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

Fall 2016
Article

The Integrity of Private Third-party Compliance Monitoring

By: Jodi L. Short and Michael W. Toffel

Government agencies are increasingly turning to private, third-party monitors to inspect and assess regulated entities’ compliance with law. The integrity of these regulatory regimes rests on the validity of the information third-party monitors provide to regulators.... View Details

Keywords: Regulation; Compliance; Compliance Policies; Conflict Of Interest; Independent Third Party; Inspection; Audit Quality; Auditor; Audit; Environment; Safety; Conflict of Interests; Working Conditions; Labor; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Governance Compliance; Accounting Audits

2015
Working Paper

The Integrity of Private Third-party Compliance Monitoring

By: Jodi L. Short and Michael W. Toffel

Government agencies are increasingly turning to private, third-party monitors to inspect and assess regulated entities’ compliance with law. The integrity of these regulatory regimes rests on the validity of the information third-party monitors provide to regulators.... View Details

SSRN

26 Apr 2017
Working Paper Summaries

Assessing the Quality of Quality Assessment: The Role of Scheduling

Keywords: by Maria Ibanez and Michael W. Toffel; Service; Food & Beverage

March 2023 (Revised January 2024)
Case

Deepa Bachu (A): Design Thinking at Pensaar Design

By: Thomas Graeber, Joshua Schwartzstein and Amram Migdal

In this case, set in June 2019 in Bangalore, Karnataka, India, Deepa Bachu of Pensaar Design and her team work with client ITC Ltd. to use design thinking and behavioral experiments to improve workplace safety and strive toward the company’s zero-accident goal. The... View Details

Educators

March 2023
Supplement

Deepa Bachu (B): Insights and Experiments at Pensaar Design

By: Thomas Graeber, Joshua Schwartzstein and Amram Migdal

In this case, set in June 2019 in Bangalore, Karnataka, India, Deepa Bachu of Pensaar Design and her team work with client ITC Ltd. to use design thinking and behavioral experiments to improve workplace safety and strive toward the company’s zero-accident goal. The... View Details

2020
Working Paper

Improving Regulatory Effectiveness Through Better Targeting: Evidence from OSHA

By: Matthew S. Johnson, David I. Levine and Michael W. Toffel

We study how a regulator can best target inspections. Our case study is a US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) program that randomly allocated some inspections. On average, each inspection averted 2.4 serious injuries (9%) over the next five years.... View Details

Keywords: Government Administration; Working Conditions; Safety; Quality; Production; Analysis; Resource Allocation; Manufacturing Industry; United States

SSRN

2013
Working Paper

The Operational Consequences of Private Equity Buyouts: Evidence from the Restaurant Industry

By: Albert W. Sheen and Shai Bernstein

What, if anything, do private equity firms do with businesses they acquire? We find evidence of significant operational changes in 101 restaurant chain buyouts between 2002 and 2012. Analysis of health inspections conducted for over 50,000 stores in Florida shows that... View Details

Keywords: Safety; Quality; Private Equity; Food; Management Practices and Processes; Leveraged Buyouts; Performance Efficiency; Retail Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Florida

17 Jun 2016
Op-Ed

Companies Need to Start Marketing Security to Customers

regular inspections can help. Third party testing companies can insure that industry standards are met. Safety innovation needed But most companies do not innovate around View Details

Keywords: by John A. Quelch; Entertainment & Recreation

27 Nov 2006
Research & Ideas

Manly Men, Oil Platforms, and Breaking Stereotypes

questions: How do men construct masculine identity in high-hazard workplaces that emphasize safety and effectiveness, and what organizational features support and sustain these efforts? To address these... View Details

Keywords: by Sarah Jane Gilbert; Energy; Utilities

9 Jul 2021
Interview

Matthew Barzun and Amy Edmondson

By: Amy C. Edmondson and Matthew Barzun

Writer Matthew Barzun speaks with Harvard Professor and author Amy Edmondson about Barzun's book, "The Power of Giving Away Power: How the Best Leaders Learn to Let Go". Matthew Barzun has served as U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom and Sweden. He served as... View Details

Research Summary

Health-care Applications

Active postmarketing drug surveillance. There is substantial interest within the U.S. health community and among health policymakers in developing a surveillance system that scans public health databases in order to proactively detect potential drug safety... View Details

2018
Book

Rebel Talent: Why It Pays to Break the Rules at Work and Life

By: F. Gino

The world’s best chef.
An airline captain who brought his flight to safety in a daring water landing.
A magician known for his sensational escape acts.
A computer scientist who founded a world-renowned animation studio.
What do all of these... View Details

Keywords: Talent and Talent Management; Personal Characteristics; Success; Behavior

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