by Alan MacCormack - Publications - Faculty & Research

18 Sep 2006
Research & Ideas

When Words Get in the Way: The Failure of Fiscal Language

work and save, and the amount of direct government consumption. But each of these policies can be measured with no recourse to ill-defined terms, such as 'taxes,' 'transfer payments,' and 'deficits.'" Developed by Kotlikoff (in... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna

01 Mar 2010
Op-Ed

A Golden Opportunity for Ford and GM

Toyota's tragic automobile recalls offer a historic opportunity for Ford's CEO Alan Mulally and General Motors' new CEO Ed Whitacre. After years of decline, they can reestablish the preeminence of American-made autos if they are wise at... View Details

Keywords: by Bill George; Auto

01 Dec 2008
Lessons from the Classroom

How Many U.S. Jobs Are ‘Offshorable’?

Richard H.K. Vietor, Rawi E. Abdelal, and Jan W. Rivkin created a classroom exercise that asked HBS students to assess the potential "offshorability" of more than 800 occupations in the United States. The exercise replicated a controversial 2007 study View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna

April 2013
Case

Managing with Analytics at Procter & Gamble

By: Thomas H. Davenport, Marco Iansiti and Alain Serels

Senior management at P&G has put a strong emphasis on using data to make "better, smarter, real-time business decisions." The Global Business Services (GBS) organization has developed tools, systems and processes to provide managers throughout P&G with direct access to... View Details

Keywords: Analytics; Data Management; Forecasting; Shared Services; Procter ＆ Gamble; Laundry Detergent; Information Management; Forecasting and Prediction; Information Technology; Mathematical Methods; Consumer Products Industry; North America

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19 Jan 2021
In Practice

Leadership Advice for Biden: Restore a Sense of Calm

unemployed, and demands for police reform and racial justice. But in the wake of one of the most tumultuous presidential elections in US history—marked by outgoing President Donald Trump claiming the election was stolen, deadly violence... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

06 Sep 2005
Research & Ideas

The Best Place for Retirement Funds

paper called, "Asset Allocation and Asset Location: Household Evidence from the Survey of Consumer Finances," published by the Journal of Public Economics in August, 2004. Using data from the Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF),... View Details

Keywords: by Ann Cullen

July 2002 (Revised February 2003)
Case

Fresh Start? Peru's Legacy of Debt and Default (A)

By: Julio J. Rotemberg and Lisa Lewis

Considers the situation facing Alberto Fujimori as he takes office in 1990. Pays particular attention to Peru's long history of international borrowing, default, and renegotiation. This history suggests that the costs imposed by foreigners on Peru when it failed to... View Details

Keywords: History; International Finance; Sovereign Finance; Economy; Borrowing and Debt; Peru

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07 Aug 2000
Research & Ideas

The Business of Biotech

heralding the start of National Biotechnology Month, as January 2000 had been designated by the U.S. Senate. For biotech, in fact, the party had begun months earlier, when hundreds of millions of dollars had poured into promising... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Biotechnology; Health; Technology

05 Jul 2022
Op-Ed

Hear Me Out: Introverts Can Be Loud and You Might Like Microsoft Teams

We've been encouraging readers to share feedback and observations about Working Knowledge articles by email, resulting in a slew of thoughtful responses. Here are a few comments from June, published with permission: Re: "Extroverts, Your... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost

13 Jul 2022
Book

Reimagining the Economy: What Would It Take to Put People First?

presented in the excerpt below, the authors outline what a greener and fairer economy would look like. Co-edited by Battilana, the Joseph C. Wilson Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and the View Details

Keywords: by Avery Forman

03 Feb 2018
Op-Ed

How to Heed BlackRock's Call for Corporate Social Responsibility

Larry Fink recently created a shockwave. As cofounder, chairman, and CEO of BlackRock, one of the world’s largest global asset management firms, in an open letter to CEOs he caught the attention of financial markets and beyond by... View Details

Keywords: by Julie Battilana

06 Jul 2009
What Do You Think?

Are You Ready to Manage in an Irrational World?

admission by Alan Greenspan that markets acted in ways he had not anticipated? The work shares several common counter-intuitive conclusions that: (1) human behavior is much less rational than has been... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

29 May 2001
Research & Ideas

Genomics: Can We Start Making Money Now?

drugs, and will they be less expensive?' My answer is, 'I don't know, and probably not.' Lechleiter was one of several panelists to discuss, "Breaking the Genetic Code: The Business of Life Science in the 21st Century" at the 2001 Global Alumni Conference,... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

18 Apr 2005
Research & Ideas

Tips to Reinvent the Department Store

looking to become what they want to be—as opposed to a series of vendor shops.— Pat Chadwick, Bloomingdale's Alan Barnett, senior vice president of merchandise planning and information systems for Barneys New York, noted that "the... View Details

Keywords: by Julie Jette; Retail

05 Feb 2001
What Do You Think?

Do MBA Programs Face “The Innovator’s Dilemma”?

Summing Up The verdict of those responding to the column on the threat of the "disruptive technology" represented by online distance learning for in-class, onsite MBA programs is in. In your opinion, the trend represents an... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

25 Oct 2017
Research & Ideas

Will Machine Learning Make You a Better Manager?

that enable them to predict new patterns for the future. ”We are in a new industrial revolution led by algorithms” We have all seen the process in action, whether it’s Amazon telling us we “may also like” to buy an Instant Pot... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Information Technology

02 Apr 2001
What Do You Think?

Telecommuting: Dangerous to Health?

other…Technology robs us of the close contact we seek, and are reinforced by, in the learning cycle." But respondents who telecommute don't see it that clearly. Alan Carswell points out that: "One main characteristic of... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

21 Nov 2012
Research & Ideas

What Health Care Managers Need to Know--and How to Teach Them

digital platform, and the increased fiscal pressures created by the worldwide economic crisis. Unfortunately, the educational programs for future health care leaders fail to provide many of the needed skills, according to a survey of CEOs... View Details

Keywords: by Paul Guttry; Health; Education

03 Apr 2017
What Do You Think?

How About Investing in Human Infrastructure?

government involvement was an issue. Regardless of the vehicle for achieving it, there was little optimism that we would be seeing a significant incremental effort soon. As I read your responses, a question crossed my mind: In light of the findings and conclusions... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Construction

30 Jan 2019
What Do You Think?

Who Will Measure up to These Two Remarkable Leaders?

(the) future going to come from? Which schools, if any, business or otherwise, are teaching these skills?” One way to respond to his questions is to look into the educational backgrounds of those cited as potential candidates by other... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Air Transportation; Financial Services

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