Publications

June 1995 (Revised September 1996)
Case

Union Carbide's Bhopal Plant (A)

By: Debora L. Spar

In December 1984, a Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, India, sprung a leak, releasing thousands of gallons of highly toxic gas into the atmosphere. By the time the leak was sealed, over 2,000 people had died. In a series of three excerpts from published accounts, the case... View Details

Keywords: Ethics; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Chemicals; Foreign Direct Investment; Chemical Industry; United States; India

14 Feb 2023
News

New MBA Course Asks Students: What’s More Important—Purpose or Profits?

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Live from Klarman Hall - Alumni

Speakers: Carter Roberts (MBA 1988) , President & CEO, World Wildlife Fund Debora L. Spar (PMD 62, 1991) , Jaime and Josefina Chua Tiampo Professor of Business Administration;... View Details

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School Leadership | About

and Research Raffaella Sadun Charles Edward Wilson Professor of Business Administration Senior Associate Dean for HBS Publishing Forest L. Reinhardt John D. Black Professor Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Promotions and Tenure View Details

January 2000 (Revised September 2002)
Case

Hitting the Wall: Nike and International Labor Practices

By: Debora L. Spar and Jennifer Burns

In the mid-1990s Nike, one of the world's most successful footwear companies, is hit by a spate of alarmingly bad publicity. After years of high-profile media attention as the company that can "just do it," Nike is suddenly being portrayed as a firm that relies on... View Details

Keywords: Wages; Developing Countries and Economies

October 1996 (Revised December 2022)
Case

Chiquita Brands International (A)

By: Debora L. Spar and Terence Mulligan

When a new banana import policy is implemented in 1993 by the European Union, Chiquita Brands International, the world's largest banana distributor, watches its sales and net income plummet. The policy, Council Regulation (EEC 404/93), uses a new tariff and quota... View Details

Keywords: Plant-Based Agribusiness; Trade; Government and Politics; Policy; Market Design; Fairness; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Latin America; European Union

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Faculty & Research - Race, Gender & Equity

Groysberg Janice H. Hammond Nien-he Hsieh Jon M. Jachimowicz Summer R. Jackson Rosabeth M. Kanter Rembrand M. Koning Anthony Mayo Kathleen L. McGinn Kristin W. Mugford Kyle R. Myers Das Narayandas Michael I. Norton Lakshmi Ramarajan Ethan... View Details

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General Management Faculty - Faculty & Research

General Management Overview Faculty Curriculum Awards & Honors Doctoral Students Unit Head Debora L. Spar Jaime and Josefina Chua Tiampo Professor of Business Administration... View Details

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Faculty & Research - Business & Environment

Operations Management 17 results Debora L. Spar General Management 11 results Sandra J. Sucher General Management 6 results Brian L. Trelstad... View Details

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Placement - Doctoral

studies, are uniquely individualized. Factors like departmental fit, location preferences, dual career choices, and family needs shape these decisions. We celebrate when students secure a position that brings them joy! Students are supported throughout their job search... View Details

December 2023 (Revised August 2024)
Case

Monsters in the Machine? Tackling the Challenge of Responsible AI

By: Paul M. Healy and Debora L. Spar

In November of 2022, the small tech company OpenAI released ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence chatbot which quickly captured the public’s imagination—becoming the world’s fastest-growing consumer application within months of its release. Though observers from across... View Details

Keywords: Technological Innovation; AI and Machine Learning; Ethics; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Technology Adoption; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Technology Industry; United States; European Union; China

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Business, Government & the International Economy Curriculum - Faculty & Research

Q1 1.5 Capitalism and the State (CATS) (also listed under General Management) Debora L. Spar Fall 2024 Q1Q2 3.0 Capitalism: Past, Present, Future Sophus A. Reinert Fall 2024 Q2... View Details

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Faculty & Research | Social Enterprise | Harvard Business School

Dimitri V. D'Arbeloff - MBA Class of 1955 Professor of Business Administration, Emeritus George Serafeim Charles M. Williams Professor of Business Administration Debora L. Spar... View Details

01 Dec 2023
News

In My Humble Opinion: Plugged In

scholarship athlete at Penn State before coming to Harvard. She credits HBS professor Debora Spar with advice that has sustained her in numerous situations. “She said to never be afraid to lead. Show up, be... View Details

Keywords: Deborah Blagg

March 1996 (Revised October 1996)
Case

Singapore's Trade in Services

By: Debora L. Spar

Focuses on the efforts of Singapore's Economic Development Board (EDB) to grow the tiny island almost wholly through an expansion of its service economy. Between 1965 and 1990, Singapore achieved a remarkable rate of growth, largely by opening its economy to foreign... View Details

Keywords: Growth Management; Service Operations; Government and Politics; Developing Countries and Economies; Macroeconomics; Service Industry; Singapore