Publications

Web

Finance Awards & Honors - Faculty & Research

Maturity” with Samuel G. Hanson and Jeremy C. Stein ( Journal of Finance , August 2015). Elisabeth Kempf : Awarded Best EFA-DT Paper in 2016 by the European Finance Association Doctoral Tutorial for “The Job... View Details

16 Jun 2015
First Look

First Look: June 16, 2015

unifying framework for obtaining reliable proxies of expected returns worldwide. Download working paper: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=49238 Monitoring Global Supply Chains By: Short, Jodi L., Michael View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

January 2016
Teaching Note

Groom Energy Solutions: Selling Efficiency

By: Michael W. Toffel, Kira Fabrizio and Stephanie van Sice

This case examines a start-up service provider that helps clients improve the energy efficiency of their factories, warehouses, and commercial and office spaces by integrating and installing lighting, heating, and cooling technologies. The company seeks to double... View Details

Keywords: Energy Efficiency; Energy Efficiency Paradox; Environment; Environmental Strategy; Growth; Energy; Energy Conservation; Entrepreneurship; Environmental Sustainability; Energy Industry

05 Oct 2010
First Look

First Look: October 5, 2010

Right Way Authors:Todd Rogers and Michael I. Norton Abstract What happens when people try to "dodge" a question they would rather not answer by answering a different question? In four online... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

20 Sep 2011
First Look

First Look: September 20

Authors:Jakub W. Jurek and Erik Stafford Abstract This paper studies the cost of capital for alternative investments. We document that the risk profile of the aggregate hedge fund universe can be accurately matched View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

January 2019 (Revised July 2019)
Case

New Balance: Managing Orders and Working Conditions

By: Michael W. Toffel, Eileen McNeely and Matthew Preble

New Balance Athletics, Inc., a major U.S.-based athletic footwear and apparel brand, sources most of its footwear products from independent suppliers whose factories are located in China, Indonesia, and Vietnam. Monica Gorman, vice president of responsible leadership... View Details

Keywords: Footwear; Athletic Footwear; Manufacturing; CSR; Sustainability; Quality Management; Supply Chains; Operations; Management; Production; Working Conditions; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Labor and Management Relations; Supply Chain Management; Supply Chain; Order Taking and Fulfillment; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Consumer Products Industry

2003
Article

BMW Group's Sustainability Management System: Preliminary Results, Ongoing Challenges, and the UN Global Compact

By: Michael W. Toffel, Natalie Hill and Kellie McElhaney

This article describes preliminary results and ongoing challenges faced by Designworks/USA, an industrial design subsidiary of BMW Group, in its sustainability management efforts since it implemented the world's first certified Sustainability Management System (SMS).... View Details

Keywords: Environmental Sustainability; Management Systems; Standards; Social Issues; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Outcome or Result; Auto Industry

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May 2011 (Revised March 2012)
Case

InterfaceRAISE: Sustainability Consulting

By: Michael W. Toffel, Robert G. Eccles and Casey Taylor

InterfaceRAISE is a sustainability management consulting firm created to leverage the capabilities of its parent company Interface Inc., a carpet manufacturer recognized as a global leader in corporate environmental sustainability. This case illustrates the challenges... View Details

Keywords: Problems and Challenges; Integrated Corporate Reporting; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Entrepreneurship; Performance; Environmental Accounting; Profit; Marketing Strategy; Human Resources; Business Model; Leveraged Buyouts; Salesforce Management; Consulting Industry; Manufacturing Industry

2008
Working Paper

Extending Producer Responsibility: An Evaluation Framework for Product Take-Back Policies

By: Michael W. Toffel, Antoinette Stein and Katharine Lee

Manufacturers are increasingly being required to adhere to product take-back regulations that require them to manage their products at the end of life. Such regulations seek to internalize products' entire life cycle costs into market prices, with the ultimate... View Details

Keywords: Product; Cost; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Environmental Sustainability

SSRN

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May 2018
Case

Environmental Platform LEEDership at USGBC

By: Michael W. Toffel, Timothy S. Simcoe and Aldo Sesia

By 2018, it was clear that U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) had significantly contributed to the growth of green building and over its 25-year history had become a powerful brand in the construction sector with its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design... View Details

Keywords: Environmental Sustainability; Standards; Business Model; Leadership; Problems and Challenges; Construction Industry; Green Technology Industry

22 Mar 2016
First Look

March 22, 2016

abstract available. Publisher's link: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=50793 forthcoming Production and Operations Management Enhancing the Practical Relevance of Research By: Toffel, Michael... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

25 Feb 2014
First Look

First Look: February 25

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2378899 Monitoring the Monitors: How Social Factors Influence Supply Chain Auditors By: Short, Jodi L., Michael W. Toffel,... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

2003
Article

Developing a Management Systems Approach to Sustainability at BMW Group

By: Michael W. Toffel, Natalie Hill and Kellie McElhaney

This article describes how Designworks/USA, a subsidiary of BMW Group, developed a Sustainability Management System (SMS) by integrating the management of environmental, social, and traditional business issues. After several months of deploying the SMS throughout its... View Details

Keywords: Environmental Sustainability; Management Systems; Standards; Operations; Auto Industry

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26 Mar 2019
First Look

New Research and Ideas, March 26, 2019

long-term innovation output rather than for private benefits. Code Contingencies: Designing Monitoring Regimes to Promote Improvement in Supply Chain Working Conditions By: Short, Jodi L., Michael W. View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

10 Apr 2012
First Look

First Look: April 10

patterns with the calorie labeling present. These findings highlight the potential importance of portion control interventions that specifically activate consumers' self-control. Environmental Federalism in the European Union and the United States Authors:David Vogel,... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

26 Aug 2014
First Look

First Look: August 26

Screening Without Certification: The Critical Role of Stakeholder Pressure By: Kayser, Susan A., John W. Maxwell, and Michael W. Toffel Abstract—To assess and manage... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

August 2020 (Revised September 2020)
Technical Note

Assessing Prediction Accuracy of Machine Learning Models

By: Michael W. Toffel, Natalie Epstein, Kris Ferreira and Yael Grushka-Cockayne

The note introduces a variety of methods to assess the accuracy of machine learning prediction models. The note begins by briefly introducing machine learning, overfitting, training versus test datasets, and cross validation. The following accuracy metrics and tools... View Details

Keywords: Machine Learning; Statistics; Econometric Analyses; Experimental Methods; Data Analysis; Data Analytics; Forecasting and Prediction; Analytics and Data Science; Analysis; Mathematical Methods