Publications

29 May 2020
Op-Ed

How Leaders Are Fighting Food Insecurity on Three Continents

COVID-19 is creating unprecedented strains on food security worldwide. The United Nations' World Food Programme warns that the pandemic could almost double the number of people facing food crises in low- and middle-income populations to... View Details

Keywords: by Howard Stevenson and Shirley Spence; Agriculture & Agribusiness

October 2007 (Revised August 2009)
Case

Perfect Storm over Zurich Airport (A)

By: Michael L. Tushman and David Kiron

Josef Felder, CEO of Zurich Airport, faces several crises as he tries to transform the Airport from a slow-moving, conflict-ridden, government-owned entity into a privatized, world-class airport. View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Transformation; Leading Change; Crisis Management; Organizational Change and Adaptation; State Ownership; Privatization; Air Transportation Industry

March 2010
Article

Sudden Stops: Determinants and Output Effects in the First Era of Globalization, 1880–1913

By: Michael D. Bordo, Alberto Cavallo and Christopher Meissner

We study the determinants and output effects of sudden stops in capital inflows during an era of intensified globalization from 1880 to 1913. Higher levels of exposure to foreign currency debt and large current account deficits associated with reliance on foreign... View Details

Keywords: Sudden Stops; Capital Flows; Economics; Macroeconomics; Economic Growth; Financial Crisis; Globalization; History

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February 2011 (Revised April 2011)
Background Note

Note on the Reinsurance Industry

By: Robert C. Pozen and Henoch Senbetta

This note begins with an overview of reinsurance contacts - their mechanics, types and pricing. It then discusses the structure of the reinsurance industry and the impact of recent crises on this industry. View Details

Keywords: Financial Crisis; Insurance; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Industry Structures; Insurance Industry

June 2012
Case

Perfect Storm over Zurich Airport (A) (Abridged)

By: Michael L. Tushman and Carin-Isabel Knoop

Josef Felder, CEO of Zurich Airport, faces several crises as he tries to transform the Airport from a slow-moving, conflict-ridden, government-owned entity into a privatized, world-class airport. View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Transformation; Leading Change; Crisis Management; Organizational Change and Adaptation; State Ownership; Privatization; Air Transportation Industry

March 2008
Article

Toward an Understanding of When Executives See Crisis As Opportunity

Whereas it has long been noted that crises may be sources of opportunity for organizations and their constituents, relatively little is known about the conditions under which executives come to perceive crises as opportunity. The authors delineate some factors that... View Details

Keywords: Opportunities; Attitudes; Crisis Management

Research Summary

Financial Innovation and Financial Crisis in Historical Perspective

By: David A. Moss

This line of research aims to inform our understanding of modern financial challenges and vulnerabilities by reexamining important financial innovations and financial crises of the past, with particular but not exclusive attention to U.S. financial history. View Details

November 1997
Case

Odwalla, Inc.

By: Ray A. Goldberg and Tom Clay

Odwalla suffered one of the worst food safety crises in history and not only survived but continued to grow. Now they need to decide how the crisis affected their business and how to expand their business. View Details

Keywords: Growth and Development; Crisis Management; Safety; Expansion; System Shocks; Food and Beverage Industry

Find at Harvard

30 Nov 2016
Working Paper Summaries

The Stock Market and Bank Risk-Taking

Keywords: by Antonio Falato and David Scharfstein; Financial Services; Banking

April 1998 (Revised January 2005)
Case

Bahtulism, Collapse, Resurrection? Financial Crisis in Asia: 1997-1998

By: Huw Pill and Donald H. Mathis

Describes, in detail, events precipitating crises. Provides both conventional and new explanations of crises. Presents a chronology of crises as the events unfold, and a brief summary of four particular countries (Malaysia, Indonesia, South Korea, Thailand) and their... View Details

Keywords: Financial Crisis; Crisis Management; International Finance; Development Economics; Thailand; Malaysia; South Korea; Indonesia

08 Oct 2008
Research & Ideas

Book Excerpt: A Sense of Urgency

The problem with using crises to reduce complacency and create urgency is that the tactic is a potential diamond sitting on a rock surrounded by quicksand and very nasty beasts. Any naiveté about the downside risks can cause disaster. Big... View Details

Keywords: by John P. Kotter

2009
Chapter

The Principles of Embedded Liberalism: Social Legitimacy and Global Capitalism

By: Rawi Abdelal and John G. Ruggie

In this essay we revisit the principles of “embedded liberalism” and argue for their relevance to the contemporary global economy. The most essential principle is the need for markets to enjoy social legitimacy, because their political sustainability ultimately depends... View Details

Keywords: Economic Systems; Ethics; International Finance; Globalization; Multinational Firms and Management; Corporate Governance; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Labor

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Research Summary

Rare Consumption Disasters

By: Emil N. Siriwardane

Another defining feature of financial crises is consumption disasters, or large drops in aggregate consumption. Rather than taking the standard approach of seeking implications of such rare disasters for asset pricing in consumption data, Professor Siriwardane asks... View Details

August 2011
Supplement

InnoCentive.com (C)

By: Karim R. Lakhani and Eric Lonstein

InnoCentive.com enables clients to tap into internal and external solver networks to address various business issues. This case focuses on the outcome of InnoCentive's decision to post challenges related to environmental issues created by the Gulf Oil Spill. It reviews... View Details

Keywords: Innovation and Invention; Networks; Decisions; Outcome or Result; Pollutants; Natural Disasters; Natural Environment; Japan

July 2002 (Revised August 2002)
Case

Washington Hospital Center (D): Emergency Medicine After September 11

By: Rosabeth M. Kanter and Michelle Heskett

The all-risks-ready emergency room prototype project becomes widely accepted as a need after September 11, 2001. The already operational medical informatics system, Insight, comes under heavy demand after its strong performance during crises and is noticed by various... View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Health Care and Treatment; Nonprofit Organizations; Medical Specialties; Organizational Culture; Crisis Management; Technological Innovation; Higher Education; Performance Productivity; Health Industry; District of Columbia

March 2007 (Revised August 2009)
Case

Will RacingThePlanet Ltd. Reach the Finish Line?

Mary Gadams, founder and CEO of RacingThePlanet is facing one of the many logistical crises that her young Hong Kong-based venture faces as it stages its popular 4Deserts(tm) adventure marathon series in Atacama Chile, Gobi Desert Mongolia, Sahara Desert Egypt, and... View Details

Keywords: Global Range; Business or Company Management; Logistics; Entrepreneurship; Globalization; Sports Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Hong Kong; Egypt; Mongolia; Chile; Antarctica