Publications

28 Jun 2021
Blog Post

7 Things HBS Taught Me the Last 2 Years

approach you’re taking to move through complexity and uncertainty. This trains you every single day to develop rigorous mental frameworks to deal with problems in this methodical way. #4 Ask for help. The biggest advice I got from one of... View Details

29 Nov 2021
Research & Ideas

How Bonuses Get Employees to Choose Work Over Family

When your boss asks you to meet with clients for last-minute drinks, are you tempted to clear your calendar, even if it means missing your child’s piano recital? If so, you’re among the many professionals who tend to prioritize professional relationships over personal... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Kim Raczka

17 Jan 2008
Research & Ideas

If Marketing Experts Ran Elections

requires the development of a distinctive, appealing message, delivered consistently over time. But politicians can't win by targeting a single niche segment. They have to win a majority on election day, and doing so often means parsing... View Details

Keywords: by John A. Quelch

09 Apr 2007
Research & Ideas

Industry Self-Regulation: What’s Working (and What’s Not)?

issue, managers at buyers and suppliers are faced with hundreds of different supply chain programs—from labeling schemes like Fair Trade and organics, to industry association programs like Responsible Care and Sustainable Slopes, to a variety of programs View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

February 2008 (Revised March 2011)
Case

Sandhar Technologies Group, Ltd.

By: G. Felda Hardymon and Ann Leamon

Jayant Davar, CEO and founder of Sandhar Technologies Group, a privately held auto components maker in India, is trying to decide how best to grow the company. He recently took a $22 million investment from Actis Capital, a major emerging markets private equity firm,... View Details

Keywords: Private Equity; Business Growth and Maturation; Competitive Advantage; Entrepreneurship; Mergers and Acquisitions; Emerging Markets; Growth and Development Strategy; Manufacturing Industry; Auto Industry; India

April 1990
Case

Nestle Alimentana S.A. -- Infant Formula (Abridged)

By: James E. Austin

The new vice president of infant and dietetic products of Nestle Alimentana S.A. has to make recommendations on the company's marketing programs for its infant formulas in developing countries. The U.S. subsidiary is currently the target of a consumer boycott because... View Details

Keywords: Product Marketing; Emerging Markets; Developing Countries and Economies; Distribution Channels; Marketing Strategy; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Food; Business Subsidiaries; Food and Beverage Industry; United States; Switzerland

Web

Agents of Change: The Founding of the AASU - The Golden Age of Black Business

success within a black economy, which developed in response to the nation's rise of two worlds of race." 4 African Americans who attended HBS during this time went on to make significant contributions in diverse fields and in their... View Details

June 2007 (Revised April 2016)
Case

Octone Records

By: Anita Elberse and Elie Ofek

In February 2007, Octone Records founders James Diener, Ben Berkman, and David Boxenbaum had been highly successful with the first two bands they had signed, Maroon 5 and Flyleaf. Known for its grassroots marketing campaigns, Octone operated through a unique... View Details

Keywords: Arts; Joint Ventures; Investment Return; Marketing Strategy; Product Launch; Product Development; Outcome or Result; Creativity; Music Industry

Web

Credential of Leadership, Impact, and Management in Business | HBS Online

Introduction to Credential of Leadership, Impact, and Management in Business (CLIMB) Our Most Comprehensive Offering 5 pre-set courses + 2 electives + a capstone project. Choose from the New Leader or Experienced Leader learning paths. 100% online View Details

May 2021
Article

Risk-Mitigating Technologies: The Case of Radiation Diagnostic Devices

By: Alberto Galasso and Hong Luo

We study the impact of consumers’ risk perception on firm innovation. Our analysis exploits a major surge in the perceived risk of radiation diagnostic devices following extensive media coverage of a set of over-radiation accidents involving CT scanners in late 2009.... View Details

Keywords: Risk Perception; Innovation; Medical Devices; Liability Risk; Risk and Uncertainty; Perception; Technological Innovation

Read Now

December 2005
Case

IBM and Eclipse (A)

IBM faces a collective action problem: It open sourced its $40 million application platform and has to convince other companies to contribute. Explores the events leading up to IBM's decision to make the Eclipse platform available as an Open Source project. In 1998,... View Details

Keywords: Digital Platforms; Open Source Distribution; Cooperation; Adoption; Computer Industry; Information Technology Industry

2007
Text Book

The Moral Leader: Challenges, Tools, and Insights

By: Sandra J. Sucher

Successful leaders—at any level and in any arena—are inevitably presented with moral and ethical choices. This unique and innovative textbook is designed to encourage students and managers to confront those fundamental moral challenges, to develop skills in moral... View Details

Keywords: Competency and Skills; Decision Choices and Conditions; Judgments; Moral Sensibility; Leadership

February 2014 (Revised March 2014)
Case

Red Star Furniture Group Co. Ltd.

By: Krishna G. Palepu and Pedro Nueno

Founded in 1986, Red Star had become the leading department store in China for furniture and home equipment products (bathroom, lamps, textiles complements, etc.). The business model of Red Star was to provide adequate space for vendors (that rented the space) in good... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship In Emerging Markets; Growth Strategy And Execution; Growth and Development Strategy; Retail Industry; China

Research Summary

Investment Decisions and Decision Problems in Professional Investment Management

Jay O. Light is evaluating strategic business decisions in the money management industry as well as problems that arise in the management of very large pools of tax exempt money, particularly pension funds and endowments. From this research he is developing teaching... View Details

Summer 2018
Book Review

Leslie Berlin, Troublemakers: Silicon Valley's Coming of Age

By: William A. Sahlman

Leslie Berlin's book Troublemakers, is an engaging and insightful people-first exploration of the roots of Silicon Valley, from the late 1960s to the early 1980s. Berlin portrays seven individuals who played important roles at critical junctures in the... View Details

Keywords: Silicon Valley; Technological Innovation; Disruptive Innovation; History; California

June 2018 (Revised January 2019)
Background Note

Visualizing Data & Effective Communication

By: Srikant M. Datar and Caitlin N. Bowler

This note explores three specific ways an analyst can use visualization. Section 1 considers visualization to explore data. Section 2 discusses visualization as a tool for developing a deeper understanding of trends and phenomena encoded in the data. Section 3... View Details

Keywords: Data Visualization; Graphical Guidelines; Charts; Analytics and Data Science; Communication

2018
Article

Service Operations: What Have We Learned?

By: Liana Victorino, Joy M. Field, Ryan W. Buell, Michael J. Dixon, Susan M. Goldstein, Larry J. Menor, Madeleine E. Pullman, Aleda V. Roth, Enrico Secchi and Jie J. Zhang

The purpose of this article is to identify research themes in service operations that have great potential for exciting and innovative conceptual and empirical work. To frame these research themes, the article provides a systematic literature review of operations... View Details

Keywords: Service Operations; Knowledge; Research

September 2016
Case

Designing Performance Metrics at GoDaddy

By: C. Fritz Foley and Michael Lemm

Scott Wagner has recently joined GoDaddy, a leading provider of cloud-based software and services that helped individuals and small businesses establish a web presence, in the dual role of chief operating officer and chief financial officer. One of his first tasks is... View Details

Keywords: Motivation and Incentives; Management Practices and Processes; Performance Evaluation; Compensation and Benefits; Web Services Industry

2014
Chapter

Ein Jahrzehnt Clusterpolitik und -forschung: Implikationen für eine moderne, clusterorientierte Wirtschaftsförderung

By: Christian H.M. Ketels

Reflecting on the experience of nearly two decades this chapter discusses the nature of cluster-based economic policies. It first looks at the types of programmes and initiatives that have emerged, and the evidence on their impact on economic outcomes. It then tracks... View Details

Keywords: Clusters; Cluster Initiative Program; Economic Policy; Regional Policy; Policy; Economics