Development Finance Institutions - Publications - Faculty & Research

23 Apr 2001
Research & Ideas

The Gulf: It’s a Family Affair

struggled to get twenty-five people to the conference. At that conference the academics and consultants came together and created a professional society called the Family Firm Institute (FFI) to develop... View Details

Keywords: by Wendy Guild & Andrea Schulman

16 Jul 2012
Research & Ideas

Book Excerpt: ‘The Strategist’

strategy in the way they might learn finance or marketing. As business leaders, they aren't going to be functional specialists. But they do need to be strategists. Are you a strategist? It's a question all business leaders must answer... View Details

Keywords: by Cynthia A. Montgomery

21 Nov 2024
Blog Post

Thoughts on the JD/MBA From a Recent Grad

seminar, each student picks a topic of interest to research and then presents his or her thesis for an hour while fielding tough questions from the class. Students often treat the seminar as an opportunity to pursue and get feedback on an idea that they have started to... View Details

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“It’s like a pie-eating contest” | Social Enterprise | Harvard Business School

business people like you.’” Leadership Fellows builds a bridge Josh’s initial explorations were a “rough go.” When he looked for internship opportunities, he found that “no one understood why a finance guy would want to go into health... View Details

21 Feb 2012
First Look

First Look: Feb. 21

managed. Firms in developing countries, such as Brazil, China, and India tend to be poorly managed. American retail firms and hospitals are also well managed by international standards, although American schools are more poorly managed... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

May 2024
Case

Naked Wines: The Profit vs. Growth Decision

By: Benjamin C. Esty and Edward A. Meyer

Nick Devlin faced a difficult strategic decision in October 2022. As the CEO of a UK-based subscription business connecting wine drinkers in the US, UK, and Australia with winemakers from around the world (which one journalist called the “Netflix of Wine”), he had to... View Details

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05 Aug 2014
First Look

First Look: August 5

universities and private companies to develop technologies important to Danish industry. We assess the effect of a unique mediated funding scheme that combines project grants with active facilitation and conflict management on firm... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

26 Feb 2019
First Look

New Research and Ideas, February 26, 2019

dollars. This creates a direct connection between U.S. monetary policy and EME credit cycles. We estimate that over a typical U.S. monetary easing cycle, EME borrowers experience a 32-percentage-point greater increase in the volume of loans issued by foreign banks than... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

12 Apr 2004
Research & Ideas

What Great American Leaders Teach Us

Leadership Initiative was organized to be a catalyst for research on leaders and leadership, and to design effective leadership development programs that are relevant for the 21st century. The goal of the Initiative is to support Harvard... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

November 2024 (Revised July 2025)
Case

Polish Agro: Where Do We Grow From Here?

By: Willy C. Shih, Lena Duchene and Daniela Beyersdorfer

By July 2024, Polish Agro had grown into one of Poland’s fastest-growing agribusinesses, with €230 million in revenue, 82 employees, and operations across Northern Poland. The company supported farmers with essential agricultural inputs like fertilizers and seeds,... View Details

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Career Coach

Brent Brown

Brent (HBS '02) has experience in private equity/venture capital, investment banking, and real estate, consumer products and digital media industries and currently serves on the boards of numerous private companies. Work Experience: US Army, Goldman Sachs, Taurus... View Details

Keywords: Education; Entrepreneurship; Commercial Banking; Financial Services (All); Investment Banking; Financial Services (All); Investment Management; Financial Services (All); Private Equity; Financial Services (All); Venture Capital; Financial Services (All); Real Estate; Retail; Sports; Clean Technology; Energy; Telecommunications; Technology

28 Apr 2009
First Look

First Look: April 28, 2009

Surgical to develop some, but not all, of Incept's IP. The specifics of which IP Confluent would develop were described by a licensing agreement between Incept and Confluent. Venture capitalist Charles... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

August 2008
Case

The Chubb Corporation in China

By: Li Jin, Michael Shih-ta Chen and Aldo Sesia

The Chubb Corporation, headquartered in the U.S., was the holding company for a number of property and casualty insurance companies which operated in 29 countries. In 1979, the Chinese government, as part of its "reform and open" policy invited a delegation of Chubb... View Details

Keywords: Insurance; Globalized Firms and Management; Growth and Development Strategy; Emerging Markets; Market Entry and Exit; Business and Government Relations; Insurance Industry; China; United States

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September 2002
Case

Abercrombie & Kent

By: Frances X. Frei, Brian Corbett, Mark Partin and Daniel Rethazy

Describes Abercrombie & Kent, the outdoor adventure company that has provided services throughout the entire history of the outdoor adventure industry. Provides an opportunity to learn how the company successfully grown into a premier player in the industry by adapting... View Details

Keywords: History; Financial Management; Activity Based Costing and Management; Service Operations; Marketing Reference Programs; Product Development; Business Growth and Maturation; Balance and Stability; Marketing Channels; Transportation; Growth and Development Strategy; Travel Industry

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March 1999
Case

MySoftware Company (A)

By: H. Kent Bowen and Nicole Tempest

In 1997, Gregory Slayton took the position as CEO of MySoftware, which had been experiencing revenue and operating losses for the past two years. Within 90 days, he stabilized the company through a combination of cost cutting, financial discipline, and accountability... View Details

Keywords: Decisions; Cost Management; Profit; Employees; Growth and Development Strategy; Operations; Outcome or Result; Partners and Partnerships; Internet and the Web; Applications and Software; Information Technology Industry

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02 Mar 2016
News

On Credit

church, or were married to a neighbor’s daughter. But with the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825 and the spread of railroads, newly developed transportation systems expanded the range of business dealings beyond hometown connections. More... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna

October 2006 (Revised May 2007)
Case

Academia Barilla

By: David E. Bell and Mary L. Shelman

Barilla, the world's largest pasta company, has introduced a new high-quality, high-priced product line that features a range of authentic Italian food products sourced from artisan producers. Management believes the line will appeal to consumers seeking healthier... View Details

Keywords: Supply Chain; Plant-Based Agribusiness; Brands and Branding; Decision Choices and Conditions; Family Ownership; Nutrition; Product Development; Investment; Food and Beverage Industry; Italy

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15 Mar 2011
First Look

First Look: March 15

That They Are Now Losing Authors:Michael I. Norton and Samuel R. Sommers Publication:Perspectives on Psychological Science (forthcoming) Abstract Although some have heralded recent political and cultural developments as signaling the... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

09 Jul 2024
Research & Ideas

Are Management Consulting Firms Failing to Manage Themselves?

for growth become a primary objective, pulling these firms away from their foundational north star: CEO and C-suite management consulting. In pursuing additional opportunities, consulting firms have widely diversified the industry breadth and functional depth of their... View Details

Keywords: by David Fubini; Consulting

February 2024
Case

Continuity & Change at Boston Consulting Group

By: David G. Fubini, Suraj Srinivasan and David Lane

As the new CEO of Boston Consulting Group (BCG) since autumn 2021, Christoph Schweizer had big shoes to fill—his predecessor, Rich Lesser, had tripled the partnership’s total revenues and created digital initiatives that contributed 40+% of 2021 revenues, more than... View Details