Cold Start Problem - Publications - Faculty & Research

20 Apr 2009
Research & Ideas

Misgovernance at the World Bank

development projects around the globe. The study, by Harvard Law School student Ashwin Kaja and HBS professor Eric Werker, is detailed in the working paper "Corporate Misgovernance at the World Bank" [PDF]. Theirs is the first known study to empirically... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

01 Oct 2024
Research & Ideas

How Politics Drives Business Decisions in a Polarized Nation

become more and more of a relevant problem over the past eight years or so.” US politics are heating up ahead of the November presidential election as voters evaluate candidates Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald J.... View Details

Keywords: by Jay Fitzgerald

12 Nov 2001
Research & Ideas

Can Religion and Business Learn From Each Other?

that someone could start to discuss with his or her theologian? Nash: Let me back up and give you an example of the kind of thing that might cause them to say, "My religion is of relevance here." But then whether they should... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

22 Jul 2002
Research & Ideas

How Business Strategy Tamed the “Invisible Hand”

an "invisible hand" that was largely beyond the control of individual firms. Competitive theory has been advanced at Harvard Business School, shown here under construction. The scope for strategy as a way to control market forces and shape the competitive... View Details

Keywords: by Pankaj Ghemawat

09 Jan 2019
Research & Ideas

The UK Needs a Bold Strategy Around Competition to Survive Brexit

far from clear. Brexit proponents continue to argue that getting out from under the yoke of the EU will solve all its problems through better trade deals, fewer regulations, and curtailed immigration. But an objective strategic assessment... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

29 Sep 2008
Research & Ideas

Financial Crisis Caution Urged by Faculty Panel

securities. "In 2004 and 2005 as these subprime loans started to emerge, it really wasn't a particular problem because of the lag effect, because people who couldn't pay off these mortgages with toxic... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Financial Services

25 Apr 2005
Research & Ideas

New Learning at American Home Products

sales to Johnson & Johnson's Tylenol); Dristan and other cold and allergy-relief medicines; and drugs for asthma, hemorrhoids, and other ills. Canned and packaged goods brought in 11 percent, including such brands as Chef Boyardee... View Details

Keywords: by Alfred D. Chandler Jr.; Chemical; Health; Manufacturing; Pharmaceutical

05 Feb 2009
What Do You Think?

Why Can’t We Figure Out How to Select Leaders?

As Stevan Trooboff put it, "... the problem in picking leaders lies as much with definition of what types of leadership is required as in the process of selection itself." Dean Madison asked whether, in selecting leaders, we are... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

24 Oct 2017
Research & Ideas

Tax Reform is on the Front Burner Again. Here’s Why You Should Care

Credit: malerapaso For as much as American politicians and their constituents complain about taxes, the truth is that tax reform packages to address those complaints are rare—the last major reform of the tax code was passed in 1986 under President Ronald Reagan. But... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

16 Mar 2003
Research & Ideas

At the Center of Corporate Scandal Where Do We Go From Here?

economy. I know that a lot of things have been done to address these problems already, but my own sense is that what we've seen is incomplete. Too much of our public discussion has operated on the surface of the problems. We need to go a... View Details

Keywords: by Kim B. Clark

16 Jul 2001
Research & Ideas

How to Compete Like a Judo Strategist

stay a leader," as Donna Dubinsky (CEO of Handspring, Inc.) says. Once a smaller or weaker firm starts to play defense, the game is usually over. So "play offense and play to win," is the advice of Intuit founder Scott... View Details

Keywords: by David B. Yoffie & Mary Kwak

24 Mar 2008
Research & Ideas

Reducing Risk with Online Advertising

not being cheated? I've been looking at this for five years from a technical perspective. But it has struck me that this is basically an economic problem, namely a problem with incentives. The fraudsters do what they do with reasonable... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Video Game; Web Services

14 Oct 2013
Research & Ideas

Time that Government Reopens for Business

doesn't increase its debt limit on October 17, it will start defaulting on its bills—an unprecedented event in the nation's history. Senior Lecturer Joseph B. Fuller, a member of the School's Entrepreneurial Management Unit and an expert... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Aisner

22 May 2018
First Look

New Research and Ideas, May 22, 2018

established practice. Companies have hired writers and chief content officers to run departments as well as create blogs and other materials—in the process, some have assured sales people that content marketing can mean the end of cold... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

02 Sep 2002
Research & Ideas

The Role of Government When All Else Fails

extremely powerful—function of government. Now, you also asked about the future. One thing I've learned is that historians very often get themselves into trouble when they start trying to predict the future. So I'm not going to try to do... View Details

Keywords: by Laura Linard

09 Aug 2004
Research & Ideas

A Diagnostic for Disruptive Innovation

bringing them to market. Though this article presents the three diagnostics linearly, they are rarely conducted in a linear fashion. Teams or individuals searching for disruptive opportunities can start with any of them. The results of... View Details

Keywords: by Scott D. Anthony, Mark W. Johnson & Matt Eyring

13 Sep 2004
Research & Ideas

Cash and the Woman-Owned Business

risk-averse. b) They can't make tough decisions. Whether or not they are true, these assumptions create significant barriers to success for women entrepreneurs who want to build large enterprises. If true, they might reflect fundamental View Details

Keywords: by Candida Brush, Nancy M. Carter, Elizabeth Gatewood, Patricia G. Greene & Myra M. Hart

12 Oct 1999
Research & Ideas

Value Judgments: Business Ethics Across Borders

back to the time of Confucius," says Paine, "the primacy of personal relationships and interpersonal reciprocity has been paramount in China. This poses a problem for those who want to use strictly market criteria when choosing... View Details

Keywords: by Judith A. Ross

02 Feb 2007
What Do You Think?

Is There Too Little “Know Why” In Business?

man who also knows Why will always be his boss," before concluding that it's a "balance of 'Know Why' and 'Know How' that will generate results." Wisdom Chitedze, however, put purpose in a somewhat different perspective: "The View Details