Publications

10 Sep 2018
Research & Ideas

Celebrating 'The Men and Women of the Corporation' 40 Years Later

people who directly impact the world, and not just by teaching MBA students and executives here at HBS. It's through consulting. It's through activism. I've always been... View Details

Keywords: by Robin J. Ely

October 2018 (Revised October 2019)
Case

Arlan Hamilton and Backstage Capital

By: Laura Huang and Sarah Mehta

Frustrated by an inability to convince existing venture capital firms to invest in companies led by women, people of color, and LGBT founders, Arlan Hamilton started her own firm, Backstage Capital, in 2015. Hamilton understood the untapped potential of companies run... View Details

Keywords: Black Leadership; LGBTQ; Women; People Of Color; Entrepreneurship; Mission and Purpose; Venture Capital; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Identity; Personal Characteristics; Prejudice and Bias; Social Issues; Diversity; Gender; Race

01 Nov 1999
Research & Ideas

Companies, Cultures and the Transformation to the Transnational

of doing things" and shape its international organization structure and processes. Business historian Alfred Chandler has traced the influence of the cultural values and... View Details

Keywords: by Christopher A. Bartlett & Sumantra Ghoshal

17 May 2011
News

Sustainable growth is the new incarnation of capitalism

March 2017 (Revised September 2017)
Case

Facebook Fake News in the Post-Truth World

By: John R. Wells and Carole A. Winkler

In January 2017, Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook, was surrounded by controversy. The election of Donald Trump as the next president of the United States in November 2016 had triggered a national storm of protests, and many attributed Trump’s victory to... View Details

09 Nov 2022
In Practice

COP27: What Can Business Leaders Do to Fight Climate Change Now?

The US government’s newly passed Inflation Reduction Act will direct $370 billion toward advancing renewal energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions—the country's largest investment in fighting climate change so far. As business and government leaders around the... View Details

Keywords: by Lynn Schenk and Danielle Kost

March 2015 (Revised August 2020)
Case

Putting the Guiding Principles into Action: Human Rights at Barrick Gold (A)

By: Rebecca Henderson and Nien-he Hsieh

In 2010, Human Rights Watch, a well-regarded international NGO, approached Barrick Gold asserting that members of the company’s security force at the Porgera Gold Mine in Papua New Guinea had on multiple occasions raped women who were trespassing onto the mine’s waste... View Details

Keywords: Human Rights; Business And Society; Rights; Policy; Leading Change; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Business and Government Relations

17 Aug 2020
Research & Ideas

What the Stockdale Paradox Tells Us About Crisis Leadership

correctly and shaping one’s response to it optimally. The maxim of Epictetus, “What, then, is to be done? To make the best of what is in our power, and take the rest as it... View Details

Keywords: by Boris Groysberg and Robin Abrahams

22 May 2021
News

This Neighborhood Badly Needs A Grocery Store. A Medical Device Maker Will Build One

January 2004 (Revised April 2004)
Case

Crisis and Response: Sexual Abuse Allegations in the Boston Archdiocese (A)

By: Ashish Nanda

This case describes how the Boston archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church handled allegations of clergy sexual abuse during the 1990s. In 2002, the archdiocese was confronted by public revelations of how the allegations were handled. Professional organizations first... View Details

Keywords: Conflict of Interests; Crime and Corruption; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Religion; Crisis Management; Boston

01 Dec 2003
News

HIV/AIDS and Business

social and financial cost of inaction is so high that standing by is not an option, particularly for multinational corporations doing business in countries with high infection... View Details

Keywords: Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools

06 Mar 2018
First Look

First Look at Research and Ideas, March 6, 2018

their businesses to shareholders through stock buybacks and dividends rather than invest for the long term, undermining job growth and putting the country’s economic future at risk, often pointing to the... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

July–August 2021
Article

Surfacing the Submerged State: Operational Transparency Increases Trust in and Engagement with Government

By: Ryan W. Buell, Ethan Porter and Michael I. Norton

Problem definition: As trust in government reaches historic lows, frustration with government performance approaches record highs. Academic/practical relevance: We propose that in co-productive settings like government services, peoples’ trust and... View Details

Keywords: Government Services; Behavioral Operations; Operational Transparency; Government Administration; Service Operations; Programs; Perception; Attitudes; Behavior; Trust

Program

Leading and Building a Culture of Innovation

Summary Today's leaders are evolving their approaches to leadership and innovation in response to quantum shifts in how we work and live. In the midst of economic, societal,... View Details

November 1990 (Revised June 2004)
Case

McDonald's and the Environment

McDonald's decides to withdraw its polystyrene plastic packaging for sandwiches and hamburgers after years of defending itself against environmental critics. The decision occurs in the midst of a six-month Joint Task Force study, with the nonprofit Environmental... View Details

Keywords: Announcements; Change Management; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Environmental Sustainability; Retail Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; United States