Publications

06 May 2013
Research & Ideas

How Local Events Shake Up Corporate Philanthropy

for nonprofit organizations and city planners, the researchers hope their study will provide a jumping-off point for broader discussion about the importance of location to organizational behavior. "The English language is expressive... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

19 May 2011
Research & Ideas

Empathy: The Brand Equity of Retail

apply it to their own work. "It's a core question for all of you: Are you in the business of rationality or emotionality?" he said. "If empathy is lacking in a nonprofit such as a hospital, what hope is there in retail?" To that end, one... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Health

25 Apr 2000
Research & Ideas

Adjusting the Fit for Government

Berlin-based nonprofit that supports "national integrity systems" to help curb corruption, Ezekwesili told the HBS audience that it's not enough for African governments to aspire to macro- and microeconomic stability. "We... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

31 Mar 2009
First Look

First Look: March 31, 2009

companies quickly adopted the Balanced Scorecard giving us deeper and broader insights into its power and potential. During the next 15 years, as it was adopted by thousands of private, public, and nonprofit enterprises around the world,... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

09 Sep 2013
Lessons from the Classroom

Teaching Climate Change to Skeptics

legislation to counter the potential risks of climate change. Coordinated by the nonprofit advocacy group Ceres, BICEP members include eBay, Ben & Jerry's, Gap, Levi Strauss & Co., Nike, and Mars. They have their work cut out for... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

April 2007 (Revised June 2007)
Case

Aid, Debt Relief, and Trade: An Agenda for Fighting World Poverty (A)

By: Laura Alfaro, Eric D. Werker and Renee Kim

At the 2005 Group of Eight summit, world leaders agreed to relieve the world's poorest countries' debt burdens and double aid to Africa by 2010. The announcement raised questions whether debt relief would really help the poor. By examining past aid trends and policies... View Details

Keywords: Developing Countries and Economies; Borrowing and Debt; Capital; International Relations; Nonprofit Organizations; Poverty; Welfare; Africa

March 2021 (Revised November 2022)
Case

Blue Meridian Partners (A): Scaling for Impact

By: V. Kasturi Rangan

In 2018, Edna McConnell Clark Foundation in a bold move transferred all its assets to a fund pooled with other General Partners and Limited Partners, called Blue Meridian Partners, to focus substantial long range investments in a few carefully chosen nonprofits.The... View Details

Keywords: Venture Philanthropy; Scaling; COVID-19 Pandemic; Social Justice; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Venture Capital; Business Model; Social Issues; Poverty; Values and Beliefs; Decisions; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Nonprofit Organizations; Investment Portfolio

29 Jan 2019
Research & Ideas

'Green Bonds' May Be Our Best Bet for Environmental Damage Control

Municipalities have been selling bonds to pay for public works projects—fire stations, parking garages,sewage treatment systems—for 200 years. It’s only in the past decade or so, however, that they’ve been selling them with an extra perk: helping the environment. In... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Energy; Utilities; Construction; Green Technology; Public Administration

11 Mar 2001
Research & Ideas

Wired and Black: Focus on Careers

workplace, panelists agreed, people of color must learn to overcome it. Benaree Pratt Wiley (HBS MBA ’72), president and CEO of The Partnership, Inc., a Boston-based nonprofit that attempts to increase the number of minorities in... View Details

Keywords: by Carrie Levine

December 1993 (Revised January 1994)
Case

Montana Land Reliance

By: Forest L. Reinhardt and Thomas Patterson

The Montana Land Reliance is a small not-for-profit organization in the business of creating conservation easements on private lands in Montana. The easements preserve the scenic character and recreational value of the lands by precluding subdivision and other forms of... View Details

Keywords: Private Ownership; Motivation and Incentives; Business or Company Management; Natural Environment; Nonprofit Organizations; Property; Environmental Sustainability; Government and Politics; Montana

Find at Harvard

11 Nov 2013
Research & Ideas

A Smarter Way to Reduce Customer Defections

111.3 million subscribers, could see a profit increase of at least $28 million from a single retention campaign if it applied their approach. Gupta says the method could be applied in nonprofit areas to predict, for example, patient... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Retail; Service

11 Mar 2001
Research & Ideas

Digital Designs on the Inner City

for the creation of jobs and wealth among urban families. Moderator Randall Pinkett of M.I.T. Laboratory Anne Habiby, executive vice president of the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City, a national nonprofit founded by HBS professor... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

12 Oct 1999
Research & Ideas

Women Leading Business: A New Kind of Conversation

company that is recognized as successful, with substantial revenues and profits. Our corporate participants are presidents of their companies or divisions, or they're executive vice presidents—almost always within two strikes of the top. We have also had some... View Details

Keywords: Re: Myra M. Hart & Cynthia A. Montgomery

January 2022
Case

VidyaGyan: Bridging the Rural Urban Divide

By: Prithwiraj Choudhury, Rachna Chawla, Kairavi Dey and Anjali Raina

Set up in 2008, VidyaGyan was a residential school for children in grades 6-12 from low-income rural families in Uttar Pradesh in northern India. It was the brainchild of Shiv Nadar and Cabinet Secretary T.S.R. Subramanian, who recognized the enormous potential hidden... View Details

Keywords: Non-profit; Education; Social Enterprise; Non-Governmental Organizations; Nonprofit Organizations; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Wealth and Poverty; Demographics; Equality and Inequality; Performance Evaluation; Opportunities; Education Industry; South Asia; India

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