Publications

23 Aug 2006
Op-Ed

The Real Wal-Mart Effect

paying higher prices. In The Wal-Mart Effect, Charles Fishman raises another specter: Wal-Mart as giant boa constrictor, squeezing the life out of capitalism through sheer market dominance. This seems far-fetched. Wal-Mart still accounts... View Details

Keywords: by Pankaj Ghemawat & Ken A. Mark; Retail

August 2002 (Revised February 2003)
Case

Siebel Systems: Anatomy of a Sale, Part 2

By: John A. Deighton and Das Narayandas

How does a $2 million software sale happen? This case traces efforts by Siebel Systems to sell lead management software to discount broker Quick & Reilly. The buying process is mapped out over four years. Covers in detail the last six months--from Siebel's initial... View Details

Keywords: Business Cycles; Leadership; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Marketing Strategy; Consumer Behavior; Organizational Structure; Behavior; Competition; Applications and Software; Technology Industry

02 Sep 2014
First Look

First Look: September 2

Publications September 2014 Organization Science Social Comparisons and Deception Across Workplace Hierarchies: Field and Experimental Evidence By: Edelman, Benjamin, and Ian Larkin Abstract—We examine how unfavorable social comparisons... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

17 Nov 2003
Research & Ideas

Lessons from a Nasty Trade Dispute

of both direct and indirect subsidies in industries throughout the world, and careful attention must be paid to the advantages that might accrue to competitors in very subtle ways. Q: To what extent do you think managers can benefit from... View Details

Keywords: by Cynthia Churchwell

March 2000 (Revised February 2005)
Case

Hewlett Packard--Computer Systems Organization: Selling to Enterprise Customers

By: Das Narayandas and Robert C. Dudley

In late 1996, Manuel Diaz, head of Worldwide Sales for Hewlett-Packard's (HP) Computer Systems Organization (CSO), is reviewing the results of an audit of HP's enterprise customer management approach with the objective of identifying market and organizational... View Details

Keywords: Accounting Audits; Transformation; Customer Relationship Management; Cost vs Benefits; Marketing Strategy; Sales; Computer Industry

05 May 2015
First Look

First Look: May 5

question fail to account for the fact that employees usually care whether the pursuit of purpose is authentic and that the embrace of purpose often affects even employees whose own work is remote from the... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

25 Jan 2000
Research & Ideas

Strategic Alliances

alliances, however, start from the top; sometimes they spring from sheer happenstance. The CARE-Starbucks relationship, for example, began when a CARE regional officer bought a cup of Starbucks coffee and noticed that the two View Details

Keywords: by Nancy O. Perry

05 Nov 2014
What Do You Think?

Are We Entering an Era of Neuromanagement?

strategy of the organization for talent management. At the end of the day, neuromanagement is a tool-it can never be an end." Some were repelled by the notion. This group included AIM: "As a human, I feel very belittled by such... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

March 2023 (Revised March 2025)
Module Note

LCA Module Overview: Society

By: Nien-hê Hsieh

Leadership and Corporate and Accountability (LCA) is a required course in the first-year MBA curriculum at Harvard Business School to help managers determine and deliver on their economic, legal, and ethical responsibilities. This note summarizes the cases and outlines... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact

2022
Book

Democratize Work: The Case for Reorganizing the Economy

By: Isabelle Ferreras, Julie Battilana and Dominique Méda

What happens to a society—and a planet—when capitalism outgrows democracy? The tensions between democracy and capitalism are longstanding, and they have been laid bare by the social effects of COVID-19. The narrative of “essential workers” has provided thin cover for... View Details

Keywords: Democratic Capitalism; Essential Workers; Sustainability; Equality and Inequality; Climate Change; Social Issues

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02 May 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research: May 2, 2017

New Challenge: Whole-Family Care By: Fengler, Keith, Joseph B. Fuller, and Scott Olsen Abstract—No abstract available. Publisher's link: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=52581 May–June 2017 Harvard Business Review Reclaim... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

14 Jun 2023
Research & Ideas

Four Steps to Building the Psychological Safety That High-Performing Teams Need

The idea went mainstream in 2012, when Google’s Project Aristotle identified psychological safety as a key component in successful teams. Edmondson says the theory took on more urgency as organizations faced uncertainty and complexity... View Details

Keywords: by Kara Baskin

12 Jul 2010
Research & Ideas

Rocket Science Retailing: A Practical Guide

within stores. Align incentives within your organization and in the supply chain. Use technology judiciously and pay attention to emerging new technologies, whose value might still not be apparent. Explain the changes you are making to... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Retail; Auto

May 1975 (Revised September 1987)
Case

Bio-Tech, Inc.

Financial vice president is expected to prepare a financing plan for Bio-Tech matching the most recent long-range plans of three operating groups. The latter, however, must be adjusted to take account of recommendations to be made on plant investment of one product... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Corporate Finance

16 May 2012
Research & Ideas

Can Decades of Military Overspending be Fixed?

of a total federal R&D budget of $8.7 billion, or 64.4 percent. By 2007, the defense R&D budget had risen to $69.3 billion, accounting for 50 percent of the total federal R&D budget of $137.2 billion. In pursuit of its mission... View Details

Keywords: by J. Ronald Fox; Service

23 Jan 2012
Research & Ideas

Break Your Addiction to Service Heroes

that there are a lot of heroic people in service organizations who feel compelled to be the best at everything. That's particularly evident in mission-driven and health care organizations, where managers... View Details

Keywords: by Deborah Blagg; Service

2010
Book

Seven Strategy Questions: A Simple Approach for Better Execution

By: Robert L. Simons

To stay ahead of the pack, you must translate your organization's competitive strategy into day-to-day actions that will enable your company to win in the marketplace. This means channeling resources into the right efforts, striking a balance between innovation and... View Details

Keywords: Decision Choices and Conditions; Innovation and Management; Resource Allocation; Business Processes; Organizational Culture; Competitive Strategy

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