Publications

April 2003
Case

IBM Canada: Global Services (A)

By: Michael L. Tushman, David Kiron and Wendy Smith

IBM Canada Global Services is losing shares in a stagnant information technology market. A new leader must overcome a senior team rife with internal conflict and change internal processes to drive innovation streams. The leader struggles to build an ambidextrous... View Details

Keywords: Leading Change; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Change Management; Management Teams; Innovation and Management; Conflict Management; Groups and Teams; Service Industry; Canada

Article

Weak Corporate Insolvency Rules: The Missing Driver of Zombie Lending

By: Bo Becker and Victoria Ivashina

"Zombie lending"—lending to less-productive firms at subsidized rates—can help banks with misaligned incentives in the short run, but it prolongs economic downturns. We propose that inefficient resolution of insolvency is a significant contributor to this problem. We... View Details

Keywords: Zombie Credit; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Financing and Loans; Economic Slowdown and Stagnation

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Web

Seen and Unseen | Baker Library | Bloomberg Center | Harvard Business School

card. In stark contrast is the scene of conflict between armed settlers and unarmed Indigenous people at lower left, followed by a picturesque image of Washington’s Headquarters at Morristown, New Jersey, at... View Details

2023
Chapter

Malleability Interventions in Intergroup Relations

By: Smadar Cohen-Chen, Amit Goldenberg, James J. Gross and Eran Halperin

One important characteristic of intergroup relations and conflicts is the fact that toxic or violent intergroup relations are often associated with fixed and stable perceptions of various entities, including the ingroup (stable and positive), the outgroup (stable and... View Details

Keywords: Conflict and Resolution; Groups and Teams; Attitudes

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Profile

Ben Faw

deep personal interest of mine to wean ourselves from oil. When you have friends and colleagues who have given their lives in conflicts related to oil interests, you’re motivated to find ways to reduce oil... View Details

Keywords: Nonprofit / Government; Technology; Manufacturing

January 2001 (Revised October 2002)
Case

The American Medical Association-Sunbeam Deal (A): Serpent on the Staff Meets Chainsaw Al

By: Ashish Nanda and Kimberly A. Haddad

Facing dwindling membership and looking to increase its revenue, the American Medical Association (AMA) signed an endorsement deal with Sunbeam Corp., a leader in the small home appliance industry, in August 1997. In the deal, the AMA would receive significant... View Details

Keywords: Conflict of Interests; Organizations; Health Care and Treatment; Health Industry; United States

December 2004 (Revised November 2006)
Case

Esrey & LeMay Sprint Options, The

By: Henry B. Reiling and Kevin Wall

Sprint's outside auditor simultaneously provided tax advice--including the recommendation of tax shelters related to Sprint options--to senior Sprint officers. These tax structures were called into question amid circumstances that raise a variety of conflicting issues... View Details

Keywords: Taxation; Conflict of Interests; Governing and Advisory Boards; Decision Choices and Conditions; Personal Development and Career; Telecommunications Industry

16 Nov 2020
Research & Ideas

Transitions of Power Are Difficult. What Joe Biden and Other Incoming Leaders Need to Know.

should immediately reflect their priorities for their daily lives. Silverthorne: Given how ingrained group conflict is, is divisiveness and thus decline inevitable—or is there hope? Kanter: A classic social... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

July 1997
Case

Graffs, The (A)

By: Carl S. Sloane and Gregory C. Rogers

Examines dual-career issues and conflicts between spouses' career objectives, personal values, and life structures. It does so by a in-depth examination of the lives and careers of a professional couple (a successful entrepreneur and a lawyer), choice points in their... View Details

Keywords: Work-Life Balance; Family and Family Relationships; Conflict Management

01 Mar 2017
Video

Negotiating Peace in Canada's Largest Rainforest — Wally Eamer (MBA 1979)

27 Mar 2014
Video

Responding to Different Interpersonal Styles

February 2006 (Revised November 2012)
Case

Corporate Responsibility & Community Engagement at the Tintaya Copper Mine (A)

By: V. Kasturi Rangan, Brooke Barton and Ezequiel Reficco

Located in the highlands of Peru, the Tintaya copper mine has long been a source of intense conflict between local community members and mine operators. The mine, which was owned and managed first by the Peruvian state and later by BHP Billiton, stands on 2,300... View Details

Keywords: Developing Countries and Economies; Multinational Firms and Management; Agreements and Arrangements; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Business and Community Relations; Non-Governmental Organizations; Conflict Management; Mining Industry; Australia; Peru

April 3, 2018
Article

Insight on Syria: What Are Putin's Motives?

By: Rawi Abdelal and Alexandra Vacroux

Russia’s direct entry into the Syrian conflict in September 2015 was spurred by a plethora of motivations. Russian scholars Rawi Abdelal and Alexandra Vacroux unpack the various rationales. View Details

Keywords: Syrian Civil War; Vladimir Putin; War; International Relations; Russia; Syria

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April 2009 (Revised November 2012)
Case

Sermo, Inc.

By: Thomas R. Eisenmann and Lars Peter Christian Nielsen

Sermo operates the leading online professional network for physicians in the United States. Doctors use Sermo free of charge to post surveys regarding diagnostic and treatment concerns and to discuss these concerns, as well as challenges with managing their practices.... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Health Care and Treatment; Knowledge Sharing; Two-Sided Platforms; Conflict and Resolution; Social and Collaborative Networks; United States

02 Jan 2020
News

16 New Business Books You Need to Read in 2020

August 2010 (Revised October 2010)
Case

Patagonia

By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell, Hyunjin Kim and Forest L. Reinhardt

Patagonia was deeply committed to the environment. This commitment, at times, conflicted with the company's goal to create the most innovative products in its industry. Patagonia's founder and executives welcomed imitation of both its environmental commitment and its... View Details

Keywords: Business History; Environmental Sustainability; Business Model; Business Strategy; Expansion; Consumer Products Industry

June 1981 (Revised February 1983)
Case

West Point: The Cheating Incident (A)

By: Leonard A. Schlesinger

Presents a review of published data on the 1976 cheating scandal at West Point. Written from the perspective of the Academy Superintendent, it raises issues of ethics, organizational change and action planning in the face of conflicting stakeholder interests. View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Higher Education; Ethics; Government Administration; Conflict and Resolution; Planning; Public Administration Industry; Education Industry

April 1980
Case

Dilemma of an Accountant

Daniel Potter receives a boost in his young career as a CPA by being specially placed on a particularly important assignment. He and his boss, who is known both for his accounting acumen and his autocratic manner, come into direct conflict over the evaluation and... View Details

Keywords: Accounting; Conflict and Resolution