Public Goods - Publications - Faculty & Research

02 Mar 2016
What Do You Think?

Is Apple’s Real Privacy Challenge Technology Innovation Itself?

serves the good of society, but if it’s used as a tool to deny the FBI its right to obtain access to critical information, it’s ridiculous.” Taking a more pragmatic tack, Mark observed “this phone was issued to the guy--and therefore... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Technology

02 Jun 2011
What Do You Think?

Is it Time for a National Bankruptcy?

workout. Would Euro zone agencies and lawmakers, acting on behalf of lending banks, have to take drastic action to force Greece's government to impose new laws and collect the taxes? This would be a blow to democracy, but would it be a View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

02 Jun 2010
First Look

First Look: June 2

norton ariely.pdf Do Inventory and Gross Margin Data Improve Sales Forecasts for U.S. Public Retailers? Authors:Saravanan Kesavan, Vishal Gaur, and Ananth Raman Publication:Management Science (forthcoming) Abstract Firm-level sales... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

06 Apr 2015
Research & Ideas

After Germanwings, More Attention Needed on Employee Mental Health

him fly at all. That discussion is a rare surfacing of an issue too often ignored—the problem of mental health in the workplace. “A very interesting question to ask is whether the tragedy will be good or bad for treatment and management... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Health; Air Transportation

12 Nov 2014
Op-Ed

A Challenge to the New Congress: Pass Housing Finance Reform

conservatorship, experts from public, private, and academic worlds concurred: housing finance in the United States was mortally flawed. The private sector reaped the gains while the public sector absorbed the risk. In the aftermath of the... View Details

Keywords: by Nicolas Retsinas & Rob Couch; Construction; Real Estate

29 Apr 2013
Research & Ideas

Diagnosing the ‘Flutie Effect’ on College Marketing

Dynamic Advertising Effect of Collegiate Athletics, shows how on-field heroics can benefit schools by increasing both the quantity and the quality of students they can expect to attract. The paper has been accepted for publication by the... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Education; Advertising; Sports

18 Jul 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research and Ideas, July 18, 2017

May 11, 2017 New England Journal of Medicine Good Riddance to Big Insurance Mergers By: Dafny, Leemore S. Abstract—Federal judges issued preliminary injunctions halting mergers of four of the five largest U.S. health insurers. These... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

03 Jul 2012
Research & Ideas

HBS Faculty on Supreme Court Health Care Ruling

of employer-sponsored insurance—$4,500 in 2011. Absent the requirement that healthy people buy insurance, it is likely that the individual insurance market will consist primarily of sick people. They will have $ 4,500 to buy a policy with average expenses of up to... View Details

Keywords: Re: Multiple Faculty; Health

09 Jul 2008
Research & Ideas

Starbucks’ Lessons for Premium Brands

structure) or you have to cut distribution to restore the exclusivity of the brand. Expect the 600 store closings to be the first of a series of downsizing announcements. Sometimes, in the world of marketing, less is more. Schultz sought, admirably, to bring View Details

Keywords: by John Quelch; Retail

09 Mar 2003
Research & Ideas

Education, Technology, and Business: What’s the Catch?

was what led Ira Fishman in this direction. Fishman worked in the Clinton administration as Counsel and Director of the Task Force on Education at the Federal Communications Commission and founding CEO of the nonprofit E-Rate program that provides money to connect... View Details

Keywords: by Carla Tishler; Education

18 Jul 2005
Research & Ideas

Time to Rethink the Corporate Tax System?

focused on the issue, corporations are turning the tax function into a profit center, says Desai, an expert on international corporate and public finance. In this e-mail interview, he discusses new ways businesses are looking to shrink... View Details

Keywords: by Ann Cullen

22 Apr 2015
Op-Ed

Reforming Greece: Myths and Truths

totaling 950 million euros to the International Monetary Fund by May 12. However, major confusion exists about what has happened in this period and why we are still talking about Greece being at the Eurozone's exit door and at the brink of bankruptcy. “This is all... View Details

Keywords: by George Serafeim

12 Jan 2004
Research & Ideas

Does Your HQ Operation Fit With Corporate Strategy?

headquarters produce superior financial performance. We had expected that smaller, "lean and mean" headquarters would lead to better performance. In fact, the opposite is true—larger headquarters are associated with higher profitability. This does not mean... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

11 May 2015
Research & Ideas

A Road Map to Fix America’s Transportation Infrastructure

Any highway commuter who has wasted hours stuck in traffic can see the cracks in the United States' transportation system, as can any airline passenger who has been stranded overnight in an airport. Yet while many agree that the need for infrastructure change is... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Transportation

21 Nov 2012
Research & Ideas

What Health Care Managers Need to Know--and How to Teach Them

Confronting Challenges for Innovation with a Modern Curriculum." The conference brought together 114 global faculty from schools of medicine, health care administration, public health, and business; leaders of the US professional... View Details

Keywords: by Paul Guttry; Health; Education

16 Feb 2012
Op-Ed

Nitin Nohria: Why US Competitiveness Matters

American Competitiveness site where resources, commentary, and solutions are showcased. Harvard Business School's US Competitiveness Project is another must-visit-site to better understand the complex problems facing the US. One good way... View Details

Keywords: by Nitin Nohria

08 Apr 2015
What Do You Think?

Are Technology Companies Ripe for Disruption?

hardware and software. A small number of basic functions repeatedly are put to good use by the typical user. They are the need-to-have functions. The functions thought by designers to be nice to have may enhance marketing efforts and... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Computer; Technology

28 Mar 2011
Research & Ideas

Why Manufacturing Matters

United States is still an innovation powerhouse? Shih: I think so. But the problem comes about as more manufacturing moves offshore and commercialization capabilities diminish. Flat-panel displays are a good example. Because there is no... View Details

Keywords: by Roger Thompson; Manufacturing

12 Oct 1999
Research & Ideas

Porter’s Perspective: Competing in the Global Economy

modern competition; how they arise and decline; how they affect productivity, new business formation, and economic growth; and the roles both the private and the public sectors can have in developing them. Q: So, even in an age of... View Details

Keywords: Re: Michael E. Porter

11 Nov 2014
First Look

First Look: November 11

Publications November 2014 Harvard Business Review Cooks Make Tastier Food When They Can See Their Customers By: Buell, Ryan W., Tami Kim, and Chia-Jung Tsay Abstract—While existing theory suggests that increased contact between... View Details