Publications

Find at Harvard

05 May 2003
Research & Ideas

How Bank of America Turned Branches into Service-Development Laboratories

Companies often use rigorous R&D processes to guide new product development, but are much less scientific when it comes to creating services. Not Bank of America, which has turned Atlanta-area branches into consumer laboratories.... View Details

Keywords: by Stefan Thomke; Banking; Financial Services

Profile

Seth Moulton

Why was earning your MBA at HBS important to you? HBS has given me an excellent introduction to a wide range of business topics, while also giving me the opportunity to pursue particular interests in greater depth. As someone coming out... View Details

Keywords: Nonprofit / Government; Entrepreneurship

01 Jun 2024
News

Again and Again

get down to business and figure something out.” Norton: They very often are co-created between people. Greetings are one of the simplest kinds. Or handshakes; there are infinite permutations of handshakes... View Details

Keywords: Publishing Industries (except Internet); Information

February 2023 (Revised March 2025)
Case

Graphic Packaging: Project Cowboy (A)

By: Benjamin C. Esty and E. Scott Mayfield

In July 2019, Graphic Packaging CEO Michael Doss was proposing a $600 million investment in a new machine to produce coated recycled board (CRB), a type of paper packaging used for consumer products (cups, cereal boxes, beverage boxes, etc.) that utilized recycled... View Details

Keywords: Capital Budgeting; Growth Management; Demand and Consumers; Duopoly and Oligopoly; Competitive Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Expansion; Value Creation; Supply and Industry; Pulp and Paper Industry; Manufacturing Industry; United States; North America

05 Jun 2023
What Do You Think?

Is the Anxious Achiever a Post-Pandemic Relic?

Whillans, Time Smart: How to Reclaim Your Time & Live A Happier Life (Harvard Business Review Press, 2020) Your feedback to last month’s column How Should Artificial Intelligence Be Regulated—If At All? We have our answer to the... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

December 1999
Case

Sun Microsystems, Inc. (A): An Enterprise of Change

By: Rosabeth M. Kanter and Jane Roessner

In 1999, Sun Microsystems, Inc., was claiming a leadership position in the burgeoning world of e-commerce and networking computers. Its goal: "to dot-com the world." What was it about Sun's culture that made it so conducive to innovation and entrepreneurship? And how... View Details

Keywords: Business Ventures; Leading Change; Innovation Leadership; Information Infrastructure; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Business Growth and Maturation; Growth and Development Strategy; Global Strategy; Experience and Expertise; Technology Industry; Computer Industry

31 Jul 2015
Research & Ideas

The Faculty Reader: Who is Reading What This Summer?

For Harvard Business School faculty, summer marks the perfect time to catch up on reading for work and pleasure. We asked six faculty what they're looking forward to digging into over the next few months. Jeff Bussgang wo of my books... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Information; Publishing

December 2019 (Revised January 2021)
Supplement

The Leveraged Buyout of TXU: (B) Energy Future Holdings

By: Trevor Fetter, Erik Snowberg and Rebecca M. Henderson

This case is designed to support a lively discussion about the relative merits of shareholder vs. stakeholder perspectives in the context of a company that provides a vital public service that has important environmental implications. The 2007 purchase of TXU, the... View Details

Keywords: Leveraged Buyouts; Transformation; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Environmental Sustainability; Business and Shareholder Relations; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Energy Generation; Utilities Industry; Energy Industry; Texas

Web

Generative AI - Alumni

description will give the AI more to work from when creating a targeted cover letter draft. Outputs will be more generic when working from less detailed job descriptions or job titles only. Below are two examples of input prompts for... View Details

August 2003 (Revised January 2013)
Case

Multinational Corporations in Apartheid-era South Africa: The Issue of Reparations

By: Geoffrey Jones and Cate Reavis

Considers the lawsuits filed on behalf of victims of apartheid against multinationals who operated in South Africa prior to 1994. Reviews the debates about divestment from and sanctions against South Africa from the 1950s. Includes case studies of companies that... View Details

Keywords: Ethics; Multinational Firms and Management; Government Legislation; Lawsuits and Litigation; Business and Government Relations; Prejudice and Bias; South Africa

23 May 2000
Research & Ideas

Minding the Muse: The Impact of Downsizing on Corporate Creativity

Not long ago, the senior management of a leading high-tech company was surprised to learn that research showed their R&D groups' creative performance to be in a prolonged slump following a corporate... View Details

Keywords: by Peter K. Jacobs

01 Mar 2024
News

Case Study: Testing the Waters

acknowledges. Once you build that distribution network, though, it’s a much bigger, addressable market. Should the company continue to focus on hydration or expand into other categories? The Answer: My... View Details

Keywords: Jen McFarland Flint; Food and Beverage Stores; Retail Trade

February 2007 (Revised April 2009)
Case

Punjab and Kerala: Regional Development in India

By: Lakshmi Iyer

Between 2000 and 2004, India's economy grew by 6.35%. Focuses on the states of Punjab and Kerala, which emphasized sharply different development strategies. The states had to decide whether to focus their investment efforts on physical capital or improving social... View Details

Keywords: Development Economics; Capital; Investment; Policy; Growth and Development Strategy; Business and Government Relations; Social Issues; Kerala; Punjab