Publications

31 Jan 2023
Research & Ideas

It’s Not All About Pay: College Grads Want Jobs That ‘Change the World’

looking for meaning in their work—and are eager for roles offering a higher purpose even if they pay less than traditional positions. When graduates are willing to work for less in jobs they feel are “useful... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

2018
Working Paper

The Limitations of Dynamic Capabilities

By: David J. Collis and Bharat Anand

The concept of dynamic capabilities draws its theoretical basis from two classic traditions within the strategy field—the resource-based view of the firm (RBV) (Wernerfelt, 1984) and market positioning (Porter, 1996). A dynamic capability qualifies as a source of... View Details

Keywords: Dynamic Capabilities; Business Ventures; Performance; Competitive Advantage

SSRN

October 2008 (Revised February 2014)
Case

The Northwest Passage

By: Herman B. Leonard and Peter Brannen

Following dozens of failed expeditions to "discover" the NW passage, a Norwegian adventurer employs a new approach that emphasizes rigorous preparation, a lighter, quicker style, and a willingness to adapt to the inhospitable Arctic environment and its people. The case... View Details

Keywords: Independent Innovation and Invention; Planning; Problems and Challenges; Risk and Uncertainty; Decision Choices and Conditions; Leadership Style; Adaptation; Canada

Educators

January 2018
Article

Big Data and Big Cities: The Promises and Limitations of Improved Measures of Urban Life

By: Edward L. Glaeser, Scott Duke Kominers, Michael Luca and Nikhil Naik

New, "big" data sources allow measurement of city characteristics and outcome variables at higher frequencies and finer geographic scales than ever before. However, big data will not solve large urban social science questions on its own. Big data has the most value for... View Details

Keywords: Analytics and Data Science; Urban Scope; City

March 2011
Article

The New M&A Playbook

By: Clayton M. Christensen, Richard Alton, Curtis Rising and Andrew Waldeck

Companies spend more than $2 trillion on acquisitions every year, yet the M&A failure rate is between 70% and 90%. Executives can dramatically increase their odds of success, the authors argue, if they understand how to select targets, how much to pay for them, and... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Model; Disruptive Innovation; Growth and Development Strategy; Integration

September 1990 (Revised November 1991)
Case

Merck & Co., Inc. (B)

In late 1986, Merck revised its performance review and pay practices. The most important change was a shift from an absolute rating system to a forced-distribution system in which managers are forced to adhere to a given distribution of performance ratings. Other major... View Details

Keywords: Performance Evaluation; Compensation and Benefits; Pharmaceutical Industry

Educators

05 Jun 2015
News

Is Your CEO’s High Salary Scaring Away Customers?

31 Jan 2023
Op-Ed

Can Insurance Technology Solve the Uninsured Driver Problem?

insurance at a time and only pay for coverage on the days they actually drive. The high cost of the uninsured While 13 percent of drivers nationwide are uninsured, the problem is even worse in some states like California (17 percent),... View Details

Keywords: by Ray Kluender; Insurance

22 Mar 2011
News

Is It a Dream Job If You're Gone in a Year?

02 Aug 2021
Research & Ideas

What If Closing the Wage Gap Means Everyone Earns Less?

encourage companies to set lower salaries, hold firm on initial offers, and prevent expensive renegotiations. By publicly setting pay parameters at the outset, employees “know when you get a job offer, it’s... View Details

Keywords: by Avery Forman

October 2009
Article

Shaping Online Consumer Choice by Partitioning the Web

By: Jolie M. Martin and Michael I. Norton

This research explores how partitioning attributes in online search interfaces changes the valuations of those attributes-and impacts subsequent choice-such that attributes that are displayed as separate categories tend to receive greater decision weight than... View Details

Keywords: Decision Choices and Conditions; Information Management; Demand and Consumers; Research; Internet and the Web; Valuation

02 Feb 2015
News

Hard-Charging Uber Tries Olive Branch

12 Feb 2025
Blog Post

How risk can be the key to a sustainable future with Sophie Levin (MS/MBA: Engineering Sciences 2022)

greater impact than those who wait for the space to recover. You’re still early in your career and have the luxury of time on your side. Take risks and follow the challenges that excite you—even if you fail, you’ll gain invaluable lessons... View Details

16 Nov 2020
Research & Ideas

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

urging corporate and political leaders to pay more attention to feelings and culture, I think those will now be very much on the radar screen. It’s not “touchy-feely” (a... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

04 Mar 2020
News

How Schmoozing with the Boss Helps Men Get Promoted

05 Feb 2013
News

Pistachios beat Blackberry in Super Bowl's advertising match

Eliminate Strategic Overload

As companies respond to intensifying competitive pressures and challenges, they ask more and more of their employees. But organizations often have very little to show for the efforts of their talented and engaged workers. By selecting fewer initiatives with... View Details

November 2011
Article

Social Strategies That Work

By: Mikolaj Jan Piskorski

Although most companies have collected lots of friends and followers on social platforms such as Facebook, few have succeeded in generating profits there. That's because they merely port their digital strategies into social environments by broadcasting their commercial... View Details

Keywords: Social Platforms; Social Strategies; Social and Collaborative Networks; Customers; Relationships; Business Strategy; Profit